New Music Friday - 7/2/21

It’s New Music Friday – Time for the Picks of the Week – a song and an album that have caught my attention and something I think you’ll want to listen to this weekend. So let’s get to it…

Today’s featured single is “Don’t Ever Change” by Hanson

This track is about a month old, but I’m betting most of you haven’t heard it yet. It’s a bright piece of power pop and the Hanson boys continue to produce catchy, hook-laden tracks. The track from their upcoming album, Against The World is a perfect power-pop track with excellent harmonizing and features Cheap Trick lead guitarist Rick Nielsen! It’s a track that shows maturity in their sound and still a playfulness from their earlier recordings.

Today’s featured album is Pink Noise from Laura Mvula

British soul/R&B singer Laura Mvula debuted in 2013 with a warm, beautiful album. Her latest, Pink Noise, is a complete change to her early work. She’s turned toward a more 80s synth-pop R&B sound, which was one of her first loves but which she put aside at first because she felt pressured to differentiate herself from other pop singers in order to get noticed as a Black artist in the pop music industry. The music is different, but the voice is still smooth and gorgeous. Check out my favorite track, “Church Girl”.