Normani is back with some new music and she's got Cardi B along for the ride. "Wild Side" is a smooth r&b ballad, backed-up by a sample of the classic 1996 song, "One in a Million" by the legendary Aailyah, that gives off a 90's trip-hop vibe yet still feels very modern. The song is enhanced further by an astonishing music video. With an incredible array of sexy outfits, stunning wild imagery throughout the clip and slick, sensuous choreography by Sean Bankhead, the former Fifth Harmony member finally has the perfect showcase to display her bountiful skills as a musician and performer, certainly helping to enable the artist reach a new level of success.
Speaking of the 1990's, enjoy a sampling of a few hits by r&b girl groups from the era:
Here is a random collection of recent songs and videos I'm digging right now:
And we have Lil Nas X back with his latest song, "Industry Baby". Despite the controversy involving the video for "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and the promotional "Satan Shoes", Nas is not backing down and pushes the envelope even further with the video for this song. It is set in a men's prison with Nas being sentenced for being gay. What we get is a very queer version of "The Shawshank Redemption" including a semi-censored naked shower dancing scene (which is choreographed by Sean Bankhead) and a guest rap verse by Jack Harlow:
You may not immediately recognize the names of "Jimmy Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis but you definitely know their music:
"Saturday Love" by Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal
"Human" by the Human League
"Just Be Good To Me" by the S.O.S. Band
"If It Isn't Love" by New Edition
"U Remind Me" by Usher
"Tender Love" by Force MD's
"Encore" by Cheryl Lynn
And almost the entire discography of Janet Jackson. This is just a very small number of songs this dynamic duo has co-written and produced since 1983. They have worked with a wildly diverse group of musicians during that time which includes Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bryan Adams, Chaka Khan, Boyz II Men, Sting, Yolanda Adams, Herb Alpert, Patti Austin, Earth Wind & Fire and The Spice Girls.
These long-time friends, who first met in college, would join as musicians with the Minneapolis-based funk band called Flyte Tyme. After connecting with Prince and Morris Day joining as lead singer, the group evolved in to the Time and released their self-titled debut album in 1981. This band enjoyed great success before the duo, who had begun to produce other acts on the side, missed a concert while stranded in Atlanta during a snow storm. Harris and Lewis would end up leaving the Time, after either quitting or were fired (depending on who you ask) in 1983. The song they had produced during that time for the S.O.S. Band, "Just Be Good To Me" would become a smash hit and helped launch the production careers of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Now after years of being in the background, Jam & Lewis have released their very first album under their own names. "Jam & Lewis Volume One" features an impressive line-up of artists that they have worked with previously (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Usher) and for the first time (Toni Braxton, Babyface, Charlie Wilson, formerly of the Gap Band). And former Time members, Morris Day and Jerome Benton even show up along with The Roots on the track, "Babylove". This is a great collection of classic r&b by this influential team and I can't wait to hear the next volume.
Dubbed "the Clown Prince of Hip Hop", Biz Markie, who brought outrageous humor and sly wit to rap, has sadly passed away on July 16th at the age of fifty-seven. No exact cause of death had been given although he had been previously hospitalized for severe complications of Type 2 diabetes in 2020 and later had suffered from a stroke after going into a diabetic coma.
He was born Marcel Hall in Harlem, New York and raised on Long Island. Known in his neighborhood as "Markie", Hall first went by "Bizzy B Markie" before later just going by "Biz Markie" when he began performing at colleges and clubs. He was discovered and released his debut album, "Goin' Off" in 1988. The album brought Biz Markie plenty of attention thanks to the singles, "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz", "Nobody Beats The Biz" and "Vapors".
His 1989 follow-up album, "The Biz Never Sleeps" brought the performer his biggest hit single with "Just a Friend", reaching number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The hilarious song, which Markie raps and badly sings on, is about him pursuing a romantic interest yet he's constantly being told that the guy she's hanging around with is just a friend. "Just a Friend" would be listed at number 100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. Biz Markie would never have another major hit but he continued to make music and DJ while also making appearances on numerous television shows and feature films.
Diana Ross is one of our musical treasures who has still been quite active touring across the entire globe. But it has been a very long time since she has recorded any new music. That is about to change with the seventy-seven year old singer about to release her first new album (and twenty-fifth solo recording) in fifteen years called "Thank You" on Decca Records.
The album was recorded at Ross' home studio during lockdown last year with a very unexpected name involved in the production; Jack Antonoff, the musician turned producer behind the recent recordings of pop-rock artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent and Lana Del Rey. He brought in some contemporary songwriters like Jimmy Napes, Tayla Parx and Spike Stent to help co-write this album. Miss Ross was also very involved with the creation of the project by co-writing all of the tracks, a rare feat by the artist. The title track has been released with the song being a warm message of gratitude to all of the people in her life and the fans throughout her career. "Thank You" is due out in September with a tour planned for next year.
DONNY OSMOND
Since the age of five, Donny Osmond has been an entertainer; first performing with his brothers in a pop act in the 1960's before going solo and becoming a teen idol, then teaming up with his younger sister, Marie for a popular television variety show. While his fame may have cooled, Osmond has remained very busy. He had a television talk show with Marie for three years beginning in the late '90's and then the duo headed to Vegas where they had an eleven year residency that ended in 2019. And he won the top prize of the reality show, "Dancing With The Stars" in 2009.
Osmond had never given up music over the years (returning to the US pop chart in 1989 with the number two hit, "Soldier of Love") but most of his efforts didn't receive much attention. But he has just signed with BMG for his first album in seven years, "Start Again" due out in September. The album's title was inspired by the sixty-three year old's constant reinvention and that involved him co-writing and producing his own album for the first time ever in his long career. The first single is "Who", a slick dance-pop tune that actually fits quite nicely in today's musical landscape. And Osmond will be returning to Las Vegas with a solo residency at Harrah's beginning on August 31st.
And there is the return of the Swedish dance artist, Agnes who will be releasing her fifth studio album after an eight year absence this fall. Her latest single is "24 Hours", a glittery blast of nu-disco that's about the dramatic changes we go through in life, moving through a wide range of emotions in a twenty-four journey.
Some of the conditions that lead to America becoming a country are complicated and difficult to reflect upon today. But that does not mean we should not celebrate this great country and all that it stands for. Music has played a great part in expressing throughout America's history it's ideas and values. There are songs about freedom and patriotism but also involving criticism and protest. All of this is what truly makes America great.
Jim Farber of Parade Magazinehas selected 15 pop songs that best express the the themes of the American experience proudly through music and revealing the inspiration behind the creation of each tune.
Since releasing music beginning in 2016 (and taking home Grammys and an Oscar in the process), H.E.R., the r&b musician from Northern California who has almost single-handily brought the guitar back to contemporary soul, still had not delivered her first official album. The twenty-three year old artist has only released several EPs and a compilation album that featured the first two extended plays and new material. Now the singer's first album, "Back of My Mind" has finally just been released. This collection of smooth and mellow r&b features the hit single, "Damage" and the latest, "Come Through", a sensual duet with the problematic Chris Brown. H.E.R. also has Lil Baby, Ty Dolla Sign, Thundercat and DJ Khaled making contributions to this impressive debut.
JESSIE J
While breaking out in a sweat at the gym, I began to wonder what had happened to Jessie J after seeing the music video for her song, "Domino". It had been ten years since that breakout hit for the British pop vocalist here in the US and almost four years since we had any new music from her when she released a studio album, "R.O.S.E" and a Christmas album. And now I have an answer; Jessie J has just dropped a new song called "I Want Love". This mid-tempo dance track has a music video that was inspired by a real incident that happened to the big-voiced singer who was born Jessica Cornish. After having an argument with a boyfriend at a black-tie event, she finds herself spending the evening in a dive bar drinking with some new friends and dancing joyfully alone. This is the first preview of music from Jessie J.'s upcoming fifth studio album which is due out later in the year.
And we have the latest from Megan Thee Stallion with "Thot Shit". Fed up with men that were being critical of her for unapologetically embracing her sexuality, Megan decided to take them on, reclaiming the word, "thot'" as a term of female empowerment. The music video for the song takes this idea even further. This hilarious, horror-themed clip features a conservative Senator writing hateful comments while watching one of Megan's videos (and about to pleasure himself ) when the performer's alter-ego, Tina Snow calls him up to take him down. We then watch this Senator get tortured by Tina and her team of "hotties" as they aggressively twerk wherever he goes. The lesson learned here is don't mess with Megan.
First I will start off with some new music from alt-pop performers with some intriguing music videos:
I have never actually seen "Later with Jools Holland" but I have heard of the BBC Two music program. I grew up watching "American Bandstand", "Soul Train", "Solid Gold", "The Midnight Special" and a proud member of the MTV generation so I actually miss a show dedicated to spotlighting music. Holland, a musician and an original member of the band, Squeeze, has been hosting his late-night show since 1992 and it features a mixture of established and new performers of world and pop music. I have seen clips of several live performances over time on YouTube and I'm looking back to spotlight two distinctive British acts who came to fame in the 1990's; the trip-hop band, Portishead with "Glory Box" and the alt-rock musician, PJ Harvey doing "Down by the Water":
June is Pride month which celebrates the LGBTQI+ communities. Here is some new music from Hayley Kiyoko, Jake Shears, Cynthia Erivo (with the first single from her upcoming debut studio album) and Boys Noize (that features Shears) with music videos that embraces queer themes.
And there is the latest from Todrick Hall with "Rainin' Fellas", his 21st Century spin on the 1982 dance classic, "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls. The song is campy fun and proudly queer with a music video that pushes the boundaries (and show us how far we have come) that features wet, naked, dancing men in high heels, drag queens as back-up singers and we even have Lance Bass making a brief appearance. It couldn't possibly get any gayer than this.
