15 March 2023 - Lindi Ortega - Tin Star

So this was like five years ago. One of my favorite country singers, Lindi Ortega, was playing my local 250 seat venue.

I was beyond stoked. At the time I was running a country site (after I left WGP and TC) where the writers were more concerned with the comings and goings of Florida Georgia Line or Sam Hunt as opposed to country music of substance like the Turnpike Troubadours or Elizabeth Cook. Needless to say the teaching of new writers was fun, the content, not so much.

That night it was nice to not only see a favorite artist of mine, but to write about her performance which was amazing. And maybe turn someone on to a great country artist...from Canada.

I was fortunate to chat with her after the show. She signed her Tin Star CD for me and we took a picture (which I told her I wanted to use for the review...well and again years later for this blog).

Anyway, Lindi is awesome. She hasn't put out a record in years and I for one would love another one. But until that time comes I'll enjoy her previously released records.

14 March 2023 - Avril Lavigne - Bite Me

You probably know we write this articles in advance.  So, we are writing this not knowing how the Juno Awards went last night - but we are pulling for this song to be Single of the Year as we write this. 

So, if it won, congratulations to Avril.  If it didn't win, SHE WAS ROBBED.

(Update: It did not win.  This did.) (She did win the Fan Choice Award, so that's good)

Let's talk about this song.  Released in late 2021 on Travis Barker's new label (he's drumming on the song as well), it's a throwback to Paramore Lavigne's earlier work - that pop-punk that defined her career for so long.  Clearly, it's an endearing love song that isn't at all angry.

It's also the best thing she's done in a decade. 

The video for the acoustic version of this song is kind of hilarious - with Avril doing dental work with a giant pair of boltcutters.  More interestingly, this extremely angry song works really well as a melancholy ballad.  

The "Tonight Show" live version of this song falls somewhere in the middle of the two versions - keeping both the anger and melancholy.

13 March 2023 - The Weeknd - Sacrifice

The 2023 Juno Award nominations were announced at the end of January.  The Weeknd led all nominations with six. 

The awards are tonight, in Edmonton, hosted by Simu Liu.  The Weeknd, and specifically this song, are predicted to win big. If the predictions are right, we look like geniuses right now.  If they aren't, we're probably going to be posting some Avril Lavigne tomorrow.

Released as a single in January 2022, it reached #11 on the US pop charts, and was a hit all over the world.  Written by the artist and a score of others, including hitmaker Max Martin, the song has a funky sound that evokes memories of Michael Jackson and his style - which clearly influences The Weeknd. Lyrically, it's a typical club banger, talking about the hedonistic nature of the narrator's life. 

12 March 2023 - Lights - Banner

This is the 18th post we've made about Lights on this blog.  That is more than any #WGPHOF member.  That is more than my previous overposting of Charli XCX (17, by the way - 16 by me - if you include this post that totally featured her). 17 of these posts about Lights have been written by me.  

So why so much attention to a shapeshifting, namechanging artist?

Those who have known me for decades could tell you not only what my favorite album was (House Tornado, by Throwing Muses) but my SECOND favorite (Surfer Rosa, by the Pixies).  Since the late 1980s.  No album came close to those two for me.  Perfect albums.  I continually come back to them, for decades.  

Scott Colvin (who I will for this very last time give credit for scooping me on this one and who it's really killing not to post Britney Spears today) knows this. So when he reads the next paragraph he might be floored.

I can't say that anymore. Because over the past two years, I keep coming back to two other not-new albums: Roses by Cœur de Pirate, (by the way, also someone we've posted about no less than 18 times) and Siberia by Lights.  And the latter more than the former. 

(and, by the way, also Little Machines. Two albums now among my favorites)

Is Lights the new Kristin Hersh?  That may be an exaggeration, but the lyrical structure that Lights comes back to, song after song after song, is one that is flexible and hits hard.  This perhaps doesn't resonate more than it does with "Banner" - an uplifting, hopeful, but still dark song.  

I mention flexible.  I chose "Banner" here for a reason.  It was the first acoustic song of hers that I had heard (and I didn't know at the time it was Lights, because had I known, my blind spot would have told me to turn it off).  As of this writing, this version - the acoustic one - is her most played song on Spotify, by far.  

  

11 March 2023 - Drake - God's Plan

Canadian rap artist Drake has released a LOT of singles.  Literally, more than 140 in his 14-year-so-far career.

His biggest worldwide hit by far is this one, from 2018.  Written by Aubrey Drake Graham and a bunch of other people, the bigger story here is the video, where Drake really gave away almost $200,000 to random Miami residents (the video implies almost $1 million, but I assume not everything was done on camera).

But videos don't get to be the #1 song of the year as determined by Billboard, as this song was in 2018. This song was - it also spent 11 weeks atop the weekly charts - and was only knocked down by another of his own songs.  In total, Drake spent 29 of the 52 weeks of 2018 topping the Billboard pop charts - which is absolutely gigantic. 

By the way, in total, Drake has spent 54 weeks topping the Hot 100 - which is 5th most all time - Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley, Rhianna and Beatles are the only artists with more,  He's also got the most #1 debuts on the chart, with 7 - including both this single and the one that replaced it ("Nice For What"), the first time that a #1 debut replaced a #1 debut at #1.  

It's pretty standard Drake-brand hip-hop, but also, it's got some real feeling behind it, so there's that. 

10 March 2023 - Rêve - Tongue

I figured, why let œ have all the clipboard fun?  Let ê get some play!

Seriously, the artist known legally as Briannah Donolo grew up in Montreal, Quebec... and started with music at a very early age.  A cunning linguist herself, she speaks both English and French, and yes, her music is in English, even with the non-standard English-language letter in her name.

Rêve brings an electronic sound that does not feel out of place in the club - a sexually-charged club that serves tongues at mealtime, but still.  The song is definitely not safe for work, as it is pretty overt in its sexuality - it's not talking about lengua tacos, unless that's some kind of euphemism, in which case, it IS talking about lengua tacos, if you know what I mean, winky-face emoji.  

This fresh new Canadian artist is nominated for THREE Juno Awards this year, which will be awarded Monday, and I'm not gonna lie - I'm rooting for her.

If you prefer your music without body parts on a platter, but with the same entendre-filled lyrics, but also, you aren't prone to seizures, go ahead and check out Rêve's performance below.  

9 March 2023 - Corb Lund ft. Hayes Carll - Bible on the Dash

When most people in the U.S. think Canadian country the first thought likely is Shania Twain. And while that’s a pretty picture it’s akin to putting ketchup on fries.

Canadian country to me starts, but nowhere stops with Corb Lund.

Corb’s been doing his thing for almost 30 years. His sound is definitely western. The dude can write straight-up sentimental classic country, but he’s actually at his best when he lets his freak flag fly.

“Bible on the Dash” with Hayes Carll (who is American, but we’ll forgive him) is one of his freakiest…and best. In fact, I’d say this may be grooviest song ever. And it’s funny. Dig.