Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Pop Making Sense
Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times
by David Byrne with Tony Peregrin
2010-02-10

This article shared 2502 times since Wed Feb 10, 2010
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Chances are you have already heard some of V V Brown's work. The British singer-songwriter's material has been featured on primetime shows including Cougar Town, Vampire Diaries and CSI: New York. Brown's debut, Travelling like the Light, features the soulful, retro sound Amy Winehouse brought back to the mainstream.

The set's highlight is lead single "Shark in the Water," but Brown finds her groove with the slower numbers "Back in Time," "I Love You" and the title track. This does not discount the upbeat "Leave!" or "Bottles." The solid Travelling like the Light is out now exclusively on iTunes.

On "Hungover" Ke$ha sings, "every song is out of tune." Based on her debut bow, Animal, she should be singing, "every song is Auto-Tuned." Ke$ha landed on the top of the charts with her album and first solo single, the unavoidable all-night party anthem "TiK ToK." The blonde starlet came into prominence delivering the hook on Flo Rida's "Dead or Alive," which samples the hit "Right Round." Ke$ha's "Blah Blah Blah" and "Your Love Is My Drug" also quickly stampeded into the top 40.

Her witty lyrics focus on drinking and meeting boys, making Ke$ha seem like a second-rate Lily Allen. She even welcomes the premature comparisons to Lady Gaga. But her dependence on Auto-Tuned vocals throughout Animal makes me suspect that Ke$ha will be remembered as the party girl from the Black Eyed Peas era.

In the video for "Get away with Murder," Jeffree Star sports a hot neon pink wig, an eye patch and some impressive boots. Go ahead, do a double take. It is not Pete Burns from Dead or Alive. Star's debut full-length, Beauty Killer, has catchy pop gems, but with a dark electro twist.

"Electric Sugar Pop" is exactly what it says it is—an electric sugary pop ditty. Does Star write for Star? On "Bitch, Please!" the queer Internet sensation cleverly calls out the tabloid's favorite celebrities. Star has a reality-TV show as well as a cosmetics line in the works. Beauty Killer is out now on Popsicle Records.

I know I am late on the band wagon for this one, but Chromeo has a white-hot single with "Night by Night." It has elements of funk, electro and rock. In homage to the pioneering funk band Zapp & Roger, Pee Thug has a tube in his mouth to funk up his vocals in the video clip. "Night by Night" will be on the Canadian duo's forthcoming album due out this summer.

Despite an inspiring four-decade-plus career, Marcella Detroit might be best known for being the soprano vocalist on Shakespears Sister's sole stateside top 10 hit, "Stay," from 1992. In the '70s and '80s she was Eric Clapton's back-up singer and co-wrote "Lay Down Sally." She even made a cameo on Absolutely Fabulous, singing "Oh Happy Day" when Edina hallucinates that she is in heaven.

In 2002, I first met Detroit at Pride in Las Vegas. Since then I have seen her rocking it out at Bluesfest, Fitzgerald's and The Old Town School of Folk Music. It is a joy to find such a talented, personable artist.

Now, Detroit is a contestant on the British talent show Pop Star to Opera Star. Having done rock, pop, blues and dance music, it is fantastic seeing Detroit flourish in a new genre. During the competition, the Los Angeles-based Detroit is her own toughest critic, as she continues to wow the judges and audience alike. Unfortunately, the show is airing only overseas, but clips can be found on YouTube.

Need to spice up the soundtrack for Valentine's Day with something other than the usual standbys, like Sade and Maxwell? Shout! Factory has a new compilation The New Jazz Divas. The spirit of the great Ella Fitzgerald is summoned on Madeleine Peyroux's "Instead." Lizz Wright contributes the Sade-worthy "A Taste of Honey." The cool-cat persona comes to life thanks to Melody Gardot's sultry slow-burner, "Worrisome Heart." And no female jazz compilation would be complete without Grammy darling Diana Krall, who is singing "Temptation" here. While Esperanza Spalding's "I Adore You" and The Tierney Sutton Band's "Happy Days Are Here Again" may not nurture a romantic mood, they make this set well-rounded.

As we have seen with raising funds after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 2004 tsunami, musicians once again come together in aid of Haiti.

DJBooth.net culminates 26 tracks by multiple artists for the mixtape Rhymes & Rhythm for Relief to benefit the humanitarian organization CARE. Over 100 musicians submitted material for consideration. For a minimum donation of $5, the compilation can be downloaded at djbooth.bandcamp.com/album/rhymes-rhythm-for-relief.

It has been 25 years since an elite ensemble of artists like Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen united for the charitable record "We Are the World." Now, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are recruiting another generation of pop singers for a new version of "We Are the World" to help raise funds and awareness for Haiti related relief efforts. The updated take was recorded the day after the Grammys. It has been reported that Taylor Swift was not be there, so no need to worry about an awkward encounter with that diva, Kanye West.


This article shared 2502 times since Wed Feb 10, 2010
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24
- At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21
- Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19
- Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13
- The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08
- COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08
- Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01
- Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center 2024-02-26
- From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.