Publisher’s Corner

January 21, 2024

Hello again! Yes, my writing has slowed down again the last few weeks. To those of you I’m planning to review, your target date has been pushed back a month. As I mentioned in my first “Publisher’s Corner” column last month, which some of you seemed to enjoy so I’ve decided to continue to write them from time to time, long-time readers know my writing time varies widely due to my career job and my family responsibilities, so you’re not surprised when I disappear from the blogosphere from time to time.

As last time, I’ve decided to share the first dozen songs from today’s morning YouTube binge, something my wife and I do at my house some weekend mornings while enjoying our morning coffee. Since morning YouTube and coffee binges are a couples affair, the playlist doesn’t extend across my entire musical taste, particularly at the harder rocking end, but it’s a pretty good glimpse into the rest of what I listen to and enjoy. And, of course, it’s music I’d recommend.

Also, if you’re curious about the latest goings-on of a few of the artists that have been featured in the Blog over the years, you can skip to the end to find some notes and links.

This Morning’s Coffee-and-YouTube Playlist

This morning’s YouTube playlist began with…

Def Leppard – “Kick”

We’re big Def Leppard fans, but we hadn’t really gotten into their new stuff… until we first heard “Kick” in the spring of 2022. The accompanying album, Diamond Star Halos, is probably my favorite Def Lep disc in more than two decades. Fresh, energetic, engaging. The guys seem to have really tapped into some serious creative juices on this album. And yes, “Kick” is a new spin on Def Lep’s classic rockin’ hit single.

Van Ghost – “Return to Innocence”

Van Ghost was the second artist I reviewed when I launched the Blog. In my “The Road Back” series, chronicling my road back to music journalism, Van Ghost was entry number two. That review covered a 2012 concert and the band’s The Domino Effect album, from which the energetic, dancealongable “Return to Innocence” is pulled. “Return to Innocence” is a little more straight-ahead rock ‘n roll than the Def Leppard song before it, which is harder rock, but still pairs well. I know Van Ghost was a rock band in a pop and country era, but there’s still no reason straight-up classic rock fans shouldn’t know about these guys and include them on modern playlists (or own physical copies of their music, if that’s your thing). A good follow-up to Van Ghost would probably have been Bryan Adams, but instead, on this morning’s playlist, we followed this song with…

The Dayz – “The 4th Estate”

The Dayz. A big rock band with an energetic style and a kind of funky – at times jazzy – groove. The band comprised several of New York’s best local musicians at the time. Again, one of those things about a great band not finding the audience that would love it. It happens more than you might think, which is one of the reasons I write the Blog. With my limited writing time, I stick to artists and albums I enjoy and think you should hear (rather than wasting some of my sparse reviews dogging a band or album you probably don’t know anyway, though I do infrequently cover a big-name artist if I’m so inspired). Anyway, back to The Dayz, once I began playing their music during our weekend morning music-and-coffee sessions, they’ve become one of my wife’s favorite bands, too. This song is a great introductory song to The Dayz, after which you can explore the rest of the band’s catalog. Here at the Blog, you can find a review of the band’s EP2, on which “The 4th Estate” appears, and a review of one of the band’s live shows, which I review as part of my “New York Residency” series in 2016. Unfortunately, The Dayz dispersed a couple years ago, so you’ll have to enjoy the band’s existing catalog; there’s no new music on the way.

Glass Tiger – “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone”

Some ’80s pop-rock songs hold up better than others. Few hold up as well as Glass Tiger‘s “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone.” Canada’s Glass Tiger still tours to devoted home-country fans (if I became aware of a Boston-area show, I’d definitely try to be there), and the band owns a back catalog that’s much deeper than they’re probably given credit for. They also had a few hits, and “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone” was their biggest. Personally, I’m partial to the Canadian video for this song, which is playfully cheesy and fun. That’s why it’s the version on the playlist. (The U.S. version is just concert footage.)

Sara Bareilles – “Gonna Get Over You”

Sara Bareilles is one of America’s best songwriters, and I often wonder why she doesn’t seem to get more acclaim. I mean, with the depth and breadth of her music catalog, you’d think she’s be one of those most-sought-after concert tickets some year. Not that she’s not appreciated – she is one of the most successful artists out there and her 852,000 Instagram followers and 1.7 million Facebook followers are nothing to sneeze at – but those numbers are not nearly as high as the quality of her work and longevity would suggest they should be. And her 9 Grammy nominations and 2 wins just seem too few. Clearly, Broadway realizes her talent, and that’s pretty cool. But back to this song, “Gonna Get Over You”: It’s an uptempo, danceable number with a fun, clever music video. Actually, I’d almost dare you to try not to dance along with this song. Anyway, this song is always a sought-after addition to our morning playlists, as are several of Sara’s other hits.

iLO – “Safety Net”

This song is the sole repeat from the December 9th playlist. Rightly so. iLO is one of our favorite singers. With her amazing, rich, recognizable, versatile voice, she’s someone you should know. Of course, when it was initially released, I reviewed Fragile Heart, the EP that contains “Safety Net.” iLO’s 2015 showcase was also part of my “Road Back” series; my desire to share what I heard that day clinched my decision to launch the Blog. These days, she’s an in-demand songwriter with a publishing deal, but whenever she releases a new song or performs live, mostly around London, it’s a must-hear or must-attend moment.

Bryan Adams and Melanie C – “When You’re Gone”

There’s something about curating a playlist to make you really appreciate Bryan Adams. I think I missed “When You’re Gone,” the duet with Melanie C, when it was initially released. The album never broke the top 100 in the U.S., and no singles on the album charted in the U.S. The United States music biz had moved on from Bryan Adams by 1998, which is a shame, since he was still releasing great music. With Melanie C involved, I suppose it’s not surprising “When You’re Gone” reached #3 on the UK charts in 1998. Anyway, this “classic version” of “When You’re Gone” appeared on the second disc of Bryan’s 2021 release So Happy It Hurts. Disc one of that album is comprised of new, original music. (“Kick Ass,” is one of the several songs on disc one that deserves a listen.) Disc two is re-recordings of many of Bryan’s hits. We’ve been enjoying a lot of Bryan Adams’ songs, old and new, during our music-and-coffee mornings; this is one of our faves.

Cami Bradley – “Waiting”

You might have seen Cami Bradley on America’s Got Talent a decade ago, with her re-arranged versions of hit songs taking her to the finals of that competition. It also led me to dig into her musical past and discover her independently-released EP Seas, which spent years as one of the four or five discs I rotated through my car CD player. I’m not sure how easy a physical copy is to come by these days – Amazon says it’s sold out. It also doesn’t look to be available for streaming on Spotify. In fact, I can’t find where you can listen to the EP in its entirety, but several of the seven songs are available on YouTube (just not grouped together to be easy to find). “Waiting” was one of the songs on the Seas EP, though, and it’s a very fun listen. Since shortly after her AGT run, Cami joined forces with singer-songwriter Whitney Dean to form The Sweeplings. The vibe is slightly different from Cami’s early solo work, but man, some of those songs are thoughtful and powerful – all of the well-written, produced, and performed, so be sure to explore The Sweeplings’ music, too.

Diane Warren, Rita Ora, Sofía Reyes, Reik – “Seaside”

This is a fun pop song penned by one of music’s great hitmaking songwriters, Diane Warren. Just the words “written by Diane Warren” tell you it’s worth a listen. Indeed, this song, in which Warren teams with singers Rita Ora, Sofía Reyes, and Reik, delivers. The song has a fun, light pop energy and will get you up and dancing pretty quickly. Warren herself even makes an appearance in the music video, her first music video appearance, which is kinda cool for those of us who’ve admired her songwriting talent for decades but haven’t seen her in a video before.

Anne-Marie – “Unhealthy” (featuring Shania Twain)

We discovered pop singer Anne-Marie through some of her many musical collaborations, which help showcase her exceptionally broad-ranging vocal talent. This song, the title track from Anne-Marie’s 2023 album release, is a country-tinged, danceable pop number that features contributions from Shania Twain. So, yeah, star power. It should be no surprise that this is an infectiously catchy song.

Gavin DeGraw – “Best I Ever Had”

I’m a big fan of Gavin DeGraw‘s music. He often goes soft or mid-tempo, but I really dig it when he packs the energy, as he does on “Best I Ever Had.” Lyrically interesting, as is always the case with singer-songwriter DeGraw, “Best I Ever Had” will also have you jumping around. Pogo to it, if you’re so inclined. I often do.

Camila Cabello – “Never Be the Same”

When Camila Cabello released her solo debut album, Camila, in 2018, I quickly checked it out and was convinced, in part by this song, that she had a good chance to be hugely successful. And by that, I mean she has songwriting skills and a memorable voice and delivery that were likely to result in longevity. The crossover appeal of Camila’s music spans genres and generations, which is why I was psyched when I heard she’d be a coach on The Voice in 2022, potentially encouraging an older demographic to sample her music and broaden her appeal. My first impression of a new artist is not always right, but this time it was. And this song remains a favorite, as do many of Camila’s other releases.

OK, that’s twelve. And within a couple songs after this, we began to go about our business this morning, leaving music to play in the background but not curating it as actively. As with the last time I shared a morning playlist, let me know what you think. Do you still enjoy these? Should I keep sharing them occasionally? Would you mind if I shortened the list, when I do this, to six or eight? But yeah, that’s it for the “YouTube and morning coffee” playlist.

As promised, though, I’ll also share some happenings with favorite artists…

News and Releases

Several of my favorite artists have welcomed new releases recently. Some I’ll be reviewing in the future. Others I won’t. (Hey, I don’t have time to review everything.) But just to keep you all in the loop:

Houston Bernard: On Friday, January 19th, Houston released his new album Ditch This Town. I really dig this album and will review it in the future. But for now, check it out for yourself. I’ve reviewed Houston’s music several times at the Blog, most recently this review of three of his singles a couple years ago.

Cali Rodi: Practically at the beginning of Cali’s career, I reviewed her self-titled EP here at the Blog. In December, Cali released an EP entitled The RomCom Tapes. Four songs based on the titles of classic romantic comedies. Cali’s talent has only grown in the years since I reviewed some of her early material. If you like catchy, fun pop songs, give her new release a listen.

Kelsey Blackstone: Kelsey’s very cool cover of Arctic Monkeys’ “505” just dropped last week. I’ll say no more, since we will be reviewing this song at the Blog when I finally reach it in the queue (unless one of my other writers takes a shot at the review sooner). But you can see what we’ve written about this talented artist here, in our review of “When I’m With You,” her collaboration with Jason LaPierre.

Ashley Jordan: I make no secret of the fact that, if I were to start a record label with just one Boston-area country music artist, it would be Ashley Jordan. I’ve reviewed the of Ashley’s live performances at the Blog, and I’ve penned this review of her album He’s Crazy. Well, last week Ashley released her latest single, “I Wanna Be That Girl.” To be honest, this past week has been so crazy I haven’t even listened to the song yet, but it’s Ashley Jordan, so I have no doubt it’s going to be exceptional.

Metalite: AFM Records released Swedish melodic power metal band Metalite’s Expedition One last week. I wrote about three of the band’s singles from this album in my review of “New Generation.” (You can find my thoughts on “Blazing Skies” and “Disciples of the Stars” in the “Looking Back” section of that review.) I covered the band pretty thoroughly in that review that I probably won’t review the album, especially if my time is limited, though I reserve the right to change my mind. But if my review of “New Generation” piques your interest, be sure to give the album a listen.

I’m sure a lot more has happened with the Blog‘s favorite artists, perhaps some I should remember, but those are the ones I can recall right now.

In the coming weeks, watch the Blog for reviews of music from Viruette, Sado-Domestics, Major Moment, Michelle Held, Eddie Japan, Rachel Stacy, Dokken, and many others, including Twisted Rose, whose review I finished today and is just awaiting a final proofread this week.

This “Publisher’s Corner,” as always, will be published right now, sans proofread, so hopefully there aren’t too many typos here. Hopefully I’ve introduced you to some new music today. And please let me know what you think of the “Publisher’s Corner” format; I do listen to suggestions… well, except those that would require me to spend a lot more time on what is intended to be just a quick-hit write-up.