Whenever I mention that Dido's Girl Who Got Away is one of my most anticipated albums of the year, I get a look as if I am mentioning an artist who has been out of the public's scope for much too long. Most completely overlook her outstanding 2008 effort Safe Trip Home. The British songbird also contributed to soundtracks during the interim, most notably the Oscar-nominated "If I Rise" from 127 Hours.
Girl Who Got Away opens with "No Freedom," which links Dido's biggest hits, "Thank You" and "White Flag," to her latest. Now a mother, Dido remains her listener's confidante, as heard on the fantastic title track. "End of Night" is a big electronic kiss-off, worthy of one of her collaborations on Faithless' The Dance. Another beautiful moment is the breathy "Day before We Went to War." Girl Who Got Away is a welcomed comeback for one who never really got away.
The multi-talented Megan Hilty makes an impressive bow with It Happens All the Time. Here, the blonde starlet from NBC's Smash belts out the title track and "Dare You to Move," both will place her among vocal heavyweights like X-Factor alumna Leona Lewis. Hilty shows range with "Be a Man," a scream fest directed toward her ex who did her wrong. Then there is the brilliant, breathless obsessing on her take of Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter." Another great interpretation here is her stripped down version of Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter." It Happens All the Time is available now on Masterworks.
After a sold-out sensational show last summer at The Metro, Garbage has an encore concert on Wed., April 3, at Riviera, 4746 N. Racine Ave., to support Not Your Kind of People. CW's Vampire Diaries has used its licensing of "Control" well, having played the standout on multiple occasions. There is speculation that Garbage will have a follow-up out later this year.
Another remarkable female-fronted rock band is The Joy Formidable. The British trio delivers a satisfying serving of fuzzy guitars My Bloody Valentine-style on the sophomore effort Wolf's Law. "Cholla," "Tendons" and "Maw Maw Song" are strong, heavy-hitting rock tracks. But "Silent Treatment" and "The Turnaround" display a slower side that is not dependent on a six string. The material on Wolf's Law will spill over easily into a live setting. The Joy Formidable will be at Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave., with Kitten on Tuesday, April 2.
Out international recording artist Mika is known for his playful, upbeat pop numbers like "Grace Kelly" and "Celebrate." On Wed., April 3, Mika will host an intimate evening at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave. It will be interesting to find out how his catalog is rearranged to suit the evening. It also will serve as a spectacular opportunity to hear Mika's mighty vocals, which have been compared to Freddie Mercury's.
Drake Jensen is making a name for himself for being an openly gay Canadian country musician. He even landed on Towleroad.com's list The 50 Most Powerful Coming Outs of 2012. Jensen's big, rich voice carries his latest, OUTlaw, especially on "When It Hurts Like That." Jensen dreams of escaping to a simpler kind of life on "Fast Enough for Me," "I Don't Want to Know" and "Midnight Forest Cricket Chorus." Although he does not flaunt his sexuality, Jensen has a coming out anthem with the closing number "Be." OUTlaw is out now.
Considering my affinity for lesser-known artists and those thriving outside the spotlight, I am alarmed by Michelle Shocked's recent controversial performance at Yoshi's in San Francisco. Here, Shocked has become a topic on social media after she exercised the First Amendment by saying same-sex marriage will spawn Jesus' second coming. She then invited attendees, "if some of you will be so gracious as to please tweet out Michelle Shocked just said from stage that God hates faggots."
On the audio clip posted on SoundCloud, patrons shout back at Shocked during their exodus. There is no way to spin doctor this situation. In this modern age, shows are often recorded by guests. Just ask comedian Michael Richards.
In the wake of her rant, promoters and venues canceled all but one of her upcoming appearances, including her date at SPACE in Evanston. Shocked has since offered apologies. During the performance's clip that runs more than 22 minutes, there are plenty of opportunities to rectify her banter or to clarify that these are not her viewpoints as audience members were yelling at her and leaving the venue. The olive branch arrived "Too Little Too Late," a title from her album Captain Swing.
At first, I thought Shocked was portraying a persona, doing a character study or trying to explain how to love people with different mindsets, since a sizeable portion of her following is LGBT. Also, the dialogue and setting were not well thought out, considering San Francisco's liberal leanings.
In the late '80s, Shocked went into heavy rotation on MTV with her video "On the Greener Side." This was a response to Robert Palmer's stylish clips with female models like "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible." Here, the Texan singer-songwriter is joined by male models who go through the motions made famous by Palmer's video vixens. Shocked has since released multiple albums and toured extensively.
LGBT artists to add to spring playlists:
1. Drake Jensen
2. God-Des and She
3. Hunter Valentine
4. Nina Sky
5. Pet Shop Boys
6. Sally Shapiro
7. Sam Sparro
8. Ssion
9. Tegan and Sara
10. The Young Professionals