RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

I'm sure nobody out there thought for a minute that the unlikely coupling of pop superstar, Ariana Grande and "Saturday Night Live" comedian, Pete Davidson (who got engaged after only four months) would actually end with them walking down the aisle. And while there are no wedding bells in their future, a song was inspired by their short-lived relationship. "Thank U, Next" is Grande's latest single she co-wrote that acknowledges her time with Davidson along with some of her other previous relationships. This track, which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number one, will be the title track from the twenty-five year old singer's upcoming fifth studio album which will probably be out early next year. Enjoy a live performance of the song on the Ellen DeGeneres show which Grande does a little tribute to the closing number from the comedy, "The First Wives Club". Also, here is the music video for the third single from her 2018 album, "Sweetener", "Breathin" which reached the top-ten on the charts:





Mariah Carey has just dropped her fifteenth album, "Caution" and after listening to the record, it's very hard to tell her new music apart from Ariana Grande. Ms Carey has been around a little longer than Ms Grande (who clearly been inspired by the timeless singer) and while each has their own style and musical flavor, they both share in seductive vocals gliding over slick '90's r&b infused with hip-hop beats. Here are a couple of tracks from Carey's latest that wouldn't sound much different if Grande gave them a go:





And we have some new music from a couple of veteran acts. The classic disco group, Chic is back with their first new album in twenty-six years, "It's About Time". The surviving founding member, writer/producer, Nile Rodgers has put together what he calls "a new Chic experience". This features an interesting mix of guest performers that includes Lady Gaga, Hailee Steinfeld, jazz composer, Philippe Saisse, Emeli Sandé and Elton John with a collection of modern dance tracks that are just as diverse.



Neneh Cherry has just recently released her fifth studio album, "Broken Politics". This timely collection, produced by British musician, Four Tet, addresses our current political climate with meditative songs to encourage hope and activism. "Shot Gun Shack" is a song that focuses on the troubling gun violence in our society:

THE BIG UNKNOWN

This year has been very good for fans of the cherished yet elusive artist, Sade. First, the singer and her same-named band made a surprise return earlier in March with a contribution to the soundtrack for the Ava DuVernay's fantasy film, "A Wrinkle in Time".  Now, Sade has delivered an unexpected song for the soundtrack for the just released Steve McQueen-directed heist-thriller, "Widows" which stars Viola Davis. "The Big Unknown" is a moving ballad about loss and survival that plays in to the film's themes. As it's been eight years since Sade's last studio album, there is news from the band that they are currently working on a new record. So until we can get our hands on that, here is another great single to groove to in the meantime:

LM5

Little Mix, the British female pop/soul quartet, is probably one of world's most popular girl-groups that almost no one has ever heard of in America. They are hoping to change that with the upcoming release of their fifth album, "LM5".

The group, made up of Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards, was formed in 2011 on the UK version of the talent-competition program, "The X-Factor". They had each auditioned as solo acts but failed to make the final cut. They were given a second chance to come back and teamed-up to become "Rhythmix". The ladies worked their way up the competition before eventually winning that season's contest. The group decided to change their name to "Little Mix" so not to be confused with a British children's music charity that had shared their original name.

Little Mix's first single, "Wings" debuted on the UK pop chart at number one in 2012 and their album, "DNA" soon followed, peaking at number three on the British album chart. This began their world-wide success with three more platinum albums and chart-topping singles like "Black Magic", "Cannonball" and "Shout Out to My Ex".

With "LM5". the group continues with their powerful vocals and solid harmonies. It seems like this new music should definitely catch the attention of American ears, The first official single, "Woman Like Me" features a reggae-infused pop vibe and Nicki Minaj providing a rap verse. The song has charted across the globe and reached number two in their native country.

Take a look at the recent live performance on the 2018 MTV EMAs of Little Mix with Nicki Minaj performing together "Woman Like Me" and Minaj's latest, "Good Form". And here are two other songs, "Joan of Arc" and the ballad, "Told You So" that have been released to promote the album.







And as a bonus, here is the music video for their first hit, "Wings":

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

During this week back in 1978, "You Needed Me" by Canadian singer, Anne Murray topped the U.S. pop chart. While this touching ballad was hardly her first appearance in America as she had reached the country chart several times and had a top-ten pop hit previously with "Songbird" in 1970, this was seen as a comeback for Murray and the song became the biggest hit of her career, even making it to the top-forty in the UK and the Netherlands.

Murray was born and raised in the coal-mining town of Springhill, Nova Scotia. As a young girl, she became interested in music, learning the piano and taking singing lessons. She performed in talent shows at high school but went to college and studied physical education. After graduation, Murray later taught PE at a high school for a year.

In 1966, Murray was encouraged to audition for a part in a CBC variety program, "Singalong Jubilee" and won a spot on the show. Brian Ahern, the musical director of the series, took an interest in the career of the young singer and together they went to Toronto to record her first album.

The album, "What About Me" was released in 1968 and became a modest success in Canada. But it was Murray's second album, "This Way is My Way" the following year with the top-ten single, "Snowbird" that helped propel her to international acclaim. Other hits followed that appeared on both the pop and country charts including "Danny's Song", "Cotton Jenny", "Shadows In The Moonlight", "Walk Right Back" and covers of the Beatles' "You Won't See Me" and the Monkees' "Daydream Believer".

Murray would go on to receive a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "You Needed Me". She has been cited as being an important musical artist who helped pave the way for other female Canadian singers like k.d. lang, Céline Dion and Shania Twain to achieve pop success on a global scale. Murray pretty much retired back in 2008 when she released her last studio album, "Duets: Friends & Legends" and went on a Coast to Coast: One Last Time world tour to support the record and say farewell to her fans.

Here is Anne Murray performing live her number one hit on a Johnny Cash television Christmas special:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Calvin Harris is on fire this year and seems like he's unable to make a wrong move. After some great collaborations with Dua Lipa and Sam Smith, the DJ turned producer has just dropped two new tracks with former Fifth Harmony member, Normani. One is "Checklist" that features WizKid and has a dance hall beat while "Slow Down" is a mid-tempo dance floor banger. They are both great songs and will definitely help give Normani an even bigger profile after her top-ten hit duet with Khalid with "Love Lies":





Here is some Chaka Khan, past and present. First, we go back to 1986 with "Love of a Lifetime", a song written and produced for her by Scritti Politti, a hot British band at the time who was best known for the hit, "Perfect Way". This song was a not a big success but I loved it. In the music video, what I find notable is Chaka's neon-colored hair which was long before it became trendy like today. And we have a new song, "Keep Reachin'", a funky jam for the recent Netflix documentary on Quincy Jones. Mark Ronson produced the track and together with Chaka's soaring vocals, it features the spirit of the legendary music maker.





Here is the newest single, "Money" by the hottest artist in hip-hop/rap right now, Cardi B and a couple of music videos that I find interesting:







Finally, we close with that '80's boy band, Duran Duran, who managed to deliver plenty of style and substance. When this British band first began, they were much closer aligned musically with the new-wave/new romantic scene before the 1982 album "Rio" and the music video for their smash, "Hungry Like The Wolf" helped pushed them in to the mainstream. While I liked their more commercial sound, I really enjoyed their early records. Let's look back on two of my favorite Duran Duran songs, "Planet Earth" and "Girls On Film" from 1981 with both of the music videos featuring adventurous and sensual imagery that would became a staple of the MTV generation:

TAKE TWO: TRACY CHAPMAN

Thirty years ago, Tracy Chapman seemed to come out of nowhere and exploded in to the pop music scene with just her voice, guitar and the moving single, "Fast Car". She found immediate success and may have enjoyed her moment in the spotlight but that was not what motivated her. Throughout her remarkable career, the singer/songwriter was never flashy or chased trends and preferred to use her music to speak on social issues and political activism.

Chapman began her musical career busking and playing her guitar in coffeehouses in the Cambridge area while attending Tuffs University. She met Charles Koppelman, who ran a music publishing business, through his son, Brian who was a fellow student at Tuffs, and helped get Chapman signed to Electra Records in 1987.

She released her self-titled debut album the following year with the single, "Fast Car" becoming an international hit and reaching the top-ten on the U.S. pop chart. With the help of the additional singles, "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" and "Baby Can I Hold You", the album went on to sell twenty million copies worldwide and received seven Grammy nominations and wining three awards including Best New Artist.

While her follow-up albums didn't reach these same commercial heights, Chapman did maintain a very devoted fan base with all of her records selling very well with them either going Gold or Platinum. She did find pop success again in 1995 with the blues number, "Give Me One Reason" which reached number three on the pop chart and won her a Grammy for Best Rock Song.

Chapman released her last album to date in 2008 with "Our Bright Future" but she still pops up from time to time to perform at charity events for Make Poverty History, amfAR, and AIDS/LifeCycle which are causes that are important to her. Here are two of my favorite songs by the amazing Tracy Chapman:

NEW SOUNDS

PAUL MCCARTNEY

"Egypt Station" is Paul McCartney's eighteenth solo studio album and his first featuring new music since his 2005 record, "Chaos and the Creation in the Backyard". The seventy-six year old music legend has created a solid collection of songs that takes us on a journey through different musical moods. With production assistance from current pop hit makers. Greg Kurstin and Ryan Tedder, McCartney delivers a gentle piano ballad, a Bossa Nova inspired tune, some hard rocking garage band jams and songs that offer an interesting mix of eclectic sounds. Here is the video for the first single, "Fuh You":



PAUL SIMON

That other iconic singer/songwriter named "Paul", Paul Simon also has a new album out. With "In The Blue Light", Simon is reexamining his past work and giving some of his lesser known songs a make-over. Starting with "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor" from his 1973 album, "There Goes Rhymin' Simon" and ending with "Questions For the Angels" from "So Beautiful or So What" from 2011, the seventy-six year old has given these songs new arrangements and even some reworked lyrics. Many of the songs have been stripped down to focus on the words and melody, creating a reflective and melancholy mood. Listen to one of my favorite tracks from the album, "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor":

And we have Barbra Streisand who has been pretty vocal about her feelings regarding this current Presidential administration. After her last few albums featured classic show tunes and famous duet partners, this legendary vocalist has been inspired to make the rare move to write songs for her upcoming album. "Walls", Streisand's thirty-sixth album, is due in November and will feature mostly original songs with three she was involved with co-writing. The record is designed to explore her social concerns and offer optimism during these troubling times. The first single, "Don't Lie To Me" is one her original compositions that directly takes aim at the President and his controversial policies. Ms Streisand directed the music video for the song and it is not subtle on exactly what she's trying to say with the song: