New songs released

On her latest single “Home,” Christina Perri is searching for comfort in familiar staples: cigarettes, homemade wine, and flowers on the wall. Written with Amy Wadge and producer Jennifer Decilveo, the track is a love letter to her home state of Pennsylvania with a yearning to break away from New York and Los Angeles and return to her roots. “I wanna go back to the moment in time/ With the windows down/ Driving i-95/ Singing Counting Crows/ Trying to drown out the sounds of my mind,” Perri sings. “I hate everyone at this party/ Cause they’re so in love with themselves/ Nobody here understands me, I wish I was somewhere else.” “Home” marks the third single from the singer’s forthcoming third studio album, A Lighter Shade of Blue , set for release on July 15, via Elektra. The record, which marks her first full-length studio album since 2014’s Head or Heart , will feature the previously shared “Mothers” and “Evergone.” “This album has been a long time coming, and getting to … [Read more...] about Christina Perri Yearns for Familiarity on New Single ‘Home’

Kenneth “Ken” Williams, who wrote or co-wrote more than 500 songs including the classic 1972 hit “ Everybody Plays the Fool ” recorded by The Main Ingredient with lead vocals by Cuba Gooding Sr., died June 17 following a long non-Covid illness at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY. He was 83. His death was announced by his wife, the Broadway actress and singer Mary Seymour Williams. Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery Although most widely known for “Everybody Plays the Fool,” the classic R&B song he co-wrote with Rudy Clark and J.R. Bailey, Williams was a prolific songwriter, record producer, arranger and singer for the past 60 years. Among his songs are “Love, Love, Love” (recorded by Donny Hathaway), “I Can’t See Me Without You” (The Impalas), “Let Me Prove My Love to You” (The Main Ingredient), “Only When You’re Lonely” (Holly Maxwell), “Seven Lonely Nights” (The Four Tops), “Keep on Holding On” (Margaret Reynolds), “Hoping You Will Come … [Read more...] about Ken Williams Dies: “Everybody Plays The Fool” Songwriter Was 83

Standing under a canopy of trees at the center of Uvalde ’s town square, more than 40 mariachi musicians lifted their instruments and sang in unison one afternoon in June, their voices brawny and unwavering. The music, a swell of trumpets, violins, and guitar-like vihuelas, soared across the lush fountain park that, in the weeks after the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School , has become a memorial and gathering place for a community in mourning. Crowds of journalists and grieving loved ones huddled around as the mariachis serenaded them with classics such as Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno” and Cornelio Reyna’s “Te Vas Angel Mio ,” the songs echoing down several blocks. The musicians performed while facing 21 white crosses that stand in the park to honor the 19 children and two teachers killed during the attack, playing loudest for them. Most of the musicians had arrived on a bus from San Antonio, about 85 miles to the west of Uvalde, though some drove themselves in a … [Read more...] about Mexican Classics, Corridos, and a Plaza Filled With Mariachi: The Sounds of Solidarity in Uvalde

French Montana is one of rap’s great connectors. He’s known for crafting exuberant projects showcasing his irrepressible personality alongside a bunch of unlikely guest features. On his introductory 2007 mixtape, The French Revolution Vol. 1, he even has a song whose guest feature is credited to Martin Luther King, Jr. If he does nothing else, French Montana brings people together, even if that social butterfly aspect of his persona sometimes hampers the potency of his major-label releases. His 2013 debut Excuse My French felt fun and wavy in all the right ways. But it was also a bit generic: the singles could have been concocted in a boardroom where the main goal was to check off focus-group boxes just to conjure up a chart-topper. Its motley assembly of muscular club bangers and cameo-laden anthems lacked the grimy amiability so prevalent in the songs from his early mixtape run. And while his last album, They Got Amnesia , was a crowd-pleaser packed with … [Read more...] about French Montana Ditches the Flashy Features and Sounds More Focused Than Ever on ‘Montega’