TAKE TWO: BELINDA CARLISLE

Belinda Carlisle was the lead vocalist for the all-female, new-wave-rock group, The Go-Go's who burned brightly immediately after the release of their debut, "Beauty and the Beat" in 1981 before self-extinguishing shortly after their third 1984 album, "Talk Show". But the L.A. born and raised singer went on to have even wider acclaim as a solo artist with several charting pop singles that made a phenomenal impact worldwide.

During her time with the band, Carlisle was suffering from drug addiction and an eating disorder which was just one factor to the initial demise of The Go-Go's in 1985. After completing a rehab stint, she decided to continue her career in music as a solo performer. With former Go-Go's member, Charlotte Caffey on board to help contribute to the project, Carlisle's debut, "Belinda" was released in 1986. The collection featured a sunny 60's California vibe and was an immediate hit with the first single, "Mad About You".

Carlisle's follow-up, "Heaven On Earth" in 1987 featured a slicker power-pop sound and would become the biggest success of her career.  With the number one U.S. hit, "Heaven Is a Place On Earth", the Diane Warren penned, "I Get Weak" and "Circle In The Sand" reaching the top-ten in several countries, the album went on to sell over four million copies.

"Runaway Horses", Carlisle's 1989 third album, was more modestly received compared to her previous release and the record did best internationally with "Leave a Light On", "Summer Rain" and the title track becoming top-forty singles throughout Europe.

In 1990, Carlisle and The Go-Go's reunited to tour to promote their greatest hits record while Carlisle released her fourth solo album, "Live Your Life Be Free"  the following year. The record was another moderate success in Europe yet failed to chart in the U.S. Carlisle released a few more albums, including a set of French-language songs, "Voila" in 2007 and her last record-to-date, "Wilder Shores", a 2017 collection of Sikh chants, but none have reached the heights of her previous pop success.

The now sixty year old singer finally became completely sober in 2005 and began to practice Nichiren Buddhism, vegetarianism and yoga. She had continued to go on the road with The Go-Go's over the years and the group made their apparent final tour together in 2016. Carlisle has been married to film producer, Morgan Mason (son of actor, James Mason) since 1986 and they have a son, James Duke. Here are a couple of my favorite songs from this iconic pop vocalist:

HELLO HAPPINESS

Here is some news that has surprisingly fallen under the radar; Chaka Khan has released her first album of new music in twelve years with "Hello Happiness". When she first came on the scene in 1973 as a featured vocalist for the funk-rock group, Rufus, there was no one else out there like her. While most r&b acts at the time dressed to impress wearing sequined gowns and velvet tuxedos, the earthy Khan performed comfortably wearing denim, crop-tops and feathers. And her voice could effortlessly go from the easy swing of jazz to the fiery passion of soul.

This is the sixty-six year old singer's twelfth solo album (which was released in February) and manages to deliver an old-skool vibe while bringing her sound firmly in to the present. With British DJ, Switch on board as producer, Khan was involved in co-writing of these seven thrilling dance tracks. Here are a few of my favorites including the music video for the title track from "Hello Happiness":

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

Jennifer Lopez first got our attention as a back-up dancer on the television comedy series, "In Living Color" before moving on to the movies and impressing us with roles in "Selena", "Out of Sight" and "Anaconda".

But by 1999, Lopez decided she wanted to be a pop singer. She released her debut album, "On The 6" and her first single, "If You Had My Love" was the number one song during this week in the U.S. twenty years ago. The song was written by LaShawn Daniels, Cory Rooney, and producer, Rodney Jerkins. Michael Jackson had originally showed interest in recording the tune but ultimately decided it should be sung by a female vocalist. That's how it landed with Lopez and "If You Had My Love" went on to reach the top-ten worldwide and selling over a million copies.

And this year, the ageless Lopez turns fifty in July. She is in the middle of a birthday celebration with a concert tour called, "It's My Party" which covers all of her hits from the last two decades with some inventive revisions.

LOVE YOURSELF

Just in time for LGBTQ Pride month, indie musician, Sufjan Stevens has released an EP that features two songs on the topic of love. "Love Yourself" was actually written by the singer over twenty years ago with the original demo included here as well as a brief instrumental reprise. The other track is "With My Whole Heart" which is Stevens' attempt to compose an upbeat and heartfelt love song. The EP is available on a limited edition 7" vinyl record. Stevens also designed a special pride t-shirt with a portion of the proceeds going to two organizations that offer assistance to homeless queer youth; the Ali Forney Center in New York City and the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit, Michigan. For more information and to purchase, please click below:

Love Yourself

59 BEST SUMMER SONGS

When we hear a song, it can transport us back to certain time or place in our lives. That is most certainly true with a tune that came out during the hot months of summer. Good Housekeeping has looked back to those key songs of summer from every year since 1960. And I have included a few of my favorites from this list for your listening pleasure:

Click below to read the article:

The 59 Best Songs of Summer

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Ezra Miller is best known as an actor and delivering memorable performances in such films as "We Need to Talk About Kevin", "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". But he has also been a part of the indie queer band, Sons of an Illustrious Father since 2011 as a vocalist and drummer. With Lilah Larson and Josh Aubin, the group just dropped a cover of the Pussycat Dolls' hit, "Don't Cha" with Miller providing the vocals to flip the gender perspective. Their version is much darker than the original and, in many ways, far more interesting. Check out the music video of Sons of an Illustrious Father in action:



Lana Del Rey recently dropped some new music with little fanfare. "Doin' Time" is a cover of Sublime's 1997 song which uses a line from the Gershwin classic, "Summertime" in the hook but that is all it has in common with that tune. She brings a decidedly SoCal vibe to the track which makes it all her own. I really love this tune and let's hope we get some more music from Ms Del Rey very soon.

And we have Léon, who was recently in LA to promote her debut self-titled album which came out in March. Born Lotta Lindgren, this twenty-six year old Swedish vocalist comes from a musical family (Her mother is a cellist and her father is a composer and conductor) and has been performing since she was a child. With a great love for classic soul, Léon sang with several r&b and hip-hop groups as a teenager before deciding to become a solo artist. She released her first EP, "Treasure" in 2015 which brought her some attention and released two more in 2017.  I have to say I am shocked she hasn't really blown up yet. I realize much of it has to do with luck and timing but I think Léon has what it takes to easily become the next big pop sensation from Sweden. Time will tell but in the meantime, here are the music videos for a couple of her singles, "You and I" and "Baby Don't Talk" to see for yourself:

DEDICATED

It's been over five years since Carly Rae Jepsen exploded on the scene with the song, "Call Me Maybe". This cute pop ditty reached number one in eighteen countries and became the best-selling U.S. single of that year. The Canadian singer's follow-up work hasn't reached the same heights but that certainly doesn't mean that her music hasn't been interesting. Jepsen's 2015 album, "E.MO.TION" received plenty of critical acclaim for it's blend of dance-pop and 1980's new wave and ended up on the top of several year-end Best Album lists.

With her fourth studio release, "Dedicated", Jepsen is still in a dancing mood but she's going further back to disco and using the sounds of Bee Gees, ABBA and Donna Summer as inspiration. She said she wound up writing over one hundred songs for the album before narrowing it down to the album's thirteen tracks. There is the usual army of producers and songwriting collaborators on "Dedicated" but this record clearly has Jepsen's stamp all over it. Have a listen to a few of my favorite tracks including the latest single, "Too Much":