As the world continues to dive off the deep end, it’s only fair that the end of days has a killer soundtrack. This week brings new music from a hip-hop legend, a pop queen, and many more. The cast recording to a Broadway classic is also included in this week’s report for your listening pleasure.
Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia
After 9/11 occurred, the country was in complete shock and mourning. Americans felt a wide range of emotions in the days and weeks after that fateful day. Once we started to pick ourselves back up, an American institution decided it was time for them to get back to work and entertain people. Saturday Night Live was once again live and the opening monologue found then-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani surrounded by some of the city’s first responders. SNL creator Lorne Michaels joined them on stage and asked Giuliani “Can we be funny?” to which the mayor replied “Why start now””
English singer Dua Lipa’s newest release Future Nostalgia is here to let everyone know that even in these troubling times that it’s okay to have some fun and not everything in the world is full of doom and despair. Future Nostalgia is the perfect album for an imperfect time. The album will have you longing for a time that is beginning to feel so long ago and quickly yearning for those days to reappear.
Everyone that was born after the 1980s needs to know that Future Nostalgia sounds like what the ‘80s felt like to me. It is about as flashback as flashback can be. The themes from the able range from equality, empowerment and of course, sex.
The influence the ‘80s had on Dua and the new album is extremely evident in new single “Break My Heart” where the 24-year-old can be found sampling INXS’ 1987 hit “Need You Tonight.” Lipa explained the meaning of the song to Apple Music: “It’s about finally being in a happy place and knowing this person is amazing. But then thinking: ‘Nothing else compares to this, and what if this ends and it breaks my heart? It’s the whole thing of being scared to be too happy, like when your day is going really well and you think, ‘What’s the one thing that’s going to fuck this up? I’m a hopeless romantic and always ask myself: ‘How am I going to protect this?”” @DUALIPA
Jeezy Twenty/20 Pyrex Vision
Rappers coming and going from retirement is nothing new. Many do it with more ease than Jordan and Favre could have ever wished to. The latest to pick the mic back up is “Put On” rapper Jeezy.
Jeezy hung things up last fall after the realest of TM104: The Legend of the Snowman but finds himself back still in search of his billion. The seven song album includes the standout tracks “Billions” and “Keep Going” and shows that Jeezy has a lot left in the tank after nearly 20 years in the game.
Various Artists Oklahoma! (2019 Broadway Cast Recording)
This album is not new, but I just want everyone to know about it and hope it can bring a smile to your face as it does mine. This is the first ever Broadway Cast recording review for New Music Friday. As a huge musical theater nerd, my two favorite musicals are RENT and Oklahoma! Last year when the Broadway revival was announced, I about lost my shit as I knew I was going to be in New York for Wrestlemania and how could I not attend this show?!?! I’m not about to go into my disappointment in myself for not making that happen, but will instead focus my thoughts on the revivals cast recording.
The staging for this production was like no other production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic as it was radically stripped down. Instead of a large orchestra accompanying the cast there is instead a small band on-stage performing the musical’s parade of hits.
The reimagined revival starred Damon Daunno as Curly and Rebecca Naomi Jones as Laurey, along with new orchestrations from Daniel Kluger. The bold orchestrations by Kluger is the real star of the cast recording. The album has real modern folk, bluegrass sound in the line of the Avett Brothers, The Civil Wars and The Secret Sisters.
My favorite Broadway musical character of all time is easily Ado Annie large in part to her show stealing number “I Can’t Say No.” Actress Ali Stoker was so phenomenal in her portrayal that she was rewarded with a Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award.
The 2019 Tony Award winner for Best Rival of a Musical was a massive hit with critics and will hopefully relaunch their its national tour once the world gets back to functioning.
Please check out these other amazing new albums out this week:
- 5 Seconds of Summer Calm
- Jessie Reyez Before Love Comes To Kill Us
- Pearl Jam Gigaton
- PartyNextDoor Partymobile
- Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams Aporia
- Vanessa Carlton Love Is An Art
- Nine Inch Nails Ghosts V: Together
- Nine Inch Nails Ghosts VI: Locusts
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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