RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After her last venture into '80's synth-pop and hard rock and roll with "Plastic Hearts", Miley Cyrus is back with "Endless Summer Vacation", a new collection that falls more into contemporary dance-pop and mellow rock. Cyrus has teamed up with some of today's top hitmakers on this album, collaborating with Greg Kurstin, Justin Tranter, Tobias Jesso Jr. (who won the very first Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year last month), Mike Will Made It, Sia and Kid Harpoon, the British musician who handled much of the album's production, crafting an album that is an ode to the city of LA with contrasting musical styles that surprisingly work well together. There are guest artists on board as well with Sia, who provides vocals on "Muddy Feet", and Brandi Carlile is featured on "Thousand Miles". Following the first hit single, "Flowers", this latest album from the thirty year old Cyrus has proven to put even more distance between her early days as a perky, Disney pop-star and effectively displays her growth and maturity as a serious musical artist.

Sparks, the art-rock band made-up of the Mael brothers, Russell on vocals and Ron on keyboards, have been making music together professionally since 1970. Their sound is a quirky blend of various pop music elements and caustic lyrics. The duo has released the title track of their upcoming twenty-sixth (!!) studio album, "The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte", due out in May with Sparks returning to a major label, Island Records. But it's the music video of this song that has drawn a lot of attention due to the star in the clip. Meeting her at France's César Awards last year, the Maels asked Cate Blanchett to appear in the video and she happily agreed, showing off her dancing skills in the process. Sparks will be hitting the road beginning this summer with an extensive world tour which includes a stop at the Hollywood Bowl in their hometown of Los Angeles.



Here is a spotlight on some new songs that I like from Usher (which is giving a Prince vibe), Róisín Murphy, Mae Stephens and the rally calls of the pretty people from Big Boss Vette and Soulja Boy Tell'em:

And finally, I would like to pay tribute to Bobby Caldwell, the r&b musician who passed away on March 14th at the age of seventy-one. He is best remembered for the 1978 ballad, "What You Won't Do for Love" which has gone on to become an enduring classic. But what was not popularly known at the time, largely because it was never actually publicized and Caldwell was not prominently featured on his first album cover, is that the singer behind this soulful song was actually White. Born in New York but raised in Miami, Caldwell was exposed to a variety of soul and Carribean music which would greatly influence his style when he would turn to becoming a professional musician. His first break came playing rhythm guitar on tour for Little Richard in the early '70's. Caldwell later went on to pursue a solo career, eventually signing with TK Records. As they were a r&b label, his self-titled debut was released with an artist rendering that didn't reveal his face, hoping not to alienate their African-American audience. But they had nothing to worry about as the song (which Caldwell co-wrote with Alfons Kettner) was warmly embraced, reaching number six on the r&b chart and cracking the top-ten on the pop chart. "What You Won't Do" went on to be covered and sampled by many artists over the following years, increasing the popularity of the original version. This would be Caldwell's only significant hit as an artist but would go on to write songs for other musicians, most notably "The Next Time I Fall", a hit for Peter Cetera and Amy Grant in 1986.

2023 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

In a matter of days, one of these five songs will receive this year's Oscar for Best Original Song, an eclectic bunch of compositions that adds some real intrigue to this category. There are a couple of nominees that created music for two of the biggest box-office hits of 2022 who also happen to be two of today's greatest pop superstars. Lady Gaga contributed the '80's styled, power-ballad, "Hold My Hand" to the long-awaited sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick" which displayed Tom Cruise still has a need for speed. After a few years away from working on new music, Rihanna returned with a mournful ballad for the soundtrack to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" with the director, Ryan Coogler also nominated for co-writing the song. The teaming of the idiosyncratic artists, David Byrne, Mitski and Ryan Lott of the band, Son Lux was the perfect combination to come up with, "This is a Life" for the absurdist comedy-fantasy, "Everything Everywhere All at Once". Lott along with bandmates, Ian Chang, and Rafiq Bhatia were also recognized for creating the original music score for the film. I'm still shocked that the only nomination that the epic Indian action drama, "RRR" received was for the song, "Naatu Naatu", a Telugu-language song that was used in the high-energy dance sequence which is one of many highlights in this movie. And Diane Warren received her fourteenth nomination for the ballad, "Applause" from the little-seen, anthology film, "Tell It like a Woman". I'm afraid to say Warren will probably have to continue enjoying the Honorary Oscar she received last year.

As for the winner, I think it could be Gaga's "Hold My Hand" if the Academy is feeling safe but the more adventurous "Naatu Naatu" would be the more thrilling selection. Here are the five nominated songs to hear and judge for yourself:

"Applause" from "Tell It like a Woman" - (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)



"Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick" - (Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop)



"Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - (Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler)



"Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" - (Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose)



"This Is A Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - (Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne)

NEW SOUNDS

JANELLE MONAE

After spending some time working in front of the camera, appearing as an actor in several movies including "Glass Onion", the recent hit sequel to "Knives Out", Janelle Monáe has returned to what first brought her attention: music. A new song, "Float" is the first studio venture from the queer, Afrofuturistic artist since her third album, "Dirty Computer" in 2018. Using Muhammed Ali's amusing riff, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" as a starting point, this uplifting song takes on rising above challenges and not allowing anybody to get you down. And if the track sounds a bit familiar, that's because a snippet of "Float" (which features horns by Nigerian musician, Seun Kuti and Egypt 80) had been used for NBA promos on ESPN. This seems like just the beginning with more music on the horizon from Monáe.

KELELA

It has been almost seven years since the alt-r&b chanteuse, Kelela released her debut album, "Take Me Apart", a progressive collection that combined electronic beats and classic soul to create a shimmering futuristic sound. Now the follow-up to that critically acclaimed album has arrived. The Ethiopian-American performer, born Kelela Mizanekristos, had dabbled in jazz and heavy metal before settling into neo-soul and with "Raven", she has continued on her innovative journey into beat-driven funky jams and pulsating, sensual ballads yet this adventurously stylish record also dives further into intimate reflections. The openly queer artist had been vocal about her concerns regarding Black women in entertainment, particularly feeling isolated working in dance music, with the songs focused more on personal relationships and identity than on the previous album.

BURT BACHARACH (1928 - 2023)

With his musical partner, lyricist Hal David, Burt Bacharach composed some of the greatest and most enduring pop songs of the twentieth century. This gifted pianist and producer passed away on February 8th at the age of ninety-four of natural causes. While these compositions from Bacharach and David may best represent the era in which they were created during the swinging '60's, they have since gone on to become timeless classics, songs that still captivate with their offbeat rhythms and complicated arrangements yet remain extraordinarily catchy.

The New York City raised Bacharach was started on piano lessons as a child, encouraged by his creative mother. But as he got older, he became more interested in jazz than classical music. After serving in the army for two years, Bacharach went to work as a pianist and conductor for singer, Vic Damone who he has first met while they were both serving in Germany. This lead to other jobs as a pianist for other noted performers of the day, accompanying Steve Lawrence, The Ames Brothers and Joel Grey.

Bacharach's first major break came in 1956 when he was recommended to actress Marlene Dietrich who was about to begin touring with her nightclub act. As her musical arranger and conductor, they would work together on and off until the early 1960's.

After joining the songwriting factory at the Brill Building, Bacharach first met Hal David with the team writing together their first two hits; "The Story of My Life" which became a number one song on the US Country chart in 1957 for Marty Robbins and the top-five pop hit, "Magic Moments" recorded by Perry Como. Despite these early successes with David, Bacharach worked with other writers, most notably Bob Hilliard with this team's songs, "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" and "Mexican Divorce" becoming charting pop hits. It was during the recording of the later song in 1962 with The Drifters that Bacharach would first meet the singer that would change the course of his career.

One of the background singers during that recording session was Dionne Warwick who stood out with her formidable vocal abilities, impressing Bacharach enough to hire her to record his demos. By 1962, Bacharach and David had officially become a songwriting team and started their own production company, signed to Scepter Records. And their first artist was Warwick who released her debut album, "Presenting Dionne Warwick" in 1963. Beginning with "Don't Make Me Over", this trio had a long string of worldwide pop hits which included "Anyone Who Had a Heart", "Walk On By", "I Say a Little Prayer", "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?", "Message to Michael", "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" and "Alfie". Many of these songs were covered by other singers, most notably Cilla Black, Sandie Shaw and Dusty Springfield, who would also find success on the pop charts with their versions.

Bacharach-David also went on to write music for films ("The Look of Love" for "Casino Royale", "What's New Pussycat?" and the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid") and the stage (the 1968 musical, "Promises, Promises"). Bacharach would work on his own projects during this time as well, making a name for himself and creating some visibility as a personality with several television specials, talk show appearances and released solo albums. But the recording of the score for the 1973 film musical version of "Lost Horizon", a critical and commercial disappointment, lead to the dissolution of the creative partnership between Bacharach and David with each suing the other and Warwick filing a lawsuit against them both.

Bacharach went on to find a new songwriting partner, singer/lyricist Carole Bayer Sager who would later become his third wife in 1982. Some of the songs they wrote together included "Heartlight", "Making Love", "On My Own" and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (co-written with Christopher Cross and Peter Allen) which won the 1981 Oscar for Best Original Song. And "That's What Friends Are For" (originally recorded by Rod Stewart in 1982 for the soundtrack of the film, "Night Shift")  would reunite Bacharach and Warwick in 1985 with this number one song, that featured Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder, was a charity single with all proceeds going for AIDS research.

After his marriage to Bayer Sager ended in 1991, Bacharach continued to work over the years with one of his most notable musical collaborations was with Elvis Costello, releasing an album together "Painted From Memory" in 1998 and later working on several tracks for Costello's 2018 album, "Look Now". One of Bacharach's last projects was in 2020 when he collaborated with multi-instrumentalist, Daniel Tashian on the EP, "Blue Umbrella".

THE 65TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

After the disruptions and restrictions over the last couple of years, the Grammy Awards are back in Los Angeles with a full audience in attendance to witness the biggest night in music. Trevor Noah, back for a third time as host and first gig since leaving his post on "The Daily Show", was in understated comedic form and more about spreading positive vibes, teasing the celebrated musicians with light jokes and being an excited cheerleader for the live performances.

A nice touch on the show was having a round-table of ten dedicated fans passionately yet respectfully debating who should win the Album of the Year. Not only were they invited to attend the ceremony but then Noah had this group come on stage to present this award with him.

Bad Bunny, who became the first artist to have a Spanish-language album, "Un Verano Sin Ti" nominated for Album of the Year, opened the show, getting the crowd on their feet with a medley of "El Apagón" and "Después de la Playa" that featured a colorful, dance-filled celebration of his Puerto-Rican heritage. Out of the many live performances that followed, some of my favorites included the Stevie Wonder lead tribute to fellow Motown artist, Smokey Robinson and the label's founder, Berry Gordy, who were both honored as MusiCares Person of the Year, with Wonder, Robinson and country star, Chris Stapleton performing together some Motown classics; Lizzo, the winner of Record of the Year, did a brief interlude of the winning song, "About Damn Time" before moving into her album's title track, "Special", a powerful anthem on self-esteem; and a touching In Memoriam section that featured Kacey Musgraves paying tribute to Loretta Lynn with a version of "Coal Miner's Daughter"; Quavo of the hip hop group, Migos honored his late musical partner and nephew, Takeoff with "Without You" and Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood came together to pay respect to Christine McVie with a rendition of her 1977 Fleetwood Mac hit, "Songbird".

But the biggest highlight was the impressive celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Questlove helped curate a massive, multi-generational line-up of rap artists to musically run through the history of this genre with Run DMC, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Ice-T, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, Missy Elliot, Lil Baby, GloRilla, Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy as just some of the performers appearing together on stage. Considering how many acts were involved over such a brief period of time, this was truly a dazzling, breath-taking event that I think was one of the best ever to have taken place in the history of the Grammys.

With a late arrival (no one can escape LA traffic), an ethereal Beyoncé finally emerged in time to receive four Grammys which made her become the most honored artist of all-time with a career total of thirty-two, surpassing a record previous held by conductor, Georg Solti. But her wins for "Renaissance" were not in the major categories with the loss of Album of the Year in particular setting off outrage amongst many fans and critics who felt the singer has been long overdue for this award, especially for this album which is considered by many to be one of her very best.  It was Harry Styles who won the top prize for "Harry's Place", a stylish collection that also won Best Pop Vocal Album,  a more deserving acknowledgment of the young British singer's solid pop-rock record.

And it was proven this evening that if you receive a nomination, any of the nominees truly has a real chance to win the award. One very unexpected winner was in Song of the Year with Bonnie Raitt taking the prize against some better known competition for "Just Like That", the title track from her eighteenth studio album and one of the rare songs that this veteran blues musician actually wrote. Samara Joy, the twenty-three year old jazz vocalist, was another surprise, selected as Best New Artist in a field that featured more higher profile musicians. Yet she did get her record deal by posting a performance online with it going viral and leading to Joy's debut, "Linger Awhile" which also won for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Here is a partial list of the winners from the 2023 Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "Harry’s House" — Harry Styles
Record of the Year: "About Damn Time" — Lizzo
Song of the Year: "Just Like That" — Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)
Best New Artist: Samara Joy
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Harry’s House" — Harry Styles
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Higher" — Michael Bublé
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Easy On Me" — Adele
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Unholy" — Sam Smith & Kim Petras
Best Dance/Electronic Music Album: "Renaissance" — Beyoncé
Best Dance/Electronic Recording: "BREAK MY SOUL" — Beyoncé
Best R&B Album: "Black Radio III" — Robert Glasper
Best Progressive R&B Album: "Gemini Rights" — Steve Lacy
Best R&B Performance: "Hrs & Hrs" — Muni Long
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA" — Beyoncé
Best R&B Song: "CUFF IT" — Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Beyoncé, Mary Christine Brockert, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Best Rap Album: "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" — Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap Performance: "The Heart Part 5" — Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap Song: "The Heart Part 5" — Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
Best Rock Album: "Patient Number 9" — Ozzy Osbourne
Best Rock Performance: "Broken Horses" — Brandi Carlile
Best Alternative Music Album: "Wet Leg" — Wet Leg
Best Música Urbana Album: "Un Verano Sin Ti" — Bad Bunny
Best Country Album: "A Beautiful Time" — Willie Nelson
Best Country Solo Performance: "Live Forever" — Willie Nelson
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "Never Wanted To Be That Girl" — Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde
Best Country Song: "‘Til You Can’t" — Matt Rogers & Ben Stennis, songwriters (Cody Johnson)
Best Bluegrass Album: "Crooked Tree" — Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Best Americana Album: "In These Silent Days" — Brandi Carlile
Best Americana Performance: "Made Up Mind" — Bonnie Raitt
Best Folk Album: "Revealer" — Madison Cunningham
Best American Roots Performance: "Stompin’ Ground" — Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Best American Roots Song: "Just Like That" — Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)
Best Contemporary Blues Album: "Brother Johnny" — Edgar Winter
Best Traditional Blues Album: "Get On Board" — Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder
Best Jazz Vocal Album: "Linger Awhile" — Samara Joy
Best Reggae Album: "The Kalling" — Kabaka Pyramid
Best Latin Pop Album: "Pasieros" — Rubén Blades & Boca Livre
Best Latin Jazz Album: "Fandango At The Wall In New York" — Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective
Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording: "Finding Me" — Viola Davis
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album: "The Poet Who Sat By The Door" — J. Ivy
Best Comedy Album: "The Closer" — Dave Chappelle
Best Musical Theater Album: "Into The Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)" — Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist (Sara Bareilles, Brian d'Arcy James, Patina Miller & Phillipa Soo, principal vocalists; Rob Berman & Sean Patrick Flahaven, producers))
Best Music Film: "Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story" — (Various Artists); Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern, video directors; Frank Marshall, Sean Stuart & Ryan Suffern, video producers
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: "Encanto" — (Various Artists)
Best Song Written for Visual Media: "We Don’t Talk About Bruno" From "Encanto" — Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Carolina Gaitán - La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & "Encanto" Cast)
Best Music Video: "All Too Well: The Short Film" — Taylor Swift, video director; Saul Germaine, video producer (Taylor Swift)
Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical): Tobias Jesso Jr.
Producer of the Year (Non-Classical): Jack Antonoff

BARRETT STRONG (1941 - 2023)

One of the first artists to achieve a hit record for Motown, Barrett Strong passed away on January 28th at the age of eighty-one. He later went on to become a prolific writer for the music label, co-writing with Norman Whitfield some classic songs like "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "I Wish it Would Rain" and "Just My Imagination".

After signing with Tamla Records, Strong helped bring attention to the fledgling label with his recording of "Money (That's What I Want)" which reached number two on the r&b chart in 1960 and selling over one million copies. The song was so popular that other artists covered it including The Beatles in 1963 and The Rolling Stones in 1964. Strong claimed to have co-written "Money" with Janie Bradford and Motown founder, Berry Gordy and his name was originally on the copyright. But his name was later removed due to Gordy saying that the addition of Strong as a songwriter was a clerical error. Strong later tried to pursue this legally but his case was weakened due to how long it took him to have his name reinstated as a writer.

Strong had moved into songwriting after his recording career cooled down, working with producer Whitfield on songs largely for the Temptations which included "Cloud Nine", "Psychedelic Shack", "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)", and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" as well as songs for the Undisputed Truth ("Smiling Faces Sometimes") and Edwin Starr ("War").

When Gordy decided to pack-up Motown to Los Angeles in 1972, Strong remained in Detroit, leaving the label and resuming his music career. He signed with several different labels and would record four solo albums throughout the rest of his career. Here is Strong's first big hit and a few of the popular hit songs he wrote for some of the great artists on Motown:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Here are the latest videos of singles from P!nk, Miley Cyrus and Chlöe who all have new albums dropping in the next few weeks.







And there is the return of Everything But The Girl, a British electronic band who found their greatest fame in the '90's with the remix of the single, "Missing". After twenty-four years, the duo (that features Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt) have come back together to create some new music with an album, "Fuse" due out in April. The first single, "Nothing Left to Lose" reveals that this band has moved forward with a sound that fits perfectly well in today's musical landscape.

I love how Sam Smith now feels free to openly embrace a queer esthetic without having to fear that it might adversely effect their career. Following their worldwide smash single, "Unholy" with Kim Petras, Smith has released their fourth album, "Gloria". This collection features a myriad of personal expressions and musical textures. They have with returned with two singles from the record, "Gimme", a sexy, Caribbean flavored track that features Jessie Reyez and Jamaican musician, Koffee and "I'm Not Here To Make Friends", a new dance collaboration with Calvin Harris. Both videos for these songs express an unapologetic queer vibe; free-wheeling, decadent and fun.

"80 For Brady" is the upcoming campy comedy that has assembled a cast of legendary actresses; Oscar-winners, Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and nominee, Lily Tomlin. Based on a true story, these four longtime friends and big New England Patriots fans decide to travel to Houston in order to watch their hero, Tom Brady play in the Super Bowl and they're not going to let not having tickets stop them. And a theme song for the movie written by Diane Warren has put together an equally impressive line-up of veteran singers to sing on the track. Belinda Carlisle, Gloria Estefan, Cyndi Lauper and Dolly Parton have come together on "Gonna Be You". While the song might not be considered that memorable, it is certainly fun to hear this unlikely round-up of ladies performing collectively.

And to close out, here are tributes to a couple of artists we have recently lost. Anita Pointer of the family singing group, The Pointer Sisters passed away on December 31st at the age of seventy-four. She had been struggling with cancer over the last couple of years. Born and raised in Oakland, CA., she and her sisters, June, Bonnie and Ruth, all began performing together professionally in 1972, signing to Blue Thumb Records and releasing their self-titled debut which featured their first hits, "Yes We Can Can" and "Wang Dang Doodle". This r&b group enjoyed further success together before Bonnie decided to leave to pursue a solo career.

Now as a trio, the Pointer Sisters changed musical directions, moving into a pop-rock sound and found even greater success first with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire". More high charting songs followed with "He's So Shy", "Jump (For My Love)", "Slow Hand" and "I'm So Excited". She recorded only one solo album, "Love For What It Is" in 1987. Pointer retired from the group in 2015 and co-wrote a memoir with her brother, Fritz, "Fairytale: The Pointer Sisters' Family Story" which chronicled their family history and career.

Considered one of the greatest guitar players in rock, Jeff Beck died on January 10th from complications of bacterial meningitis. He was seventy-eight. This British musician began his career playing with several bands and was a session guitarist before being offered to join The Yardbirds to replace Eric Clapton based on a reccomendation from Jimmy Page in 1965. Beck didn't stay long yet was a part of the band during their biggest commercial success. He was eventually fired from The Yardbirds due to excessive absences and his firery temper.

In 1967, Beck went on to form his own band, The Jeff Beck Group which included Ronnie Wood on bass and Rod Stewart on vocals. This blues-rock group was another short-lived venture for Beck that produced two successful albums before this line-up disbanded two years later. He would revive the band later with different musicians in the 1970's, recording two more albums. Beck soon began recording as a solo artist, moving into jazz-rock fusion. He had continued to work over the years on his own albums and with other artists, recently collaborating with friend, actor and part-time musician Johnny Depp last year on what would be Beck's final album, "18". During his accomplished career, Beck recorded fourteen studio albums and won eight Grammy awards.