New Music
James Blake Gets in the Holiday Spirit with “In the Bleak Midwinter” Cover: Stream
James Blake has shared a cover of “In the Bleak Midwinter”, the iconic Christmas carol first set to music in 1906 by Gustav Holst and popularized by Harold Darke in 1911. Stream it below exclusively through Apple Music. The Assume Form singer was approached by Apple Music to record a holiday song for their streaming platform earlier this year. At first, Blake wasn’t sure which song to pick, namely because he wanted to choose something pop-leaning that would do well on a playlist. That’s when he began a mental tug-of-war about playing into algorithms versus staying true to his interests. Eventually, Blake realized he should just pick an old British gem he loves instead. “Look man, all the pop Christmas songs have been covered a million times. I’m not going to out-sing Mariah,” Bla...
Juicy J Unveils New Album The Hustle Continues: Stream
Juicy J has unveiled his new album The Hustle Continues. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. As one of the founding members of Three 6 Mafia, J is a principal architect of the southern hip-hop sound. The Memphis MC’s last solo album, 2017’s Rubba Band Business, was a star-studded affair. But it’s follow-up packs even more guests into the house, cramming 15 features onto 16 tracks. In addition to fellow Mafia-alumn Lord Infamous, The Hustle Continues boasts contributions from Logic, Megan Thee Stallion, Ty Dolla $ign, Conway, NLE Choppa, Jay Rock, Project Pat, Keyglock, Young Dolph, and A$AP Rocky. The record is Juicy J’s first indie effort in ten years. A former signee of Columbia, J has reunited with the first label exec to ever offer him a record deal: Alan ...
Kurt Vile Covers John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” on Seth Meyers: Watch
Kurt Vile stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thanksgiving evening to perform his cover of “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” by John Prine. Watch the full performance below. Instead of doing the traditional introduction to segue into Vile’s performance, Meyers actually told a brief, personal story before passing the microphone over to the musician. “My family loved John Prine and we booked this act because we thought it would be a perfect song to listen to together on that couch,” he said. “Now we can’t be together, and it was unplanned, but this is a perfect song for anyone who’s not with their loved ones this year.” Vile’s rendition of the song is a faithful, yet emotional, spin on Prine’s original version. Basked in the soft glow of an overhead light, Vile takes his time fingerpi...
Eddie Van Halen Covers Jimi Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” on Newly Unearthed Recording: Stream
Jimi Hendrix from Live in Maui, courtesy Experience Hendrix / Eddie Van Halen, photo by Philip Cosores A cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” featuring guitarwork by the late Eddie Van Halen has been unearthed. The archival track was recorded in the ’90s with keyboardist David Garfield, who recovered and remastered the song for a new EP, Guitar Heros OTB, Vol. 1. Eddie shreds through a decadent solo on the classic Hendrix number. The Van Halen guitarist wasn’t known for his psychedelic flourishes, but he unfurls some mesmerizing licks that would have no doubt impressed Hendrix himself. After all, “If 6 Was 9” stands as a highlight on the latter’s 1967 opus Axis: Bold as Love, one of the great psych-rock albums of all-time. The cover came about when Garfield, a veteran keyboard and session ...
Creed’s Scott Stapp: Even My Kids Mock My “Over-the-Top” Singing
During their heyday, Creed were a multiplatinum success, but critics and many music fans have jeered at frontman Scott Stapp’s vocals over the years. Apparently, things aren’t much different among his family members, with his own children poking fun at his “over-the-top” singing. Stapp and Creed rose to fame in the late ’90s with inspirational rock hits like “Higher” and “With Arms Wide Open”. While they were ruling the charts, they were also getting ridiculed, with Stapp’s singing style bearing the brunt of the mockery. Not only did people says that Stapp was trying too hard to sound like Eddie Vedder, they also chided him for the way he over-enunciated his lyrics. In a new interview with The Ringer’s “10 Questions With Kyle Brandt”, Stapp admits that his singing on Creed’s first couple o...
Sheryl Crow Covers Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels” on Fallon: Watch
Tom Petty’s estate released the expanded Wildflowers box set last month, and they’ve been tapping artists to promote it in his place since the beloved late musician cannot. On Wednesday night, Sheryl Crow stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform “You Don’t Know How It Feels” — and she did so with the help of three other Sheryl Crows. “You Don’t Know How It Feels” is one of those classic rock staples that hits you right in the heart. The original version of the classic 1994 single has plenty of swagger courtesy of a bluesy harmonica solo, a great guitar riff, and of course Petty’s empathetic chorus. Wildflowers & All The Rest includes a 2014 remastered version of the song as well as the original 8-track demo and a live version. In her take on the song, Crow essential...
Alanis Morissette Covers John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”: Stream
Thanksgiving was yesterday, which means Christmas season has officially begun. Alanis Morissette is already getting into the holiday spirit by sharing her own cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s classic “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”. “It is an honor to cover this heartwarming song,” said Morissette in a statement. “The lyrics feel more pertinent than ever and this year has been a year of great resilience and adapting and feeling all the feelings. May this song serve as a big hug to you and your sweet families and friends. Everything is going to be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” Not only did Morissette remain faithful to the original version of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” in sound, but also the iconic visuals that accompanied it. In the music video for her cover, Mori...
Liam Gallagher Releases New Solo Single “All You’re Dreaming Of”: Stream
Liam Gallagher has gifted fans a brand new single called “All You’re Dreaming Of”. Making his first original music of 2020, the song is a collaboration between Gallagher, songwriter Simon Aldred, and producer Andrew Wyatt. In keeping with the spirit of the season, the former Oasis singer says it has a “bit of a Christmassy vibe to it” and adds, “I thought it sounded like a Bing Crosby vibe.” Take a listen below. A special vinyl edition of “All You’re Dreaming Of” will also be released on December 18th, and new proceeds will benefit Action for Children. Next Friday, December 4th, Gallagher will perform “All You’re Dreaming Of” for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Gallagher released his sophomore solo album, Why Me? Why Not., in September 2019. [embedded content...
Bad Bunny Releases New Album El Último Tour del Mundo: Stream
Latin trap and reggaeton king Bad Bunny has returned with El Último Tour del Mundo, his third album of 2020. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. El Último Tour del Mundo follows YHLQMDLG, which came out in February, and Las Que No Iban a Salir, which dropped in May. It spans 16 tracks in total, including collaborations with Rosalía, Jhay Cortez, and ABRA, and takes a rock-forward approach that suits the reggaeton star rather well. It appears Bad Bunny is giving “O VISTO ASÍ” the single treatment, too. The album cut is accompanied by a flashy music video filled with graffiti-filled skateparks and celebrity photoshoots. You know you’ve made it when you can casually call up people like Ricky Martin, Sofia Vergara, and Karol G to star in your song’s visuals. Check it out below. Th...
Alanis Morissette Reimagines John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’
Now that Thanksgiving is over, Alanis Morissette is getting into the Christmas spirit by sharing her version of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” The new version stays true to the original including the iconic Lennon-Ono bedroom scene. But in Morissette’s version, you see her cuddled up with her family. The visual also includes clips of her bandmates and their families. [embedded content] “It is an honor to cover this heartwarming song. The lyrics feel more pertinent than ever and this year has been a year of great resilience and adapting and feeling all the feelings,” Morissette said in a statement. “May this song serve as a big hug to you and your sweet families and friends. Everything is going to be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, it’s not the end. 🙂 ...
Van Morrison and Eric Clapton Team Up for Anti-Lockdown Song ‘Stand and Deliver’
Van Morrison has teamed up with Eric Clapton on his latest anti-lockdown song, “Stand and Deliver.” Set to release on Dec. 4, the track’s proceeds will go toward Morrison’s Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund, which aims to assist musicians who are facing financial hardships because of the global pandemic and lockdown measures that followed. Morrison previously released the lyrically pointed songs “Born to Be Free,” “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown.” Due to the pandemic, Clapton, who performs the Morrison-written track, worries about the fate of the live music industry. “There are many of us who support Van and his endeavors to save live music; he is an inspiration,” Clapton said (via Variety). “We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess. The al...
Liam Gallagher Shares New Holiday Song ‘All You’re Dreaming Of’
Liam Gallagher has just released a new track — his first original music since 2019’s Why Me? Why Not. “All You’re Dreaming Of” is a beautiful piano ballad, classic and emotional, augmented with strings. The tune is Gallagher’s contribution to 2020’s holiday music rotation. [embedded content] “Considering the year that we’ve all had, I hope this brings back some much-needed love and hope,” the ex-Oasis frontman said in a statement. “Bing Crosby would have been proud.” The song was co-written by Gallagher and longtime collaborator Simon Aldred and produced by Andrew Wyatt. Aside from its digital release, “All You’re Dreaming Of” will also be pressed on special vinyl editions including a black 7-inch, a white 12″ that contains the original demo and a red 7-inch, which you can only get through...
