November 2012 – BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

Autumn Popervescence #2 featuring Cher, Prince, FrankMusik, River Tiber, and Monti Montanez

Usually I don’t write about some of the biggest names in the biz unless they happen to land on my personal chart. But two of my favourites are back and I can’t resist.

Cher, “Woman’s World”

Cher’s music has been a part of my life since I was a wee lad, and I like others of my AM Top 40 era thoroughly enjoyed her solo hits like “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”, “Dark Lady”, “Half-Breed”, “Train of Thought”, and her disco entry “Take Me Home”. I couldn’t get into her 80’s soft rock, but “Believe” arrived about a year after I had been publishing my chart online and it, along with “The Music’s No Good Without You”, would find their way to my Top 10. The great thing about “Woman’s World” (from her upcoming still-untitled 26th album and first in 11 years) is that it sounds slick without being overproduced to the point that the vocal is over-enhanced. The message of the song will put Cher back up near the top of the charts again with Britney, Christina, Katy, Jessie J, and Pink, which proves these days at 66 you can release a song that’s as solid as for someone much younger. If Cher charts at pop on Billboard, she will be the only artist to chart in six consecutive decades (though she already accomplished it on another chart – the dance club play chart last year with “You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me”. Listen below.

Prince, “Rock And Roll Love Affair”

After premiering the song on the Jimmy Kimmel show this past week, it looks like eternally young 54 year old Prince is back in classic 80s/90s form with “Rock And Roll Love Affair”. Highlighting his always wicked guitar work, the otherwise stripped down sound is highly reminiscent of songs from Around The World In A Day or Diamonds & Pearls. What can you say – this is probably his best song in about 15 years, though I know there are many fans of his Grammy-winning 2004 album Musicology as well as 2006’s 3121. Watch below.

FrankMusik, “Fast As I Can”

Things are looking much brighter for FrankMusik (aka Vincent Frank), who is poised to release his third solo album independently early next year, titled You Are Here. He posted the track listing on Twitter, which will include one of my absolute faves by him, the 2011 ballad “Hurt You Again”. It also includes his latest single “Fast As I Can”, which features a gruffer voiced Vince which gives the song a more soulful feel than usual. The lyrics tell about a needed escape from a relationship, and the video shows Vince all dressed up as he heads on to better times down at the beach. As usual his inventive production keeps “Fast As You Can” stuck in your head. Watch below.

River Tiber, “I’m Not Here”

I can’t wait for River Tiber’s new album Synapses to see release. An Edge 102 new music showcase at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto almost two weeks ago apparently went well, and the Toronto band is playing again at the Silver Dollar on December 7. If I can get to that gig I hope to hear more. First we had the experimental “What Are You Afraid Of”, and now you can hear “I’m Not Here” below. Tommy Paxton-Beesley is the uber-talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist behind this project, and the jazz-inflected quiet behind “I’m Not Here” explodes with his startlingly Jeff Buckley-infused vocal around the 2:15 mark which not only gives shivers up your spine but brings the loneliness and isolation in the lyrics all the way home.

Monti Montanez, “En El Oscuridad”

Monti’s song “Turn Up The Radio” was one of the more pop-flavoured highlights of the must-have EDM compilation from this past Spring, This Beat Is… Poptronik Volume 1 (and yes, Volume 2 is coming next year!), featuring his guy-next-door vocal and a couple of neat hooks to make the song a tidy under three minute listen. He’s back with a busy and fun dance record this time all in Spanish called “En El Oscuridad”, which is more designed to get your attention the way that “On The Floor” did for Jennifer Lopez. Could he be the next Enrique Iglesias? “En El Oscuridad” is a game effort. Watch below.

BILLCS Top 30 #392 – November 19/12

Bear with me with this bare-bones write up of the songs on my latest personal chart. Aside from a few new videos, of course you can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so

Swedish House Mafia & John Martin get their turn at the top with the memorable “Don’t You Worry Child”, which displaces another fave of mine, “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega, which should hang around in the Top 10.

But aside from the turnover at #1, the chart seems to be about one name. The name is Koma. Matthew Koma. Not only does his collaboration with Zedd on “Spectrum” stay in the Top 5 at #3, but the title track of his EP Parachute vaults 17-4, which could result in a shorter stay at #1 for the Mafia. The New Yorker also debuts at #26 with “1998”, which definitely shows his edgier rock style, definitely recalling post-punk folks like Elvis Costello and XTC. His album Propaganda will be out in early ’13 – woo!

It puts a smile on my face every time I play Bright Light Bright Light’s mashup of his hit “Feel It” with Scissor Sisters’ “Let’s Have A Kiki”. “Feel It” moves up to #6 this week, and the Lifehouse/Natasha Bedingfield collaboration on “Between The Raindrops” is slowly finding favour, rising 10-7. Watch the video below – too bad there aren’t any scenes with Jason and Natasha together.

Two newcomers join the Top 10, songs that you won’t really find elsewhere! “Evolved” by Vague-à-bonde climbs 11-8 as the singer (Nicole Alicia) prepares a video and more new songs. “Evolved” has one of those immensely likeable qualities – it just sneaks up on you and hits you between the eyes with its chorus. Mesmerizing in a different way is “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler which rises 12-10 and can be found on Jane’s EP Mistaken Identity which you can buy on iTunes.

Despite many songs tumbling on the chart, there’s still quite a bit of activity. “Yeah Yeah” by New Zealand’s Willy Moon soars 22-11 as the singer tours in the UK. Matt & Kim wrap up their Lightning tour (though they are touring with Passion Pit in 2013) and “Let’s Go” jumps 15-12. Kid Massive & DATABOY make a great pairing as “Good Girlfriend” moves 20-17 (video below). Right behind is the Arty/Nadia Ali/BT collaboration “Must Be The Love” at #18, Adele’s “Skyfall” at #19, “Burn” by Bim at #20, and “Play The Girl” by Tao Hypah at #21.

Joining the chart are two more new entries. I’m hoping it may not be too premature, but since “Remember When” by Chris Wallace exits after a mandatory 10 chart (20 week) run, I’ve installed “Time Bomb (Walk Away)” at #25. To me this is the natural follow up to “Remember When”. Over the past two weeks, Daniel Bedingfield released the provocative video to “Secret Fear”, which got to #5 on my chart this summer. The video is quite a feat, developed and directed by Daniel, and filled with numerous meanings. I’ve also been playing “O.V.E.R. U.” from his free Secret Fear-Stop The Traffik EP for months, and it arrives on the chart at #27. Listen to “Time Bomb” and “O.V.E.R. U.” and watch the video for “Secret Fear” below.

Shorter and more frequent blog posts coming your way soon!!

Why Cody Belew Is The Likeable Underdog To Watch On “The Voice”

Each season on The Voice, there’s a singer I truly enjoy and end up buying the songs from iTunes. In season one it was Beverly McClellan, in season two it was Jamar Rogers, and this season it’s Cody Belew. What’s different though about Cody, is that he’s a true underdog that the viewing audience seems to adore.

With good reason. Simply, he is us. Cody comes from kind of a grass roots kind of life growing up in Arkansas. He loves soul and country music (though I bet pop/rock too), and has an infectious sense of humour (he believes he was an old black woman in a previous life). He didn’t have a lot of Facebook or Twitter followers when the show started, unlike several other singers who are no longer on the show. But what made many people start rooting for Cody was his one-of-a-kind blind audition on The Voice.

With a solid rendition of the Otis Redding-penned “Hard To Handle” (done a la Black Crowes), I was staring at the TV egging on the judges to turn their chair for this guy. As Cody starts to wrap up his song, he turns his back to the audience, and then Cee-Lo Green turns his chair with seconds to spare. Cody turns around, and by then we’re all smiling for this guy, as he goes into this stage-shock, and rushes over to his new coach, exclaiming loving profanities, and thereby creating one of the most memorable TV appearances of the year.

Cody is no one-trick pony, his subsequent performances show that he has the goods to continue on successfully in the music business. He channeled his best Beyoncé for a duet that highlighted his soulfulness on “Telephone”. His taut performance of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” (which starts at 1:25 in the above clip) was story-telling dazzle. But more than ever it was his smooth and smart interpretation of George Michael’s “One More Try” that sealed it for me. And with only one judge behind him at the beginning, he has enough going for him to be in the Top 12. That’s amazing.

Not to put a damper on this story, but I think this year’s season is the sensational 18 year old Trevin Hunte’s to lose. There are several powerhouse vocalists in the Top 12, but also three or four that beat out some better performances in the previous rounds. While the competition might make it unlikely, and I’m not a betting man, just don’t be surprised if we see Cody Belew in the Top 4 at the end. Even if that doesn’t happen, he’s got a flock of new fans that will be more than happy to gather at his concerts. So ‘Bam Bam’ and rock on.

BILLCS Chart #391 – November 5/12 – Lose Control with Carlos Nóbrega’s New #1!

Even though we had a song with a video about an alien love story at the top of the chart two weeks ago, my Hallowe’en party song for 2012 is “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega, which climbs to #1 for this edition of my chart, succeeding “Spectrum” by Zedd & Matthew Koma. Carlos is working on an album and I’ll be one of the first to have news on it as it happens. In the meantime buy “MMYLC” on iTunes and support independent music by doing so!

Zooming to #3 to become a real challenge for the top is “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin, which looks to replicate its UK #1 status in other countries too. The Mafia are playing to huge crowds on what looks to be a final tour for the trio. Below is a live clip of the song. Also joining the Top 5 is “Anything Could Happen” by Ellie Goulding, which still seems to be getting lost in the success of “Lights”. Nonetheless it is one of the more joyous sounding songs of the year.

After coming off of a successful UK tour supporting Scissor Sisters, Bright Light Bright Light continues to rise up the chart to #7 with new single “Feel It”, which features several remixes and a new/old song “Good Times”. Rod Thomas (BLx2) has once again given us a free download of a remix, coupling “Good Times” with Black Box’s “Everybody Everybody” as “Good Body”, below.

Two songs join the Top 10. “Unheard” (#9) by Netherlands singer Jeronimo isn’t a single, but is one of the most enjoyable and irresistible songs from his debut album One Kiss. And “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield is indeed a grower, leaping 18-10, as I look forward to the band’s next album Almeria and perhaps a tour in 2013. Take a look at a live clip of Lifehouse performing the song, below.

You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so

Below the Top 10 is a steady busy stream of great music. “Evolved” by Vague-a-bonde moves to #11 as the singer records a new album. This independent release has a crackling good hook and a soft, winning vocal (listen below). Jane Badler’s “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” is at #12 and is also featured in the Stormby remix on the compilation Kiss My Lipstick Off. Imagine Dragons’ anthem “It’s Time” is now at #14, while Matt & Kim’s rollicking “Let’s Go” climbs to #15. As the release of Lotus approaches, “Your Body” by Christina Aguilera moves up to #16, and Mika’s “Popular Song” (taking its cue from “Popular” from “Wicked”) is up to #18. Kid Massive & DATABOY have a UK club hit with “Good Girlfriend” at #20, while “Must Be The Love” by Arty, Nadia Ali & BT jumps to #21.

As I expected two weeks ago, the chart got a bit of housecleaning and there are five new entries. It’s no surprise that the highest, at #17, is “Parachute” by Matthew Koma, if you read my rave about it recently. The one newcomer that I haven’t written about yet is “Yeah Yeah” by Willy Moon at #22. You know it as an iPod commercial song. But on its own, it’s a powerful crowd-pleaser from this 23 year old New Zealand native who is currently touring in the UK and Europe opening for Jack White. Watch the stylish, simple and fun choreography in the video below.

Despite the overhype, Adele’s theme for the new James Bond film “Skyfall” rises above it all, being such a gorgeous piece of drama unto itself, landing at #23 on the chart. At #25 is “Burn” by Bim from their Lifelines EP, which is due for worldwide release this week. This is the opener to the EP but is the core of it, full of intense emotions that could write their own book. The video is intriguing with its comic book theme, and really doesn’t have much to do with the song – watch below. Lastly, “Play The Girl” by another Netherlands singer, Tao Hypah, which I also wrote about recently, debuts at #28 following the #3 success of “Celeb”.