Publisher’s Corner

December 9, 2023

Hey there! You may have noticed a slowdown in the pace of my reviews the last few weeks. As longtime readers know, I write in fits and spurts, dictated by changes in work assignments and personal responsibilities that sometimes squeeze writing time out of my daily/weekly schedule. When things get busy, personal life outranks writing in importance. However, one of the things we do on a weekly basis at our house is music-related. Some Saturdays and/or Sundays, my wife and I enjoy a relaxing morning of coffee while playing music videos on our TV. Now, the playlist isn’t completely indicative of my personal preferences – we only play music we both like, and she doesn’t enjoy the heavier end of my musical taste (for example, I skipped over Europe’s “Hold Your Head Up” and Metalite’s “New Generation,” both of which I would have gladly played if listening alone, when YouTube suggested them this morning) – but the music we listen to during our weekend mornings covers a broad range of styles, albeit primarily pop-leaning.

Now, those of you who follow me on X know that I sometimes share my #PhoneOnShuffle playlist, listing the first several songs my phone shuffles up (out of more than 1,000 of my personal favorites) via X and then, if I’m out alone enjoying lunch or a long coffee break; when I run out of characters on X, I sometimes continue the playlist on Threads. Well, I thought you might enjoy a glimpse into my Saturday mornings by sharing the first dozen or so songs from this morning’s YouTube viewing/listening session. Sometimes we just let YouTube select the next song (since its algorithm has a long listening history as its guide). Other times, we intervene to skip a song or because there’s a specific song we want to hear. This morning’s YouTube listening session began with…

iLO – “Safety Net”

You know I’m a big iLO fan. Her voice is amazing, and “Safety Net” is one of the catchiest songs in her arsenal, a great co-write with Ålkemi that adds a hint of something different to iLO’s vibe. iLO has plenty of cowrites now and seems to only rarely release new singles of her own, which is a shame because her voice is amazingly engaging with a unique tone that sets her apart. Regardless, this is one of our favorite iLO songs, always a pleasant addition to a Saturday morning playlist. (My review of the EP that contains “Safety Net,” iLO’s Fragile Heart EP, can be found here at this link.)

Lady Gaga – “Hold My Hand”

This song from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack does a great job of showcasing Lady Gaga‘s powerful voice in a song package with broad appeal. I don’t usually go out of my way to listen to Lady Gaga, but when you hear her incredible voice, it’s almost impossible to leave mid-song. I also love the kickass scene in the video with the flyover.

Train – “Drops of Jupiter”

“Drops of Jupiter” is just one of many Train songs I enjoy. I may get some pushback on this, but given my tendency to favor music with hooks and the potential for broad appeal, I place Train at or near the top of the list of mainstream rock bands whose hits primarily reside in the 21st century. The band is always willing to experiment, sometimes to the extent that I don’t initially recognize a new song as one of theirs, at least not until I recognize Pat Monahan’s voice, after which it’s unmistakable. Some of you know my advice about always experimenting with different styles or collaborations on at least two songs during a full-length album to avoid stagnating as a band. Well, Train does that in spades, which is why they’re one of my favorite pop-rock bands of this century.

iLO – “Best Day of My Life”

This second iLO song on this morning’s playlist, selected by the algorithm (probably because I hadn’t strayed yet from the playlist that began with “Safety Net”), also appeared on iLO’s Fragile Heart EP.

The Beatles – “Now and Then”

I love this new Beatles song. I mean, how could you not? Is it a top ten Beatles song for me? Probably not. But it’s catchy and fun, and it becomes moreso with each subsequent listen. It’s also cool how the old and new footage is blended in the video. And, if you’ve not already, I’d recommend reading about how this song was recorded. Here’s a link to an Entertainment Weekly article about it.

Ed Sheeran – “Overpass Graffiti”

Our Saturday morning coffee-and-music sessions have solidified my appreciation for Ed Sheeran‘s songwriting skills. His skill in blending different musical elements is noteworthy. His songs cross over with several pop-adjacent subgenres. I enjoy almost all of Ed’s hits and several of his “album cuts,” though his genius doesn’t necessarily exempt him from the old ratio, even among the best artists, of 3-4 our of 10 songs being hits while the rest are deservedly album tracks. I love what he’s trying, even when I think it’s a miss rather than a hit. But man, when Ed hits – as he does so often – they’re grand slams, not just bloop singles. Anyway, I always enjoy this song, and it’s one of the big production story-videos that probably only the biggest artists can afford to create. I studied video production as part of my undergrad degree, and, from a music-video perspective, many of Ed Sheeran’s videos are among my favorites, so it’s not just his music that I dig.

Bon Jovi – “It’s My Life”

This is one of my favorite post-’80s Bon Jovi songs, and this is from more than 20 years ago. Even today, though, while Bon Jovi’s songs don’t connect with me as often as they did in the early years, new music from Jon and the guys is always worth a listen. And there are still great songs from the aughts like “It’s My Life” and “Have a Nice Day” from what would now, I guess, be considered mid-career for Bon Jovi.

Passenger – “Let Her Go”

We’ve sampled a lot of Passenger‘s music, and Mike Rosenberg (Passenger) consistently delivers heartfelt, enjoyable songs, but he’ll have a hard time replacing “Let Her Go” as his biggest hit. The song draws you in and, in the realm of YouTube playlists, is almost impossible to skip.

Jason LaPierre & Kelsey Blackstone – “When I’m With You”

No, this isn’t a remake of the Sheriff hit from the ’80s. Instead, it’s the cool, jazzy pop song from Jason LaPierre and Kelsey Blackstone that I reviewed here at the Blog a couple months ago. The song is light and cheerful, and the video is playful (and is primarily shot inside a classic diner; fans of my Instagram #OmeletTour are probably aware of my predilection toward diners). It’s worth noting that this video was a New England Music Awards “Video of the Year” nominee this year. In fact, because this video is often part of the playlist I watch with my wife many Saturdays, I was able to recognize Kelsey at the New England Music Awards event, while I was unable to identify and chat with many of the artists I know because, as a music reviewer, I’ve met so few of them face-to-face, though I exchanged “Oh, you were there? I wish we had connected” messages with some people I’ve known online in the days following the event.

Leah Belle Faser – “Better Than Mine”

Another artist I’ve reviewed (twice, in fact), country ingenue Leah Belle Faser has several oughta-be-hits in her arsenal. This one is one of my favorites because, in addition to being  hooky and memorable, the lyrics are clever and stinging. “Better Than Mine” appeared on Leah’s Crossing Hermi’s Bridge EP, which I reviewed here. (More recently, I reviewed Leah Belle Faser’s single “Trash Talk,” which also sometimes makes an appearance during our YouTube mornings.)

Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting – “All For Love”

I defy you not to love this powerful old ballad, though I’ll grant you that it might be a little cheesy in spots because I’m in a forgiving mood when I listen to this song. (I forgive the video for its 50-second lead-in before the music starts. Though the pre-music scenes can be artistically clever, a long lead-in becomes a valid reason to skip over most videos after you’ve seen them a half-dozen times.) This Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting collaboration for The Three Musketeers soundtrack features a trio of legendary rock ‘n roll voices that will help it hold up for a few more decades, particularly as the output of the individual artists inevitably begins to slow down at some point. (Not yet, though; Bryan Adams’ 2022 release So Happy It Hurts is a must-own album for mid-range, pop-friendly rock ‘n roll fans. His video for “Kick Ass” is an example of the too-long-lead-in rule I mentioned earlier; the song is one of my favorites, but the clever lead-in becomes increasingly harder to sit through after multiple viewings.)

Shania Twain – “Pretty Liar”

This NSFW song is called “Pretty Liar,” I assume, because “pretty” would likely replace the f-word if the song were released to radio. (Does such a radio-friendly version already exist?) Instead, though, this particular song, from Shania Twain‘s 2023 Queen of Me album, became perhaps our favorite Shania Twain song by the end of our first listen, and it has continued to hold up well. It’s short – a quick shot in passing, I suppose – energetic, and fun to sing along to… but not if there are impressionable children or judgy adults around.

The music continued this morning, including songs from Andy Grammer, Rachel Platten, Dolly Parton, The Outfield, Rita Ora, Sara Bareilles, Cami Bradley, Lindsey Stirling, and more. But I only promised you 12 write-ups, so I’ll stick to that and get this posted.

Closing Notes

I hope you enjoyed this today. I thought a “Publisher’s Corner” column might be a nice way to convey quick-hit news and reviews from time to time. I’m not sure how often I’ll share weekend morning playlists this way. Perhaps, future “Publisher’s Corner” columns might include additional information of interest. What brought today’s write-up about is that I’ve been unable to work reviewing into my schedule lately. Sometimes, I’m not in a place where I can find time to play audio while I write, and that’s a requirement for me to write good album reviews. But I can write a column in silence.

Anyway, let me know if you like the idea of the occasional series of quick-hit reviews (or news) in this “Publisher’s Corner” format. And also if you enjoyed this peek into my listening habits, what I listen to while not preparing for the next review, and particularly the format of sharing links to a dozen or so music videos in a column like this. (Blog comments require my approval, but as long as you stay on-topic about the music or the bands or, really, anything related to the article/review, I always approve them. So please comment, either here or on one of our social media pages.)

Have a great weekend, everyone! And sorry for the slow flow of content lately; I expect to have more openings in my schedule to review albums and singles again in the coming weeks. (The first draft of yesterday’s review was written before Thanksgiving; yes, it took me that long to find time to proofread it!)

Also, I hope there aren’t too my typos here; I’m forgoing the proofread to get this out more quickly.