Some days you just need a little classic cool. Today these bandits came on the radio and I was instantly relaxed. They have a certain kind of magic that was only around for those 80’s outsiders.
So today, with chill down my back, I choose The Cowboy Junkies’ "Sweet Jane" as my, sweet ride, slow slide, fall in sweetly by your side, song for a, hold your breath, make a wish, say a little prayer, Tuesday.
Somewhere between HAIM and First Aid Kit, these three sisters have found that magical balance between beauty, pain, and symmetry. Their voices braiding into each other like strands of silver, gold, and copper, they find a way to tell a story that is unique and universal all at once.
Originally from Watford, Hertfordshire, England and began performing together at open-mic nights in Watford hosted by a local pub, The Horns. Originally performing as The Staveley-Taylors, the trio later changed their name to The Staves.
The sisters learned to play guitar from their father while growing up in Watford. As children, they aspired to create a sketch comedy television programme together. They enjoy Guinness and are vocal in challenging tropes about sensitive wilderness-bound artists that dominate modern folk music culture.
They’ve worked with Bon Iver, opened for the Civil Wars, had successful runs at SXSW and in international tours. I’m a newbie to their sound, but immediately fell in love.
So today, with a few days’ rest, I choose The Staves version of "Jolene” by Ray LaMontagne as my, change what you can, accept what you can not, look inward first, song for a, believe the beauty to be true, hold out for hope, expect the best is coming down the line, Monday.
The silky vocals of Al Green were made from rugged soul blending with Motown polish. Whether Green is crooning to seduce, lament or celebrate, he holds nothing back. The raw power of his voice has carried him from decade to decade and genre to genre in a career that remains robust to this day.
With his incomparable voice, full of falsetto swoops and nuanced turns of phrase, Al Green rose to prominence in the Seventies.
One of the most gifted purveyors of soul music, Green has sold more than 20 million records. During 1972 and 1973, he placed six consecutive singles in the Top 10: “Let’s Stay Together,” “Look What You Done for Me,” “I’m Still in Love With You,” “You Ought to Be With Me,” “Call Me” and “Here I Am (Come and Take Me).”
“Let’s Stay Together” topped the pop chart for one week and the R&B charts for nine; it was also revived with great success by Tina Turner in 1984. In terms of popularity and artistry, Green was the top male soul singer in the world, voluntarily ending his reign with a move from secular to gospel music in 1979.
Beyond his chart-making abilities, Green set a new standard for soul music and essentially created a new kind of soul—one that combined the gritty, down-home sensibility of the Memphis based Stax-Volt sound with the polished, sweeter delivery of Motown. Over a fat, funky bottom, Green’s subtle and inventive voice would soar into falsetto range with beguiling ease. His finest recordings showcase a penchant for jazzy filigree and soulful possession rivaled only by the likes of Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin. They also are the products of teamwork, as Green benefited immensely from a longstanding association with producer Willie Mitchell and the house band at Hi Records.
Green was born on an Arkansas farm in 1946 and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He sang gospel with the Greene Brothers, a family quartet, and belonged to the Creations and the Soul Mates in the Sixties. In 1967, Al Green and the Soul Mates had a Number Five R&B hit with “Back Up Train.” In terms of influences, “I was raised on the sound of Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers,” Green has said. A fateful crossing of paths between Green and Willie Mitchell in Texas, where both were performing, resulted in Green’s signing to Memphis-based Hi Records in 1969. Mitchell produced Green’s recordings and co-wrote material with him for the next eight years. It was a fruitful association that yielded high-quality albums (such as I’m Still in Love With You, 1972 and Call Me, 1973), as well as thirteen Top 40 hits that helped keep the sound of soul pure and alive in the Seventies.
Mitchell cut Green’s groove-oriented records at his Royal Recording Studio, a converted movie theater in downtown Memphis. Essential components of Green and Mitchell’s mix of silky ballads and bouncy funk included the Hi Records studio band: guitarist Mabon “Teenie” Hodges, bassist Leroy Hodges, keyboardist Charles Hodges and drummer Howard Grimes. In addition, drummer Al Jackson (of Booker T. and the M.G.’s) co-wrote and played on many of Green’s biggest hits. Strings, horns and backup singers added to the intricate tapestry. But it was Green’s light, skillful touch as a vocalist that made it all work so well.
Green’s breakthrough came in 1971 with “Tired of Being Alone” (Number Seven R&B, Number Eleven pop). A slew of hits followed, keeping Green in the Top 40 (and often the Top 10) through 1976. His consistent quality and flawless phrasing prompted music critic Robert Christgau to pronounce him among “the half dozen prime geniuses of soul.” His peak work as an R&B master is contained on a string of hit-filled albums released in the early Seventies: Al Green Gets Next to You (1971), I’m Still In Love With You (1972), Let’s Stay Together (1972), Call Me (1973) and Livin’ for You (1973).
With The Belle Album (1977), Green made an overt turn toward religious themes. The album was self-produced, as Mitchell amicably parted ways with Green over his turn to gospel. The 12th album of his career, it was “the most important release of my life,” according to Green in his autobiography, Take Me to the River. He elaborated, “God had called me to a higher place, turned me away from earthly to heavenly love, and while it hurt to say it, I had to leave the sensual for the spiritual.”
During the Eighties, Green recorded inspirational music for the Myrrh label while serving as pastor at a church he founded. The Nineties found him returning to his soul roots from time to time, yet to this day he remains primarily a singer and preacher of the gospel. On most Sundays, Green occupies the pulpit at Full Gospel Tabernacle Church on Hale Road in Memphis. The public is welcome to witness Green’s sermons, which are no less full of fire and feeling than the flood of singles that set the standard for soul in the Seventies.
So today, with my toes a’ tappin’ and my fingers a’ snappin’, I choose Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” as my , put your heart into it, fill it with soul, make magic from your passion, song for a, remember why you started, look to the past to build a future, find joy in the mundane, Wednesday.
She’s a powerhouse vocalist who has been performing since at early age. Don’t let her leading lady looks fool you though, she’s got character actor talent and serious comedic chops. The epitome of a broadway star, she’s the kind of performer that makes the others around her better, and that kind of talent is very rare.
She played Louise in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, winning the 2008 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Benanti then appeared in the stage musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in 2010, winning the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She played Baroness Elsa Schräder in the 2013 NBC television production of The Sound of Music Live! and in 2015 began playing twin sisters Alura and Astra in the TV series Supergirl. Beginning in 2017, Benanti appears as Edie Randall in the TBS comedy The Detour. Since 2016, she has had a recurring role as First Lady Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
So today, with a little bit of courage and hand to hold, I choose Laura Benanti’s delicate version of Stephen Sondheim’s "No One Is Alone" from “Into the Woods” as my, look for love all around, hold close the little gems, do not let time slip through your fingers, song for a, laugh as much as you can, give the gift of a smile as often as possible - it’s free and might change someone’s day, let the small things be light and float away, Tuesday.
"We want to remind people why they fell in love with Whitney in the first place," Whitney Houston's sister-in-law Pat Houston the executor of the Whitney Houston Estate said of the new song, and they certainly do, but it isn’t really a new song. It’s a lost track that has resurfaced with a fresh new beat. It’s been seven years since Whitney Houston‘s sudden death, but the late singer’s iconic voice can be heard again in this new song, thanks to Norwegian superproducer Kygo.
Back in 1990, Whitney Houston recorded a cover of Steve Winwood‘s popular 1986 single “Higher Love,” hoping to place the track on her third studio album I’m Your Baby Tonight. However, fearing Houston might be labeled as a “cover artist,” Clive Davis removed the record from the final, definitive American version, allowing it to see release only as a bonus cut on a Japan-only iteration of Whitney Houston’s third LP. As a result, the Steve Winwood cover ended up falling into obscurity.
Now, for the first entry in a series of planned posthumous releases, Whitney Houston’s original cover of “Higher Love” is being brought back as part of a new collaboration with popular producer-DJ Kygo.
For the remix, Kygo stripped away the song’s original production and started anew. “I was trying to make it sound like something that she would’ve done, but also something that’s my style,” he told Rolling Stone. “I’m incredibly honored to have been able to work on this amazing vocal from one of the most legendary artists of all time!” Kygo wrote on social media. “Hope you guys love it as much as I do.”
“The current cultural environment has been thirsty for something uplifting and inspiring,” Pat Houston, Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law, shares with Rolling Stone. “Who better to inspire than Whitney, the most exhilarating vocalist of all time? … We want to remind people why they fell in love with Whitney in the first place.”
According to Pat Houston, Kygo was the first artist that the Houston estate and the record label considered for this special posthumous effort. “He put his spin on it and did a fantastic job,” Pat Houston remarks. “We knew when his name was brought up that it would be successful in the hands of someone of his caliber.”
“I was trying to make it sound like something that she would’ve done, but also something that’s my style,” Kygo adds in his own statement to Rolling Stone.
So today with a little joy just juicing up my day, I choose Whitney Houston & Kygo’s version of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” as my, let’s get shiny, brighten up that coffee cup, cheer up Charlie, song for a, time to break the chrysalis, dry those wings, jump off and fly, Monday.
In June we will be featuring all LGBTQ+ artists in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month
So back in 2015 I was obsessed with Halsey and her song Hurricane off her debut EP. Her pixie voice full of emotion and power pulled me in and then her lyrics kept me there. It was a perfect storm of pop, emotion, power, and balance.
Check out that original post with more info and her bio here:
In the years since, she's blown up a bit, and her style has continued to evolve, and I for one am stoked to see what she's producing. She's a bundle of contradictions, with a delicate balance of raw and soft, power and subtlety, and passion and detachment, all wrapped perfectly into an imperfect package.
She’s openly bisexual, which is rare in the music industry, but goes a long way for BI visibility in American culture where it is often overlooked.
Ashley Nicolette Frangipane (, known professionally as Halsey is an American singer and songwriter. After gaining attention from self-released music posted on social media platforms, she was signed by Astralwerks in 2014. Later that year, she released her debut EP, Room 93, and toured with larger acts to promote it and her debut studio album.
Halsey's debut studio album, Badlands (2015), debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. To promote the album, Halsey embarked on her debut headlining world tour. Four singles were released from Badlands, all of which were certified Platinum, although the latter three achieved only minor commercial success.
Halsey rose to stronger prominence in 2016 as a featured vocalist on The Chainsmokers' single "Closer". The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for twelve consecutive weeks and was certified Diamond in the country. Halsey's second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017), debuted at number one in the US, and similar to her debut album, was certified Platinum in the country. The album consisted of more "radio friendly" music than her previous releases; its singles "Now or Never" and "Bad at Love" peaked in the top twenty of the US, with the latter peaking in the top five.
In 2018, Halsey performed alongside Khalid for Benny Blanco's debut single "Eastside", which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts of five other countries. Later that year, Halsey released a single titled "Without Me", which peaked at number one in the US, and charted in the top three of several other countries, including the UK, Australia, and Canada. In 2019, she released a single titled "Nightmare", which charted in the top fifteen of the US.
Her awards and nominations include four Billboard Music Awards, four iHeartRadio Music Awards, one GLAAD Media Award, one Global Award, a Guinness World Record, and a Grammy Award nomination. Outside of her career, she has been involved in suicide prevention awareness and sexual assault victim advocacy.
She really has had a bit of a glow up in these past years and I’ll tell you, I can't wait to see what the new and improved Halsey brings us next!
So today, with energy building like a tidal wave, I choose Halsey's "Without Me" as my, get into every one of these vibes, break your own mold, become something no one thought you could, song for a, why not now, lift off, rise & rise & rise & RISE, Friday.
In June we will be featuring all LGBTQ+ artists in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month
In the Nineties, 4 Non Blondes broke out with their megahit “What’s Up?”– which would rock karaoke rooms for decades to come. She took some time to pursue a solo career after her band broke up, but it was the post-bubblegum pop of the early Aughts where she found her second act. Pink contacted Perry to write for her second, breakthrough album Missundaztood. “Neither one of us knew what was gonna happen,” Perry recalled years later in an interview with Huffington Post. At the time, Pink had made her name in the R&B world before Perry honed in on the pop star’s rock edge. “What happened was that we were able to open up to each other … she completely abandoned what she was told she was supposed to be, and just became Alecia Moore.” After their fruitful collaboration on the megahit “Get the Party Started,” Perry found a home extracting a similar vulnerability and honesty out of other major pop stars and has helped craft some of the 21st Century’s most memorable hits, including Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” and “Candyman” and Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?” Along the way, Perry has always been open and proud of who she is, famously playing a guitar with the word “dyke” written on it at the Billboard Music Awards in 1993. She’s been married to Roseanne star Sara Gilbert since 2011. B.S.
She has a voice that is unforgettable and has been able to use that to tell stories that are universal despite our human differences. She is a master at her art, which is understanding the human condition.
So today, with the wind in my hair and the sun in my eyes, I choose Linda Perry’s “Beautiful” as my, break off the pieces that no longer serve, shed your older skins, lift up into the brand new day, song for a, fight back where you must, surrender where you can, stand strong in your convictions, Thursday.
In June we will be featuring all LGBTQ+ artists in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month
Few people in music have the kind of fabled career that Brandi Carlile has. Since her heartbreaking album “The Story” which is a perennial best seller, she has been the indie darling, but has struggled to find commercial success. She is more than respected in the industry, but her audience never quite seemed to know where to land with her, until after last year’s Grammy’s where her album “By The Way, I Forgive You” was the most nominated album of the year, it seems she is finally on the ascendant.
Her voice is charismatic and emotive. She makes you feel every word she sings, and the plaintive calling tone her sound rings true the blue american sound. She has something that most female singers strive to find. She has that old troubadours grit that is reminiscent of Kris Kristofferson, or Willie Nelson, and yet is young and fresh as the Avett Brothers & Mumford & Sons. Her voice is plaintive and calling and yet there’s a Johnny Cash style razor’s edge behind those soft violin-esque vibrations. She finds a way of singing in a way that seems like she’s speaking directly to you, and she makes you remember every word. She makes you believe that she's lived every single story she sings about.
Carlile's music through the years has been categorized in several genres, including pop, rock, alternative country, and folk. She said of her style, "I've gone through all sorts of vocal phases, from pop to blues to R&B, but no matter what I do, I just can't get the country and western out of my voice.", and the truth is, we don't want her to. Her sound haunts you like a good dream that you don't want to let go of but still can't quite remember.
In a November 2002 interview, Carlile identified herself as a lesbian. She later told the Los Angeles Times, "I don't have to have a lot of formality around it ... there were people before me who paved the way." In June 2012 she announced she was engaged to Catherine Shepherd. The two were married in Boston, Massachusetts on September 15, 2012. The couple have two daughters.
She’s been a beacon and a guide paving a road where others before her cut the way through the brush. She is a true inspiration.
So today, with a fire in my gut, I choose Brandi Carlile’s “The Joek” as my, do not tread lightly, fight until there is no fight left, do not be the silent witness, song for a, stand firmly on the firmly right side of history, song for a, shine up, shine out, let the light in, Wednesday.