After being unfairly disregarded by both the general public and the Grammys, Carly Rae Jepsen’s sophomore LP E•MO•TION is receiving rerelease treatment in the form of a remix album. Though an official release date has not been announced, two of the tracks have been leaked online and they are EVERYTHING.
Gwen Stefani has been away from the pop music scene for some time now. If you don’t count the No Doubt “comeback” album that never really was, 2012’s underrated Push and Shove (and I don’t), it’s been almost a decade. 2006’s The Sweet Escape was a mixed bag of a record, containing some really stellar tracks (the album’s title track, “Early Winter,” “4 in the Morning” to name a few) but was bogged down by too many filler tracks that never lived up to the level of her No Doubt efforts, or even her now iconic solo debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Though she can churn out a basic, infectious pop anthem (“Wind It Up,” “Rich Girl,” “Hollaback Girl”) Setfani is at her best when she’s being personal. “What You Waiting For,” “Cool,” “Early Winter” and No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” are all essential listens, and each detail a story or conflict straight from the singer/songwriter’s life.
Well, for better or worse, the Grammys happened last night.
Let’s take a run down of the biggest moments, shall we?
With only just a few days to go until music’s biggest night, it’s time for me to go big or go home. Is Taylor Swift’s 1989 too big to deny? Will The Weeknd cap off his incredible breakthrough year? Or is this going to be Kendrick Lamar’s year? I take a run through the big categories on who will, could and should win, and who got snubbed.
Sia Furler was a major force in the world of pop music long before she exploded onto the scene with 2014’s mega-hit “Chandelier.” Before the now iconic blonde bob, before the music video featuring Maddie Ziegler, Sia was cranking out hits for artists like Rihanna, Flo Rida, David Guetta. So much of her image has been crafted around the woman behind the music, that when she thrust herself onto the main stage, one wondered if she had what it took to become a lasting presence and not just a flash in the pan. Her brilliant sixth album, 1000 Forms of Fear was recorded and released to simply release her from her recording soundtrack, and put an end to any idea that she was going to be one of the major pop girls. The rest is history.
It’s hard to talk about Rihanna’s latest album without discussing the long, seemingly never-ending, rollout that preceded it. I can’t remember an album campaign this confusing, or frustratingly drawn out as this one in my lifetime. And whether you want to believe all of the rumors concerning the singer’s dissatisfaction with various versions of the album or her search for songs to actually put on the album, is entirely up to you.
Many will look back on this past year and think of only Adele’s earth-shattering album sales. But to be honest, 2015 was an incredibly kind year in the world of music. A wealth of riches everywhere you turned; Drawing up this list was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. You could make a case for just about every album’s inclusion.
There were so many albums released this year that were just that: Complete works rather than a few singles with some B-sides thrown in for good measure. In a marketplace where radio-ready defines success, that’s incredibly rare, and even more important.
But enough talk, let’s get into it.
Jon On Film 