New Music - Sting

Sting is apparently ready to release a new album, a collection of winter songs entitled If On A Winter's Night. The album was apparently inspired by Sting's love of the winter season and based on a book If On A Winter's Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino. It includes the song Soul Cake, originally named A'soalin, written by Stookey, Batteaste, Mezzetti and recorded in 1983 by Stookey's trio, Peter [Stookey], Paul & Mary.

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I am well aware when Sting went from a rock god [his days in The Police] to jazz singer [the release of The Dream of the Blue Turtles] but I am not sure at what point in time Sting went from jazz to medieval troubadour. I was a huge fan of The Police, and was a bit disappointed with his solo work. This, I fear, is more in the category of vanity projects than something I would be interested in purchasing. Thankfully, I this Sting needs neither my approval nor any more money. To find out more about his latest project, go to his official website here.

Worth Another Listen - Benny Mardones

Benny Mardones, then and now.

In 1980, an unknown songwriter named Benny Mardones shot up the Billboard charts with a Top 20 hit, Into The Night. The song was all over the airwaves, and the single sold well. It was a favorite at dances and seemed like a popular 'make out' song. Mardones' raspy voice was perfect for the power ballad. Unfortunately, Mardones only found himself on the charts one other time, and that is in 1989 when a radio DJ decided to do a 'Where Are They Now' segment on him, and once again his only hit, Into The Night, hit the charts once again. This seemed to be a movement across the country, and it again hit the Billboard Top 20.



This left Mardones in an interesting position. He falls decidedly into the 'One Hit Wonder' category, with just one song on the charts, yet he had two hits with that one song, nine years apart. There are estimates that Into The Night has been played on the radio more than 4 and a half million times. It appears Mardones still tours, and recently released a new album, Let's Hear It For Love. To find out what Benny has been up to, click here.

Str8 Boys Need Love Too - Bucky Covington

Bucky Covington was a contestant on season 5 of American Idol, a handsome country singer from Rockingham, North Carolina. I loved his charm, that hair, and a roughness to his voice. That season, my three favorites finished 4th, 7th and 8th, leaving me far short of being able to pick a winner. That said, Bucky landed on his feet, scoring a contract and a fantastic eponymous first album. On release, it reached #1 on the Country charts, and the best debut on for a male artist since Billy Ray Cyrus scored with Achy Breaky Heart. Three songs from that album went on to be hits, A Different World, It's Good To Be Us, and I'll Walk. I'll admit I'll Walk was one of my least favorite songs offered, and one of my favorites, American Friday Night, never hit the airwaves.



However, coming in early 2010, Bucky will be releasing his next album, rumored to be named I'm Alright. He recently released a hint of what's to come. The song is Gotta Be Somebody, and I really like it. It is a southern-flavored cover of a Nickelback song.



I think he is just adorable, not bad for a str8 guy. You can find out more about Bucky at his official website here.

New Release - Christopher Dallman's Never Was

Today Christopher Dallman release's a new EP, titled Never Was. It will be available on Christopher's website prior to release on iTunes, and there will be a special bonus track on the 'pre-release.' You can purchase it from Dallman here. I can't wait to give it a couple of listens and get back to you with my thoughts. You can click on the player below for a preview!

Never Was offers four songs, although buy now and you won't be disappointed! So I've listened to them all, and love it. Even stronger than his first album, which I loved and has kept me waiting for new music world a while! It starts out with Little Bit Of Blue, a sweet song about the realization some goals change as we grow older, and need to be revised. Ghosts is next, heard on the preview above. Coming Around is close to genius, at least to me. Dallman wrote a beautiful and uplifting song about a creative block and the breakthrough that followed. Finally, there is Has Been, a haunting story of self-doubt, while at the same time reaffirmation, with lyrics like:

And it just gets to me
You get what I mean?
That the best of me is still unseen

And finally, there is the hidden track. It doesn't show up until you paid for the music and begin the download. Had no clue, until I DL'ed it. Even then I said, 'Damn, it can't be that, can it?' Well, he did. And it is brilliant. It works so well with the other music. Dallman doesn't play games with it, doesn't make it all menacing, but instead showcases the lamenting pop song ...Baby One More Time is, and Ms. Spears didn't communicate. Click here for a direct link to buy it. There is a request for a $4 minimum for 5 songs. All I can say is DO IT. Support a brilliant artist, and it will enrich your life.

21st Anniversary Release - Erasure

Yesterday, October 26, the Erasure album The Innocents 21st Anniversary Edition was released. Out and proud Andy Bell and gay-friendly Vince Clark, who was also in supergroups Depeche Mode and Yaz, started with their first release in 1985. The third album from Erasure, it originally hit the stores in 1988, and I remember rushing out and buying it immediately. The first US single was the great song Chains of Love. It hit #12 on the Billboard Top 100 chart, and #4 on the Billboard Dance Chart.



The next release in the US was A Little Respect, an amazingly song with a majorly contagious song that makes you get up and dance. Andy Bell's vocals on both songs just soared, and Vince Clark's keyboard wizardry drives the songs to new heights.

Erasure - Little Respect
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As well as being out, Bell announced in 2004 he is HIV Positive, and has been since 1998. To get more information on Erasure, go to their official website here.

Dark Monday -Wicked

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth starred in the Broadway musical Wicked. They were both beyond spectacular. Wicked essentially gives you the backstory to The Wizard of Oz. But it is much more than that, for it is about being different, not fitting in, and how the majority can injure the minorities.



Idina Menzel play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and shows how a green young girl goes from innocence to wicked through life's trials. Idina must have really had to act here, since that lucky woman is beautiful, has a gorgeous voice, and is married to Taye Diggs, who she met while both were in the original cast of Rent on Broadway. She gave girth to a son in September. Here she sings the amazing song Defying Gravity.



Kristin Chenoweth played Glinda, the Good Witch. Glinda's path is one of redemption, as she starts out a rather shallow and self-involved character and grows to become so much more. Kristin is immensely talented, as could be seen on both Pushing Daisies and Glee. She won the Emmy this season, and just went to Washington, DC, to participate on the March for Equality. In this clip, she sings Popular.



The show is an incredible show, and has opened throughout the world. In the Melbourne production, Anthony Callea [a favorite of mine] played Boq, the munchkin in love with Glinda, the same role American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert played in the American touring company. It is still running on Broadway, as well as touring. To find out if it might be playing near you, you can check out the official website here.

New Music - Westlife on X-Factor

From L to R: Shane Filan, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne.

Yes, I love Westlife. I have followed the boys for many years, and they are definitely a band some consider a guilty pleasure - I have no guilt whatsoever. I have all their CDs, and the DVDs. If they toured the US, I would be there in a minute. In fact, I have contemplated a trip to the UK to go see them. They are four Irish boys who went from typical boyband to a mature pop act that have stuck together since 1998, with only the fifth member, Brian McFadden, having left. In 2005, Mark came out in an interview, and his fellow bandmates have been unwavering in their support, both of him and his long-term relationship with Kevin McDaid.




They had taken a year off following 10 solid years of recording and touring, and just released the single What About Now in the UK this weekend. The song was written by Ben Moody, David Hodges and Josh Hartzler [the first 2 members of Evanescence and the third married to former lead singer Amy Lee]. It was previously covered by the band Daughtry, led by singer Chris Daughtry of American Idol fame. This clip is from a morning show they performed the song on.



The new CD, Where We Are, is to be released on November 30 in the UK, although I am still unsure of the release here in the US. They made their first public appearance on the UK show X-Factor, a British talent show with Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh as judges. Cowell signed Westlife to their original contract, and they have been managed by Walsh for the duration of their career. Suffice it to say I am excited about the new music! Between now and then, I plan on revisiting some of their early videos. To find out more about Westlife, you can visit their official website here.