Writing about music sometimes is made out to be a lesser art form, by those cynical minds who have no sense of a composition or the variegated forms in which it expresses a million minute emotions that bind us as an unit of humanity. I'm sure this period of extraordinary silence and reflective tempers made them appreciate the presence or rather omnipresence of music, in a new, robust light.
I'm glad artists proved that their sustainability was much beyond our expectations or even the grim forecasts occasioned by a global pandemic. I think at the very least, we have come to understand that musicians/artists are the true liberators and independent pursuers of creative expression.
When their zeal to create is inextinguishable, the yearning to share their output with the world and write about them becomes greater and urgent. Here I come again hence to let you know that the state of the world is such that it grasps the idea of a changed order but meaningful music is there to aid us and lift us up. In the long run, I think we writers don't ever have to defend our musical tastes or writing styles to staunchest critics. We must write and enjoy the process of partaking the act of creation as that's the cue we take from our favourite musicians.
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USE MY VOICE by EVANESCENCE
The push for reformation and swift changes in an already embattled sociological order is a call discerning musicians have made for years, since the dawn of first recorded songbooks.
EVANESCENCE, a band that recalls its gritty nature and passionate advocacy for the greater good while keeping its core of trademark darkness mimicking our immediate world, comes up with a winner in USE MY VOICE. It's the first person perspective that enables this song to become so powerfully universal, especially when the collective 'oh, ohs' in the chorus swell ; when Amy Lee seethes, "but don't you speak for me" , she expertly implores both the decision makers to rise up to the great challenges of our unprecedented era and also not to dare muffle our opiniated public discourses. The personal becomes political here, with the charge to lead change by the simple act of exercising our right to vote.
USE MY VOICE is a song then tailormade for this very present moment.
I'M NOT OKAY by H.E.R.
H.E.R. keeps her sound close to the slow burn R&B template that absolutely suits her smoky vocals and I'M NOT OKAY takes the narrative forward from I CAN'T BREATHE with a shorter, lyrically pithier but nevertheless strong message. Her subdued vocals actually befit our state of exhaustion and highlight the unending cycle of racial injustice that somehow end up making us numb and clueless. I'M NOT OKAY is in recognition of that yet attempts to bring notice to systemic apathy affecting lives.
IMPLODING THE MIRAGE by THE KILLERS
Brandon Flowers and his band bring a retro styled concoction to their latest album, evoking the melodies and fervour of vintage Bruce Springsteen on such standouts as MY OWN SOUL'S WARNING, BLOWBACK, LIGHTNING FIELDS( with a beautiful vocal assist from KD LANG) and MY GOD.
These songs are odes to romance, a lust for life and BLOWBACK particularly is a narrative well told and calibrated by issues surrounding have-nots. The spirit soars on all of them and Brandon utilizes his voice in ways which are simultaneously smooth and complex, never settling for easy slots. If we can embrace positivity and a surplus of energy in mid 2020, IMPLODING THE MIRAGE can be our sureshot bet. As it will be after countless repeat trysts with its collective whole. Don't discount the pleasures of its initial single CAUTION too that seems to grow more in its appeal.
ANDREA BOCELLI'S LATEST TREASURES
GRATIA PLENA from the FATIMA soundtrack and REMEMBERING, his duet with singer NA YING, once again make us believe in the cultural exchange and multilingual prowess of Andrea Bocelli's legendary corpus.
If I have to say anything, it's that we are lucky to be living in this moment with his artistic gifts to complement our era.
MIDNIGHT SKY by MILEY CYRUS
Miley Cyrus has proved to possess an intelligent artistic mind, focusing on the art of releasing singles rather than a full album cycle since her Malibu days. After SLIDE AWAY and its probing lyrical and aural content, MIDNIGHT SKY revels in its synth soundscape to reclaim her confidence and the ' I was born to run' refrain in the chorus again brings memories of the Boss, given the 80s style leanings and lyrics.
Each nifty vocal flourish, whether in the background or embedded within its overall body, and her live performance of it at the recent VMAs only add to her evolution as an artist at the top of her game.
SUCH PRETTY FORKS IN THE ROAD by ALANIS MORISETTE
What a blessed occasion to not only bring out a new album but also have it coincide with the silver jubilee of a classic game-changer as JAGGED LITTLE PILL(1995)
Alanis Morisette brings out the goods on a discography that stays true to her lyrical powers as on the personal REASONS I DRINK and SMILING ( off the Broadway play based on her 1995 album) while spraying overall joy and generational progression with sweet words to spare for her offsprings on my favourite ABLAZE. Check out its live version on THE TONIGHT SHOW here where her daughter adds to its familial warmth.
LEGENDS NEVER DIE by ORVILLE PECK and SHANIA TWAIN
The rising star on the horizon teams up with a fellow Canadian superstar to integrate all things great that make country music one of sophisticated delivery and suave joint statements.
The title itself attests to that. Such is the infectiousness of the tune that even the familiarity of its composition celebrates country tropes with a tip of the hat to its enduring and contemporary legacy. Plus, the live performance on JIMMY FALLON is just perfect.
ILLICIT AFFAIRS, THIS IS ME TRYING and THE LAKES by TAYLOR SWIFT.
FOLKLORE by TAYLOR SWIFT has captured the essence of what always made her a cultural totem: her unmistakable abilities as a storyteller. The details of her songwriting on ILLICIT AFFAIRS and THIS IS ME TRYING triumph on top of the glacial pacing and subtle instrumentation and work extremely well to build narratives of unvarnished truth mixed with vulnerability.
The finest moment however comes on THE LAKES, where her poetic felicity with the pen crafts a tender highlight where she yearns for the simple pleasures of a life less governed by fame and prying eyes.
SPELL MY NAME by TONI BRAXTON
Toni Braxton's voice continues to be in a league of her own : at once brassy and androgynous, at others soft and bellowing, calling out predetermined structures of relationships with power and apprehension in only a manner she can justifiably call her hallmark. All of that is there in copious measure on her trio of songs off SPELL MY NAME, her 2020 studio album.
DANCE is an utterly catchy and memorable retro disco throwback with a stance on individuality while DO IT and GOTTA MOVE ON too pull one in the direction of observing self-respect without surrendering to duplicities of love or being enslaved to a partner. The latter two are proper R&B ballads that Ms. Braxton always excels at while that guitar solo at the 3 minute mark on GOTTA MOVE ON is everything, maybe attributable to H.E.R. given her expertise on the instrument as evidenced at this year's Grammy ceremony. In fact, her vocals are almost identical to that of the iconic singer she shares the credits with here, thus making it a seamless collaboration.
WHAT MAKES A WOMAN by KATY PERRY
A mostly acoustic number from Perry's latest album SMILE is an encapsulation of womanhood complete with its crests and troughs and is good enough for its pleasant and uplifting tone.
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HALL OF FAME
Like always, here are the classic songs for all seasons that traverse the line from then to now, among artists gone and living. Their songs are pensive, heartfelt, full of empathy and this list celebrates two bands whose output is worth cherishing ( Roger Daltrey's chill vibe on all DIRE STRAITS songs and the concluding guitar work on REFUGEE by TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS being touchstones) ; concluding with the beauteous melodic whole of the iconic chanteuse Lana Del Rey. So relive them and believe that music truly runs in our veins irrespective of circumstances.
HURT by JOHNNY CASH
THE VOICE WITHIN by CHRISTINA AGUILERA
GRENADE by BRUNO MARS
JAR OF HEARTS and A THOUSAND YEARS by CHRISTINA PERRI
SALT AND THE SEA(LIVE) by THE LUMINEERS.
ESSENTIAL DIRE STRAITS CLASSICS SULTANS OF SWING, MONEY FOR NOTHING, HEAVY FUEL and TUNNEL OF LOVE.
REFUGEE, THE WAITING and FREE FALLING by TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
NOTHING ELSE MATTERS by METALLICA
OLD MONEY by LANA DEL REY
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