ALISON MOYET: THE MINUTES

Long before Adele was even out of diapers, there was another British singer who captivated audiences with her impressively big and soulful voice. Although Alison Moyet never achieved the massive world-wide pop success that she certainly deserved, she still never failed to deliver some strong, memorable music over the years.

The singer has been silent for a little while but she is finally back with new music. "The Minutes" is a collection of new songs co-written by Moyet and producer, Guy Sigsworth that harks back to her early sound with elements of rock, soul and electropop. The album is off to a fine start as it's become Moyet's highest charting in Britain since 1987.

Moyet first came to attention as the powerful voice behind the short-lived but highly influential electronic band, Yazoo (or known in the U.S. as "Yaz" due to legal reasons) way back in 1982. Formed with Vince Clarke (who was first part of the original line-up of Depeche Mode), Yazoo released two popular albums, "Upstairs At Eric's" and "You and Me Both" which contained the hits, "Don't Go", "Situation" and "Nobody's Diary" but by 1983, the duo had disbanded.

Reluctantly, Moyet became a solo artist and released her debut, "Alf" in 1984. The album went to number one in Britain and spawned three hit singles, "Love Resurrection", "Invisible" and "All Cried Out" as well as a non-album song, "That Ole Devil Called Love" (first recorded by Billie Holliday) that peaked at number two on the U.K. singles chart. The singer released seven more popular albums with her last release was "The Turn" in 2007.

I'm glad she's back and loving the new material. Let's hope it will bring Alison Moyet some love here in the U.S.

Here is a tune from "The Minutes":

"Changeling" - Alison Moyet (2013)

This video features Moyet with Vince Clarke together as Yazoo performing live, "Don't Go":



This is the music video for the song, "Invisible" from "Alf". It was written by Motown legend, Lamont Dozier for Moyet and was the only song that managed to crack the top forty in the U.S.

TAKE TWO: DOLLY PARTON

I had recently mentioned in a previous post that I hadn't put much rap on here. Well, it seems that I've put even less country music on this blog. Although country is far from my favorite genre but there have always been a few songs over the years that I have enjoyed. One performer I think is great is the very talented, Dolly Parton and who doesn't love Dolly? With her over-the top stage costumes, larger than life personality and even bigger "assets", Dolly Parton is most certainly a lot of woman but you can tell that deep down she's just a sweet, simple gal with a gentle, kind heart. 

Born in the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, Dolly was one of twelve children living in a one room cabin on a tobacco farm. The family didn't have much but music played an important part in their lives. Dolly began writing and singing music as a young child and would perform on local television and radio programs. By thirteen, she recorded her first single, "Puppy Love" in 1959. While this song wasn't much of a hit but it still gave her confidence to try a move to Nashville. In 1967, Dolly recorded her debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly" that would move it's way to number one on the country chart. She caught the attention of country superstar, Porter Wagoner and Parton would be asked to join his band and eventually be his co-host on his weekly television show. Wagoner and Parton became a popular duo and recorded twelve highly successful albums. They remained a professional team until 1974 when she went on to concentrate on her own solo career.

While Dolly enjoyed major country music success throughout the rest of the 1970's but soon decided she wanted her music to appeal to a more mainstream crowd. "Here You Come Again" was released in 1977 and the title track became her first major pop hit, peaking at number three on the chart. Parton remained a highly popular act in country but now her music became even more well-known to rest of the world. Dolly soon took on acting and starred in the movie, "9 to 5" in 1980. She wrote the theme song to that smash hit film which would go to to top both the pop and country charts as well as earn the singer an Academy Award nomination.

Dolly Parton is not only one of the most accomplished and highly honored artists in country music with a total world-wide sales of over one hundred million records sold but has also managed to find great success in film, television and the stage.

Listen to two songs by Dolly Parton that I'm particularly fond of:

"I Will Always Love You" - Dolly Parton (1974)

"Two Doors Down" - Dolly Parton (1978)

DISCLOSURE

Disclosure is the latest electronic band which mixes funky, deep house with a synthpop sound that is taking the world by storm. This British duo is made up of twenty-two year old, Guy Lawrence and his nineteen year old brother, Howard. In 2010, they first started out remixing songs of other musicians before branching out to create their own music.

Disclosure first hit the UK pop chart in 2012 with "Latch" that featured vocals by rising British artist, Sam Smith. That song reached number eleven and was soon followed by two more singles, "White Noise" (featuring AlunaGeorge) and "You & I" (with Eliza Doolittle) that both made it to the top-ten on the British chart this year. After releasing an EP earlier in 2013 that featured these three songs plus a remix, Disclosure has just put out their impressive first full-length album, "Settle". In addition to their hit songs, the record wisely features contributions from other new artists getting plenty of buzz including London Grammar, Jamie Woon and my current fav, Jessie Ware. With this excellent release, there is very little doubt that the Lawrence brothers will not only be ruling the dance floors but also the airwaves all summer long.

Have a listen to Disclosure in action:

"You & Me' - Disclosure featuring Eliza Doolittle (2013)

"White Noise" - Disclosure featuring AlunaGeorge (2013)

"Voices" - Disclosure featuring Sasha Keable (2013)

Check out this sexy video for the first major single from Disclosure, "Latch":

HIP HOP HURRAY

I've noticed that I haven't put too much rap or hip-hop on this blog to date. It's not like I don't care for it but to be perfectly honest, it's just not what gets me going. Perhaps it's the superficial, homophobic or misogynistic messages in a lot of the music or maybe it's just my age. But what I have always responded to is beautiful voices singing and get less excited over hearing someone rhyming quickly over a beat. When it first hit the airwaves, many thought it was nothing more than a passing fad (myself included) but that became very far from the case. The influence of rap/hip-hop over music today is quite unexpected and very impressive.

Now, having saying all that, there have been plenty of rap/hip-hop tunes that I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years, so this post is in honor of some of the early pioneers of the art form known as rap. Here is just a small selection of my favorite tunes. (sure, some of these might be considered sexist and just plain ridiculous but that doesn't mean they aren't fun or clever):

SUGARHILL GANG

"Rapper's Delight" - Sugarhill Gang (1979)

KURTIS BLOW

"The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow (1980)

ROCK MASTER SCOTT & THE DYNAMIC THREE

"The Roof is On Fire" - Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three (1984)

RUN DMC

"You Talk Too Much" - Run DMC (1985)

JJ FAD

"Supersonic" - JJ Fad (1988)

2 LIVE CREW

"Me So Horny" - 2 Live Crew (1989)

YOUNG MC

"Bust A Move" - Young MC (1989)

PUBLIC ENEMY

"Fight The Power" - Public Enemy (1990)

IN MEMORIAM

It is a sad loss in music this week as Clarence Burke Jr., the lead vocalist of The Five Stairsteps and Marvin Junior, the singer of The Dells passed away this week.

Burke Jr., who died the day after his 64th birthday on May 26th, was the voice behind his group's biggest hit, "O-o-h Child" which went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. The Five Stairsteps was formed in Chicago in 1965 and made up of Burke's three brothers (James, Dennis and Keni) and sister (Alohe)who were all teenagers at the time. They were given the group's name by their mother as her children's descending heights reminded her of stairs After winning a talent contest, they met Curtis Mayfield of The Impressions and The Five Stairsteps were signed to his record label. The group first hit the r&b chart with "You Waited Too Long" that reached number sixteen in 1966. Other recordings followed and The Five Stairsteps became a popular live act. Although "O-o-h Child" would go on to sell well over a million copies, the group was never able to duplicate that huge success and disbanded in 1976.

"O-o-h Child" - The Five Stairsteps (1970)

Marvin Junior who was a founding member and lead vocalist of The Dells passed away on May 29th. Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches Chuck Barksdale and Mickey and Lucius McGill were high school buddies who began singing together as a doo-wop act called The El-Rays in 1952. By 1955, they renamed themselves The Dells and were signed to Vee-Jay Records. They had their first charting song with "Oh What A Night" in 1956 which reached number five on the r&b chart and sold a million copies. After a tragic car accident that left McGill severely injured in 1958, The Dells decided to temporarily disband to allow him to time recover. By 1961, The Dells were back together and more hits followed with such songs as "Always Together", "Stay In My Corner" and a re-recorded version of "Oh What A Night" in 1969 that this time went straight to the top of the r&b chart and sold another million copies.

"Always Together" - The Dells (1968)

NEW SOUNDS

BEYONCE

The world has been made aware that new music from pop diva, Beyoncé is on the horizon but the real question is when? Recently, another complete song has leaked and it's entitled, "Grown Woman" which a snippet was originally featured in her Pepsi commercial. This tune seems more likely to be a part of the Queen B's next album than the first song that blew up on the Internet earlier this year, "Bow Down/ I Been On".

While I most certainly luv me some Beyoncé but I can't say that I'm really feeling any these new songs and that includes her contribution to "The Great Gatsby" soundtrack, "Back To Black" which she teamed-up with Andre 3000 on a remake of the Amy Winehouse classic. While her attempt to shake-up the tired routine that's happening in pop music right now is greatly appreciated however, the results have been interesting but lackluster. I remain optimistic that Mrs. Carter has some more tricks up her sleeve that will surely make me stand-up and take notice.

Listen to the track and let me know what you think:

"Grown Woman" - Beyoncé (2013)

Here is the commercial for Beyoncé's line of swimwear for H&M that features a bit of another new song, "Standing On The Sun":




DAFT PUNK

One of my favorite songs out right now is "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk that features Pharrell Williams on vocals and guitar work by Nile Rodgers. This hot jam takes the shimmering disco of Rodgers's group Chic and perfectly merges it with Daft Punk's electro grooves. "Get Lucky" has quickly taken the world by storm and has topped the charts in several countries.

The French EDM duo, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (who conceal their identities by wearing elaborate robot costumes) have decided to overhaul their music by adding live instruments and with great effect on their impressive fourth studio album, "Random Access Memories". Daft Punk have also enlisted an eclectic group of contributors including Panda Bear, Chilly Gonzales, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Oscar-winning composer, Paul Williams and the man who is considered "the godfather of electronic music", Giorgio Moroder who is paid tribute to on the track, "Giorgio by Moroder" in which the legendary producer discusses his life and career over a throbbing beat. This album is a funky, chaotic, jumble of sounds and textures that will serve as the perfect background to all your summer activities.

Enjoy this slick clip of "Get Lucky":



Here is another great song from the new release that features Panda Bear, "Doin' It Right":

"Doin' It Right" - Daft Punk featuring Panda Bear (2013)

JESSICA SANCHEZ

I had checked out of "American Idol" a couple years ago as the reality show had become far too predictable and I really had no interest in watching the antics of some of the train wrecks that made-up the judging panels. However, I did catch part of an episode from season eleven that featured Jessica Sanchez performing. I have no real recollection of what she sang but I do remember being quite impressed by the talent of this young singer.

Ms Sanchez didn't go on to take home the top prize but did place as runner-up and earned a recording contract. The now seventeen year-old has just released her debut, "Me, You & The Music". The first single, "Tonight" is a sizzling duet with Ne-Yo who also co-wrote the tune. While it's pretty much like the rest of the standard r&b/pop songs that is populating the airwaves these days but Ms Sanchez elevates this material with her soaring vocals. This is a nice introduction and just a tiny taste of what Jessica Sanchez is capable of delivering in the future.

Take a look at the music video for "Tonight" (maybe it's just me but she keeps making me think of Brandy when I watch her in this):



I'm sure there are plenty of great remixes of "Tonight" out there but here is one that I like by DJ Craig Welsh:

"Tonight (DJ Craig Welsh pop bootleg remix)" - Jessica Sanchez Featuring Ne-Yo (2013)

MY TUNE OF THE DAY

Back in the 70's, musical family acts were the rage because of the major success of The Jackson 5 and The Osmonds. There was another group of siblings that achieved some chart-topping hits. The Sylvers were originally from Memphis, TN and made up of four sisters (Olympia, Charmaine, Angie and Pat) and five brothers (Leon, James, Edmund, Ricky and Foster) who sang and played multiple instruments. The family had their first top ten r&b hit with "Wish That I Could Talk To You" in 1972 with their biggest hit being "Boogie Fever" which went to number one on the pop and soul charts in 1975.

Just like those other popular singing groups, The Sylvers had a prepubescent male vocalist who became a teen heartthrob. That is what leads us to today's tune of the day as Foster Sylvers, the youngest member of the act, released his first solo album in 1973. The single, "Misdemeanor" (written by brother, Leon) became a big hit, making it to number seven on the r&b chart. Despite being sung by an eleven year-old boy, the song remains an appealing slice of bubble-gum soul.

After the family's popularity began to wane by the mid-1980's, Foster went on to record a few other solo albums that went largely unnoticed as well as writing and producing for other artists such as Evelyn "Champagne" King and Janet Jackson. Recently, things have not being going well for Foster as he's currently in prison on drug charges.

Let's go back to a simpler time for Foster Sylvers with his hit single: