Browsing Tag gospel
Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions – Victory!
In the run-up to her fourth long-player, Michelle David was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thanks to a positive attitude with both a firm and courageous will, she fully recovered. Overcoming her illness became the main theme of her album The Gospel Sessions, Vol. 4.
Victory! is the key track on the record and indeed, it almost bursts with lust for life. On top of a Santana-like latin groove, David sings about her victory over fate.
The song is a good example of the overall triumphant tone of the album, which incorporates more strings, percussion, horns and even analogue synths.
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.
Joseph Lawrence & The Garden – Goddess
Joseph Lawrence & The Garden are a London-based collective. It consists of vocalist Joseph Lawrence (obviously) and instrumentalist Gilberto ‘Gibbi’ Mallindine-Bettini. Their bio states they ‘combine the free-jazz ambition of Kendrick Lamar with the soul-inflected ambience of James Blake’. Vocally, the latter shines through specifically in their new single Goddess. Musically, it’s a complex affair, that also contains elements of gospel and rock.
Goddess is only the duo’s fourth single since debuting in 2018 with Eclipse. It’s a slow-paced, emotional song which showcases their craft song-writing and Lawrence’s impressive vocals.
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)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Mélodie Lauret – 23h28 (Wildcard this week)
- Devon – I Don’t Want 2 B Ur Friend (Wildcard last week)
- Ali Barter – January
- Elsa Birgitta Bekman – Desire Lines
- Grace Potter (feat. Lucius) – Back To Me
- Rick Astley – Every One Of Us
- Sitting On Stacy – Chest Hair
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Stereophonics, Sunset Sons, Tove Lo, and many more.
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.
Grace Potter (feat. Lucius) – Back To Me
Grace Potter’s musical career spans almost two decades. She performed with acts as varied as Kenny Chesney, Flaming Lips, and the Grateful Dead and released her only solo album Midnight in 2015. But due to major changes in her life (a break-up, a new-found love and her first child), she nearly quit making music. The songs the now 36-year-old American singer wrote since then were meant as therapy, not to be released.
However, singing to her baby brought back her sense of purpose, and she decided to record the songs anyway. They were produced by her current partner Eric Valentine. He previously worked with the likes of Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth, Queens Of The Stone Age, Good Charlotte, and The Wombats.
Potter’s new album Daylight will be out on 25 October. It’s preceded by a great new single: Back To Me. Whether you like soul, country or gospel, this is a song for you. It features additional vocals by Lucius vocalists Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe. They contributed to four songs on Daylight. The album also features Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench.
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 43)
‘Old’ heroes like Claw Boys Claw, Def Leppard, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Kim Wilde, Kylie Minogue, Macy Gray, Richard Ashcroft and Weezer never die, even though you hardly hear them on the radio anymore. Giving them the credits they deserve, I added their new singles to the Carte Blanche Music playlist last week.
However, most of this list consists of younger, mostly emerging artists, like Amber Arcades, Angèle, Boy Azooga, Fil Bo Riva and Oh Pep! The playlist is updated constantly, so if you follow it, I’ll keep you updated about great new music, the moment it comes out (and often even earlier 😉).
The best of them all can be found in Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. This week’s edition is below, including links to more information about each track. All for of them are in the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar, for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
- Harts – Shake Ya Pants (Wildcard this week)
- Janelle Monáe – Americans (Wildcard last week)
- Anteros – Ordinary Girl
- Fyfe & Iskra Strings – Gold
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 42)
How many Indian summers can one year hold? Not that I’m complaining… Likewise, there are sunny spells in musical respect as well. What other conclusion can be drawn after a week that saw artists like Alma, Joe Jackson, Maggie Rogers, Paloma Faith, Razorlight and Young The Giant drop brand new music? Not to mention the many less known musicians that made our lives a little bit better with great new tracks?
As always, Carte Blanche Music tries to introduce you to the best new tunes, regardless of the artist’s prior status, descent, gender, the language, genre, etc. Just great music for open-minded people that aren’t stuck in a niche but are happy to discover.
All of those wonderful songs are added to my Carte Blanche Music playlist on an ongoing basis, and each Monday I publish my ultimate shortlist: Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. This, my friends, is it:
- Janelle Monáe – Americans (Wildcard this week)
- They Might Be Giants – The Communists Have The Music (Wildcard last week)
- Angèle feat. Roméo Elvis – Tout Oublier
- Satellite Stories – The Fame
- SOAK – Everybody Loves You
- Tom Helsen – Be The One
- Wooze – Party Without Ya
More info is behind each link and all seven songs can be enjoyed through the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar. Have fun!
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.
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.
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.
Hozier (feat. Mavis Staples) – Nina Cried Power
With only one smash hit to his name (Take Me To Church has been streamed over 860 million times on Spotify alone), Irish singer-songwriter Hozier may appear to be a one-day fly. Truth is, that he influenced so many other artists with his infectious mix of blues, soul and gospel, that he made his definitive mark on this decennium’s music.
The title track off his EP Nina Cried Power is Hozier’s new single. It features legendary American soul/gospel singer Mavis Staples, and Booker T. Jones on the organ. The track names iconic artists, activists and other people who fought for human rights. Among them Joni Mitchell, John Lennon, James Brown and Nina Simone, who is name-checked in the song’s title.
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 37)
Welcome to the 1000th post on Carte Blanche Music. It follows the week that was obviously the first after the holidays. New Music Friday counted a huge number of new releases, many of which by ‘high profile’ artists. But, to be honest, a lot of them disappointed me. Since I don’t pretend to serve up a complete list of new songs, and only want to present you with great new music, I added only a convenient amount of tracks to my container playlist Carte Blanche Music. There, you’ll find The Aces, The Cat Empire, Paul McCartney, Nile Rodgers & Chic feat. Craig David & Stefflon Don, Satellite Stories, Paul Weller, and more.
As always on Mondays, the best of the best can be found in Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. They’re also available in the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar for your listening pleasure. If you want more information about a track, simply click the respective link below:
- Bernhoft & The Fashion Bruises – Humanoid (Wildcard this week)
- Lauren Daigle – Still Rolling Stones (Wildcard last week)
- Brett Dennen – Be Somebody
- Munya – Hotel Delmano
- Spring King – Let’s Drink
- Tash Sultana – Cigarettes
- The Night Game – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
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.
