After two largely experimental-sounding and story-based releases, L.A. based singer/songwriter/producer JMSN (aka Christian Berishaj) is back with a self-titled release (aka The Blue Album) due in December. From it comes “Street Sweeper”, which puts into the music a more classic 70s/80s R&B sound than ever, not sounding like one classic performer in particular. But JMSN puts a more hip hop oriented spin on it which makes it your alternative to the big and plushier sounds of the likes of Justin Timberlake. Along with the likes of Travis Garland, JMSN has the goods both in concert and on record to get into your head and “Street Sweeper” is laid back, shimmering, romantic food for your soul.
Toronto singer/songwriter Daniella Watters has one of those voices that can easily transcend both pop and R&B, equally comfortable sounding next to a Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce or Rihanna song. “Never Will Die” is an uplifting song about continuing to move on as our souls stay alive forever, which is fine food for thought when you’re in a difficult or emotional situation. For Daniella, it’s about something very specific and touching (read her blog post here). Aside from that, the video compliments its story nicely, through more of an ice-skater-Beauty & The Beast kind of lens. I think once word gets out about “Never Will Die” and her gorgeous vocal, things will all come together nicely for Daniella Watters. This is definitely one to watch and you can buy it on iTunes!
HOZIER, “Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene”
I’ve not taken to his hit-in-the-making “Take Me To Church”, but there’s more than one song to 24 year old Irish singer Andrew Hozier-Byrne. But I was quite taken with Hozier’s compelling performance of “Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene” on Saturday Night Live last night. He’s got a rich baritone that extends into powerful tenor notes as well, and can sing a story which you can hear multiple times to try and figure out. It fills the gap left by the demise of R.E.M. and the lack of a more contemporary version of fellow countryman Van Morrison. “Angel” is from the singer’s self-titled album and it’s no wonder that he’s selling out moderate sized clubs everywhere. Count me in – I’ll definitely be listening for more.
So the next question is: Can Brandyn Burnette’s “Thanks For Nothing” crack the Top 3, as it rises significantly, up 10-4? The singer constantly reminds us on Twitter that the song may be a straight middle finger to a past relationship, but that it has an optimistic side to it about moving forward. Gotta listen to Brandyn!! There’s an ages old soul in that young body, methinks!
Those “Music Gods” keep forging ahead on this chart! Davis Redfield and vocalist Carl Man climb 7-6 in this edition.
Get to know Canadian R&B/hip hop singer Corey Niles as his latest song “Get To Know You” spreads across Canada, with the help of rapper Ish! It rises 9-7 🙂
Second time’s a charm, especially when it’s in a gorgeous, romantic, midtempo house remix! “I Won’t Let You Go” by Adam Tyler in an Aron Friedman remix gets to the Top 10 for the second time, and that’s only happened once before, with Nelson Clemente’s “You Want Me Don’t You” in 2008/09, which peaked at #3 both times. “I Won’t Let You Go” is at #8, three places short of its original #5 peak in 2011.
The fastest riser on the chart is “Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware, moving 20-9, and arriving in the Top 25 on the UK Singles Chart this week. Simply cannot wait to hear it in concert later in the month. Looking at the Top 3, I have to wonder when “Say You Love Me” will be able to crack the mold, but we’ll see!
Jamie Scott’s “Unbreakable” may be unstoppable at this point – it moves up 16-11 this week and will almost certainly grab a Top 10 berth in two weeks!
Aussie faves 5 Seconds Of Summer seem to be making more waves at radio now as the Fall sets in with “Amnesia” rising up 17-14 🙂
Chromatone has such a good groove going on in “Play For Me” that you must check out the fantastic dance moves in its well-shot video. It climbs 21-17.
ABOUT THOSE FIVE DEBUTS…
It’s an overdue debut, but always better late than never. While his team has been promoting “Oh So Simple” and “Scared” from his fine EP Stage Fright, the romantic inside me has long been with The Voice contestant blue-eyed soul singer Jake Barker’s title song, which bows at #23. You can only hear a preview on iTunes but it’s worth purchasing the EP for its entire four song selection. The following lyrics alone just send me at each listen just after the minute mark: “10,000 people looking down on me / All eyes on me / Could I picture my life / All I see is you”. Jake Barker has an immense future ahead – and he didn’t even finish in the Top 10 on The Voice!
A love song of a very different kind is “Brando” by Semi-Precious Weapons, which arrives at #24 in advance of their second 2014, following Spring’s Aviation release. “Brando” gets away from the anthemic sounds on Aviation in favour of a song that sings about when you are faced with the fact that you are impossibly in love. Justin Tranter’s vocal is on its best game here, and I’m really looking forward to more from SPW before the end of the year! Now if we can only get them up to Canada to tour…
I wrote about Jane Badler’s “Losing You” a while back, but the song gets under your skin quickly, so it arrives on the chart at #26. Actress/singer Jane previously reached #8 with “Yesterday’s Tomorrows”, so her alt.pop stylings are no stranger to this chart! Be sure to check out the impressive video trek through personal hell below.
Those Janoskians fans have eaten up my Twitter timeline today as the boys play a show at the Danforth Music Hall. I like these guys for the fact that they are bold enough to take risks to break out of the boy band mold, even though they will attract some similar fans as One Direction, 5 Seconds Of Summer, and even Justin Bieber. The Janoskians shake things up with their innuendo with “That’s What She Said” at #27. North American radio isn’t playing, but then again that’s no surprise. The huge fan base says ALL!!
It seems like there’s always room on my chart this year for another Sam Smith song. The 80’s flavoured “Restart” (particularly reminscent of Daryl Hall & John Oates or The Doobie Brothers brand of white soul) premieres at #28 along with a new video below.
Extra! Extra!
The duo Erasure (being singer Andy Bell and keyboardist Vince Clarke) has long endured because they know how to deliver exactly what their audience wants, and continue to create new songs for their huge repertoire. Their music is hugely influential on today’s electronica performers, whether that’s obvious or not. Their latest album The Violet Flame is their best in many years, more than ever a throwback to their classic late 80’s/early 90’s period, which is where their set list focuses in concert. While “Elevation” rises on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart, the chart-bound zinger on the album belongs to “Sacred”. Listen below!!
Lastly, Tristan Thompson’s “Mistaken” shall return to the chart! It’s been bumped to being the third single release from Here For You in favour of another song, which I shall be writing about very soon!
The Full Chart
01 01 I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE Sam Smith 02 02 SMILE Mikky Ekko 03 03 AFTERGLOW Harriet 10 04 THANKS FOR NOTHING Brandyn Burnette 05 05 NO FUN The Presets 07 06 MUSIC GODS Davis Redfield featuring Carl Man 09 07 GET TO KNOW YOU Corey Niles featuring Ish 13 08 I WON’T LET YOU GO (Aron Friedman remix) Adam Tyler 20 09 SAY YOU LOVE ME Jessie Ware 04 10 THIS COULD BE SOMETHING Anton Ewald featuring Medina 16 11 UNBREAKABLE Jamie Scott 14 12 ZEPPELIN Eli Lieb 15 13 JUST SAY HELLO Lyonn 17 14 AMNESIA 5 Seconds Of Summer 18 15 CRIMINAL Adam Tyler 06 16 I BELIEVE Bright Light Bright Light 21 17 PLAY FOR ME Chromatone 08 18 STRANGER Chris Malinchak featuring Mikky Ekko 11 19 TIME HAS COME Hannis 12 20 TEN FEET TALL Afrojack featuring Wrabel 23 21 KILLER WHALES Smallpools 25 22 HANG ON TO YOUR LOVE Penguin Prison New 23 STAGE FRIGHT Jake Barker New 24 BRANDO Semi-Precious Weapons 19 25 WHEN YOU LEFT ME Sam Dickinson New 26 LOSING YOU Jane Badler New 27 THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID The Janoskians New 28 RESTART Sam Smith 24 29 BIG CITY GIRLS (DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH SMALL TOWN BOYS) Zorro Blakk 29 30 KNEW YOU BETTER Adam Tyler
Listen for My New Music Pick Of The Week onD-Moos.com!
As many of you are already aware, after many years away from the microphone, I am now pleased to be back as a voice onD-Moos.com Canada’s National Internet Radio Station, which mainly plays a selection of oldies, mostly from the 50’s to the 90’s, with soon to be more intrusions from the 2000’s and other new music.
Do listen in for my New Music Pick of the Week feature onD-Moos.com8 times per day starting at 2:05 AM EST on Mondays, and while the station is only live in the evenings from 9:00 pm to midnight (with my long-time musical partner in crime “The Musicman” James Rogers), you can hear my voice at other odd times, particularly if you’re an oldies loving night owl on the weekend overnights 🙂
Okay folks, here’s your Sunday surprise and you won’t be able to stop yourself smiling 🙂 Regular readers of this blog know how much I enjoy the diverse talents of Netherlands singer Jeronimo, who scored a #1 on my personal chart a few years back with “One Kiss”. And we know in the history of music that there are fine examples of unexpected duets. So here Jeronimo teams up with buddy Alessandro for a teen-friendly cover of Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando”. It’s a good natured performance, helped immensely by the fact that outdoor all ages gigs like this are commonplace overseas, where fans can interact with their local heroes, and it’s all quite civil. The two singers have a great time and play off of each others’ strengths well, so I hope this might be the start of something that will be recorded and promoted, because ya just never know! Such a great idea and well done all around 🙂
If you thought pairing up New York producer/DJ Chris Malinchak with star-on-the-rise Mikky Ekko for the American funk of “Stranger” was sheer bliss, then how about UK soul wunderkind MNEK? “Happiness” is the best kind of emotional, mid-tempo house music, and it’s an honest and catchy throwback to late 80’s hitmakers like Terence Trent D’Arby, Sydney Youngblood, and Colonel Abrams. Can’t wait to get this one once it’s released but for now, give a listen below.
DJ ESQUILLE featuring JANE BADLER, “My Skin On Your Skin”
“My Skin On Your Skin” is a sensational new dance club floor pleaser by Swedish DJ/producer EsQuille that just happens to feature a vocal by the ever-diverse Jane Badler. It’s a real throwback to some of the songs on the racier side of disco such as Musique’s “In The Bush” or Poussez’s “Come On And Do It”, but with a trendy techno-sounding vibe that gives it 90’s qualities. In any case, it’s a fast listen under 3 minutes, but you can go with the full blown Stonebridge club mixes which are available as a separate single on iTunes. I’ve loved hearing Jane in a dance music setting since the commanding remix of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” a few years ago, she has just the right voice to help take “My Skin On Your Skin” that much further, so this is a great pairing! Don’t forget also to check out Jane’s new album Opus on iTunes, which features the engaging and dramatic new single “Losing You” which I wrote about recently.
James William is from Brighton, England and he’s a seasoned vocalist who’s been nailing it around Europe in tribute to Olly Murs as Only Olly (check out his superlative rendition of “Troublemaker” below and see why). James’ debut album, Lay Your Love On Me, is currently available overseas and due here on October 6 on iTunes, featuring the bubbly title song which found its way to #8 last year on my personal chart. “Livin’ Out Loud” is a new song that will put you in a great mood if you need one of those pop antidotes that throws you right into a “me” moment and doesn’t let go. Like with “Lay Your Love On Me”, it’s no wonder that James’ songs have received attention from even the One Direction camp. Be sure to listen to “Livin’ Out Loud” and check out some of the other songs from his album on hisSoundcloud page.
Watch out Betty Who and Jessie Ware, a rival is in your midst. And British singer Rosie Lowe puts her own spin on an electronic R&B sound with “Water Came Down”, which is already available on iTunes overseas. The song dabbles in Prince-ly eccentricities at the beginning, which may leave you a tad puzzled, but before you know it we’re into a full fledged big pop sound with a jazzy backdrop, then the rest all makes sense and hits the ball out of the park. “Water Came Down” is grand, pop entertainment with a sultry and knowing vocal that is love at first listen. I can’t wait to hear a full release!
If you lived in Canada in the 1970’s listening to Top 40 radio, then you already know Peter Foldy’s national hits from that era, 1973’s “Bondi Junction” and 1976’s “Roxanne” and “Julie Ann” – simple, catchy and sunny pop songs led by a highly recognizable voice – as well as a self-titled album in 1974. After recording a few more singles in the late 70’s including 1979’s pop/disco “Love City”, Peter, who was born in Hungary, but raised in Canada and Australia, where he chummed with The Bee Gees, returned to his pre-pop love of film and photography, and he wrote or directed a number of major motion pictures featuring Oscar winning stars in the intervening years up to 2000 (check him out onIMDB).
So 40 years after his first album, Peter Foldy has released a brand new one called Nine Lives. Recognizing that there is an audience with the love of 70’s music alive and well online, the songs on Nine Lives nary skip a beat, as if there was a direct path that purposefully led here in the first place. There is an immediate reference to the 70’s with Peter’s redux of “Roxanne”, but it’s a downtempo flip side of the perky original, fully aware of the passage of time and seemingly the other side to the crushing and longing of the original. But the winner on the record is “Carly”, an upbeat and highly contemporary gem full of fine musicianship and a story to which anyone can relate. Peter’s voice is a bit older sounding, but pure and uniquely Peter, there is no one else who could have sung “Carly” and have it stand solidly beside his other hits. So even if you don’t know of Peter Foldy and those early records, you owe it to yourself to hear “Carly” (and watch the lyric video above) because it’s destined to get stuck in your head in the best kind of way.
I was fortunate enough to meet L.A.-based Peter in my college radio days at the time of “Love City”, and thanks to connecting online through my involvement with radio station D-Moos.com, got to do so again when he was in Toronto a few weeks back. Welcome back, Peter! Nine Lives and all of Peter’s hits are available on iTunes.
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