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[Edited 7/9/14 13:45pm]

The UK soul singer returns with her new distinctly atmospheric track, " Tough Love".


jessieware.com




*Repost

Jessie Ware: The Pitchfork Interview
June 2014
Link




The breakout British soul singer talks about her slow-motion new single, and the star-studded team of writers and producers she worked with on her forthcoming second album.

When I last spoke with Jessie Ware two years ago, her debut album Devotion had yet to chart in 10 different countries and whirl her around the globe on tour. “I'm just having fun and trying to pretend I'm a pop star, really,” she said then.

When I call her this time, at the end of May, the British singer is in a styling session for the season finale of Poland’s version of the singing show X Factor. A few days later, she performed a classy duet of her hit “Wildest Moments” with a nervous contestant and gamely grinned through the judges (Polish) comments in an understated black suit and white blouse. There was nothing pretend about it.

And the workaholic singer’s forthcoming second album, due out later this year, has the potential to bring her modern take on smooth soul to even bigger audiences.

The as-yet-untitled record has her working with a stacked cast of songwriting and producing collaborators: along with Devotion co-conspirators Dave Okumu, Julio Bashmore, and Kid Harpoon, Ware also enlisted Miguel, Arctic Monkeys producer James Ford, Toronto’sNineteen85 (who co-produced Drake’s “Hold On We’re Going Home”), along with go-to songwriter Ed Sheeran, who’s helped write singles for Taylor Swift and One Direction.

But the record’s most prominent co-stars are the executive-producer team BenZel, aka London electro expert Two Inch Punch and one-time Dr. Luke protégé Benny Blanco, who helmed about half of the new album, including first UK single “Tough Love”, which is officially due out in Ware’s home country on August 3.

The crystalline ballad, which brings to mind Prince at his minimalist ‘80s best, features Ware venturing to the top of her vocal range, and she says its representative of the greater variety of singing styles she employs on the forthcoming LP. “I’m a bit more comfortable as a singer now, so I'm having more fun with my voice,” she says. “I'm so proud of Devotion and I have such a romantic memory of how it was made, but I didn't really know what I was doing then. I was scared. I doubled my vocal quite a lot; I almost didn't want people to hear too much of my character. But my vocal is more laid-bare on this one. I'm definitely not belting the whole way through, but I branched out more—hopefully I'll be able to sing the bloody album live.”

“Tough Love”, which was recorded during a rare two-week touring break last spring, is marked by a deep sense of longing and inspired by the trails of maintaining a long-term relationship while jumping from continent to continent. “It's not always easy being away from the person that I love so much, but I’m also doing something that I really, really love,” she says. “It's realistic that it's not always real easy.” As is the trend with Ware’s life nowadays, though, there is a happy ending to this story: She is set to marry her longtime boyfriend on a cobblestoned Greek island later this summer.

I was pleasantly surprised that this first single is more of a downtempo track—it draws you in rather than demanding your attention.

I can't go more downtempo than that. I had just finished a busy American tour, and I was hanging out with BenZel for two weeks in New York last spring to suck it and see what happens. So we ate loads of Momofuku—f**kin' love that place—went out, had fun, and wrote some songs that cemented our relationship with this record. BenZel are like family now, they're like my brothers and I'm their annoying sister, and we want to kill each other, but we adore each other. You'd think that it could've been one of the most daunting groupings, because Benny is ridiculously successful, but it was the most fabulous relationship I've had with two producers. Not intimidating at all. Which also has to do with me understanding the artist I want to be.

"Tough Love" has that mood of us feeling relaxed and not trying to do anything in particular, like an uptempo number that would probably do more on radio. There was no agenda with the song. It kind of dictated the rest of the album, and we indulged a bit with sonics and seeing what I can do with my voice. It's definitely in a higher register than I usually sing in. Actually, I sung the whole song an octave lower, and then one of my producers was like, "Go and try the higher up,” and I was like, "Nah, I can't do it up there," and he's like, "Just try it!" And I did. Moving it up to a higher octave definitely gives it this other character. It's fuckin'high! And I'm telling you, I'm scared about singing this one live, I'm not gonna lie.

In our last interview, you said that singing onstage felt like you were playing a role sometimes, do you still feel that way?

I definitely don’t feel so much like I'm playing dress up, like, [dramatically] "Tonight, I shall be Jessie Ware.” I've relaxed into it. But I still find it very weird. I'm absolutely petrified about singing again because I've had a couple of months of not performing. I've been in trainers and jeans for a while. So now I'm starting to get the fear of, like, “I'll need those hoops and that polo neck and my hair up and then I'll feel better.” But it doesn't so much feel like make-believe now. It feels real and still kind of scary, but fun.

Thanks to the success of Devotion and the hitmaking caliber of some of your collaborators—like Miguel and Ed Sheeran—on the new record, it seems like you’re in a good position for gaining an even bigger audience. Does that weigh on you? Would you want that?

I mean, I'm fucking lucky that I get to do this as my job—and it definitely feels more like a job this time around, no doubt. At first I was like, [child's voice] "Oh my God, this is great! Sing to people! Having a band!" And now, touring is a job—but it's a wicked job and I love it. I just want to be able to do another album. And if more people know me, that would be lovely, because it means the music is getting out there. In the meantime, I've got a wedding to plan and shit to do, so while this is always going to be an amazing job, I'm very realistic about it.

How’s the wedding planning going?

Well, I didn't kill my mother this week—I can't help but put all my nervous energy into stressing about a wedding! I'm getting married in Greece on an island that I've been going to since I was little. So yeah, I'm going to be a wife, which is probably going to be no different than being a girlfriend, but we'll have a good party. The schlep for people to get there is unbelievable, so I'm very lucky anybody is bothering even coming.

How would you compare it to the photos from KimYe’s wedding?

I loved their photo booth! I am definitely going to try and copy their “just married” photo. I just need someone to bring me those leather jackets in the schvitzing heat in Greece in August. I love Kanye and Kim Kardashian so much. But there's no bloody flowers in Greece at that point, so we definitely won't be able to have a wall of peonies.

We’re going for something relaxed and simple, but with a touch of a Fellini movie, because we're getting married at the end of the day, and I want a really nice black-and-white picture of us walking through the cobbled streets. And I really want to go on the back of a Vespa, because that's how we travel around there, but my mother doesn't think I'll be able to do that with my dress. That's what we've been negotiating. I've been like, "Come on, mum, let me," and she's like, "I don't want you to."

What was your boyfriend’s proposal like?

I nearly ruined it. It was in Greece, where we're getting married. The first time he tried to do it, we went to the beach and there were loads of wasps on the island, and I was like, "Babe, I can't fucking stay here. This is pissing me off." And he had this ring burning in his pocket.

And then we were going to go to this romantic spot high up on the island, but we had to walk up all these bloody stairs. I'm already schvitzing. It's hot. I don't want to take the stairs. And he's like, "We're taking the f**king stairs." And I'm like, [gasps] "OK." Bless him. He had a ring and he proposed. I don't think he even got to propose—I snatched the ring out of the box before he even asked. I was like, "I'll have that." It was gorgeous and sweet and kind of perfectly imperfect, and that's probably how we are.

ODESZA releases an absolutely bewitching rendering of Zhu’s hit song Faded on Mind of a Genius/TH3RD BRAIN.


Soundcloud audio

Body Language's "I'm a Mess" gets the lyric treatment.



bodylanguagemusic.com

Sparkling new Nat King Cole collection out June 3rd, 2014 celebrates the classic crooner with a heaping helping of his most swinging performances, rare unreleased tracks, and a pair of duets with Dean Martin.

CD1:
01 – L-O-V-E (Remastered)
02 – Walkin’
03 – (I Would Do) Anything For You
04 – The Song Is Ended (But the Melody Lingers On)
05 – Unforgettable (1961 Version)
06 – Walkin’ My Baby Back Home
07 – I’m Gonna Sit Right Down (And Write Myself a Letter)
08 – Midnight Flyer
09 – Send For Me
10 – Open Up the Doghouse (Two Cats Are Coming In) [feat. Nat King Cole]
11 – (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 (1961 Version)
12 – Love
13 – Papa Loves Mambo (Remastered)
14 – You’ve Got the Indian Sign On Me
15 – Mona Lisa
16 – Let’s Face the Music and Dance (Remastered)
17 – Almost Like Being In Love (Remastered)
18 – Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
19 – Orange Colored Sky
20 – Long, Long Ago (feat. Nat King Cole)
21 – Breezin’ Along With the Breeze
22 – You’re Wrong All Wrong

CD2:
01 – You Weren’t There
02 – How (How Do I Go About It)
03 – Sweet William (And Lily At the Valley)
04 – Sleeping Beauty
05 – When I’m Alone
06 – The Magic Window
07 – Little Fingers
08 – Ain’t She Sweet (feat. Carole Cole & Natalie Cole)
09 – What to Do (feat. Carole Cole & Natalie Cole)
10 – Straighten Up and Fly Right (Alternative Take)
11 – (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons [Alternative Take]
12 – Unforgettable (Alternative Take)
13 – Mona Lisa (Alternative Take)
14 – The Christmas Song (Alternative Take)

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Released In May 2014

The 2014 double-disc anthology Take Off: The Complete Blue Note Albums compiles tracks jazz trumpeter Miles Davis recorded for Blue Note Records during the '50s. These are recordings made after Davis left Prestige, but not including the 1949-1950 sessions later released as the classic 1957 album Birth of the Cool. Here, instead, we get recordings that were initially released as 10" LPs titled Young Man with a Horn, Miles Davis, Vol. 2, and Miles Davis, Vol. 3. Also included are all of the alternate takes that accompanied the original releases. Backing Davis on these sessions is a veritable who's who of future jazz hall of famers, including drummer Art Blakey, pianist Horace Silver, saxophonist Jackie McLean, and others. These recordings were made during a comparatively fallow period in Davis' career, just as he was emerging from his initial bout with heroin addiction. Here, cuts like the sanguine "Yesterdays" and the poignant "It Never Entered My Mind" reveal a darker, if no less melodic, version of the trumpeter who had previously paid his dues, chasing the shadow of Dizzy Gillespie in Charlie Parker's quintet. In fact, Davis tackles several Gillespie-associated compositions here, including "Woody 'N You" and "Ray's Idea," delivering them in his own understated, if no less bravura, style. This is the beginning of Davis the minimalist, eschewing flowery asides for straightforward, unadorned melodic line readings and improvisations played in a vibrato-free eighth-note style. In that sense, these cuts prefigure the more aggressive hard bop and harmonically challenging post-bop of the '60s; styles that Davis later helped to innovate with his "first great quintet." Ultimately, the tracks on Take Off: The Complete Blue Note Albums point the way toward Davis' landmark Columbia albums that transformed him from one of the best jazz trumpeters on the N.Y.C. scene into an international superstar.

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CD1:
01 – Dear Old Stockholm
02 – Chance It
03 – Yesterdays
04 – Donna
05 – Woody ‘N You
06 – How Deep Is The Ocean
07 – Kelo
08 – Enigma
09 – Ray’s Idea
10 – Tempus Fugit
11 – C.T.A
12 – I Waited For You

CD2:
01 – Take Off
02 – Lazy Susan
03 – The Leap
04 – Well You Needn’t
05 – Weirdo
06 – In Never Entered My Mind
07 – Chance It take 2
08 – Donna take 1 – single version
09 – Woody ‘N You take 1
10 – Kelo take 1
11 – Enigma take 1
12 – Ray’s Idea take 1
13 – Tempus Fugit take 2
14 – C.T.A. take 2

Charli XCX Turned Down A Christina Aguilera Collaboration

By Jason Lipshutz, N.Y. | July 01, 2014 5:30 PM EDT

Jesse Jenkins

"She's cool, but it just wasn't right," says the songwriting phenom of Xtina.

Released in Feb 2014

The Queen Of Soul creates a rich musical portrait of Franklin s incomparable run at Atlantic Records between 1967 and 1976. Packed with 87 songs arranged chronologically, the set opens with generous selections from the first five studio albums she recorded for the label I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Arrives, Lady Soul, Aretha Now, and Soul 69. Recorded between 1967 and 1968, all five of the albums topped the R&B charts and gave the world classics like "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain of Fools," "Think," and the #1 smash "Respect." The set also mixes in several rare outtakes of songs like "It Was You" from Aretha Arrives and "Talk to Me, Talk to Me" from Soul 69.

The collection also spotlights the great music Franklin recorded in the 1970s, including the two albums she released to open the decade This Girl s in Love with You and Spirit in the Dark. The former boasted an electrifying version of the Band s "The Weight" with Duane Allman on slide guitar, while the latter featured the hit "Don t Play That Song."

Along with several singles from this era ("Spanish Harlem" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water"), The Queen Of Soul also gathers up several live performances with "Spirit in the Dark" (Reprise with Ray Charles) from Aretha Live at the Fillmore West (1971), plus several songs from her live album Amazing Grace (1972). The latter recording won the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1973 and remains Franklin s best-selling album to date.

Common Reveals Tracklist For Forthcoming Album 'Nobody's Smiling'

Common(Photo : Getty Images)

New music from Common is on the way.

The Chicago rapper recently announced that his upcoming album, Nobody's Smiling, is slated to be released July 22. He also released the standard and deluxe album covers.

According to HipHopDX, the album will be executive produced by No I.D. and the title that is reportedly meant to address violence in Common's hometown.

"Kingdom," the first single from Nobody's Smiling, featuring Vince Staples was released last week.

Common called the track the "start of something great."

Earlier this month, it was reported that Common landed a new deal with Artium/Def Jam.

"I'm honored to team up with No I.D. and be a part of the Artium and Def Jam family," Common said in a press release.‎ "Creating this album and signing to Def Jam feels like a new beginning for me. I feel like a new artist because I created this album with the purpose to give back to my city and to the culture of Hip Hop. Def Jam is part of the foundation of hip hop and being able to work with No I.D. was returning to my foundation now with new energy and new hunger."

The tracklist for Nobody's Smiling is as follows.

1. The Neighborhood f. Lil Herb & Cocaine 80s
2. No Fear
3 Diamonds f. Big Sean
4. Blak Majik f. Jhené Aiko
5. Speak My Piece
6. Hustle Harder f. Snoh Aalegra & Dreezy
7. Nobody's Smiling
8. Real f. Elijah Blake
9. Kingdom f. Vince Staples
10. Rewind That

Deluxe edition:

11. Out On Bond f. Vince Staples
12. 7 Deadly Sings
13. Young Hearts Run Free f. Cocaine 80s

Great new album from Doprah

www.doprah.bandcamp.com

[Edited 7/3/14 10:01am]

Promising London-based vocalist Robyn Sherwell turns up the sexiness on her debut single, "Low".

Soundcloud- "Low"



robynsherwell.com

[Edited 7/3/14 22:27pm]

Ariana Savalas: The Lady Sings The Jazz

Born the youngest daughter of legendary Oscar nominated and Emmy Award winner Telly Savalas, Ariana continues her dad’s legacy of mutual love between artist and audience. She has captivated sold out audiences across the country headlining in some of the nation’s poshest clubs like Herb Alpert’s Vibrato in Beverly Hills, Feinstein’s, the Friar's Club, and Birdland in New York, as well as Palm Beach’s Royal Room. Most recently, she performed for Tiffany & Co's annual gala in Palm Beach, FL.

Identity said:

Promising London-based vocalist Robyn Sherwell turns up the sexiness on her debut single, "Low".

Soundcloud- "Low"

robynsherwell.com

Nice soulful voice, can't wait to hear more.

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New song surfaced by Stacie Orrico (of 'Stuck' and 'I'm Not Missing You' fame), entitled 'Don't Let Me Down'. Nice ballad! Possibly going to be included on an upcoming album. Her official channels are keeping mum about it, though.

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Mary Wells, born in Detroit in 1943, had intended to make her name behind the scenes as a songwriter but instead forged a brief but glittering career as the first 'Queen of Motown'. From humble beginnings as a 12 year old house cleaner, Mary scored numerous top 10 hits, earned a gold disc with label Motown, recorded with Marvin Gaye and toured with The Beatles. Enjoy two of her finest albums plus bonus tracks on this 2 disc set. CD 1 Bye Bye Baby I Won't Take A Chance 1. Come to Me 2. I Don't Want to Take a Chance 3. Bye Bye Baby 4. Shop Around 5. I Love the Way You Love 6. I'm Gonna Stay 7. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide 8. Bad Boy 9. I'm So Sorry 10. Please Forgive Me Bonus Tracks: 11. Operator 12. Two Lovers CD 2 The One Who Really Loves You 1. The One Who Really Loves You 2. Two Wrongs Don't Make It Right 3. You Beat Me to the Punch 4. I've Got a Notion 5. The Day Will Come 6. Strange Love 7. You're My Desire 8. I'll Still Be Around 9. She Don't Love You 10. Drifting Love Bonus Tracks: 11. I'm Gonna Stay 12. Old Love (Let's Try It Again)

Richard Marx, 'Beautiful Goodbye': Exclusive Album Premiere

By Brad Wete | June 30, 2014 12:35 PM EDT

Courtesy of Richard Marx

Tracklist:

01 – Whatever We Started
02 – Suddenly
03 – Inside
04 – Beautiful Goodbye
05 – Forgot to Remember
06 – Turn Off the Night
07 – Have a Little Faith
08 – Like The World Is Ending
09 – To My Senses
10 – Getaway
11 – Eyes on Me

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More from Stacie!! Loving the vibe of this next one:

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Guuuuurrrl, stop teasing us!

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Marsha Ambrosius Recalls Working with Dr. Dre on "Stronger"

July 2014



Marsha Ambrosius has teamed with Dr. Dre for her new song, "Stronger," which was a collaboration that came together seamlessly.

The singer recalled how she got him to jump on board. "Dre and myself have been working with each other since like '07, whether that was through the Busta Rhymes project, the Game, so it was only right that we were going to do something. If we were going to do something I wanted it to be a bit bigger than what we had already done," she commented.

She then recollected the process of gaining clearance for the song, which samples Sade's 1988 classic single "Stronger than Pride."

"I hit Sade and was like, 'Can I do this?' And she said yes," Marsha revealed. "Dre [then] hears it and says, 'I love it.' I'm like, 'Can you get on it?' and he said yes."

The singer adds she's aware of Dr. Dre being notoriously picky about who he chooses to work with. "No, he doesn't [do that for anyone], so that makes me, me," she says.

The song will appear on Marsha's sophomore album, Friends & Lovers, due out July 15.


Link

[Edited 7/6/14 12:32pm]

Marsha Ambrosius Covers Sade’s “Stronger Than Pride” [Video]


Watch the unblushing, sensual video here.

The main reason radio sucks so much, they do not play new music, except for certain college stations.

Radio is so conservative and numbers heavy. You hear the same 100 songs over and over. Really scary. The public doesn't seem to care.

If I hear Man In The Box one more time I will barf.

We have a great new band here in Cincy named Nevele. They do a jam band, progressive thang:

Smooooth. This could be a hit.

Phox Frontwoman Exudes New Confidence
July 2014
Link

Many artists can recall their earliest childhood inspirations, when their career path became clear, but that wasn’t the case for soulful PHOX frontlady Monica Martin.

In eighth grade, the Baraboo, Wis., native imagined one day owning a hearse. By 18, she realized she had no career aspirations whatsoever.

“I liked painting and drawing, but that was seen as this disposable talent that only my art teacher recognized, So I didn’t really value myself, and I wasn’t planning for the future because I assumed that I didn’t have one,” she says.

Though she is assured on PHOX’s eponymous new debut — draping her voice over shimmering songs such as “1936,” “Leisure” and “Kingfisher,” plus a whistling-enhanced “Slow Motion” — the confidence was a long time coming.

She lived with her grandmother, drifted through high school, and was discouraged from pursuing anything creative.

“I was so bad at the classes that I should be good at, or I just didn’t have any interest in them, so I failed a lot,” she says.

But she was halfway good at bowling, which got her hanging out with musician upperclassman Matt Holmen. The day he accidentally overheard her warbling along to a radio tune, everything changed.

“He said, ‘Wait a minute! What is that?!?’” says Martin, who was embarrassed at first. “Then he said, ‘Let’s do a song together,’ and it was so scary because he was this older kid that I thought was so cool. But I just got more and more comfortable singing.”

As PHOX expanded, the six members all moved into a house together in Madison, Wis. (They since have moved to Baraboo.) Living with five guys was culture shock to Martin, whose domestic skills — like not replacing toilet paper in the bathroom or putting butter in the butter dish — left something to be desired.

“It was the worst ... it’s like, ‘C’mon, guys, we’re a team here,’” she says.

Martin’s self-worth grew along with her newfound songwriting skills.

Working at a Madison coffeehouse, she noted the peculiarities of her customers, which morphed into her observational lyrics: “I’m so curious about people, curious about why they do things, so I ended up with a collection of awkward encounters,” she says.

Yet she hasn’t given up on the dream of buying a hearse.

“Parking will be tough,” she admits. “But I’ll probably go the distance and get alternative fuel for it, and then have a bumper sticker on it that says ‘I’d rather be on my bicycle!’”

[Edited 7/8/14 11:15am]

The new Blackbird Blackbird video for "Love Unlimited".
From the new album, Tangerine Sky.




blackbirdblackbird.net

Springsteen Premieres Short Film Online
July 2014

As he promised he would last week, Bruce Springsteen unveiled his first short film today on his official website.


Hunter of Invisible Game is a 10-minute clip based on the song of the same name, which appears on the High Hopes album. Springsteen, who appears in the film, collaborated on it with his longtime videographer, Thom Zimny.

On his website, The Boss writes, "For a long part of the year, Thom Zimny and I have been talking about shooting a short film for 'Hunter of Invisible Game.' We've finally got the job done and we think it's one of our best. Thanks Thom, for the hard work and brotherly collaboration. You and your crew bring it all. And to all of you out there in E Street Nation, we hope you enjoy!"

Link

LEELA JAMES Releases New Album 'Fall For You' Today

R&B/Soul singer-songwriter Leela James announces the release of her new album Fall For You to be released via J&T Records/BMG/RED Distribution today, July 8, 2014. Fall For You marks Leela's fourth studio album of her career.

The second single and title track "Fall For You" is now available for purchase, and the full-length album can be pre-ordered on iTunes starting today. Produced by Leela James herself, and co-written with Rex Rideout (Ledisi, Babyface, Luther Vandross), "Fall For You" is a tender, introspective, and poignant ballad that demonstrates James' maturity, vulnerability and vocal command. The song premiered on Essence.com last week and will impact Urban AC radio on May 19. The new video for "Fall For You" can be seen on VH1 Soul and online at VEVO.com.

Tracklist:
01 – Who’s Gonna Love You More
02 – Say That (Featuring Anthony Hamilton)
03 – Give It
04 – Do Me Right
05 – Set Me Free
06 – Everything
07 – So Good
08 – Stay With Me
09 – Fall For You
10 – Save Me (Featuring Joe Ryan)

To capture her vision on the new project, James procured a talented cast of collaborators including producers Tim "Tha Arkitec" Kelley (Tim & Bob), Shannon Sanders and Drew Ramsey (John Legend, India.Arie), Joe Ryan III (Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild) and writers Rex Rideout and Francci Richards (Fergie). The album's first single "Say That" is a powerful duet featuring Anthony Hamilton. The contagious sing-along song received favorable reviews, including one from the award-winning site Singersroom which states "these two bring a soulful, classic love duet to life effortlessly."

Leela James burst onto the scene with her 2006 debut album A Change is Gonna Come, introducing audiences to her considerable vocal chops and garnering nominations for Outstanding New Artist at the NAACP Image Awards and Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist of 2008 at the Soul Train Music Awards. She has gone on to record three subsequent albums including My Soul, which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart and #37 on the Billboard 200 chart, and earned acclaim from critics for her songwriting skills. Nicknamed Baby Etta as a little girl, James paid homage to her idol in 2012 by recording Loving You More...In the Spirit of Etta James.

Leela James is the newest cast member to star in season 2 of TV One's drama filled hit reality show R&B Divas LA airing in Q2 of 2014. The show will follow James as she gears up to launch her forthcoming album, in addition to giving never-seen-before access into her personal life. Leela has been appearing on select tour dates with Ledisi and Robert Glasper, and is set to perform at the 20th Annual Essence Music Festival on July 4.

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Album Discography:

2005: A Change Is Gonna Come

2009: Let's Do It Again

2010: My Soul

2012: Loving You More... In The Spirit Of Etta James

[Edited 7/9/14 19:49pm]

Single cover for Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora's “Black Widow,” the next single off Iggy’s debut album, The New Classic.

Identity said:

JoeBala said:

Leela James Releases New Album 'Fall For You' Today

This one is on my wish list. I love her vocals.

Cool voice for sure. I bought this today...

Honorable Mention. Lovely Latin Jazz CD Highly recommended:

Nocturne is an album by American jazz musician Charlie Haden, released through Universal/Polygram in 2001. In 2002, the album won Haden the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Track listing

1. "En la Orilla del Mundo (At the Edge of the World)" (Rojas) – 5:14

2. "Noche de Ronda (Night of Wandering)" (Lara) – 5:43

3. "Nocturnal" (Marroquin, Mojica) – 6:56

4. "Moonlight (Claro de Luna)" (Haden) – 5:37

5. "Yo Sin Ti (Me Without You)" (Castro) – 6:02

6. "No Te Empeñes Mas (Don't Try Anymore)" (Valdes) – 5:30

7. "Transparence" (Rubalcaba) – 6:11

8. "El Ciego (The Blind)" (Manzanero) – 5:58

9. "Nightfall" (Haden) – 6:40

10. "Tres Palabras (Three Words)" (Farres) – 6:18

11. "Contigo en la Distancia (With You in the Distance)" (de la Luz) – 6:33

'World Peace Is None Of Your Business'

Morrissey's new album, World Peace Is None Of Your Business, comes out July 15.

Greg Gorman/Courtesy of the artist

The rhetorical essence of punk is the decision to say what others believe should not be said. It points out the "" lurking within or near every "yes." It demands an ongoing reckoning with true outsiders, and with what remains wrong in society despite everyone's best efforts, simply because people and the structures they make are flawed.

By this definition — more philosophical than musical — Steven Patrick is the greatest punk rocker ever to spit in a queen's eye. Morrissey would likely be horrified that a critic would call him a punk at 55 (or at any age, really); his music with and throughout his long solo career is so much more melodic and eclectic than what that term often invokes. Yet with his 10th solo album, World Peace is None of Your Business, he reasserts punk's impropriety as the force that makes his music inimitable.

World Peace is sweepingly powerful and effortlessly transgressive. Morrissey is in fine mature voice, belting with gusto and going gentle without strain. His touring band provides wide-ranging support in arrangements that incorporate everything from Portuguese to lounge-music cool to rock grandiosity. Longtime guitarist Boz Boorer is the anchor; Gustavo Manzur, on keyboards and percussion, is the utility player pushing the sound. Producer Joe Chiccarelli makes it all cohere, giving Morrissey room to emote within the wash of musical elements.

The title track of World Peace is a directly political song, an angry shout of empathy for those suffering in hot spots from Egypt to Ukraine. But it also decries the value of protest, or any kind of engagement with the system as it stands. "You poor little fool," he hectors kindly at those who would hold signs or even . Pop protest songs usually offer uplift, dwelling in alternate realities. Punk ones like this say: No future, as things stand, for you.

This is Morrissey's way — demolition through critique. The Smiths-like "Staircase at the University" depicts the suicide of an academically overpressured student. "The Bullfighter Dies" celebrates human loss in the name of animal rights. "Kick the Bride Down the Aisle" passes (arguably too-cruel) judgment on its female subject within a critique of wedded bliss. The Burt Bacharach-like "I'm Not a Man" lists everything Moz finds execrable about masculinity, ending with a bitter cri de coeur: "I'd never destroy this planet I am on! What'ya think I am, a man?" But wait: To those who say we can transcend such roles, Morrissey offers the sweet heartache of "Earth is the Loneliest Planet," a Latin-flavored lament for someone stuck within gender dysphoria, feeling like a failure as both a woman and a man.

His character sketches prove Morrissey's commitment to real human diversity — not the shiny rainbow kind, but the sort that gives voice to irredeemable misfits, to mean people, to criminals. "Mountjoy" reflects on the history of one of Ireland's best-known prisons from the perspective of an anonymous prisoner who can "only cry when I see the sky." The equally devastating "Istanbul" captures the guilt-ridden voice of a father who has lost his son to gang violence. These portraits, like so many Morrissey has written, stay where it's painful, and in doing so are profoundly compassionate.

In middle age, Morrissey may feel the need for some compassion himself. "Oboe Concerto," the album's closing set piece, brilliantly blends pique at the human condition — the oboe in the lyrics (musically represented, eccentrically, by Boorer's clarinet and sax) represents unsettling thoughts, like a hated song "stuck in my head" — with a rueful awareness of mortality brought on by the recent loss of close friends. A feisty drum solo leads not to catharsis, but to Morrissey muttering, for half a minute, "round, round, rhythm of life goes round." He's not affirming anything. He's just being realistic, saying what has to be said.

Tracklist:

01 – World Peace Is None of Your Business
02 – Neal Cassidy Drops Dead
03 – I’m Not a Man
04 – Istanbul
05 – Earth Is the Loneliest Planet
06 – Staircase at the University
07 – The Bullfighter Dies
08 – Kiss Me Alot
09 – Smiler With Knife
10 – Kick the Bride Down the Aisle
11 – Mountjoy
12 – Oboe Concerto
13 – Scandinavia
14 – One of Our Own
15 – Drag the River
16 – Forgive Someone
17 – Julie in the Weeds
18 – Art Hounds