| Musicians have been hit hard during this pandemic. Tours and smaller gigs have been cancelled and struggling musicians are left struggling even more. However, the UK government shows no sympathy towards them. Boris Johnson suggested that people in the arts, Rethink, Reskill and Reboot. Watch the video below to find out more. |
HΘMΣCΘMING
copyright: Parkwood Entertainment LLC, Columbia Records
Homecoming is a live album by Beyoncé. It is the singers fifth live album and was recorded from her iconic headlining performance at the Coachella Valley Festival from the previous year (2018.) The album was a released along with a film of the performance and a behind the scenes look at the intense preparation for the two-night show, the film was released on Netflix. The album is a catalogue of Beyoncé’s hit throughout the years but what makes this album stand out from all the other live albums out there is that while it is all the classic hits that we all love, they sound like new songs. That is thanks to the way they were reimagined by adding a drum line, marching band and step dancers.
Something that is clear throughout this entire album is the way Beyoncé has included her African American Culture into her hit songs. In the concert film, you can see that there is a strong influence from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the performance and new versions of the songs. The presence of all black dancers and the inclusion of stepping (a type of dancing that was created in black fraternities and sororities with African dance influences.) There was also clear inspiration from New Orleans Jazz music which can be heard in “Welcome” the opening composition to the show played by the giant marching band that the singer had on stage with her, however in this one track there is a perfect combination between the new sound that Beyoncé is about the give her famous songs and the same R&B sound that the singer has always had.
My top tracks from this album have got to be “Countdown,” “Sorry” and “Say My Name.” “Countdown” was already a classic hit with so much energy but in this album the energy is multiplied by a thousand and you can the energy of not just Beyoncé, but the whole crowd on this album. “Sorry” from the singers unforgettable “Lemonade” album was a track I thought could not be improved but the addition of the interlude in the middle of the track of Beyoncé talking to the crowd about empowering women and a stepping routine with an unforgettable chant made this song nothing short of extraordinary on this album. “Say My Name” is just an undeniable classic that makes this album everything anyone could’ve wished for because of a rare Destiny’s child reunion.
I will say that if you are going to listen to this album you have to do it the right way and listen to it in order or watch the film because the way each song flows so effortlessly into the next is just one more thing that makes this album arguably the best live album that there is.
𝕳𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝕸𝖊 𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖂𝖆𝖎𝖙
copyright: Vertigo Records, Universal Music Group, Capitol Records
Lewis Capaldi is a Scottish signer songwriter who began his career only 2 and a half years ago and since then has achieved wild success. “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent” is the singers debut album. In 2017, Capaldi released his first song, “Bruises.” The song became a hit and quickly reached 28 million plays on Spotify, making Capaldi the fastest ever unsigned artist to reach 25 million plays on Spotify. His debut album includes the number 1 US and UK single, “Someone You Loved.” After the albums release in May 2019, it became the fastest selling album of the year and reached number 1 in UK and Ireland.
“Hold Me While You Wait” is the album’s 3rd song and has been described by Capaldi as being “about the uncertainty of being in a relationship when your partner isn’t sure what they want.” It was the second single released from the album and went to number 1 in Scotland and Ireland and eventually was certified platinum in the UK. Capaldi has confirmed the song was written about ex-girlfriend, Paige Turley, who has just recently won the reality tv show, Love Island. The songs tune is sad and heart-breaking in itself but when you actually listen to the lyrics the heartbreak and rejection that Capaldi felt becomes so clear you can’t help but feel heartbroken both for and with him.
My second and third top tracks from the album are, “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and “Hollywood.” “Don’t Get Me Wrong” is a song I really liked because of how different it is to your usual heartbroken breakup song because it’s about the pain you feel when you reject someone that you care about, but the relationship just isn’t working out. This approach in writing a breakup song was really different because you rarely hear this side of a breakup in these types of song and I think it adds a whole new level to the song. “Hollywood” is different for Capaldi because it might be is only song that has an upbeat rhythm to it and although it is still about a relationship not working, it has a beat to it that’s cheerful that it kind of makes you forget that this is about the crumbling of a relationship.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤
copyright: Big Machine Records
“Center Point Road” is the fourth album from American country star, Thomas Rhett. Since 2013, Rhett has released 4 studio albums which have produced 19 singles, and out of those 19 singles, 14 of them have reached Number 1 on the Hot Country music charts. This shows only a fraction that Thomas Rhett has had on the country music scene. Having grown up around country music success, as his Dad is Rhett Akins, it’s no surprise the talent that the singer songwriter has. “Center Point Road” was released in 2019 and features many collaborations with fellow country stars such as Kelsea Ballerini, Jon Pardi and Little Big Town. The album debuted at Number 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
“That Old Truck” is the 6th track on the album and is song dedicated to Rhett’s childhood where he had many of his most important memories in his “old truck.” If you’re not from southern USA, there is a stereotype that we tend to think of when we think of guys from the southern states and that does include them driving big pick-up trucks and Rhett seems to confirm this stereotype in the song. Even if you’re not from the south, this song manages to make you feel the same nostalgia and Rhett about the similar childhood memories that we all have. The moving lyrics about how this truck made Thomas Rhett the man he is today makes this song heartfelt mixed with his southern drawl and the classic country guitar playing makes it perfect to sing in your own version of your “old truck.”
“Look What God Gave Her” and “Almost” are the other songs in my top three from this album. “Look What God Gave Her” is the lead single from the album and there is no doubt as to why. The upbeat song is impossible to not want to get up and dance to and the fact that Rhett is singing about how much he is in love with his wife makes the tune even happier and loveable. “Almost” is another song in which Rhett recalls growing up and the memories he has and how he is glad that all the things that almost happened led to the things that did because he wouldn’t change thing. Another song in which Thomas Rhett manages to make his own stories completely relatable to almost everyone.
ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕐𝕖𝕒𝕣’𝕤 𝔻𝕒𝕪
After fourteen years, The Blowfish are back. The band went on hiatus in 2008 and had not released an album since the “Looking for Lucky” album in 2005, so this album was highly awaited for by fans, old and new. Hootie and the Blowfish were wildly successful ever since their debut album in 1994 (Cracked Rear View) which is the 19th best-selling album of all time in the USA, going platinum a total of 21 times and the band won a 2 Grammys the next year. The band has sold 21 million album copies and lead singer Darius Rucker went on to have an incredibly successful solo career in country music.
The albums opening song, “New Year’s Day,” has the classic Hootie and the Blowfish feel as soon as it starts and you instantly know that the band has never lost their iconic sound of Rucker’s southern singing mixed with the same instrumental sound of the rock singalongs that everyone knows from the 90s and 00s. New Year’s day has a catchy chorus that is easy to just sing along to by the second time the chorus comes around which makes it easy listening and simply fun to enjoy.
My other favourite songs on the album were “Miss California” and “Everybody But You.” “Miss California” has a lot more of a country feel to it and you can definitely hear the years of Darius Rucker’s country career shining through which brings something new to the classic Hootie sound. “Everybody But You” is just a classic singalong hit from Hootie and the Blowfish, it’s the kind of song that once the chorus comes around you have to turn the volume all the way up and sing your heart out no matter how toned deaf. The album is nostalgic and fresh all in one and is the perfect combination to reel in new fans while catering to those who bought the first album in a record shop.
𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜
copyright: Surfaces, LLC, Ten Thousands Project
Surfaces are a duo from Texas, USA who formed in 2017 and released their first album “Surf” that same year. They released they’re second album in 2019, “Where the Light is” and have been growing in popularity. The duo has been compared to others such as Sugar Ray and Rex Orange County. Surfaces have been recognised for their mixing of genres such as R&B, Soul and Pop. Surfaces have said their songs are there to spread positivity and love and their songs have a general upbeat sound and a summer/beach vibe.
“Heaven Falls/Fall on Me” is the 3rd song on the album and something different as towards the end of the song the melody changes and becomes a lot slower and even more relaxing and becomes the perfect outro for the song. The song itself was written when Forrest (the main singer of the duo) watched a sunrise and the sky was so perfect it felt as though Heaven was falling on him and listening to that song you do get a feeling of happiness and bliss because of how upbeat it is and it’s very easy to imagine listening to it on that perfect summer day.
Other song on the album which stood out were “Sunday Best” and “Where the Light is.” Sunday Best is arguably the most popular song from the album after becoming popular on the social media app “Tik Tok” but the song is probably the most upbeat and cheerful song out of them all due to the lyrics being about feeling your best and the catchy riffs in the background. The album’s title track “Where the Light is” is the other track which stood out to me, the R&B and NeoSoul track is about finding happiness after a dark period and wanting to stay happy and in the light. The repetitive chorus is catchy and is guaranteed to get stuck in your head and brighten up your mood.
ʜʏᴘᴇʀsᴏɴɪᴄ ᴍɪssɪʟᴇs
copyright: Polydor Records
Hypersonic Missiles is the debut album of Sam Fender who is new to the indie music scene. It was released in 2019 by the singer who won the Brits Critic’s Choice Award in 2018 before the release of an album. The album debuted at number 1 on the UK Official Album Charts and includes hit singles such as “Dead Boys”, “Play God” and “That Sound.” Fender has often said that he draws a lot of inspiration from Bruce Springsteen and it is clear in this album due to the lyrics he has written, which focus on struggles of growing up in a working-class society.
The album’s track title, “Hypersonic Missiles” is a song which is very relevant in today’s world as Fender sings about the war threats, political problems and global warming that we hear about everyday but we all in a way choose to ignore. Sam Fender has said the narrator of the song is a complete “tin foil hatter” who is convinced the world is going to end and capitalism is to blame for a lot of it, but they still buy into all of the consumerism. Although the song is filled with such heavy topics and depressing realisations about the world, there is still an liveliness to it due to the guitar riffs which are inspired by the hits of British rock music and also the sense in the lyrics that although the world is ending we need to make sure we’re living our lives to the fullest and still having fun.
My other two top tracks on this album have to be “Saturday” and “The Borders.” “Saturday” is about the struggles of the working class and the wish for the working week to be over so that the weekend can come and you can forget about all the stress. The song is relatable to a lot of the British people and in Fender’s voice, you can hear his anger about the inequality of the social classes which makes it special. “The Borders” is about two friends who went through everything together when they were younger but eventually grew apart, the guitar riff in the song has Springsteen vibes and the added saxophone in the instrumental makes the music composition as interesting as the lyrics.
𝒯𝑜 𝐵𝑒 𝒮𝑜 𝐿𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓁𝓎
copyright: Columbia Records, Erskine Records
Fine Line is Harry Styles’ second solo album. Two years after the release of his self-titled debut album which featured the chart-topping hit “Sign of the Times,” Styles released his first single from the Fine Line album, “Lights Up.” Shortly followed by the rest of the album which has been described as pop rock with elements of psychedelic pop and soul amongst other styles which the singer has experimented with. The album was number 1 for two weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart.
“To Be So Lonely” is the 7th track on the album. Styles is singing to someone who he has recently ended a relationship with and how he finds it difficult to be alone especially when his ex is still around but not with him anymore. To Be So Lonely could be seen as a continuation of “Cherry” (5th track) and “Falling” (6th track) which both show different stages of emotions that people tend to go through during a breakup. “Cherry” representing the anger and petty emotions that you feel at the thought of this person with someone new and “Falling” representing the depression that some go through and how you feel yourself becoming a sad person who cannot get over the breakup and that’s not what you want. So “To be So Lonely” represents the next stage where you still don’t like being alone, but you can admit that the end of the relationship was not entirely your fault. The way that Harry styles is able to tell a story that intertwines these songs together but all three of them still have such different sounds is what makes this album so special.
Other songs on this album which stood out to me was “Adore You” which was the third single released from the album. The track an indie pop sound to it which is something different for Styles, the catchy chorus, wah-wah guitar effects and female harmonies all come together to make this song upbeat and dance worthy. “Canyon Moon” is perhaps the song which Harry styles has experimented in the most as it falls under a folk/pop genre something which is completely different for the ex boyband member.
ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɴᴇᴡs
copyright: Warner Records
Circles is the newest album from rapper Mac Miller, who sadly passed away in September 2018. Circles was released posthumously after being started by Miller in 2018, it was released a year and a half later in January 2020. Producer Jon Brion made the decision to complete and release to album despite the rapper’s death. Circles was made as a follow up and a companion to Mac Miller’s 2018 album Swimming which featured hits such as “Self care”, “2009” and “What’s the use?”
The album’s lead single Good News peaked at number 17 on Billboard’s hot 100, making it Miller’s highest chart single ever. The song is about Miller’s emotions and not feeling the best but the people around him only ever wanting to hear ‘Good News.’ The track is a very simple beat behind it which is really relaxing and easy to listen to but it also makes you focus more on Miller’s lyrics, which I think in a way most, if not everyone can relate to. Good News however has some unfortunate foreshadowing to Miller’s fate in the lyrics which makes it a heart-breaking song to listen to as well. Miller talks about how “there’s a whole lot more waitin’ on the other side” and leads to him wondering what the afterlife will be like and if it will be better that the world he is living in now.
My other favourite tracks on the album include “Blue World” and the title track “Circles.” Blue world has a more upbeat beat behind it and is about the fact that Mac Miller makes his music because he loves it and doesn’t care about his popularity or fame status. Circles is the first and title track of the album. This song has a sad feeling to it as it tells the story of Miller talking about how he just finds himself falling into the same cycle of not knowing his place in life and going round in “circles.”
Overall this album is a personal look into Miller’s emotions and how he sees his world and I think it was important that this was released even after his death and it let fans get closure in a way over the rappers death as they were able to hear in Good News that when is time did come to go to the other side he wouldn’t be scared but instead excited to see what is there for him.
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