Charlotte Day Wilson - "Here You Come Again"

A native of Toronto, Ontario, Queer Pop, Funk & Soul singer Charlotte Day Wilson studied classical piano in childhood before teaching herself production via GarageBand as a teenager. She moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia to study music at university, but left school to focus on her career beginning with a stint in the funk band The Wayo. She self-released the EP Palimpsest in 2012 while living in Halifax, and followed up with the standalone singles "Avondale", "Stephen" and "Montreal" in 2013 and 2014.

She spent some time living in Montreal, Quebec, before returning to Toronto and interning at Arts & Crafts Productions.

Back in Toronto, Wilson began collaborating with artists such as Daniel Caesar, River Tiber and BadBadNotGood before releasing her second EP, CDW, in 2016.

The EP's song "Work" was nominated for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize in 2017, the EP was a longlisted nominee for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize,  and Howie Beck received a Juno Award nomination for Producer of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2017 for his contributions to "Work" and Dragonette's "High Five".  Wilson's video for "Work", directed by Fantavious Fritz, won the 2018 Prism Prize.  Wilson and Fritz subsequently announced that they were using the prize money to create a special grant program for emerging female video directors.

2018 was a big year for Wilson with the release of her critically acclaimed EP, Stone Woman, as well as providing a sample for John Mayer's single, "New Light." To cap it all off, she released a cover of Dolly Parton's 1977 hit single, "Here You Come Again." Wilson's version is a stripped down, sparse take on the upbeat number featuring just her voice, her guitar and, later, some keys and simple harmonies.

The song is recognized as one of the country icon's first crossover hits, and it earned her the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal in 1979, and as it turns out the Toronto artist's minimal soul is the perfect compliment to Dolly's timeless lyrics. Hear it below, as well as a new version of Wilson's "Doubt."

So today, with the sun coming back out, I choose Charlotte Day Wilson’s cover of Dolly Parton’s "Here You Come Again" as my, expect nothing and accept everything, rest easily, work hard, song for a, sometimes uncomfortable is ok, some days you just need to keep breathing, look no further than the happiness you already have, Monday.

Jason Mraz - "You and I Both"

Jason Mraz first came to prominence in the San Diego coffee shop scene in 2000. In 2002 he released his debut studio album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)". With the release of his second album, Mr. A-Z, in 2005, Mraz achieved major commercial success. The album peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in the US. In 2008 Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and was an international commercial success primarily due to the hit "I'm Yours". The song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving him his first top ten single, and spent a then-record 76 weeks on the Hot 100. His fourth album, Love Is a Four Letter Word, peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, his highest-charting album to date.

Mraz has won two Grammy Awards and received two additional nominations, and has also won two Teen Choice Awards, a People's Choice Award and the Hal David Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. He has earned Platinum and multi-Platinum certifications in over 20 countries, and has toured in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. As of July 2014 Mraz has sold over seven million albums, and over 11.5 million downloaded singles. His musical style, from rhythmic feeling to his use of nylon string guitars, has been heavily influenced by Brazilian music.

To continue my week of throwbacks, today’s song slipped into my mind while I was showering this morning. A little touch of the bridge fell right into my lap and I couldn’t help but hum along. It’s a beautifully poetic song, with lyrics that remind you how great songwriters can be.

So today, with resignation and release, I choose Jason Mraz’s "You and I Both", as my, let go the things that no longer serve, lift up your heart to the things that bring joy, lean toward the light like sunflowers in the fields, song for a, one step at a time, one heart to another, breathe - it’s going to be ok, Friday.

Bernadette Peters - "Move On"

Whether you remember her first from “the Jerk” as the quirky cutsie girlfriend, or from Annie as the evil scam artist companion to Tim Curry and Carol Burnette, you will certainly agree, that face, and that voice, are iconic. 

Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings. She is one of the most critically acclaimed Broadway performers, having received nominations for seven Tony Awards, winning two (plus an honorary award), and nine Drama Desk Awards, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards.

Peters first performed on the stage as a child and then a teenage actor in the 1960s, and in film and television in the 1970s. She was praised for this early work and for appearances on The Muppet Show, The Carol Burnett Show and in other television work, and for her roles in films like Silent Movie, The Jerk, Pennies from Heaven and Annie. In the 1980s, she returned to the theatre, where she became one of the best-known Broadway stars over the next three decades. She also has recorded six solo albums and several singles, as well as many cast albums, and performs regularly in her own solo concert act. In the 2010s, Peters continues to act on stage, in films and on television, where she has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, winning once.

Regarded by many as the foremost interpreter of the works of Stephen Sondheim, Peters is particularly noted for her roles on the Broadway stage, including in the musicals Mack and Mabel, Sunday in the Park with George, Song and Dance,Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, and most recently the Revival of Hello Dolly.

Today’s song is so much about the constant changing of life. It is about accepting that change rather than resisting it, and learning that the only way out is through. You must let go of the past to receive the gift of the present.

To quote a very dear friend:

“With fists holding so tightly to the past and what you are afraid to let go of, you can not open your hands to receive the gifts that you will be given.”

So today, with conviction and sacrifice, I choose Bernadette Peters’ rendition of Steven Sondheim’s “Move On” as my, the choice may have been mistaken - the choosing was not, lift up your spirits and get going, if you’re standing still you’re really moving backwards, song for a, just keep swimming, drop the tools that no longer serve you, stop worrying if your vision is new - just make sure it’s yours, Wednesday,

Tori Amos - "Silent All These Years"

Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full scholarship to the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University at the age of five, the youngest person ever to have been admitted. She was expelled at the age of 11 for what Rolling Stone described as "musical insubordination". Amos was the lead singer of the short-lived 1980s pop group Y Kant Tori Read before achieving her breakthrough as a solo artist in the early 1990s. Her songs focus on a broad range of topics, including sexuality, feminism, politics and religion.

Her charting singles include "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", "God", "Cornflake Girl", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Professional Widow", "Spark", "1000 Oceans", "Flavor" and "A Sorta Fairytale", her most commercially successful single in the U.S. to date. Amos has received five MTV VMA nominations, eight Grammy Award nominations, and won an Echo Klassik award for her classical crossover album. She is listed on VH1's 1999 "100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll".

Her style has always been unique. Behind the unusual cord progressions, though, were intense lyrics and incredibly artistry. She’s been a staple in my musical sphere since I was 16, when she earned a place in my heart for eternity.

This song came on KCRW the other day, and it reminded me of the genius that she found when she tapped into the divine. This was the beginning of her breaking open, and she’s continued to grow and bloom ever since. A little painful, mostly pleasurable, and certainly incredible.

So today, with my hands no longer holding the thorns for the rose, I choose Tori Amos’ "Silent All These Years" as my, burst the bubble, let the cookie crumble, remember the honey and not the stings, song for a, broken things can be beautiful too, put yourself back together the way you see fit, begin to bloom all on your own, Tuesday.

Ramin Djawadi - "The Night King"

Ramin Djawadi is the German-Iranian composer of the stirring Game of Thrones score, which can be heard during the title sequence of HBO’s legendary fantasy TV series. The theme has quickly become Djawadi’s most memorable and popular work, covered countless times in many different musical styles.

Ramin was born in Duisburg, West Germany, to an Iranian father and a German mother.

After graduating with Honours from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Djawadi was first noticed by Hans Zimmer, who decided to recruit him for Hollywood.

He began his career working alongside the acclaimed film composer, making musical arrangements for films including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(2003), Something's Gotta Give (2003) and The Island (2005).

Zimmer and Djawadi now share an ASCAP Award for Batman Begins (2005).

Originally, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love composer Stephen Warbeck was signed to compose the music for Game of Thrones, but he was replaced at the last minute by Djawadi, best known at the time for Iron Man (2008) and Clash of the Titans(2010).

Djawadi notes that his fusion of ethnic, Middle Eastern and Romantic influences is what drew the Game of Thrones team to him.

Initially, Djawadi rejected the team's offer because it conflicted with a film he was currently working on.

However, he was later persuaded to take on the project and his work has garnered several industry awards, including Best Original Score for a Television Series at the 2016 International Film Music Critics Association, and Outstanding Music Composition For A Series at the 70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Here, in this breathtaking moment that chills your bones like winter’s breath creeping down your back, he gives you the sense of brittle foreboding that comes with impending famine of an endless winter.

So today, with clouds covering our eyes, I choose Ramin Djawadi’s "The Night King" from Season 8, Episode 3 of HBO’s Game of Thrones as my, on brittle wings, with fear and excitement wrapped together, like the cold breath on the back of my neck, song for a, leap into the unknown, drop-catch, for the night was dark and full of terrors but now the dawn is rising, Monday.

Harry James and His Orchestra feat. Kitty Kallen - "It's Been a Long, Long Time"

Harry Allen is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized and was active again with his band from then until his death in 1983. He was especially known among musicians for his technical proficiency as well as his tone, and was influential on new trumpet players from the late 1930s into the 1940s. He was also an actor in a number of films that usually featured his band.

He was also a pioneer for the big band sound. He transformed the trumpet led band into an orchestra with singers, and he launched a number of singers careers doing so.

Kitty Kallen’s career spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s, to include the Swing era of the Big Band years, the post-WWII pop scene and the early years of rock 'n roll. Kallen performed with popular big band leaders of the 1940s, including Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James, before establishing a solo career.

She is widely known for her 1954 solo recording '"Little Things Mean a Lot", a song that stayed at the U.S. number one spot for nine consecutive weeks, charted in the U.S. for almost seven months, hit #1 on the UK singles chart, and sold more than two million copies. Voted "most popular female singer" in 1954 in both Billboard and Variety polls, Kallen lost her voice at the London Palladium in 1955 at the top of her career and stopped singing before an audience for four years.  After testing her voice under a pseudonym in small town venues, she ultimately returned and went on to achieve 13 top-ten career hits.

Some of her number one hits include “Bésame Mucho (with Jimmy Dorsey & Bob Eberly), "I'm Beginning to See the Light"(with Harry James), today’s pick "It's Been a Long, Long Time" (with Harry James), and "Little Things Mean a Lot" b/w "I Don't Think You Love Me Anymore" (Non-album track).

So today, dreaming of superheroes and slow dances, I choose Harry James and His Orchestra feat. Kitty Kallen’s "It's Been a Long, Long Time" as my, hold me closer, dance with me, let me rest here in the valley by chain around your neck, song for a, words can wait, why not now, kiss me once again, Friday.

Nina Simone - "Feeling Good"

She was one of the most extraordinary artists of the twentieth century, an icon of American music. She was the consummate musical storyteller, a griot as she would come to learn, who used her remarkable talent to create a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion, and love through a magnificent body of works. She earned the moniker ‘High Priestess of Soul’ for she could weave a spell so seductive and hypnotic that the listener lost track of time and space as they became absorbed in the moment. She was who the world would come to know as Nina Simone.

When Nina Simone died on April 21, 2003, she left a timeless treasure trove of musical magic spanning over four decades from her first hit, the 1959 Top 10 classic “I Loves You Porgy,” to “A Single Woman,” the title cut from her one and only 1993 Elektra album. While thirty-three years separate those recordings, the element of honest emotion is the glue that binds the two together – it is that approach to every piece of work that became Nina’s uncompromising musical trademark.

By the end of her life, Nina was enjoying an unprecedented degree of recognition. Her music was enjoyed by the masses due to the CD revolution, discovery on the Internet, and exposure through movies and television. Nina had sold over one million CDs in the last decade of her life, making her a global catalog best-seller.

I heard this song last night and it put me in a place of real joy. It was an incredible night, full of laughter and smiles, and it reminded me that living in this moment is all we can do. Savor the joy that is right in front of you. Knowing that it will end eventually only means that what is happening now must be enjoyed all the more fully.

So today, living in it, I choose Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” as my, dive into the moment, hold onto what’s good, enjoy the gifts you are given, song for a, this too shall pass, feel it in your arms again, it’s ok to be excited, Thursday.

Jesus Jones - "Right Here Right Now"

I mean who didn’t love this song. Don’t we all miss the 90’s just a little bit?

Well, once upon a time, as the 80s gave way to the 90s, there came a band called Jesus Jones. They were revolutionaries of sorts and they came to start a fight. 

Because Jesus Jones were idealists. They had grown up in Cidertown, Wiltshire (actually Bradford-On-Avon, a small town near Bath), where they had read the music press and, most importantly, believed it. 

They especially believed it when the music press said that music should always be changing, setting fire to the past and building something new out of the ruins, that the next big thing should forge fearlessly ahead into a new musical and cultural Year Zero – you know, like wot punk dun – and they set about doing exactly that.  

Jesus Jones mashed noise rock with hip-hop and techno, classic songwriting with art-rock, and the timing was perfect. The acid-house revolution had made guitar music look boring-as. Out in the fields and warehouses, hipsters and council estate wide-os were running from the police, gobbling amazing new fast drugs, hugging it up on the dancefloor and shagging on car bonnets to music that actually sounded like The Future.

So the music press loved Jesus Jones and clapped-hands-with-glee when Mike said things like: “I think sampling in the 90s could be what the electric guitar was to the 60s. Sooner or later, there'll be a Jimi Hendrix of sampling and I want it to be me."

By the mid-90s, though, the knives were out. In three short years, “Indie-dance” became seen as the last-refuge of the indie-schmindy sell-out. Every two-bit band in Britain had an Andrew Weatherall/Paul Oakenfold remix and the cry of “there’s always been a dance element to our music!” became a running joke. 

These numbers tell you all you need to know (but, uh, keep reading, cos I put some effort into this): 

In 1989, Jesus Jones’ debut album Liquidiser went to no.31 in the UK album charts. 1991’s Doubt went to no.1, propelled by hits like International Bright Young Thing and Right Here, Right Now. 1993’s Perverse landed at number 6. Next album Already, didn’t arrive until 1997. And it went to 161. 

The way Mike Edwards saw it, the music press killed his band. Today, they are still touring, have a new album out and the band has the same line-up as they had originally. 

“The lyrics are obviously about the Berlin wall coming down,” says Edwards. I guess it isn’t too surprising that the band scored a US no.2 with Right Here, Right Now, a song brimming with optimism. 

The song itself, about the Berlin Wall falling, but also about so much more. it reminds us to not only live in this current climate, but to be alive here and now in this present moment. It reminds us that the only moment we have to affect any change in ourselves, our lives, and our worlds. Right here. Right now.

So today, with this moment pulsing with vibrancy, I choose Jesus Jones’ "Right Here Right Now" as my, revenge of the 90’s, oldie but a goodie, who have you become song for a , who do you want to be, be here now, You are already that person, Wednesday.