TAKE TWO: TOM JONES

With his big, booming voice, dazzling showmanship and confident swagger, it's no surprise that Tom Jones became not only one of the biggest pop acts of the '60's and '70's but also a major sex symbol. He's the one that inspired hundreds of women to throw their underwear on stage.  Sure, it may be hard to take Jones seriously after he developed his over-the-top, lounge lizard act but there is no denying his dynamic power as a singer or the deep emotion he poured in to a song.

Thomas Jones Woodward was born in 1940 and raised in Glamorgan, South Wales. As a child, he loved to sing and performed wherever he could; family gatherings, school choir and weddings. Woodward developed his own singing style by listening to his favorite American soul and blues artists. In 1957, he married his high-school sweetheart, Melinda Trenchard after they found themselves in the family way and had a son, Mark. Having to put his musical aspirations on hold to help raise his new family, Woodward worked a number of odd jobs.

A few years later, Woodward returned to music by joining a local band, Tommy Scott and the Senators as the lead vocalist. He played with them for a while before being discovered by Gordon Mills, a manager. He decided to have Woodward change his name to "Tom Jones" due to the popularity of the Oscar-winning 1963 film and got him signed to Decca Records. His first single, "Chills and Fever" failed to generate much interest but the follow-up, "It's Not Unusual" made Jones a pop star overnight. The song hit number one in Britain and the top ten in the U.S. in 1965. Jones followed that up with two popular theme songs to movies, "What's New Pussycat?" and the James Bond film, "Thunderball". Jones would take home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966.

Mills decided to capitalize on Jones' popularity and got him to perform in Las Vegas in 1967. With the help of half-unbuttoned shirts and very tight pants, Jones caught the frenzied attention of women and became one of the top headling acts in Vegas for many years. Mills also got Jones on television and he hosted a variety show, "This Is Tom Jones" from 1969 to 1971.

By the mid-1970's, Jones was no longer in-demand as a performer but found some success in the 1980's when he began recording country music and had nine songs hit the U.S. Country Top 40. After Gordon Mills passed away in 1986, Jones' son, Mark took over as his manager. He went to work revitalizing his father's career and got him to team-up with avant-garde electronic band, Art of Noise with a remake of Prince's "Kiss" in 1988. This song not only brought Jones back to the pop charts but found him a new generation of fans.

Tom Jones is still quite active at the age of seventy-five recording and touring. He has sold over one hundred million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. Despite his over fifty years of marriage to Melinda, Jones has made no secret of his numerous affairs. In fact, he claims to have bedded at least two-hundred and fifty groupies during the height of his career. Here are two of my favorite songs by Mr. Tom Jones:

"It's Not Unusual" - Tom Jones (1965) mp3

"If He Should Ever Leave You" - Tom Jones (2008) mp3

This bonus video features two of the sexiest people alive; Mr. Jones and Miss Tina Turner performing a sizzling duet of "Hot Legs":

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

CONCHITA WURST - "CONCHITA"

After a brief stint as a member of an Austrian boy band in 2007, Tom Neuwirth decided to put on a wig, wear a pretty dress along with a full beard and became Conchita Wurst. The singer received plenty of notice for her look and talent which eventually lead to Wurst representing Austria in the popular Eurovision Song Contest in 2014. Wurst's entry of "Rise Like a Phoenix" took home the top prize (the country's first in over fifty years) and catapulted the self-proclaimed "bearded lady" to international acclaim.

Now comes the inevitable first album simply entitled, "Conchita". Wurst's androgynous look is certainly attention-grabbing but it's the music that really counts and the singer delivers. Fans of shameless Euro-pop will enjoy this lively collection of songs about love and empowerment.

"You Are Unstoppable" - Conchita Wurst (2015) mp3

MIGUEL - "WILDHEART"

Two years ago, L.A. based musician, Miguel released a very sexy love ballad, "Adorn" from his second album, "Kaleidoscope Dream". The song was one of the biggest hits of that year and won the singer a well-deserved Grammy for Best R&B Song. The long-awaited follow-up album, "Wildheart" is now out and clearly he had no interest in making a predictable soul record.

With a nod to one of his idols, Prince (right down to the album's artwork), Miguel has created an introspective work of guitar-driven funk with a pulsating sensuality driving through each song. While it certainly doesn't fit comfortably in the rigid terrain of current pop radio, "Wildheart" is bold, inspired and deserves to be heard.

"Coffee" - Miguel featuring Wale (2015) mp3

TORI KELLY - "UNBREAKABLE SMILE"

Everybody was wondering "Who is that girl?" performing a fiery version of "Who's Loving You" during a tribute to Smokey Robinson on the recent BET Awards. That girl is Tori Kelly and she's on the verge of breaking out in a major way. At the age of fourteen, Kelly turned to You Tube as an outlet for her music and found an small audience. She auditioned for "American Idol" at sixteen and made it through to Hollywood week on the program but was eventually eliminated. Kelly continued to work on her music by releasing self-produced EPs until Capitol Records took an interest and signed her to the label.

The twenty-two year old has just released her debut studio album, "Unbreakable Smile".  It's a solid pop/soul record with slick production by hit makers Max Martin and Toby Gad. But Kelly is not a parrot and was completely involved in the writing and production of her album. Fellow musician, Ed Sheeran (who Kelly opened for on tour) pops up to lend a hand on a track.

"Should've Been Us" - Tori Kelly (2015) mp3

LEON BRIDGES - "COMING HOME"

Growing up in Fort Worth, TX, Leon Bridges wanted to be a singer. Like most teenagers today, Bridges was inspired by hip-hop and performed at open-mikes in the area. A friend asked if he was a fan of Sam Cooke but Bridges was unfamiliar with the legendary soul singer. This prompted him to seek out the music of Cooke and other artists of the era. Bridges connected so strongly to this particular sound in r&b that he decided this was the style of music he wanted to make.

For his first album, "Coming Home", Bridges teamed up with Austin-based rock musicians, Austin Jenkins and Josh Block of the band White Denim to help write and produce. The singer 's warm voice, masterful songwriting and the retro styling perfectly reinvigorates the fading artistry of classic soul music.

"Smooth Sailin"" - Leon Bridges (2015) mp3

The British neo-soul singer, Lianne La Havas found great success with her 2012 debut, "Is Your Love Big Enough" throughout the globe except here in the states. She is back with new music and hopefully will receive more attention in this country. Here is the music video for the second single, "What You Don't Do" from La Havas' upcoming sophomore release, "Blood" due out later this month:

BLACK MUSIC MONTH

Here is the final round-up of my celebration of Black Music Month. I hope you enjoyed the songs:

"Another Saturday Night" - Sam Cooke (1963) mp3

"Trapped By a Thing Called Love" - Denise LaSalle (1971) mp3

"Sail On" - Commodores (1979) mp3

"It's a Love Thing" - The Whispers (1981) mp3

"Love's Comin' At Ya" - Melba Moore (1982) mp3

BLACK MUSIC MONTH

To continue on with the celebration, here are a few more artists that I love and admire:

"Clean Up Woman" - Betty Wright (1971) mp3

"After The Love Is Gone" - Earth, Wind & Fire (1979) mp3

"Are You Going My Way" - Lenny Kravitz (1993) mp3

"Got My Money" - Ol' Dirty Bastard featuring Kelis (1999) mp3

"Rock The Boat" - Aaliyah (2002) mp3

JANET JACKSON IS BACK

After being completely out of sight for nearly five years, Janet Jackson has finally reappeared in a major way. First, a North American concert tour was announced that's going to begin in August and now we have some new music.

Reunited with her legendary producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and released on her new record label, Rhythm Nation Records, "No Sleeep" is a smooth r&b ballad with our Miss Jackson delivering a confident and sexy vocal. I am really loving this song and excited to hear more.

"No Sleeep" - Janet Jackson (2015) mp3

BITCH, I'M MADONNA

I think it's the weakest track off of Madonna's "Rebel Heart" but "Bitch, I'm Madonna" is the latest single to be released. What is probably going to bring this song much desired attention is the music video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund who has worked with the artist many times including the clip for "Ray of Light" which won them a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video .

Shot to look like one single take at the Standard Hotel in New York, the video's setting is like a wild and crazy party that Madonna is throwing with many of her famous friends in attendance. The guests feature some of the biggest female names in pop music right now like Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj who also performs on the song. Other more unexpected appearances include Chris Rock, fashion designer, Alexander Wang, model, Jon Kortajarena, producer/DJ, Diplo (who co-wrote and produced the track) and what would a celebrity party be without Kanye West.

This all-star video hasn't changed my opinion about the song but it does make it more interesting. It's fun, colorful and attention-grabbing but still may not succeed in getting her new music some radio play. Pop radio should play music that is inventive and inspired but it's shameful that they seriously won't play Madonna only because of her age. The excellent first single, "Livin' For Love" definitely deserved to be played on the air. But this ridiculous mindset does explain the unadventurous nature of most of what is making it on the radio. Anyway, check out the video:



Here's a video bonus of the title song from the album that gave Madonna some long and hard-earned critical respect:

BLACK MUSIC MONTH

Let's continue on with the celebration of Black Music Month with another collection of songs from a diverse group of artists:

"Gimme Little Sign" - Brenton Wood (1967) mp3

"It's a Shame" - The Spinners (1970) mp3

"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" - Sylvester (1978) mp3

"You Can't Change That" - Raydio featuring Ray Parker, Jr. (1980) mp3

"I Remember" - Keyshia Cole (2008) mp3