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It’s a bonus edition of New Music Friday. It’s been weeks since I’ve posted any new music and there’s a lot of great stuff out recently, so let’s get to it…
Singles of the Week:
“Michael Keaton” by Ruston Kelly
Not wanting to deal with personal issues is a classic theme in songs and Ruston Kelly comes up with a catchy one. Instead of dealing with things, he’d rather get stoned and enjoy some interesting movie theories (like if Michael Keaton died in “Multiplicity”). Kelly has consistently put out great music and “Michael Keaton” is another great alt-country track and a preview of what’s to come from his upcoming album The Weakness.
“How I’m Feeling Now” by Lewis Capaldi
The Scot superstar continues to tease his forthcoming second album and the latest is an introspective look at Capaldi’s mental health issues. Capaldi’s voice has always impressed me, being able to soar and scream followed by whispering broods. His latest is no exception.
“Reborn” by The Cheap Thrills
The Liverpool indie band is back with a banger - an anthemic song that shimmers with bright riffs and soaring choruses. The song dwells on the past while focusing on the fact that you’ve got to go through things in order to be happy later on in life. It’s catchy as hell.
“All Of The Girls You Loved Before” by Taylor Swift
Coinciding with her tour kicking off this week, Swift released a few re-recordings along with this track, an actual unreleased track taken from the Lover session. Is Taylor singing about boyfriend Joe Alwyn’s exes and how they made him the man he is today? Probably - it’s a good track (and a smart marketing tactic) that keeps us excited about what Taylor has done and will do.
“What It Is (Block Boy)” by Doechii
Tampa rapper/singer/R&B superstar Doechii shows off her vocal range on her first song of 2023. Using samples from “No Scrubs” and “Some Cut”, the song draws on nostalgia musically while fusing in the pop vibes of today.
Albums of the Week:
On Top of the Cover by T-Pain
The King of AutoTune is back - in a totally different way. T-Pain has released an all-covers album with tracks from Frank Sinatra, Journey and Black Sabbath (just to name a few). He began working on the effort in 2019 and the wait is totally worth it! He opens with a beautiful version of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” full of soul and life. His cover of “Don’t Stop Believin’” is spectacular. It’s soulful and just the right amount of funky. But it’s the closing track, his take on Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” that is the highlight. I’ve loved this song and T-Pain delivers a passionate vocal display. It’s crazy how good he sounds - I think Ozzy would even be impressed.
Eat Your Young by Hozier
The super-talented Irish singer released his new EP on St. Patty’s Day (which also happens to be his birthday. The title track “Eat Your Young” sounds very similar to the trip hop song “2 Wicky” by Hooverphonic. It’s a trippy, soulful track. “All Things End” focuses on Hozier’s gorgeous voice - every now and then, he reminds me of Jeff Buckley - this track, especially. “Through Me (The Flood)” is dark in lyrics, but rises to a sweeping, gospel number, reminiscent of songs from previous Hozier albums. It’s just a taste of things to come as a full-length album is due later this year.
Lover’s Game by The War and Treaty
Technically this one came out last week, but I didn’t do a post and it’s too damn good to skip. Husband-and-wife duo Michael and Tanya Trotter follow up last year’s Blank Page EP with a stunning collection of songs that explore the vulnerability and incandescent passion of love. Kicking off with the incredible, up-beat title track, you know you’re in for something special. There’s classic country soul (take a listen to “Angel”) along with vulnerable gospel-tinged soul songs (you’ll swoon over “That’s How Love Is Made”). Reminds me so much of some of the classic duos like Gaye/Terrell - The War and Treaty are something so special.
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