Browsing Tag funk
Wildcard (week 41):
Janelle Monáe – Americans
On her latest album Dirty Computer, which was preceded by the single Make Me Feel, Janelle Monáe saved the best for last. Americans is the closing track on the album. Combining elements of pop, gospel, R&B, funk and neo-soul, it sounds like a tribute to Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy, but in fact, the song preaches the importance of all Americans coming together and being recognized for who they are and what they contribute to their country. But as we all know, that’s not the way it works in the United States nowadays. Non-male Americans, queer Americans, Americans of colour, poor Americans, etc. are looked down upon.
A spoken bridge and outro by Reverend Sean McMillan lists the marginalised people in contemporary America: “Until women can get equal pay for equal work… Until same-gender-loving people can be who they are… Until black people can come home from a police stop without being shot in the head… Until poor whites can get a shot at being successful… Until Latinos and Latinas don’t have to run from walls… this is not my America.”
I’m not sure if this is Monáe’s new single, but it’s playlisted by BBC Radio 6music. And that’s not all; a great track like this, with such an important message, deserves to be next week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard! All 41 of them, so far, are in the Wildcards 2018 playlist.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Satellite Stories – The Fame
Asked if they were ready for the fame, during an interview in 2012, Satellite Stories’ Olli-Pekka Ervasti responded: “You never know how the music industry goes, but reaching the fame is not the thing for us.” Six years later, in my opinion, the band didn’t achieve the fame they deserved. After ten years, five albums and one last upcoming European tour, the Finnish indie band splits up.
But Satellite Stories go out with a bang. The bonus track on their final album Cut Out The Lights has now been released as their farewell single. The Fame is the kind of up-tempo pop track we’ve come to know from the band, as danceable as ever. Fame at last!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Christine & The Queens – Le G
In 2014, all of a sudden, a new pop star stood up in France: Héloïse Letissier with her musical alter ego Christine & The Queens. A stylish act, both musically and in clothing, that can count artists like Stromae, Lorde and Madonna as fans.
Her debut album Chaleur Humaine contains slightly disruptive synthesizer pop (which she calls ‘freak pop’ herself). Letissier sings an awkward mix of French and English, that even the French don’t quite get. Yet (or perhaps because of that) it became a multi-platinum hit. First in her home country, and a year later in the rest of Europe. In order to try and conquer the United States, she re-recorded some of her songs in English and re-released her album.
Now, the artist makes her next move: her new album Chris comes in two versions: one in French and one in English. They’re not completely the same, though, as the French version has one track more, and two of the French songs don’t appear on the English version.
One of those two songs is my favourite on the set: Le G. The music on this new album being more funky and more sexy, I’m not sure whether this track is about G-funk or the G-spot, but either way: it’s as great as it is funky and sexy. Think Janet Jackson, for instance. Even the electric guitar solo at the end fits in nicely with the smooth overall production. Formidable!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 40)
Last week was a colourful one, musically speaking, with new releases by artists like Interpol, Janelle Monáe, Robyn, Roosevelt, and even Soft Cell. Also, Evil Mama by Joe Bonamassa was finally released on Spotify. All of those, and many more, can be found in the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist, featuring the best new music.
I narrowed this selection down for my ‘best of the best’ list Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. You can find it below as a flat enumeration (with more info behind the links), but also in the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar as a 23 minute short playlist. Enjoy!
- morgxn & Walk The Moon – home (Wildcard this week)
- Sofi Tukker & Pabllo Vittar – Energia (Parte 2) (Wildcard last week)
- Beaux – My Love
- Cookin’ On 3 Burners – The Jump Off
- Kid Rock – Snatching It Back
- Minyeshu – Aynocheh (Your Eyes)
- The Proclaimers – You Make Me Happy
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Kid Rock – Snatching It Back
This week, the album Muscle Shoals: Small Town, Big Sound comes out. It features artists like Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) & Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed, Michael McDonald, Aloe Blacc, Candi Staton and Brently Stephen Smith (Shinedown) interpreting tunes initially made famous by The Rolling Stones, Etta James, the Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett, Bob Seger, Bob Dylan and others.
Kid Rock releases the first single off the project. He covers Clarence Carter’s Snatching It Back, using the original instrumental bed from 1969 (featuring the iconic Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section), with added electric piano by session veteran Jim ‘Moose’ Brown. Surely, nothing beats the original, but this comes very close!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Cookin’ On 3 Burners – The Jump Off
Six weeks ago, when Warning by Cookin’ On 3 Burners feat. Kaiit was the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, I already mentioned its great instrumental B-side The Jump Off. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to like that track, as the Australian Hammond organ trio has now decided to release it as a single in its own right.
The Jump Off, which will feature on the band’s next album Lab Experiments Vol. 2, just like Warning, is a brilliant funk track, that I would have loved to have heard James Brown’s vocals on.
For this new single, Cookin’ On 3 Burners asked B-boys and B-girls to submit their moves and represent their city. Breakers The Wildup Crew (Rome), Young Masters Crew (Melbourne), Bboy Levi (Erlangen), Bboy Bruce Wayne (Paris), and Bboy Banjo (Sunshine) were chosen to feature in the video. The result is a crowd sourced collaboration cut together highlighting their skills and celebrating the funk.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 39)
Christine & The Queens, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, Imagine Dragons, India.Arie, Johnny Marr, Primal Scream, Public Service Broadcasting, Rita Ora and White Lies are all wonderful artists with great new singles. All of these, and many more, have been freshly added to my constantly updated Spotify-playlist Carte Blanche Music, which contains the best new music of this year, so far. The past week, this list grew with 40 titles and now holds almost 850 tracks, good for over 50 hours of excellent music.
If that’s too much for now (no offence), I can recommend Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. This ‘best of the best’ playlist features only 6 songs that don’t take more than 23 minutes of your time. You can listen to them via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar. While you’re at it, you can read my original recommendations by clicking the links below. Enjoy!
- Sofi Tukker & Pabllo Vittar – Energia (Parte 2) (Wildcard this week)
- Sigala feat. Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor & French Montana – Just Got Paid (Wildcard last week)
- Dan Owen – Stay Awake With Me
- Gecko Turner – Cortando Bajito
- Pale Waves – Red
- Sun Gods – Subtle Science
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Gecko Turner – Cortando Bajito
I recently wrote about Gecko Turner’s single Un Limón En La Cabeza. If you don’t know this Spanish musician and singer/songwriter yet, his upcoming compilation Soniquete: The Sensational Sound Of Gecko Turner will give you a great introduction. It’ll be out on 12 October, the date that marks the 15th anniversary of his first solo album, Guapapasea!
Ahead of the ‘best of’ album, Turner releases a new single. Cortando Bajito, the one brand new track on Soniquete, is irresistibly groovy, featuring an unstoppable rhythm section. The funky keys make for a certified floor-filler, while Turner throws in his trademark Spanish-to-English-and-back-again vocals. I dare you to try not to sway your hips to this one!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 38)
Out of the many, many new songs that were released last week, I added only the 29 very best to my 2018 container playlist Carte Blanche Music. Among them well-known artists like Richard Ashcroft, Ben Folds, Hooverphonic, Lenny Kravitz, Amy Macdonald, Novastar and The Smashing Pumpkins, but also a lot of emerging acts and other artists that haven’t yet been embraced by the media and/or the public yet. It’s those acts that this blog focuses on, but I don’t shy away from recommending great new songs by established artists.
Today’s edition of Werner’s Weekly offers the latest two Carte Blanche Music Wildcards plus a fine collection out of all of the categories I mentioned, presented in alphabetical order. This makes it your compass to the music that matters, as always…
- Sigala feat. Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor & French Montana – Just Got Paid (Wildcard this week)
- Bernhoft & The Fashion Bruises – Humanoid (Wildcard last week)
- Alice Merton – Why So Serious
- Confidence Man – Try Your Luck
- Corine – Maquillage
- Florence & The Machine – Patricia
- Hozier (feat. Mavis Staples) – Nina Cried Power
The links above point you to more information about the songs, all of which you can listen to via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Corine – Maquillage
French pop music often has a touch of retro kitsch. And I mean that in the most positive way, for I love French music. In Corine, a new disco diva has stood up. I wrote about her before, when she released her single Il Fait Chaud. Her new song Maquillage (French for make-up) is another feminine (and feminist) disco pop hymn.
After two EP’s, Fille De Ta Région and Fille De Ta Région (Vol. 2), Maquillage is the first single off Corine’s debut album Fille Le Jour, Héroïne La Nuit (‘girl at daytime, heroin at night’), that comes out on 16 November.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
