Cam - "Burning House"

Camaron Marvel Ochs (born November 19, 1984), known professionally as Cam, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her music incorporates elements taken from contemporary pop music. She began her career as a songwriter, composing material for several artists including Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus. In 2010, she released her debut studio album Heartforward on an independent record label. In 2015, she released her official album Untamed on Arista Nashville. She has shared the stage with major artists including Smith, Harry Styles, George Strait, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

Signing with Sony Music Entertainment, she released her debut major label EP in March 2015, Welcome to Cam Country. The album's second track "Burning House" was played on the Bobby Bones Show and has since received widespread acclaim, including a Best Country Solo Performance nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. The song was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She launched her second studio album, Untamed, in December 2015 on the success of the song.

Her voice calls with a familiar resonance. It reminds you of the things you thought you’d already heard, but somehow she shines new light on old feelings. Like pulling photos out of a memory box from high school, you remember the depth of these feelings and yet know that the scope of your life has grown. She’s an incredible songwriter and if what she’s got store for us is anywhere near as beautiful as this song, I’m certainly excited to hear it.

So today, with a little heart and few good memories, I choose Cam’s emotionally stirring "Burning House" as my, let the feeling come back, treat your heart like a limb after it’s been asleep, wake up slowly, song for a turn up the intensity, ratchet up the stakes, make this the most important moment of your life - it’s the only one you’ve got, Thursday.

Mandy Moore - "Few Days Down"

And then it’s humpday and you’re already looking forward to the weekend and the hint of respite that you might be able to find. Little gemstones they are, our precious minutes alone. Taking care of no one but ourselves and doing our best to just keep breathing and get our blood pressure back down to normal.

So today, with an eye on the horizon, I choose Mandy Moore’s oft overlooked "Few Days Down" as my, resigned and regal, overwhelmed and underpaid, hopeful and heartfelt, song for a, hold on just a little longer, wait for the door to open, one life achievement at a time, Wednesday.

James Brown - "Get On Up"

Some days you just need to force yourself to Get. On. Up! You can do it, just keep breathing in and out and putting one foot in front of the other.

SO today, with a little less vim and a lot less vigor, I chose James Brown’s “Get On Up” as my shake that tailfeather, one more step, leap before you remember to be scared, song for a, well why not now, every little inch, you can do it if you dare, Wednesday.

Billie Burke - "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are" & Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth - "For Good"

Come out, come out, whoever you are.

The world is waiting to meet you, you bright shining star.

We want you to be whomever you would,

because you’re in the world, it will be changed for good.

We are here for you family. Come out when you are ready. The world is waiting for you to shine your brightest light, and your community already loves you.

So today, with pride and gratitude, I choose Billie Burke’s "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are" & Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth’s "For Good" as my, we already love you, you make us better, diversity makes us stronger, song for a, magic in the making, ours is the story being told in real time, we can see how far we’ve come and still know how far we have to go, Friday, Oct. 11th “National Coming Out Day”.

Ann Peebles - "I Can't Stand The Rain"

She was born in Kinloch, Missouri, the seventh child of eleven. As a child she began singing in the choir of her father's church and with the family's group, the Peebles Choir, who regularly opened shows for gospel stars including Mahalia Jackson and the Soul Stirrers featuring Sam Cooke. She was also influenced by R&B performers, including Muddy Waters, Mary Wells and Aretha Franklin.

She began performing in clubs in St. Louis, and in the mid-1960s joined a revue led by bandleader Oliver Sain. While visiting Memphis in 1968, she sang in a club with trumpeter Gene "Bowlegs" Miller, a popular local bandleader known for helping other musicians, such as the members of the Hi Rhythm Section who played on Peebles' recordings, get their start in the Memphis music industry. Miller introduced her to Hi Records producer Willie Mitchell, who quickly offered her a recording contract.

Her first record, "Walk Away", written by Sain, reached the R&B chart in 1969, as did the follow-up, "Give Me Some Credit", and she released an album, This Is Ann Peebles. All her early records on Hi were produced by Mitchell, and featured the signature sound of the Hi Rhythm Section and Memphis Horns. In 1970, her single "Part Time Love" - a version of Little Johnny Taylor's 1963 hit - reached no. 7 on the R&B chart, and no.45 on the pop chart, and she began working with the Hi label's songwriter Don Bryant. One of the first songs he wrote for her was "99 Pounds" in 1971 – "Good things come in small packages/ You'll have to agree to that" – in 1971; they married in 1974.

"Why gritty singing like this can't be heard on 'progressive' radio when a borderline hysteric like Lydia Pense is an automatic add ought to be investigated by the Civil Rights Commission."

–Review of Straight from the Heart in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)

She continued to have R&B hits in the early 1970s, including "I Pity the Fool," "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love," "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" (a Hot 100 hit in 1973 for Albert King and later recorded by Bette Midler), "Somebody's on Your Case," and "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" (later a hit for Paul Young). She was also the only female singer on Hi to release a string of albums, including Straight from the Heart and I Can't Stand the Rain, which contained many tracks that she co-wrote with Bryant. The title track of the latter album, written by Peebles and Bryant with DJ Bernard Miller, was her biggest commercial success, reaching no. 6 on the R&B chart and no. 38 on the pop chart in 1973.

Although she continued to have hit R&B singles and to release albums on Hi, none matched the success of "I Can't Stand the Rain". Mitchell later said: "She was the girl with the big voice who could have really gone further... But I don't think Ann spent enough time thinking about what she needed to do. I don't think she put as much energy into her career as a singer as some of the rest of these people."

After Hi Records closed in 1979, and with the rise of disco music, Peebles took a break from the music industry to spend more time with her family. She returned in 1989 with the album Call Me, again produced by Willie Mitchell and released on his own Waylo label. During the 1990s, she released albums on Rounder Records' Bullseye Blues subsidiary label. She continued to perform, and in 2006 she released the album Brand New Classics, which consisted of re-recordings of some of her songs in an acoustic style. Peebles also joined Cyndi Lauper on a recording of "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on Lauper's 11th studio album, Memphis Blues.

She gave up performing after a stroke in 2012. Peebles has been sampled by many hip-hop artists, in particular Missy Elliott, RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan.

So today, with sunshine and the santa ana’s blowing, I choose Ann Peebles’ "I Can't Stand The Rain" as my, dazed and confused, where am I going, dyslexic slightly, song for a, keep chugging, drive on, one more gritty grasp, Thursday.

Shea Diamond - "I am Her"

I was just made aware of this incredible human. Her sound is raw and authentic, and her passion is as vibrant as she is. It’s incredible to see a member of the LGBTQ community thriving so well after so many possible setbacks. Hers is the kind of career potential that gets you excited just because it’s so powerful.

I first read about Shea in a Billboard article. Here’s some if, to give you a bit of her backstory:

“As early as transgender singer Shea Diamond can remember, she identified as a girl -- and was punished for it. “I got whoopings for walking like a girl, for using the restroom sitting down like a girl,” says Diamond today. “Even singing when I was little, I remember being corrected: ‘Put some bass in your voice.’ It was like robbing me of the only joy I had in this world.” She ran away from home in Flint, Mich., as a teen, and at age 20 robbed a convenience store at gunpoint -- desperate, she says, to fund her gender-affirming surgery. According to records, she was incarcerated at various men’s correctional facilities in Michigan from 1999 until 2009.

Behind bars, Diamond found her voice as a songwriter. After her release, she relocated to New York and entered the world of trans activism. When songwriter-to-the-stars Justin Tranter saw a video of Diamond singing a cappella at a Trans Lives Matter event, he reached out. Now, he’s executive producer of Diamond’s first EP, Seen It All, a collection of roof-rattling anthems showcasing Diamond’s soulful voice that comes out June 29 on Asylum Records.

In person, Diamond, 40, is radiant, reveling in one of several “firsts”: She has never been photographed for a magazine before. Eliah Seton, president of Warner Music Group’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (which includes Asylum), says the label is putting a strong push behind Diamond, and Asylum president Kenny Weagly adds that single “American Pie” has been targeted for synchs on TV and beyond.

“Shea transcends labels and limitations, even genre,” says Weagly. “She isn't just an amazing trans or LGBTQ artist, but an amazing artist overall.” After a hard journey, Diamond has a team on her side. “Frankly, when I close my eyes,” says Seton, “I see her performing onstage at the Grammys.””
 

So today, with thunder in my hips, I choose Shea Diamond’s “I am Her” as my, make then see you, stand up, stand out, song for a, yours is the power, life runs through you, the arc of history bends towards justice, Wednesday.

LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"

This song came at me from the window of a car flying down the street next to me, and I couldn’t help but smile. I have always loved this song and to hear it coming at me in this manner just made my day.

LCD Soundsystem is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by musician James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band's current lineup consists of Murphy (vocals, multi-instrumentalist), Nancy Whang (synthesizer, keyboards, vocals), Pat Mahoney (drums), Gavin Rayna Russom (synthesizer), Tyler Pope (bass, guitar, synthesizer), Al Doyle (guitar, synthesizer, percussion), Matt Thornley (guitar, synthesizer, percussion), and Korey Richey (synthesizer, piano, percussion). They are currently signed to both DFA and Columbia Records.

The band began by recording and releasing multiple singles from 2002 to 2004, the first being "Losing My Edge", one of their signature songs. This led up to the release of their self-titled debut studio album, which was released in 2005. It garnered critical acclaim as well as a Grammy Award nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album. Their single "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House", which has become the band's most commercially successful single, received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording.

In the following year, LCD Soundsystem recorded and released "45:33", an almost forty-six minute-long composition that was made as a "workout track" especially for Nike as part of their Nike+ Original Run series. In 2007, the band released their second studio album, Sound of Silver, to critical acclaim and another Grammy nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album. Three years later, LCD Soundsystem released their third studio album, This Is Happening, which became their first top-ten album in the United States.

In February 2011, a statement was posted on the band's website announcing it was disbanding. It was to be made following a large farewell concert at Madison Square Garden on April 2, 2011. The farewell concert is chronicled in the documentary film Shut Up and Play the Hits and was also made available as a live album, titled The Long Goodbye, in April 2014.

After a series of rumors hinting at a possible band reunion, LCD Soundsystem released the single "Christmas Will Break Your Heart" in December 2015, making it their first single in five years. LCD Soundsystem later confirmed their reunion and announced an expanded tour, including appearances at several high-profile music festivals, as well as a new studio album. American Dream, their fourth album, was released in September 2017. It went on to become their first number-one album in the United States. The album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards and the single "Tonite" won for Best Dance Recording.

So today, with smiles abounding, I choose LCD Soundsystem’s "All My Friends" as my, break open and laugh, find the smile, little songs that you listen to with your heart, song for a, break up the clouds, shake off the sadness, work through the things that won’t follow, Monday.

Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà - "Life"

This song is so perfectly its title. It is captivating, entrancing, exciting, scary, wild, tender, painful, reckless, and controlled all at once.

I’ve loved this song for a while and listening in my car this morning all I could think was how well it shows you in excruciating detail how beautiful life really is.

So today, with excruciating beauty, I choose Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà’s version of "Life" by Ludovico Einaudi as my, show up, shine out, slough off the scales, song for a, one more chance, the horizon line approaches, one more step, Tuesday.