Since his days as a hitmaker in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández has excelled at stately, immaculately orchestrated ballads — the perfect launching pad for his potent baritone. On “Decepciones,” Fernández’s band works at a leisurely pace, with a gently strummed rhythm guitar keeping time …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Haim's Cover of Leonard Cohen's 'If It Be Your Will'
It was mildly confusing when Haim released an original song titled “Hallelujah” on Monday, but now they’ve officially dropped a Leonard Cohen cover — a rendition “If It Be Your Will,” included on the new Hanukkah+ album. The final breath to 1984’s Various Positions, “If It Be Your Will” is …
Read More »Song You Need To Know: Raphael Saadiq 'This World Is Drunk'
Raphael Saadiq’s had a hand in a remarkable amount of landmark r&b over the past 30 years, though you may not know it — from his family band Tony! Toni! Toné! in the early ‘90s, through his role in the supergroup Lucy Pearl, and his work on records from D’Angelo’s …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Miley Cyrus, 'Slide Away'
One of Miley Cyrus‘ most underrated periods was her brief, teenage flirtation with rock. When she first began showing the world she was more than a Disney princess, she released the hair metal-tingedCan’t Be Tamed. She has not returned to the genre much since then, opting instead for rap and …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello, 'Find U Again'
Mark Ronson and Camila Cabello unlock something completely new for each other on their first (and hopefully not last) collaboration, “Find U Again.” The result is pure pop magic that sounds timeless, untethered to the past or the trends of the present. On “Find U Again,” Cabello is in search …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Sheer Mag, 'Blood From a Stone'
Before today, Sheer Mag had released less than 25 songs, but their sound is still instantly recognizable. Less than 10 seconds into the Philadelphia rockers’ new single — the first track released from their upcoming second LP A Distant Call — as vocalist Tina Halladay enters, singing “All damn day …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Jarv Is…, 'Must I Evolve?'
Jarvis Cocker has always been one of rock’s greatest wry wits, from his days in Pulp slinging Brit-pop bangers about the British class system to more recent solo joints like his 2009 tune “I Never Said I Was Deep,” a bit of Bowie-esque bloat that felt a little like Ziggy …
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