Justin Timberlake is finally back with a brand new single off a forthcoming album entitled “Man Of The Woods” his first LP since his “20/20 Experience” projects which he even stated himself were a rush job. Even with that in mind Timberlake still didn’t fade, his last single “Can’t Stop The Feeling” which was taken from the “Trolls” movie soundtrack still managed to hit the charts and stream heavily on radio airwaves. But while his new music still never managed to be good as his old, what does one do? Well in Timberlake’s case he’s gone back to basics enlisting the help of old friends and producers Timbaland and Danja to help channel his “FutureSex/LoveSounds” past. “Filthy” dwells upon two things; Haters and bringing sexy back which the futuristic edgy sound Timbaland and Danja help reinforce.
Expect to see another familiar face pop up on “Man Of The Woods” with Pharrell Williams of N*E*R*D also lending a hand in the production booth. The pre-promo for the new album was released like a theatrical trailer that showed the Tennessee singer wading through cornfields, ponds, and snowy plains surrounded by horses and campfires. Pharrell said the music was “earthy.” Jessica Biel said it was “Wild West, but now.” This new album can either go really good or really bad for the artist but were hoping with the producers he’s selected it’ll take the LP down the right path. “Filthy” is out now.
Pop singer Hailee Steinfeld joined DJ Alesso and band Florida Georgia Line for a new single called “Let Me Go” which also features artist Watt. For anyone not familiar with Steinfeld’s work she originally began in acting, staring in “True Grit” and the “Pitch Perfect” sequels but always shared a passion for singing. “Singing has always been a part of my plan, and as an actor, I always wished and hoped that it would happen through a movie so that it wasn’t a matter of ‘Here I am dropping an album and this is now what I wanna do,’ but instead it would make sense, and the timing was right, It became the perfect opportunity to segue into music.” she told W Magazine.
“Let Me Go” got some good reviews from critics with Billboard calling it an “eye-popping collaboration”, and felt it “has all the right ingredients for its lyrics to quickly get stuck in your head”. It has peaked as high as number 3 on the US dance charts and hit the top 20 in 11 countries. This song marks another pop/EDM collaboration which seems to be the chart topping nucleus we’ve seen over the past few years. “Let Me Go” is available now.
Indie band the Pale Waves released a new single from their debut EP called “New Years Eve”. The EP is slated for release on January 18th and the band has already dropped three successful singles from it one of which was “My Obsession”. “Pale Waves” were discovered by English rock band The 1975 and you can definitely hear the similarities in their sounds, bringing you back to an 1970-80’s era. I think “Pale Waves” are going to be the ones to watch in 2018 and won’t be long before their picked up by a major label, if you haven’t heard them be sure to go check them out on YouTube where there videos have had over 10 million views each and continuing to grow.
It’s been three years since we first heard the unique vocals of R&B singer Jussie Smollett on the FOX smash hit TV show ‘Empire’, and now he’s finally ready to stand alone with his debut solo release “Freedom”. This song marks the lead release from his forthcoming debut album called “Sum Of My Music” which is slated for March 2nd, and though on this track the organ and synth-soaked instrumentation may be unembellished it allows his vocals to take center stage. Lyrically and vocally this single grabs you, but instrumentally the song builds and builds but never seems to manifest into anything, leaving you almost disappointed. I’ve found a lot of the time during ‘Empire’ Smollett’s vocals can sometimes get annoying, but during this ballad he seems to be a little more subtle and bearable.
“Sum Of My Music” might give John Legend a run for his money possibly, but we can only wait in anticipation for the moment and hope Smollett releases some more great ballads. “Freedom” is out now.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar and singer SZA unveiled their new song “All The Stars” which is set to appear on the upcoming Marvel film “Black Panther”. Like always Lamar opens his verse with packed proud lines over a drum beat as SZA sings an infectious pop hook. This song is both artists first musical appearance for 2018 after having huge years in 2017 with Kendrick Lamar dropping his highly successful rap album “Damn” and SZA unveiling her critically acclaimed debut “CTRL”. Lamar notched up seven Grammy nominations including “Album Of The Year” and SZA earning five including “Best New Artist”.
Black Panther isn’t due for release til February but the theme song “All The Stars” is available now.
