NEW SOUNDS

DIANA ROSS

Diana Ross is one of our musical treasures who has still been quite active touring across the entire globe. But it has been a very long time since she has recorded any new music. That is about to change with the seventy-seven year old singer about to release her first new album (and twenty-fifth solo recording) in fifteen years called "Thank You" on Decca Records. 

The album was recorded at Ross' home studio during lockdown last year with a very unexpected name involved in the production; Jack Antonoff, the musician turned producer behind the recent recordings of pop-rock artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent and Lana Del Rey. He brought in some contemporary songwriters like Jimmy Napes, Tayla Parx and Spike Stent to help co-write this album. Miss Ross was also very involved with the creation of the project by co-writing all of the tracks, a rare feat by the artist. The title track has been released with the song being a warm message of gratitude to all of the people in her life and the fans throughout her career. "Thank You" is due out in September with a tour planned for next year.



DONNY OSMOND

Since the age of five, Donny Osmond has been an entertainer; first performing with his brothers in a pop act in the 1960's before going solo and becoming a teen idol, then teaming up with his younger sister, Marie for a popular television variety show. While his fame may have cooled, Osmond has remained very busy. He had a television talk show with Marie for three years beginning in the late '90's and then the duo headed to Vegas where they had an eleven year residency that ended in 2019. And he won the top prize of the reality show, "Dancing With The Stars" in 2009.

Osmond had never given up music over the years (returning to the US pop chart in 1989 with the number two hit, "Soldier of Love") but most of his efforts didn't receive much attention. But he has just signed with BMG for his first album in seven years, "Start Again" due out in September. The album's title was inspired by the sixty-three year old's constant reinvention and that involved him co-writing and producing his own album for the first time ever in his long career. The first single is "Who", a slick dance-pop tune that actually fits quite nicely in today's musical landscape. And Osmond will be returning to Las Vegas with a solo residency at Harrah's beginning on August 31st.



And there is the return of the Swedish dance artist, Agnes who will be releasing her fifth studio album after an eight year absence this fall. Her latest single is "24 Hours", a glittery blast of nu-disco that's about the dramatic changes we go through in life, moving through a wide range of emotions in a twenty-four journey.

15 SONGS OF AMERICA THAT CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY

Some of the conditions that lead to America becoming a country are complicated and difficult to reflect upon today. But that does not mean we should not celebrate this great country and all that it stands for. Music has played a great part in expressing throughout America's history it's ideas and values. There are songs about freedom and patriotism but also involving criticism and protest. All of this is what truly makes America great.

Jim Farber of Parade Magazine has selected 15 pop songs that best express the the themes of the American experience proudly through music and revealing the inspiration behind the creation of each tune.

Click below to read the article:

The Songs of America: Celebrate Independence Day With These 15 Tracks

And here are a few of my personal favorites from this list:

NEW SOUNDS

 H.E.R.

Since releasing music beginning in 2016 (and taking home Grammys and an Oscar in the process), H.E.R., the r&b musician from Northern California who has almost single-handily brought the guitar back to contemporary soul, still had not delivered her first official album. The twenty-three year old artist has only released several EPs and a compilation album that featured the first two extended plays and new material. Now the singer's first album, "Back of My Mind" has finally just been released. This collection of smooth and mellow r&b features the hit single, "Damage" and the latest, "Come Through", a sensual duet with the problematic Chris Brown. H.E.R. also has Lil Baby, Ty Dolla Sign, Thundercat and DJ Khaled making contributions to this impressive debut.



JESSIE J

While breaking out in a sweat at the gym, I began to wonder what had happened to Jessie J after seeing the music video for her song, "Domino". It had been ten years since that breakout hit for the British pop vocalist here in the US and almost four years since we had any new music from her when she released a studio album, "R.O.S.E" and a Christmas album. And now I have an answer; Jessie J has just dropped a new song called "I Want Love". This mid-tempo dance track has a music video that was inspired by a real incident that happened to the big-voiced singer who was born Jessica Cornish. After having an argument with a boyfriend at a black-tie event, she finds herself spending the evening in a dive bar drinking with some new friends and dancing joyfully alone. This is the first preview of music from Jessie J.'s upcoming fifth studio album which is due out later in the year.



And we have the latest from Megan Thee Stallion with "Thot Shit". Fed up with men that were being critical of her for unapologetically embracing her sexuality, Megan decided to take them on, reclaiming the word, "thot'" as a term of female empowerment. The music video for the song takes this idea even further. This hilarious, horror-themed clip features a conservative Senator writing hateful comments while watching one of  Megan's videos (and about to pleasure himself ) when the performer's alter-ego, Tina Snow calls him up to take him down. We then watch this Senator get tortured by Tina and her team of "hotties" as they aggressively twerk wherever he goes. The lesson learned here is don't mess with Megan.

RANDOM SIGHT + SOUNDS

First I will start off with some new music from alt-pop performers with some intriguing music videos:

I have never actually seen "Later with Jools Holland" but I have heard of the BBC Two music program. I grew up watching "American Bandstand", "Soul Train", "Solid Gold", "The Midnight Special" and a proud member of the MTV generation so I actually miss a show dedicated to spotlighting music. Holland, a musician and an original member of the band, Squeeze, has been hosting his late-night show since 1992 and it features a mixture of established and new performers of world and pop music. I have seen clips of several live performances over time on YouTube and I'm looking back to spotlight two distinctive British acts who came to fame in the 1990's; the trip-hop band, Portishead with "Glory Box" and the alt-rock musician, PJ Harvey doing "Down by the Water":





June is Pride month which celebrates the LGBTQI+ communities. Here is some new music from Hayley Kiyoko, Jake Shears, Cynthia Erivo (with the first single from her upcoming debut studio album) and Boys Noize (that features Shears) with music videos that embraces queer themes.









And there is the latest from Todrick Hall with "Rainin' Fellas", his 21st Century spin on the 1982 dance classic, "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls. The song is campy fun and proudly queer with a music video that pushes the boundaries (and show us how far we have come) that features wet, naked, dancing men in high heels, drag queens as back-up singers and we even have Lance Bass making a brief appearance. It couldn't possibly get any gayer than this.

SOLAR POWER

After a bit of teasing, an unplanned leak and some surprisingly provocative cover art, Lorde has officially released her new single, "Solar Power". This is the title track for the twenty-four year old New Zealand musician's upcoming third studio album with currently no set release date. 

Working again with the busy Jack Antonoff (who co-wrote and produced "Solar Power"), this low-key yet offbeat song feels far more carefree and relaxed than her previous work. The music video takes the summery vibe even further with Lorde, in a bright yellow halter and skirt, dancing around like a manic tour guide at a beach resort. 

Usually displaying an image that is dark and intense, she comes across now much lighter and more playful than we have previously seen from the young singer. There's also been some chatter about Lorde's song sounding a little like George Michael’s "Freedom 90". But I don't hear it despite trying really hard to find the similarities. Anyway, this is a very welcome return and can't wait to hear more from Lorde.

NOT YOUR MUSE

When the British vocalist, Celeste recently appeared on this year's Academy Awards show to perform her nominated song, "Hear My Voice" she had co-written for the film, "The Trial of the Chicago 7", this was her major appearance on these shores. But she had already made a big impact in her home country and throughout Europe with her first album, "Not Your Muse", debuting at number one in the UK earlier in the year. The twenty-seven old singer received nominations for Best New Artist and Album of the Year at the 2021 Brit Awards.

Born Celeste Epiphany Waite in Culver City, CA. to a British mother working as a make-up artist and a Jamaican father who had recently moved to the US. But after her parents separated when she was three, Celeste moved to the UK with her mother. As she was growing up, Celeste was interested in ballet and music, particularly classic soul and jazz. By the time she was teenager, music had become very important to her, writing songs and performing with several bands. And after graduating from high school, Celeste began her pursuit of a professional music career.

Celeste first gained attention with the song she wrote called "Daydreaming". This ballad was released as a single in 2016 under pop-star, Lily Allen's record label. This lead to an EP, "The Milk and The Honey" the following year. With her vocals being compared to everyone from Billie Holiday to Adele, this made people pay attention and they quickly discovered that Celeste had her own distinctive sound. She signed with Polydor Records, releasing several singles and another EP, "Lately" in 2019. Buzz continued to build around Celeste and when Elton John added two of her songs to his Apple Music playlist, people began to actively seek out the young singer. 

Finally, Celeste's debut was released in January (with most songs written by the singer and musician/producer, Jamie Hartman) and the singles, "Strange", "Stop This Flame", "A Little Love" and "Love Is Back" helped make the album a big success. She has hasn't received much attention in this country yet but I have a feeling Celeste will be a name and voice we will be hearing from here very soon. Here are a few highlights of the music from this dynamic vocalist:

2021 SUMMER NEW MUSIC PREVIEW

With the pandemic finally moving behind us and the ability to reconnect with other people, face to maskless face, on the horizon, music will be playing an important part of the upcoming hot weather season. And what will be the ultimate song of the summer? That is the big question and Vulture has created a guide on what new music we will be listening to and what we can possibly (hopefully) expect to hear. The list is separated by upcoming releases that have been confirmed (Billie Eilish, Prince, BTS,  Lana Del Rey) and potentially coming soon (the usual suspects, Adele, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Drake) . And there is a listing of all of the live music festivals (remember those??) happening throughout the summer.

Click below to read the article:

56 Albums We Can’t Wait to Hear This Summer