Photos #1 and #2 Sophie B. Hawkins. #3 Under the Influence of Giants. #4 Platinum Weird._______
When A-list pop stars compete for bragging rights on the charts, one would expect these artists to pull out their finest work. Sadly, that is not the case this summer, with the season's pop theme clearly being recycling. Jessica Simpson's A Public Affair could have more discreetly ripped off Madonna's breakout hit, Holiday. However, at least she is returning to her dance roots. Stepping forth with her solo album, the Black Eyed Peas' chanteuse Fergie is anything but falling down with her hit song London Bridge—too bad it is an uncreative sequel to the Peas' mega-hit My Humps. Beyonce's first cut from her sophomore solo bow, B'Day, is appropriately called Déjà Vu because it conjures up memories of her earlier works Naughty Girl and Baby Boy. Don't worry, though; her star will shine brightly with the upcoming Dreamgirls movie. Even Janet Jackson has me missing her Rhythm Nation and Velvet Rope era with her latest, Call On Me. Please take Dramamine before watching this video clip, which comes across as the love child between Rainbow Brite and Pluto Nash.
Then there is Paris Hilton. How did she score a record deal when there are real artists out there overlooked by the major record companies like Dot Allison, Poe, Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit? She may sing The Stars Are Blind but most of us can see that Hilton is not the talent behind her work.
Justin Timberlake actually impressed me with his latest, Sexy Back. Sure it sounds like a mash-up between Liberty X's 2002 international hit Just a Little and Timo Maas's techno savvy jam To Get Down. Timberlake's prior works were completely indistinguishable for me, but Sexy Back steps forth on its own with Timbaland at JT's side. Even the video is an enthralling spy love story. It's a pity that the movie scripts Timberlake has been choosing have not been of the same caliber. In an interview to promote his sophomore album FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake said he wanted to push the envelope with pop music, as he does with Sexy Back.
Few were surprised that Timberlake's former 'NSync bandmate Lance Bass came out. Bass's revelation overshadowed the coming out of fellow boy-band singer Darren Hayes, who was one half of the duo Savage Garden. On his Web site Hayes posted, 'On June 19th, 2006, I married my boyfriend of two years, Richard, in a Civil Partnership ceremony in London.' Honestly, I suspected Hayes was gay when he was vocally readying himself for Savage Garden's second album. Just the way he said, 'I can sing opera!' made me wonder if he truly deeply madly wanted to buy me a cherry cola.
L.A.-based quartet Under the Influence of Giants keeps the '70s alive with its just-released self-titled debut on Island Records. Sounding like Scissor Sisters meets Toto, the album was produced by Brad Smith and Christopher Thorne, both formerly of Blind Melon. The catchy feature single Mama's Room is an upbeat tale of romancing somebody in your mother's bedroom. Rumors are circulating that Under the Influence of Giants will tour this fall with the Scissor Sisters.
There are few tunes that I cannot stop playing, and the song on repeat this summer is Sophie B. Hawkins's Soul Lover, from her 2004 opus Wilderness. On her Web site, Hawkins describes the song as a George Michael-sounding ode about a father figure. Wilderness even has a remix of Soul Lover; however, don't expect a typical peak hour club remix. Instead of overbearing dance beats, Mike B. Fisher's Infinite Space Mix prefers rhythms and grooves over heavy drums. This passionate declaration is liberating as Hawkins wails 'set my soul free.' This will keep me sated until I get Hawkins's live album later this month.
When a band comes out, usually there is a certain amount of hype surrounding the new outfit. Dave Stewart's latest project, Platinum Weird, has gone above the call of duty with its fictitious biography. In 2004, Stewart met with acclaimed songwriter Kara DioGuardi to come up with some songs for The Pussycat Dolls. The pair had an instant bond and ended up forming the band Platinum Weird, intending to create organic '70s-inspired rock. One thing led to another and Stewart claimed that, in 1974, he was in a short-lived band named Platinum Weird on Elton John's Rocket Records label; however, on the eve of the album's debut release, the original lead singer, Erin Grace, went missing.
Biographer Lucy O'Brien notes that Stewart was, in fact, on John's Rocket label in the 1970s, but with the folk group Stewart & Harrison. John viewed the act more as a business write-off than anything else.
Celebrities like Mick Jagger, Stevie Nicks and Ringo Starr even joined the joke and mentioned remembering Platinum Weird during its first incarnation.
Stewart has worked with many on the best female singer-songwriters out there, including Shakespear's Sister ( Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit ) , Candy Dulfer and Sinead O'Connor. ( Of course, Stewart also made up the Eurythmics with Annie Lennox. ) DioGuardi is an accomplished songwriter, having penned songs for Ashlee Simpson, Kelly Clarkson and Hilary Duff.
Don't let Platinum Weird's story overshadow its music. The feature single, Will You Be Around, could easily be an outtake from Fleetwood Mac's Rumors sessions or an archived song by Robin Lane. The duo's eponymous debut is slated to hit shelves on Sept. 19, courtesy of Interscope Records.
