Another week where I roll out four songs that are really getting some play on my audio devices. Let’s get right to it, shall we?
“Fast Forward,” Joe Jackson
For the past 15 years, Joe Jackson’s musical output has been pretty slim (five records). Except for the ’80s, Jackson hasn’t been a prolific singer/songwriter, but the quality of his output has been fairly consistent. With his latest album, “Fast Forward,” Jackson ditched the idea of making four EPs that reflected the cities he recorded in (i.e., New York, Amsterdam, Berlin and New Orleans), and opted to release the music as one album. The entire record is extremely strong, but I keep coming back to the title track with it’s sneering lyrics that spare no one — and Jackson as a kind of time traveller trying to understand himself and the world he lives in.
“Get Free,” Whissell
In this age where we freely share everything about our lives, we expect artists to do the same. After all, don’t they want to get noticed? Well, for Whissell, she’s keeping the details of her biography on “private mode” to focus on the music. I do know she’s from Nashville, but this isn’t a country song. Rather it’s quite epic and sounds very much like it could be used in a TV promo for anything from “The Walking Dead” to even “Fargo” (For the record: “Get Free” has been used on E! Network’s “The Royals”) On its own, “Get Free” will sweep you up with its intensity and smoldering build up to the chorus.
“Got You Well,” Gabrielle Papillon
Canadian singer/songwriter Gabrielle Papillon’s haunting single from her new album “The Tempest Of Old” evokes a rustic quality of a seafaring journey. The music is thick with atmospherics that don’t overload the eardrums because Papillon’s voice cuts through in a lean and intimate way. The tasteful use of banjo, violin, and thunderous electric guitar gives the songs the kind of heft needed for the emotional sentiment Papillon goes for in “Got You Well.”
“Come Down,” Nina Schofield
It can be difficult to write a pop song with more experimental elements in it, but London-based singer/songwriter Nina Schofield has done just that — with the help of producer, Jo Pereira. “Come Down” has many familiar elements in the verse and chorus, but Schofield pushes her vocal delivery to make the song bold and passionate while retaining the right balance between quirky and hooky. This single will be available on November 6th to download, but you don’t have to wait to hear it. Just press play and enjoy the experience.
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