Tag: new music

The Hit Songs of September 2023

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Ha! You thought we forgot to do this. And you’d be right. But we’re here now so let’s talk about September’s charts. They were an anomaly this month because first, they were actually pretty good top to bottom and second, they were dominated by the three albums that pretty much charted in their entirety. But by now you know how we felt about the month because you’ve heard the show and then… oh, you haven’t? Well let’s take care of that first and while you do that you can check out my full rankings for the month.

So really briefly, here’s what I do when I review the hot singles of the month. I listen to a song and immediately give it a 0-100 score. Then I listen to the song again, adjust that number and write some notes about it. Lather, rinse, repeat a few times and you get something that looks like this.

ArtistSongRatingNotes
Zach Bryan and Kacey MusgravesI Remember Everything83Feels closer to The Head and The Heart than the mainstream country charts. Kacey takes it to the next gear.
Rod WaveNostalgia81
Zach BryanFear and Friday’s80
Miley CyrusUsed To Be Young79A lot of nostalgia feels here. I know its a song of personal reflection, but there is a lot to relate to here.
Zach BryanEast Side of Sorrow79I feel like this song would have found its way into an episode of Scrubs if this record came out 10 years ago. That is in no way a bad thing,
Rod WaveBoyz Don’t Cry79
Olivia Rodrigoteenage dream77
Rod Wave ft. 21 SavageTurks & Caicos77
Rod WaveGreat Gatsby77
Zach BryanOvertime76There’s the more epic sound of a Mumford and Sons single
Olivia Rodrigolove is embarrasing76
(G)I-DLEI DO76
Zach Bryan ft. The War and TreatyHey Driver75Note to self: give The War and Treaty a good listen
Olivia Rodrigoall-american bitch75
Olivia Rodrigoballad of a homeschool girl75
Rod WaveCall Your Friends75
Zach Bryan ft. Sierra FerrellHoly Roller74
Olivia Rodrigolacy74
Zach BryanSmaller Acts73
Olivia Rodrigoget him back!73
Olivia Rodrigomaking the bed73
Olivia Rodrigological73
Rod WaveCome See Me73
Rod WaveLong Journey73
Zach BryanTourniquet72
Olivia Rodrigothe grudge72
Olivia Rodrigopretty isn’t pretty72
Drake & SZASlime You Out72
Paul RussellLil Boo Thang72Dumb but fun
Zach Bryan ft. The LumineersSpotless71
Zach BryanTicking71
Zach BryanEl Dorado71
Zach BryanSummertime’s Close70
Charli XCXSpeed Drive70
Kylie MinoguePadam Padam70Fine for what it is a dance track, but otherwise a sugary mess of layers upon layers of overproduction
Tate McRaegreedy69
Zach BryanFear and Friday’s (Poem)67
Timbaland, Nelly Furtado & Justin TimberlakeKeep Going Up67
Chris BrownSummer Too Hot66
Selena GomezSingle Soon62
Nicki MinajLast Time I Saw You60I can appreciate working outside one’s genre or expected output, but this is the first time I recall being bored by Nicki
Young Nudy ft. 21 SavagePeaches & Eggplants59Speaking of annoying, repetitive samples and pretty much nothing else
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee StallionBongos57It’s really only 2:55? It felt like a year and a half of that sample drilling into my brain

The Hit Songs of May 2023

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Hey, we’re doing this stuff again! If you’re here, it’s probably because you just listened to our May reviews episode and heard me mention that I posted my full singles list and notes on the website. And this time I really meant it. In case you haven’t me go into details of my top 3 and bottom 3 songs of the month, and Jay and Zack talk about their favorite albums of May, catch it here:

So really briefly, here’s what I do when I review the hot singles of the month. I listen to a song and immediately give it a 0-100 score. Then I listen to the song again, adjust that number and write some notes about it. Lather, rinse, repeat a few times and you get something that looks like this.

ArtistTitleScoreNotes
Lizzie McAlpineceilings83I definitely came back to this 3x before I felt like I could grade it. There’s a haunting beauty to its simplicity, even with its upbeat and rather sweet descriptions of being in love and finding someone worth spending time with. I should hate it but I can’t. There’s something in her voice that is enchanting, almost hypnotic here.
Lil Durk ft. J. ColeAll My Life81Were you expecting a grand, anthemic, inspirational track from Lil’ Durk? Me either, but this is a very pleasant surprise. And the more verses I hear from J. Cole, the more I like his work.
KaliArea Codes79A more believable sounding Bitch, Better Have My Money. I believe Kali in a way I couldn’t believe Rihanna. Her flow hits as hard as the deep but sparse bass, both are very impactful.
NFHAPPY77
Rita Ora ft. Fatboy SlimPraising You75Most danceable of the three 90’s techno re-works this month. I think it’s the best of the three too, keeps enough of the source material while creating a new piece around it, upbeat and fun
The Weeknd ft. FutureDouble Fantasy74A song as uncomfortable as the HBO series it soundtracks.
Miley CyrusJades73
Kim Petras ft. Nicki MinajAlone72Another single using a 90s dance/techno sample…Petras at least writes her own chorus.
Charlie Puth ft. Dan + ShayThat’s Not How This Works69The sounds coming out of these three’s mouths should drive me away, but I am hooked in by the writing, taking the formula they usually work in (especially Dan + Shay) and turning it on it’s head.
Fifty FiftyCupid69Doja Cat quickly got some soundalikes. Not a bad song persay, but someone should really tell this group to develop their own sound if they want to make it past their first single over here.
Lewis CapaldiWish You The Best69Back to yell-singing I see. He’s not as egregious here, almost like this is Someone You Loved Part 2, where he finally actually accepts that things are over. The angst is still overdriven in his voice but the writing is better, more thoughtful.
Corey KentWild As Her68Not quite boyfriend country, a song pining for a lost love so still very much in the country ouvre. Kent’s voice is rather thin and the backing vocals don’t make up for it. The guitars do go a ways towards that though.
Jordan DavisNext Thing You Know61I’m sure this is touching to those people who still feel feelings, but the country trend of writing first wedding dance songs as singles has way jumped the shark AFAIC. Next thing you know, your third album is released directly into the used CD bin.
David Guetta, Anne-Marie & Coi LeroiBaby Don’t Hurt Me60Rewriting, or actually adding verses can’t save this reworked Haddaway hit from being just as inane and annoying as the original.
Bailey ZimmermanReligiously59Gotta get that title in the chorus with a crowbar, eh? And why does your break down just sound like your nose is stuffed up?

The Hit Songs of the Summer

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It occurred to me that I have been derelict on getting my full rankings of the charting single out this summer, which is no good because how else are we supposed to name a song of the summer? Let’s remedy that now that we’re officially into autumn.

June

  1. Roddy Ricch – Late at Night
  2. BTS – Butter
  3. Olivial Rodrigo – brutal
  4. Riton X Nightcrawlers ft. Mufasa & Hypeman
  5. Sofia Carson – Fool’s Gold
  6. Megan Thee Stallion – Thot Shit
  7. Bad Bunny – Yonaguni
  8. Polo G & Lil Wayne – GANG GANG
  9. Jackson Wang – LMLY
  10. DJ Khalid ft. Post Malone, DaBaby, Lil Baby and Megan Thee Stallion
  11. Olivia Rodrigo – hope ur ok
  12. Polo G ft. Lil Durk & The Kid LAROI
  13. Migos – Avalanhe
  14. Anitta – Girl From Rio
  15. Olivia Rodrigo – traitor
  16. Doja Cat – Need To Know
  17. Olivia Rodrigo – favorite crime
  18. Migos ft. Drake – Having Our Way
  19. Olivia Rodrigo – 1 step forward, 3 steps back
  20. Olivia Rodrigo – enough for you
  21. Olivia Rodrigo – jealousy, jealousy
  22. Olivia Rodrigo – happier
  23. Dierk Bentley – Gone
  24. Marshmello and the Jonas Brothers – Leave Before You Love Me
  25. AJ Mitchell – STOP
  26. Chris Young and Kane Brown – Famous Friends
  27. Nessa Barrett ft. jxdn – la di die

July

  1. Dua Lipa – Love Again
  2. Doja Cat & The Weeknd – You Right
  3. Tyler, the Creator ft. Lil Uzi Vert & Pharrell Williams
  4. Tate McRaw and Khalid – working
  5. BTS – Permission to Dance
  6. Rauv Alejandro – Todo de Ti
  7. Tyler, the Creator ft Youngboy Never Broke Again & Ty Dolla Sign – WUSYANAME
  8. Normani ft. Cardi B – Wild Side
  9. Billie Eilish – NDA
  10. Maneskin – Beggin’
  11. Coldplay – Higher Power
  12. Dan + Shay – Glad You Exist
  13. Bella Porarch – Build A Bitch
  14. Jason Aldean – Blame It On You
  15. Doja Cat – Ain’t Shit
  16. Cheat Codes – Lean On Me
  17. BIA ft. Nicki Minaj – WHOLE LOTTA MONEY
  18. DaBaby – Ball if I Want To
  19. The Kid LAROI ft. Justin Bieber – STAY
  20. NF – JUST LIKE YOU
  21. Ed Sheeran – Bad Habits
  22. Cole Swindell – Single Saturday Night
  23. Post Malone – Motley Crew
  24. Walker Hayes – Fancy Like
  25. Chase Rice ft. Florida Georgia Line – Drinkin’ Beer, Talkin’ God, Amen
  26. Aaron Lewis – Am I The Only One
August
  1. Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
  2. The Weeknd – Take My Breath
  3. Silk Sonic – Skate
  4. Lizzo ft. Cardi B – Rumors
  5. Kane Brown ft. Blackbear – Memory
  6. Pop Smoke ft. Dua Lipa – Demeanor
  7. Tones and I – Cloudy Day
  8. Tai Verdes – A-O-K
  9. Lainey Wilson – Things A Man Oughta Know
  10. TOMORROW X TOGETHER – Magic
  11. Aventura ft. Bad Bunny – Volvi
  12. Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood – If I Didn’t Love You
  13. Camilla Cabello – Don’t Go Yet
  14. Farruko – Pepas
  15. Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow – INDUSTRY BABY
  16. Luke Bryan – Waves
  17. Bazzi – I Like That
  18. WizKid ft. Justin Bieber and Tems – Essence
  19. Maroon 5 – Lost
And after all of that I am calling the song of the summer, which totally doesn’t line up with my rankings at the time but after hearing it a bunch the song for summer 2021 is…

Silk Sonic – Skate

You cannot deny this feel good jam. It should have risen a lot higher up the charts because this song is just too fun to be relegated to just the second single off the Silk Sonic record.

Quickies from April 2, 2021

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Justice | JB Hi-Fi

Justin Bieber – Justice (Def Jam)

It should be noted: I am NOT a Belieber. Never have been, and at this point it is unlikely to be the case in this reality. Or in the next. Last year’s unlistenable offerings, led by “Yummy”, had me prepared to light this album a verbal witch’s pyre, making it an effigy of the creator. 

I can’t really do that, and I’m disappointed. Justice is a lily-white attempt at what I will call “plebeian car jams”. Honestly, if he was still that prepubescent bowl cut, a few of the tracks might have been forgivably innocuous. “Off My Face” will wind up somebody’s First Dance at their wedding in 2021 or 2022, briefly supplanting Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” for that honor, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The other tunes that are decent all have featured artists, all of whom overshadow The Bieb. That list includes a number of high-rollers: Chance the Rapper, The Kid LAROI, Da Baby, Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert, Jaden, and several others. 

The most cringe-worthy thing on the album is the incredibly crass way in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s words about justice and equality are shoe-horned in alongside songs about missing his girl or being loved despite his fragile mental state. It’s disgusting. The Reverend’s speech on the mid-album interlude is even cut short to bastardize the idea of standing up for something you would die for in order to allow JB and Dominic Fike to say, “If your kiss could kill me, you know I would die for you.” Without that lead-in, the song was actually kind of a bop, but I was too filled with righteous indignation to enjoy it. 

FFO: Kidz Bop covers of The Weeknd, unsalted popcorn

Start with: “Die For You”, “Holy”, “Know No Better”

-JR

Return of the Dragon by Sacred Oath (Album, Heavy Metal): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music

Sacred Oath – Return of the Dragon (Angel Thorne Music)

Sacred Oath is not going to start a revolution. They are not stretching the limits of genre. What they do is power-metal, with a few other elements thrown in. Wailing leads, crunchy rhythms, pounding drums, and soaring vocals that recount battles with mythological beings and earning the ire of supernatural entities, be they godlike or demonic. 

It is also perfectly done, expertly performed and produced. It is not often that a power metal act makes me smile as much as Sacred Oath, and that probably has something to do with the hints of stoner/doom that dot the songs. You can’t go wrong with anything on the record. 

FFO: Iron Maiden (but less irritating), Katatonia, Solace

Start with: “Hammer of an Angry God”, “At The Gates”, “Return of the Dragon”, “Cthulhu Wakes” 

-JR

Godspeed (Glasvegas album) - Wikipedia

Glasvegas – Godspeed (Go Wow)

Right after the odd “Parked Car” intro to the disc, we are treated with a pulsing synth bass and staccato vocals that simultaneously bring to mind the ‘80s brilliance of Thompson Twins and Tears For Fears alongside the dark-pop sensibilities of The Weeknd. 

Without question, Glasvegas has mastered the art of the slow build, adding intensity as the song progresses. The next tune maintains that pretense, but adds the leather jackets and swagger of Julian Casablancas and the angular tones of Biffy Clyro. 

The album proceeds thusly, changing attitude with nearly every song. But oozing Glaswegian piss and vinegar from every pore. 

I know this review makes no sense. Kindly just listen to the songs and ignore me in this moment. 

FFO: Biffy Clyro, Duran Duran, We Were Promised Jetpacks

Start With: “Dying to Live”, “Cupid’s Dark Disco”, “Dive”

-JR

Demi Lovato – Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over

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Demi Lovato – Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over (Island)

On the heels of some concern for her mental health, and much advocation for those whose plight is the same, Demi presents a collection of songs that detail the emotions and embattled musings that come with bouncing back. The last decade, she has dealt with issues regarding her bipolar disorder and anorexia, some incidents with cocaine, and a few relationship struggles. This record is her reaching a sort of catharsis, working as a companion to the YouTube documentary series of the same title. 

From the opening ballad, “Anyone”, her lyrics display the turmoil that plagued her internally while she struggled. With voice straining, almost unhinged, she wonders aloud what the point is of praying, or even talking to people, if no one is listening. “Dancing With The Devil”, the title track, follows that up with more controlled, more pop-accessible discourse on hiding in drugs and alcohol, covering up the torment underneath. The result is a powerful treatise. 

Demi has always been one of the most recognizable and strong voices in pop music, but she has never been as POTENT as she is on this record. She’s giving us a glimpse of her mindset as she fell apart, then rebuilt herself, all in the public eye. Particularly captivating is the way she starts the album at track 4. She allows the first 3 songs to be her past self, then reinvents herself to continue the album. It’s sort of like Taylor Swift killing off the old Taylor, but it comes across as endearing and powerful, instead of pompous and self-aggrandizing. 

The moments that feel the most vulnerable and pure are the aforementioned first track and “The Way You Don’t Look At Me”, wherein she talks about how the most difficult part of bouncing back is the judgment of those who were around during the fall. Mostly, the rest of the record is filled with beautifully choreographed pop songs, tinged with that hint of darkness or sadness. The collaborations with Sam Fischer and Ariana Grande are particularly accessible. The former, an on-the-nose account of how temptation and pressure are ever-present. The latter, a more allegorical and poetic account of meeting “the devil” at a club. 

While a couple songs fall short of wonderful (“The Kind of Lover I Am”, “My Girlfriends Are My Boyfriends”), there is nothing that I would consider drivel. None of this is pandering. None of this is watered down. Demi is strong. Demi is a diva. 

Demi deserves our respect. 

FFO: Alessia Cara, Kelly Clarkson

-JR

Note: The Deluxe Edition of the record has live acoustic versions of the first 3 tracks. It’s miraculous.

September 11, 2020

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Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos (Loma Vista/Marilyn Manson)

As most of 2020 has felt and looked like a sideshow to the Manson circus, it’s no surprise that We Are Chaos is his best work since Antichrist Superstar. On the title track, he bawls in his iconic warble, “We are sick, fucked up, and complicated. We are Chaos, We can’t be cured.” This is a sentiment that ties the tumultuous universe of the last 7 months to the angsty youth paradigm that gave the Dope Show its first staging.

After spending the last few years steeping himself in various pop and folk subgenres, covering Johnny Cash, and generally getting away from what he does best, We Are Chaos displays the musical maturity that comes from all that travelling. But DAMN! it’s good to be home. 

“RED, BLACK AND BLUE” is a psycho-glam masterpiece that opens with a creepy monologue, then launches into a full-on angry gothic takeover. “PAINT YOU” starts as a guitar and piano homage to Bowie and McCartney before ascending into noise. Classic Manson. 

Through his career, he has spent a lot of energy and lyrically punches on the falsity of celebrity and the foolishness of hero-worship, and that is just as true here. Some examples: “Just ‘cuz you’re famous doesn’t mean you’re worth anything / In this world or the next one or the one before” (“INFINITE DARKNESS”). “I’m not special, I’m just broken. And I don’t want to be fixed” (“SOLVE COAGULA”). “Am I a man or a show or a moment” (“WE ARE CHAOS”). 

While it’s not as chaotic as the title seems to indicate, it is as Manson as it gets. His self-torment and cultural flagellation are front and center. The album closer, “BROKEN NEEDLE”, sees him playing the part of a turntable stylus, broken by the grooves that mistreat it, scratching up the instigator, putting it away, and promising to “Never ever play you again”. That kind of lyric sticks with you. 

-JR

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September 4, 2020

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All Them Witches – Nothing As The Ideal (New West Records)

Wow. Musically this is a treat. 

This Nashville quartet is steeped in blues, psychedelia, prog, and stoner metal. While they are a hard rock outfit, they employ classical guitar, gothic tones, and their own blend of everything that came out of the Delta Swamp (Dr. John, Soylent Green, Junior Kimbrough, etc). 

This is their 6th album, if you don’t count live releases, which I don’t. That’s in just 8 years, making them almost as prolific as King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard or Steve Buscemi. Much like the aforementioned genre-bending geniuses, you never quite know what to expect from these cats. Even just on this record, there are significant differences among the tracks.

The album opens with a slow build into a Tool-esque jam in 6/8 (“Saturnine & Iron Jaw”), “Everest” is a Led Zeppelin-meets-Donovan guitar instrumental, which bleeds into a Soundgarden-style downbeat banger (“See You Next Fall”). That gets followed up by a folk/country/blues track (“The Children of Coyote Woman”). The latter of these brings me to my next point, because it is the first song on the album that truly works with this dude’s voice. Up to this point, his voice is sort of like a blemish on an otherwise pristine surface. It’s not bad enough to make you stop listening, may even make it interesting, but causes you to hold back. 

The next 2 songs show a different characteristic to his voice without actually changing what he’s doing. The music just finally suits the nearly monotonous style of the singing. “The Children of Coyote Woman”, “41”, and the album closer, “Rats in Ruin”, almost seem like they came from a different band. 

The album returns you to regularly scheduled programming: brilliant music and subpar-if-interesting vocals. I, personally, still found that the record was a great listen, but I would understand if you don’t agree.

FFO: Deaf Radio, Agents of Oblivion, King Gizzard

-JR

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August 14, 2020

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Kiesza – Crave (Zebra Spirit Tribe)

Some folks were just destined to be interesting, to be unique, to be awesome.  From what I can tell, Kiesza is one of those people.

She was born Kiesa Rae Ellestad in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with a Norwegian grandfather.  She has been a sailing instructor, as well as a member of the reserves of the Royal Canadian Navy.  She suffered from a traumatic brain injury in 2017, from a car accident, and her recovery had her stay in a dark room for six months.  Seriously, go check out her Wikipedia page, as there were several other details that I did not add here.

As a musician, Crave represents her second studio album, with the first one (Sound of a Woman) coming in 2014 – a pretty healthy gap.  It doesn’t seem like she’s missed a beat, however.  This is reminiscent to what “dance music” would have consisted of in the 80s or early 90s.  The title track, as well as “Love Me With Your Life” illustrate the sound the best, but damn near every track has the signature synth and electronic drum beats to some extent.  “Love Never Dies” is another solid track, using a sample that could be “When the Levee Breaks” or something close to it – but it works well regardless.

Kiesza’s smooth vocals help to make this a more enjoyable experience.  There is a heavy level of production and auto-tune at play, but it sounds good – both as a corrective measure and an artistic one.  Lyrically, it’s pretty simplistic, but as I’ve mentioned before, some albums truly need that.  Crave with more complex lyrics would cause there to be a bit too much going on, and the lyrics would get lost in the shuffle.

Overall, Crave was a very good, very unique listen.  Toes were tapped, and fingers were rapped, all throughout the album, thanks to Kiesza’s interesting style.  Hopefully it won’t be another six years for album #3 to drop.

FFO: Robyn, La Roux

-Z.

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*Special Edition*

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August 14, 2020

We don’t often do this. This is an album review, but unlike our normal review posts, this one took on a life of its own. For that reason, we felt it needed to be removed from the herd. It’s for safety reasons. You understand.

Sexbat – Diurnal Curse (Sid Records)

Sexbat proved a difficult artist to track down on streaming services.  I found Sexton, Sexweather, G. Sexate, and The Sexbots, but I could only track this release down by searching for the album title, Diurnal Curse.  Just a word to the wise when you look this one up.  And you’ll want to look it up, because it is outstanding – which you will see below.

Every track on this album refers to a week, one through seven.  I originally wanted to review each song for a week, making this a seven week long review, but that seemed ill-advised.  So instead, every week will be condensed into a few paragraphs, based on what a week as each track would consist of.  That may not make sense right now, but never fret: it will become clearer as we go.

Or it won’t.

Onward!

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August 7, 2020

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This week, we decided to try something a little different. We added a “Quickies” section of this review blog for quick, bullet point reviews. We had been discussing how we could cover more ground and talk about more music. This section will allow us, and you, to be exposed to more releases. Check it out and let us know if it’s something you would like us to continue or if it feels like clutter. Cheers!

-JR

Deep Purple – Whoosh! (Edel Germany GmbH / earMusic)

3 members of the current lineup of the band have been there since 1968. Ok, that’s a lie. Deep Purple are sort of an industry joke, with an ever-rotating cast of dozens of Class A musicians, earning its own special band members Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Deep_Purple_members). Only drummer, Ian Paice, has been on every studio release. But Roger Glover and Jesus Chri…I mean, Ian Gillan, have been on nearly all of them. 

Honestly, this album does not sound like it was released in 2020. I suppose it’s a breath of fresh air in that regard. Chock full of the goofy, intense theatricality that we would have expected of these cats back in the mid-’70s, Whoosh! is just plain fun. Who doesn’t like organ solos, choral harmonies, classic guitar tone, and sing-along grooves? Vocally, Gillan is starting to sound his age, with just a hint of Joe Walsh creeping into his voice. But what he’s singing doesn’t really need the high-pitched wails that he has been doing for 50+ years. 

This is your dad’s music, in the best possible way. It really might be the perfect feel-good soundtrack in the time of pandemic. Put the windows down in your car, stay on the highway, and take “The Long Way Round”. 

FFO: Kansas, BTO, Styx

-JR

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