NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

The number one during this week back in 1970 was "War" by Edwin Starr. This soulful protest song held this spot for three weeks in the US and had struck a chord with the American public due to the growing opposition to the war in Vietnam.

While this would become Starr's signature song, "War" was not originally recorded by this Motown artist. The Temptations had first recorded a version, written by the label's staff writers, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, for their 1970 album, "Psychedelic Shack". The title track had been the only single released (which made it to number seven on the US pop chart and number two on the soul chart) and many fans had requested "War" to be released as well. However, Motown did not want one of their top-tier artists associated with a potentially controversial song and the group was also apprehensive to the idea of this song as a single. Whitfield, who had produced the track, decided that another artist should re-record the song.

Whitfield approached Starr (born Charles Edwin Hatcher), a less prominent performer with the label who had one significant hit, "Twenty-Five Miles" (which reached number six on the pop chart in 1968) and then decided to go with a bigger, more explosive production than the Temptations' version. Starr's take was an immediate hit and would be one of the first protest songs to find major pop success with Billboard ranking it at number five of the songs of 1970.

While Starr would not enjoy another big hit, he would continue to record and perform. Starr moved to England in 1973 and later had a couple of disco hits, "(Eye To Eye) Contact" in 1978 and "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio" in 1979 with both reaching the top-ten in Britain. Starr would long be admired in England's Northern soul circuit before he passed away there in 2003 at the age of sixty-one. Have a listen to the still timely song of "War" by Edwin Starr:

I had never previously heard the Temptations' version of "War" and so as a bonus, here is that group's take of this classic song:

TAKE TWO: MELISSA MANCHESTER

Melissa Manchester has achieved great success as a pop vocalist with several hits songs over the years but it is her tremendous gift as a songwriter that will be her enduring legacy.

She was born and raised in the Bronx with music in her blood as her father was a bassoonist for the NY Metropolitan Opera. Manchester began singing as a child and learned how to play the piano while attending the Manhattan School of Music. By fifteen, she was singing on commercial jingles. Manchester began performing in clubs around the city which lead to a chance encounter with Barry Manilow, who was Bette Midler's producer and musical director at the time. She would be asked to become one of the original members of The Harlettes, Midler's bawdy back-up singers in 1971. Manchester stayed for a year before moving on to pursue a solo recording career.

Manchester was signed to Arista Records and released her debut, "Home To Myself" in 1973. But it would be her third album, "Melissa" when the singer had her breakthrough with the single, "Midnight Blue" (which she co-wrote with her long-time collaborator, Carole Bayer Sager) with this ballad reaching number six on the US pop chart in 1975. It would be a few more years before Manchester reached the charts in a major way again with her version of Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager's ballad, "Don't Cry Out Loud" from her album of the same name in 1978. This single reached number ten on the charts and would earn Manchester her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance.

By 1980, Manchester was unhappy with the label and sued to get out of her recording contract. But Arista and the singer would come to terms and she teamed with producer, Arif Mardin for her tenth album, "Hey Ricky" in 1982. With a radical makeover of her image and sound, Manchester had a smash hit with the synth-pop song, "You Should Hear How She Talks About You". This dance track would become the highest charting of her career (reaching number five) and would win Manchester a Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance that year.

Manchester would write and perform many songs for film soundtracks throughout her career which includes "Ice Castles" (1979), "Out of Africa" (1986), "The Great Mouse Detective" (1986) and "For Colored Girls" (2007). She would co-write with Kenny Loggins the song, "Whenever I Call You Friend". This would be big hit for him and Stevie Nicks in 1978 and Manchester would record her own version the following year. Another song written by Manchester and Bayer Sager in 1976, "Come In From The Rain" went on to become a popular ballad which has been covered by countless artists over the years.

The now sixty-nine year old Manchester continues to perform and record with her last album in 2017, "The Fellas", a collection that pays musical tribute to some iconic male vocalists. She also released a single, "A Better Rainbow" in 2018. Listen to two of my favorite songs from Melissa Manchester:

LIANNE LA HAVAS

Lianne La Havas is a British singer/songwriter who hasn't really broken through on these shores but her latest release might change that. After a five year hiatus, her self-titled third album is now out and leans more heavily in to r&b than her previous work.

A native of South London from Greek and Jamaican heritage, La Havas taught herself how to play the piano and write songs at the very young age of seven. And because of her family’s diverse musical tastes, this would help influence and shape her distinctive sound.

With "Lianne La Havas", this thrilling neo-soul collection was inspired in part by her unhappiness with her last album, "Blood", which she felt did not best represent her as an artist since she did not have as much creative control, as well the end of a romantic relationship. The basic theme of the record is best represented by the life cycle of nature which follows the journey of a seasonal flower that will bloom, then dry up and die in order to be reborn again. The songs take us on a journey from the beginning of a relationship, then the sad ending before finding empowerment in new found independence. There is also an unexpected cover of a 2007 Radiohead track, "Weird Fishes" which fits perfectly with the album and La Havas delivers a slightly more soulful vibe.

THE TIMES ARE A' CHANGING

Everything that has been going on over the last few months has certainly proven to be difficult with so much upheaval and complicated challenges all occurring at the same time. We will get through this but what will happen down the road remains the big question. After all of the protests and activism, will there be real change for African-Americans and other marginalized people in this country? I am hopeful and optimistic as this feels different this time with people from across the entire globe standing in support of the idea that Black lives matter. Yet I also remain skeptical. Movements have come and gone in the past with minimal change and a continuing lack of meaningful conversation regarding the history and on-going plight of African-Americans in this nation.

One thing that comes from any movement is an inspiration to create art. This work comes in all forms to speak on the times, express motivating objectives and provoke serious discussion. Here are a few recent songs that will help uplift, energize and empower in this fight towards justice:

BENNY MARDONES (1946 - 2020)

Benny Mardones, who had his hit single, "Into The Night" reach the US pop charts twice during his career, has passed away today at the age of seventy-three. The singer had been struggling with Parkinson's disease since 2000 and died from complications.

He was born Ruben Armand Mardones in Cleveland, Ohio. After his father, Ruben Sr. left the family to return home to Santiago, Chile when he was an infant, they moved on to Maryland. Mardones joined the Navy after high school and served during the Vietnam War. He ended up in New York City after he was discharged and decided to begin a career in music. Mardones wrote songs with Alan Miles and Bobby Tepper (who would co-write "Into The Night" with him) before getting signed to Private Stock Records as a singer and releasing his debut album, "Thank God for Girls" in 1978.

It would be Mardones' follow-up album, "Never Run, Never Hide" that would first feature his breakout hit, "Into The Night" reaching number eleven on the pop charts in 1980. Mardones fell into severe drug addiction, causing him to be dropped from his record label. After the birth of his son, Michael in 1985, Mardones decided to seek help and got sober.

Mardones got back in the recording studio and released a self-titled album in 1989 which featured a new version of his classic single that was released and charted again to reach number twenty on the US pop chart. While he would never repeat this success, Mardones released four more studio albums with his last in 2015 with his band, The Hurricanes.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Moses Sumney is an exciting voice in pop music that many may not have heard of but definitely need to hear. The twenty-eight year old queer artist, who was Los Angeles-raised and currently living in Ashville, N.C., first came on the scene after self-recording an EP, "Mid-City Island" in 2014. Sumney's intimate, experimental sound lead to him releasing his full-length debut, "Aromanticism" three years later. The album went on to be enthusiastically praised and ended up on several Best Albums of 2017 lists including the New York Times. Now Sumney has dropped his follow-up, "Græ", a twenty-song collection that jams together sounds and musical genres to create what he describes as "a concept album about grayness" or taking something bland and injecting it with bold color. The record explores the idea of not being afraid of the complexities that shapes one's identity and embracing that. Here is the video for the single, "Cut Me" which was also directed by the musician:



Take a look at a few inventive music videos for some recent songs I really like:







And finally as a fun way to remember that just because the parades were cancelled doesn't mean we still cannot celebrate LGBTQ pride. Katy Perry has taken her lovely ballad, "Daisies", which she released in the middle of the pandemic, and given it a throbbing dance remix called "Can't Cancel Pride". And the very pregnant singer has made a music video for the song, filled with her trademark whacky sense of humor and the colors of the rainbow flag exploding all over the screen.

TEYANA TAYLOR: THE ALBUM

Teyana Taylor is an all-around entertainer who has been a model, dancer, choreographer, actress and currently focusing on a singing career. The twenty-nine year old, Harlem, NY native always had the dream and determined desire to be in show business since she was a child. And after years of hard work and making the right creative connections throughout her career, Taylor has just released her third album following the critically acclaimed 2018 Kanye West-produced record, "K.T.S.E" (which stands for "keep that same energy").

With "The Album" (which features one of the best covers I have seen in a long time), Taylor has taken full control after not being happy with some decisions that were made by the label on her previous project, particularly that there were only eight tracks made available. This latest collection is over an hour of sensual r&b and throbbing hip-hop that impressively features an all-star line-up of guests which include Rick Ross, Missy Elliott, Erykah Badu, Future, Quavo, Kehlani and the elusive Ms. Lauryn Hill who adds words of wisdom and positivity on "We Got Love". And the record is also a true family affair with Taylor's husband, former NBA player, Iman Shumpert who raps on "Wake Up Love" while their daughter, Junie is featured on "Come Back to Me".