ismael37olson

[ismael37olson]

Dinah Jane Breaks Free In Self-Titled 3-Song Release!

Dinah Jane is finding her footing…

The former Fifth Harmony songstress has just released a brand-new, three-song bundle called, Dinah Jane 1. The self-titled set of songs is Dinah‘s first solo project since the release of her 2018 “Bottled Up” solo debut with Ty Dolla $ign and Marc E. Bassy.

Sonically, the set is a solid collection of catchy #SomethingMoreUrban pop gems and R&B-driven ballads. It sees her touching on romantic missed connections in “Pass Me By,” dealing with the same old fuck boys on “Heard It All Before,” and in the emotional “Fix It,” she gets more personal than ever before: Opening up about her family issues with lyrics like “There’s no room for me in this home/ So I go do it myself because it’s all I know” and “I’m tired of fighting/ Will we ever find peace?,” the slow-building tune clearly cuts extra deep for her – and truthfully, it’s nice to hear.

The songs may not be breaking any new grounds musically, but it’s definitely the sound of a more focused and liberated young woman coming into her own – because for once (finally!), she gets to call the shots. HERE FOR THE GROWTH!

Dinah Jane’s new self-titled release is also available on Apple Music and Spotify now!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/19/dinah-jane-breaks-free-in-self-titled-3-song-release/

[ismael37olson]

Becky G Takes Charge On ‘La Respuesta’ With Maluma!

Madonna might be (deservedly) getting all the attention for her Maluma-assisted comeback “Medellín” this week, but that’s not stopping Latin Pop Princess Becky G from snatching a few headlines of her very own.

Following the release of her English-driven singles “LBD” and “Green Light Go,” Becky‘s diving right back into her Latin Pop reign with the release of “La Respuesta,” featuring our fave Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy!

The song is a sexy, reggaeton throb that sees Becky confidently declaring her independence as she continuously turns down Maluma despite all his convincing advances. “La respuesta a tu pregunta es no/ Que no, que no, que no y no…,” Becky declares.

A scenario in which Maluma gets turns down seems unrealistic to me, but it for sure makes for a very solid song concept. A no-brainier collaboration, to be honest – LOVE! LOVE!

Becky G. & Maluma’s new single “La Respuesta” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/19/becky-g-takes-charge-on-la-respuesta-with-maluma/

[ismael37olson]

Rita Ora Teams Up With Kygo for ‘Detective Pikachu’ Single, ‘Carry On’!

There’s just no stopping Rita Ora.

It’s barely been five months since the release of her genuinely great sophomore album Phoenix, and the multi-talented entertainer has somehow found the time to hit the studio with Kygo.

They’ve teamed up on “Cary On,” the first single released from the upcoming soundtrack to Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, which she also stars in and is currently scheduled for a release on May 10th.

Considering Rita‘s long history of dance music collaborations, it’s really no surprise she’s linked up with Kygo for this special treat.

“You, you found me/ Made me into something new/ Led me through the deepest waters/ I promise loud to carry on for you…,” Rita declares as Kygo‘s signature tropical house textures and fluttering melodies run abound to complete the joyous atmosphere.

A solid pairing that wouldn’t find itself out of place in-between Rita‘s Phoneix singles, “Let You Love Me” and “Lonely Together. Here for it.

Rita Ora & Kygo’s “Carry On” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify now!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/19/rita-ora-teams-up-with-kygo-for-detective-pikachu-single-carry-on/

[ismael37olson]

Carly Rae Jepsen Takes Us On Her Disco Fantasy With ‘Dedicated’ Cut, ‘Julien’!

The time for Carly Rae Jepsen‘s brand new album Dedicated is near!

The LP, which is due for release on May 17, is (thankfully) shaping up to be every bit as good as 2015’s critically acclaimed E·MO·TION, from her unapologetically catchy lead single “Party For One” to the left-leaning “No Drug Like Me” and the sparkling “Now That I Found You.” And after the Canadian diva revealed the contents of Dedicated yesterday (15 songs!), she’s decided to share another treat with us, the album opener: “Julien“!

“‘Julien‘ is the song that taught me the heart and direction of this album,” Carly said in a statement. “Couldn’t keep him for myself any longer.”

The track is crafted alongside one of my favorite production duos, The Knocks, who are responsible for providing some of the best remixes in pop when they’re not churning out some fierce tunes of their very own. Therefore, it should come to no surprise that the song is one mesmerizing, genre-blurring swirl of warm beats, disco bass plucks, pulsating synths and Carly‘s signature swooning.

“Julien, in your heart, yeah, you must believe/ Julien, it was more than a fantasy/ To the end, to the last breath that I breathe/ I’ll be whispering, Julien…,” Carly declares on the hook. There’s something very magical buried in the sun-soaked production, and slightly melancholy at the same time–not unlike a good bulk of E·MO·TION.

This just feels fantastic overall. LOVE! LOVE!

Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest “Julien” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify now!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/19/carly-rae-jepsen-takes-us-on-her-disco-fantasy-with-dedicated-cut-julien/

[ismael37olson]

Madonna Kicks Off ‘Madame X’ Era With Maluma On ‘Medellín’!

One, two, cha-cha-cha… Madonna‘s back!

It’s been a long time coming, to say the least: Four years after her last original studio album (2015‘s Rebel Heart), the pop icon has at long last unveiled the first taste of new music from her forthcoming record Madame X (due out June 14): “Medellín” featuring Colombian reggaeton dreamboat Maluma!

First things first: What a Medellín? It’s the capital of Colombia’s mountainous Antioquia province (I took that from Google), and, most notably in this case, the birthplace of the self-proclaimed Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy himself.

Produced alongside her frequent collaborator Mirwais Ahmadzaï – the man behind Music, American Life and ‘Future Lovers” from Confessions on a Dance Floor – “Medellín“ instantly feels like a “now” type song in the sense that it’s very 2019: much like the sound that’s dominated much of pop radio for a while, there’s a warm island breeze permeating throughout the chilled-out production. And with Maluma on board, Madame X (smartly) taps into the unstoppable rise of Latin-pop, from 2017’s inescapable Luis Fonsi smash “Despacito” to the successful crossovers of J Balvin and Bad Bunny.

“Ven conmigo, let’s take a trip/ Si te llevo pa’ un lugar lejano/ Ven conmigo, I’ll be so good for you/ Te enamoro, te enamoro, mami (Ay-ay-ay)…,” the duo chant across the sun-kissed pulsations on the chorus.

Let’s not get it twisted, though: this isn’t a desperate attempt at trend-hopping moment. It’s very much a Madge song, she’s dived into Latin-pop territory before folks (see “La Isla Bonita“).

It’s not life-changing by any means, but without a doubt an intriguing and solid introduction to the new Madame X era. Some of you might be a little let down by the lack of energy in her first offering in years, but one thing’s for certain: Madonna is still firmly in control, and she’s decided to keep things cool, calm and feel-good with this comeback.

35 years into her career, she has nothing to prove. I’m into it Mom!

Madonna’s new single “Medellín” with Maluma is available on Apple Music and Spotify now!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/17/madonna-kicks-off-madame-x-era-with-maluma-on-medellin/

[ismael37olson]

It Implants in Your Brain and It Tells You What to Do

There are several narrative threads running through Be More Chill. One is the Science Run Amok / World Domination story. The other is Jeremy's Hero Myth (and Faust story), following his journey to Growing Up. Interestingly, as we're watching Jeremy finally grow up, finally give up selfishness in favor of sacrifice, the same thing is happening with his father. Both of these characters have to stop wallowing in self-pity and instead put their loved ones' needs ahead of their own. By the end of this story, we know both of them will be okay. They've both gained important enlightenment and both have found their paths. We hope. As our story opens, Jeremy and his dad are too comfortable in their current positions, and only a crisis will knock them out of complacency and into action. And even though Michael seems as "stuck" as Jeremy, he's not. We come to realize over the course of the story that Michael is Jeremy's Wise Wizard figure (like Ben Kenobi or Glinda the Good Witch). In many (most?) Hero Myth stories, the Hero loses the Wise Wizard shortly after he sets out on his journey. Here the sci-fi angle of the story allows for a clever parallel; here the Squip literally blocks Jeremy's ability to see Michael, so Jeremy's Wise Wizard is taken from him -- by technology. And it probably goes without saying that the Squip is the Evil Wizard in this story, seducing our hero to cross over to the Dark Side. And just as Darth Vader is largely machine, representing his lost humanity, in Be More Chill, the villain is pure technology, no humanity to lose. Jeremy Heere is close cousin to Anakin Skywalker, both crossing to the Dark Side, but for the Right Reasons. Sort of. Okay, not really. It reminds me of my favorite bit of Star Wars dialogue. Anakin asks Palpatine, "Is it possible to learn this power?" Palpatine pauses dramatically, turns slowly to Anakin and says, "Not from a Jedi." Anakin's Hero Myth is a tragic story because he does not learn the right lessons and he does not stay on his path. Jeremy has a happy ending because he does learn the right lessons, and he does find the right path for himself. In many Hero Myths, the Hero has to go to the Underworld (think of the cave on Dagobah in Empire Strikes Back). Maybe in Be More Chill, the underworld is Jeremy's time under the influence of the Squip, maybe even more explicitly, the Halloween party. He has "died" to his former life of nerdiness -- and warmth and compassion, BTW -- and has become one of the (moral? intellectual?) dead. But Jeremy doesn't escape The Underworld just yet...

Their zombified Midsummer Night's Dream -- think about this, a romantic comedy about the walking dead -- also stands in as a great metaphor for the Underworld; and it's in that scene, backstage, that Jeremy finally escapes the Dark Side. Even though we may not be consciously thinking about the Hero Myth parallels, we sense the Halloween party is a dark place, and Michael has come to "rescue" Jeremy, to bring him back to the world of the living, but Jeremy hasn't learned what he needs to learn yet.  And we sense, though maybe subconsciously, the various symbols and metaphors for death all over this story -- not the least of which is Jeremy's dead mother. The grief over her death and all that comes from that is a central part of this growing-up story. Death is part of life, Be More Chill is telling us; people die and we go on living. That's something we learn to do (or we don't), along with the million other lessons of becoming an adult. Jeremy and his dad both have to learn to honor her memory, but not at the expense of Life. They both have to learn that other people don't make us happy; we do that (or don't) ourselves. We choose. Be More Chill is all about choices, bad ones and good ones, immature and mature ones. It's about the gazillion mistakes we all make along our clumsy way toward adulthood, only in this case, blown up to literally world-shattering proportions. After all, this is a Faust story -- what could be higher stakes than selling your soul to the (cyber-) devil? Or world domination? The show is so much fun, such a roller coaster ride, and the characters are so incredibly engaging, but this is a serious story. Like I argued in my first BMC post, this is a thriller. We don't realize it till we're smack in the middle of this adventure, but the show's title is a seduction -- Being More Chill sounds good, but giving up independent thought is bad (that's how we got Trump!). And in this case, giving up independent thought is how the Squip literally is going to take over the world. Our story is a cautionary tale about surrendering your opinions or choices to others (whether in politics or religion or school), about the destructive potential of digital connectivity, about popping pharmaceuticals as an easy fix to complex problems, about bullying and peer pressure and other ways that humans inflict pain on other humans. We blame the Squip for the destruction, this soulless micro-computer, but somebody made that damn thing. Some human designed the Squip to do what it does. It's still humans hurting humans.

It seems that every theme in this story connects directly to 2019. I'd like to think that's part coincidence, and part not. I think artists, consciously or not, are always responding to the world around them, often before they even realize it themselves. The brilliant novelist Ned Vizzini created this story fifteen years ago. How'd he know what a pitch perfect metaphor his sci-fi story would be for the culture and politics of America in 2019? He probably didn't, but I guess that's what great artists do. Lucky for us. The adventure continues... Long Live the Musical! Scott BUY TICKETS HERE. from The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre http://newlinetheatre.blogspot.com/2019/04/it-implants-in-your-brain-and-it-tells.html

[ismael37olson]

Becky G Keeps Her Eye On The Prize On, ‘Green Light Go’!

My girl Becky G is on her “Green Light Go“!

After heating up things up at the start of the year with “LBD,” the multi-talented is ready to move forward with another braggadocious anthem called “Green Light Go“!

“Ok, nobody stop me, I’m on my green light go / Everything I do is big, I’m on my ‘fee-fi-fo’/ I came up from out the dirt, I’m like a concrete rose,” she confidently purrs across the bass-heavy, trap-lite production. “If I ever fall, I’m landin’ on my Gucci soles/ I got my foot on the gas.”

The track’s sort of like the career-driven twin sister to “LBD,” — y’know, the who decided to stay home and study instead of going out to the club to get her freak on. Whichever Becky it is, there’s simply no stopping her… she’s on that non-stop rise!

“‘Green Light Go,’ to me, represents not taking no for an answer, making my own path and giving myself my own green lights,” Becky expressed in a statement. “I am a proud Mexican-American, concrete rose, born and raised in the streets of LA. I’m on my Green light go. Let’s go.”

Becky G’s latest “Green Light Go” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify now!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/12/becky-g-green-light-go/

[ismael37olson]

‘Late Night Feelings’: Mark Ronson Makes Disco Magic With Lykke Li!

Lykke Li is proficient in The Art Of So Sad So Sexy greatness, we know: From everything included on her 2018 masterpiece to I Never Learn and Youth Novels, she’s proven capable of supplying undeniably heartfelt and transportive gems time and time again.

But what happens when the brooding songstress teams up with magic-maker Mark Ronson, the now Oscar-winning producer behind “Shallow,” among dozens of others of masterpieces?

Warm, silky disco greatness…that’s what.

Far from the trap hi-hats and tripping beats behind so sad so sexy, the slow-burning delight is more like something you’d hear on a Jessie Ware or Disclosure record, or perhaps even Calvin Harris‘ Funk Wav Bounce Vol.1. The inviting, sensual disco-laced production makes for some major late night baby makin’ mood music, and Lykke‘s soothing, tender reassurances provide the gentlest little kisses along the way. “When I get to want ya/ And I wanna call ya/ With late night feelings…,” she croons.

It’s a very great sign of what’s to come from Mark‘s Late Night Feelings, an album with the potential to snatch the crown for the year. Stay tuned!

Mark Ronson’s latest “Late Night Feelings (feat. Lykke Li)” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/12/late-night-feelings-mark-ronson-makes-disco-magic-with-lykke-li/

[ismael37olson]

Ellie Goulding Gets Nostalgic On Joyous New Single, ‘Sixteen’!

Ellie Goulding has already blessed us with “Close To Me” and “Flux” in the past few months, but despite new singles, we’ve been hard-pressed for info about the talented English songstress’ upcoming fourth studio album.

This week, Ellie‘s back with yet another taste of what’s to come: “Sixteen,” a euphoric Ian Kirkpatrick and Mike Wise-production that sees her recapturing the flame of young love.

“If you just focus on me/ Like we were sixteen/ And plotting our lives/ Can I wear your t-shirt/ And sleep on you/ While I dream of all the good times?/ When we were sixteen,” Ellie pleads as the track suddenly dives into a brief, stuttering breakdown of glitchy vocals and electronic beats.

It’s a nice change a pace for Ellie: It’s a solid, catchy, pop continuation to “Close To Me” and a pretty spot-on representation of Ellie‘s sound, given a fresh gloss for 2019. I’m down with it.

Ellie Goulding’s new single “Sixteen” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/12/ellie-goulding-gets-nostalgic-on-joyous-new-single-sixteen/

[ismael37olson]

Pink Escapes Reality on Euphoric ‘Hurts 2B Human’ Cut, ‘Can We Pretend!

We’re just two weeks away from a whole new P!nk album y’all!

Following the release of lead single “Walk Me Home” and “Hustle,” we’ve been given further access into the hit-maker’s eighth studio album, Hurts 2B Human, with the release of a third teaser: “Can We Pretend,” a reflective slice of uptempo deliciousness produced by EDM trio Cheat Codes (who are best known for their hits with Demi Lovato and Little Mix.)

The song finds P!nk diving into somewhat new territory for her as she reminisces about a time before social media and 24-hour news feeds across waves of infectious synths and gripping bass.

“So can we pretend/ That I’m twenty-two today/ Dancin’ on the tables with you? (Oh yeah)/ Can we pretend/ That we all end up okay?/ I just wanna forget with you (Oh yeah)/ Can we pretend/ That we both like the president?/ Can we pretend…,” she urges before the radio-ready, post-chorus drop comes surging through the speakers.

Truthfully, the production sounds a bit 2011 and late, but at the same time, it is genuinely nice to hear P!nk top-line a more dance-centric soundscape. We’ve had a shortage of these dance-ready cuts from our pop girls as of late, so I’ll take it god damn it!

P!nk’s latest “Can We Pretend (feat. Cash Cash)” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/12/pink-escapes-reality-on-euphoric-hurts-2b-human-cut-can-we-pretend/

[ismael37olson]

Be More Chill

Two years ago, I had never heard of Be More Chill, the novel or the musical. And tonight we start rehearsals for the musical -- even as it's running and breaking house records on Broadway. So what's the big deal? Some of the reviews off and on Broadway have been very positive, others more mixed. It seems many of the reviewers don't quite understand what it is they're seeing. This isn't an adult world's point of view; this story comes from the point of view of these high schools kids. And to them, none of this is funny. To them, the stakes are impossibly high. We all remember those days, right? Stylistically, Be More Chill is cousin to Little Shop, Heathers, Bat Boy, BBAJ, Urinetown, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Spelling Bee, and other shows in the new-ish category of neo musical comedy, shows that use traditional devices and conventions but with a more personal, more subtle, more complex, often more subversive, more political agenda. There are politics here, but they're subliminal. In Be More Chill, the premise is ridiculous, but inside that world, everything makes sense. It's much like what Howard Ashman wrote in his preface to the published script for Little Shop:

Little Shop of Horrors satirizes many things: science fiction, B movies, musical comedy itself, and even the Faust legend. There will, therefore, be a temptation to play it for camp and low-comedy. This is a great and potentially fatal mistake. The script keeps its tongue firmly in cheek, so the actors should not. Instead, they should play with simplicity, honesty, and sweetness – even when events are at their most outlandish. The show’s individual “style” will evolve naturally from the words themselves and an approach to acting and singing them that is almost child-like in its sincerity and intensity. By way of example, Audrey poses like Fay Wray from time to time. But she does this because she’s in genuine fear and happens to see the world as her private B movie – not because she’s “commenting” to the audience on the silliness of her situation. Having directed the original New York production of Little Shop myself, and subsequently having seen it in many versions and even many languages, I can vouch for the fact that when Little Shop is at its most honest, it is also at its funniest and most enjoyable.

I remember first reading that -- after already having seen and loved the show off Broadway -- and it really had an impact on me. And besides, I'm not convinced Be More Chill is a comedy at all, though there are a lot of laughs. It's actually a pretty serious, dark story, despite the many laughs. The same could be said of High Fidelity or La Cage aux Folles. But again, like Little Shop, Heathers, and Bat Boy, this is a thriller. That's not obvious at first when you're watching the show, because the show itself pulls a wonderful "fake" on the audience... For much of Act I of Be More Chill, we think we're following a (sort of) traditional Hero Myth story, with Jeremy in search of the wisdom he lacks. His journey is about finding his path, his Real, as Passing Strange would put it. But Jeremy spends most of our story on somebody else's path, so it's impossible for him to get where he's going. Ultimately, he has to learn that he has to follow -- and embrace -- his own path in life. We might even argue that Michael is the Wise Wizard figure in this Hero Myth story, with the Squip as the Evil Wizard....? But really, Be More Chill is not Jeremy's story, and it's not a Hero Myth story. It's not till early Act II that we discover the real story here -- it's really a science fiction, world domination story, complete with the ubiquitous 1950s sci-fi theme of Science Run Amok. It's halfway through our story that we discover we've been duped -- exactly as Jeremy has been -- because the Squip has hidden its real agenda. We start to realize that we're not following a young man trying to find his way; no, we're following a megalomaniac AI computer trying to take over the world. That's a little different. And that's where Be More Chill escapes any label or category you might try to impose. The true story, under the clever cloak of Jeremy's story, is about a malevolent force (a cousin to Terminator's Skynet?) that uses our greatest human weakness -- disconnectedness -- to seduce and conquer us. Jeremy's -- and our -- only salvation is in real human, face-to-face connection, without technology intervening, selecting for us, tailoring to us, manipulating us. Could this theme be any more relevant at this moment in our cultural history? But wait, there's more... The zombie references that are peppered throughout the show, and the zombie apocalypse the drama teacher imposes on Midsummer Night's Dream, all point toward something fairly subtle amongst all this sci-fi-ish madness. Everybody is a zombie in Be More Chill, in one way or another -- and the show is arguing, many of us are zombies, stumbling purposelessly through our everyday lives. Jeremy's Dad is an emotional zombie, walking around, but "dead" inside. Jeremy and Michael are social zombies, walking the halls of school, but "dead" to the social elite. Even the popular kids are metaphorical zombies -- maybe they're moral zombies? -- following blindly without thought or question.

And all this is a stand-in for the real-world, teenage "digital zombies," walking through life with the eyes glued to their smartphones. The show even updates the classic "Telephone Hour" with "The Smartphone Hour." Again, it couldn't be more timely. Jeremy's salvation is in breaking the zombie spell, forcing all these people to think for themselves, rather than blindly think and do what they're told. It's a subtle but potent metaphor. This show is no silly confection. This is a rich, complicated look at life in the Digital Age, about teen depression, about bullying, and through it all, about the profound power of human connection; and therefore, subliminally, about the profound power of live theatre. With all this in mind, it's clear to us that taking these characters less than seriously betrays the characters and betrays the audience, because the audience has lived these experiences. The writing is very honest and authentic -- and funny -- so if the performances aren't honest, we'll throw the show out of balance. There are some very deep, complex, serious emotions running through this story. The running joke about Dad's pants is funny, but ultimately, it leads to an incredibly powerful payoff in Act II that is packed with meaning and emotion. This show has been so carefully wrought, but it's also so honest and big-hearted and authentic. The writing is so good. As much as everybody loves it on Broadway right now, I can't wait to share this with an audience in our intimate, little blackbox theatre -- all those emotions are going to be so overwhelming, so impossible to escape, so powerful. Dowdy is the lead director this time, though we'll direct the show together. I can't wait to work on this material, and then to share it with audiences! Our actors are crazy excited to start work! And BTW, ticket sales are already really strong, so get your tickets now! Another amazing adventure begins! Long Live the Musical! Scott BUY TICKETS HERE. from The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre http://newlinetheatre.blogspot.com/2019/04/be-more-chill.html

[ismael37olson]

Jon ALi Presents: Press Play – April 2019!

It’s time for change my music loving babes!

As you may or may not have realized, things have been getting a bit slower on the update front here at Jon ALi’s Blog. The truth is that it’s been hard for me to keep up with all the new tunes debuting on the daily. I legit would need an army of pop-obsessed writers to cover everything I’d like to on #NewMusicFriday alone – and that’s not happening anytime soon.

Over the past few years, the blog has turned to more of a labor of love for me. The place I go to let loose and talk about pop when I’m not DJing around NYC, writing for JustJared.com, or curating playlists for Billboard Pride, which is honestly a privilege. I am booked and blessed and it all wouldn’t be my reality if it weren’t my start here. I am forever grateful to all those of you who still check-in weekly. Thank you, seriously.

WITH THAT SAID: This is not a goodbye by any means! This is me saying I want to be able to give you more music in an easier, more effective way.

So without further ado, I present to you: Press Play, my brand new monthly playlist – aka your opportunity to hear all of the songs I’m currently buzzin’ about in one handy and convenient playlist.

Each month I will start a new Press Play playlist and update it as the days go by with all the songs I write about within the month here on the blog, as well as everything else I’m listening to on re-pe-peat at the moment (aka the stuff I don’t have time to write about but still very much am into).

Just turn it up and turn it on: Subscribe to the Spotify and Apple Music playlist below! More songs to come…

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/05/jon-ali-presents-press-play-april-2019/

[ismael37olson]

‘Keep On Coming’: Gia Woods Strikes Gold Again!

Persian Princess Gia Woods, who I proclaimed as our Next Pop Girl To Stan last month, is quite literally proving herself to be a reliable and consistent supplier of pop greatness with the release of the almighty “Keep On Coming“!

As the song’s title might suggest, the tempo, theme and beats move from sparse tropical-tinged moments to more muted moments as she lays down her enticing, sex-drenched come-ons.

“I wrote it specifically about a person who I kept bumping into and realizing that their body ‘keeps on coming’ — meaning I’ve never formally met this person, but for some reason, I’m supposed to know them,” Gia told Paper. “The way two people come together so effortlessly is a dance we all do in life, whether they turn out to be lovers or strangers.”

“Do you want to undress, undress me/ Fuck me with your eyes, me with your eyes,” she teases before the euphoric waves of dancefloor-ready synths come crashing through the speakers.

Gia‘s channeled that uniquely dizzying feeling of falling for someone at first sight into song with that hold-on-to-your-pants chorus blast-off: “I know the night is going, but your body keep on coming, coming…“

That voice. That chorus. That’s a banger folks.

Gia Woods’ latest “Keep On Coming” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify now!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/05/keep-on-coming-gia-woods-strikes-gold-again/

[ismael37olson]

Bronze Avery Drops A Double Dose: ‘Anybody Else’ & ‘Spilling Out’

My bb Bronze Avery is at it again, but this time he means business.

After impressing with his dance-ready treat “Want 2” at the end of last year, the LA-based singer-songwriter-producer is finally ready to give us a little more with a spring-ready double release he’s calling, Split.

That’s right: Bronze has dropped not one, but two new tracks: “Anybody Else” and “Spilling Out“!

The first song “Anybody Else,” is a sparkling chilled-out, throwback R&B nod that organically builds along a breezy summertime beat, leading all the way to what is a genuinely feel-good, emotional chorus. “I just wanna go back in time/ Just to be right back by your side/ ‘Cause I haven’t got eyes for anybody else/ No I haven’t got eyes for anybody else…,” Bronze declares. It offers up some effortlessly strong melodies and a bit of nostalgia – It’s a win!

Bronze Avery’s “Anybody Else” is available on Apple Music and Spotify now

And then there’s “Spilling Out,” a slightly more return to form as far as lyricism and production is concerned. “You’re pushing me and pulling me out of the shadows/ You’re bleeding right through my skin and I can’t let you go/ Don’t wanna hold back anymore/ There no one else that I want more…,” he chants across the super sparkly, dance-ready throb. Bronze is at his best when he’s pouring his heart out on the dance floor, and “Spilling Out” is certainly no exception.

Bronze Avery’s latest “Spilling Out” is available on Apple Music and Spotify now!

GET INTO IT!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/05/bronze-avery-drops-a-double-dose-anybody-else-spilling-out/

[ismael37olson]

Jonas Brothers Continue Comeback Slayage With Breezy New Single, ‘Cool’!

The Jonas Brothers are feeling quite “Cool,” and they have every right to.

Just weeks after making their grand return with “Sucker” – their first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, the boys have gone ahead and shared their second single, “Cool,” along with its accompanying music video.

Unlike the lead single, this one’s a whole lot less lovey-dovey: Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas are focused on some self-confidence this time, singing about their good fortune in life and self-love.

“Lately, I’ve been feelin’ so cool (Cool)/ Top to the bottom, just cool (Cool)/ Every little thing that I do (Do)/ Dammit, I’m feelin’ so coo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ool,” the J Bros chant across the song’s breezy, slow-churning beat.

It’s one of those bar-ready, feel-good jams filled to the brim with silly, young lyrics (“Oh, I feel like Post Malone when I get home, sittin’ there, winning like it’s Game of Thrones.”) and drunken singalong chants with friends.

A solid, celebratory mid-to-late spring smash? I’m “Cool” with that!

Jonas Brothers’ latest “Cool” is also available on Apple Music and Spotify!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/05/jonas-brothers-continue-comeback-slayage-with-breezy-new-single-cool/

[ismael37olson]

Queer Necessities: Billboard Pride’s April 2019 Playlist by Jon ALi

April showers bring May flowers, but they’re also bringing new music to your ears!

That’s right: It’s time for the latest edition of Queer Necessities – the monthly LGBTQ-driven playlist from Billboard Pride where we catch you up on the latest and greatest bops by queer musicians and fierce allies. Each month’s selections will be curated by, yours truly, Jon ALi.

This month’s 19-track collection include tracks by Shura, Mathew V, Davy Boi, Herstory, jesse saint john and much more. You can check out the full track-by track review, as well as follow the official link to the Spotify playlist on Billbord Pride now! I’ve included the Apple Music option below for those of you not on Spotify.

Make sure to like Billboard Pride on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and stay tuned for a new playlist every month!

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2019/04/04/queer-necessities-billboard-prides-april-2019-playlist-by-jon-ali/

[ismael37olson]

When Your World Spins Too Fast

It's an ugly time in our culture. I see pundits on cable news trying to explain why it's ugly and what we can do about it. But almost all of them miss the central point. America is changing in big ways, very quickly, and to a substantial minority, that is terrifying. And right now, for those folks, fear motivates everything in them. These people fear losing power (that they never really had), fear losing social status (that they never really had), fear losing their culture (which was never as White or European as they think it was), fear losing the America they love (that never actually existed except in midcentury sitcoms). And you know what the Jedi teach -- Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. It's not hard at all to see the truth in that, displayed every day in our culture. Many years ago I was talking to Steve Woolf at the Rep, and I was noting a theme (the use and abuse of money) that ran through every play in that Rep season, and I asked him if that was on purpose. He said that no, that kind of thing was never on purpose for him, but also that halfway through each season, he would become aware of that season's theme. And then in retrospect, he could see how that idea had been swimming around in his brain and in the zeitgeist as he was programming the season. I think the same thing happened to me and Dowdy when we were planning New Line's current season. We can now see that the theme that emerged, that connects the three shows in our season, is The Triumph of the Other. All three of our shows are built on that theme, but neither Dowdy nor I were at all aware of that when we set the season. After working on La Cage the last couple months, and now, sharing it with our audiences, I see that this seemingly lightweight 1983 comedy, slightly revised in 2008, has profound weight and relevance in 2019. Even more than I anticipated.

I realized last night, watching our show, that the club in our show is America. The conservatives are fighting to close that club, but the people of La Cage ultimately win, not because of any arbitrary morality or lack thereof, but because the people of La Cage are demonstrably better people -- more open, more loving, more accepting, and less judgmental. In this story, the conservatives are a small, weak, ineffectual, sacred group. It's America in 2019 in micro. In our country right now, "the La Cage people" -- i.e., social liberals -- are in the majority, according to every poll, and conservative America is shrinking. Conservatives still cause lots of noise and lots of trouble, but the Dindons of America can't shut down this new world that's forming itself right in front of our eyes -- a browner, more diverse, more socially liberal America than ever before, with no racial majority. I think of all this as America's perpetual battle between the 1950s (conservatism) and the 1960s (liberalism). So many great musicals are about that battle -- Hair, Grease, Rocky Horror, The Fantasticks, Cry-Baby, and others. But that's not what La Cage is about. There is no genuine threat here -- even if you don't know the story, you probably sense that the bigot and bully won't triumph, right? The question is whether the Good People will hurt each other in the process. The fun of the show's climax is the complexity of the problem they've created and the suspense of how they will extricate themselves and deliver the happy ending we assume is coming. Right before the Dindons arrive for dinner, Jean-Michel says to the family:

All right, you three. Listen carefully. For the next twenty-one hours there will be people of a lifestyle far removed from the one you live. I beseech you, for the next twenty-one hours to dispense with everything you take pride in and everything that brings you personal joy. My future depends on it.

It's a funny line and it gets a laugh, but it also stings like hell. This is not just about disguise; it's about the suppression, the rejection of their very life force, of the joy and fun that gets them through each day.

I keep telling people that, at its heart, La Cage is really just about a middle-aged married couple and whether or not their relationship can survive this crisis. The brilliance of the show (and the original play and film) is that, just as in a John Waters movie, the Others are Normal, and it's the Ordinary People who are the true Others. And so, even if we're not Other in the real world, we identify with the Others throughout this story. That's a pretty neat trick. But on an even more basic level, this is a story about Joy, and whether or not Fear is more powerful. La Cage aux Folles is all about joy -- both in the show's form (the joy of singing and dancing) and in its content. After all, what is our story about? How does our middle-aged couple survive the crisis? Their lives are filled with joy, and they share it liberally. That's how. The central conflict hinges on the potential destruction of that joy. But really, the action of the show can be charted as Joy embraced, Joy suppressed, Joy betrayed, and finally, Joy as healing. It's all about joy. Which, I'd argue, is what the musical theatre is all about. Once in a while, New Line produces a well-known show and we shock the hell out of our audience with it. Not because we change anything (we don't), not because we impose crazy new concepts on it (we don't), but because we take it seriously and we work hard to find all that's meaningful and beautiful in the material. It stunned us last season that our Anything Goes was such a revelation to so many people. All we did was take the material seriously, to reveal how brilliant and smart and wickedly insightful the show (at least the 1962 version) really is. The same thing is happening now with La Cage.

Everyone is stunned by the emotional power of this story, but we didn't add that to the show; we just revealed it. They're stunned at the subtlety of Zak's performance as Albin, but all we're doing is bringing these characters to the most honest and authentic life we can. But again, we're not adding anything to these characters; just revealing what's already there. The story is overflowing with human truth. Maybe too many productions don't do this simplest and most fundamental of things, taking the material seriously. But it's not magic; it's our job. And it's fun! Ultimately in La Cage, Joy wins. As it will in the middle-aged relationship that is America. But as we learn from La Cage, it wins only through love and a little ingenuity. And the gays. The whole run's been selling out. Just four more electrifying performances! Long Live the Musical! Scott from The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre http://newlinetheatre.blogspot.com/2019/03/when-your-world-spins-too-fast.html