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New music from Butterfly Black to JSWISS and Eric Roberson
Here & Now's Scott Tong speaks with Keanna Faircloth about the music that's caught her ear right now. Faircloth hosts the podcast "Artimacy."
4 song recommendations from Keanna Faircloth
"Baby Star" by Butterfly Black
"They consist of Grammy-winning bassist Ben Williams and Broadway singer Syndee Winters, who played Nala in 'The Lion King.' Their new album is called 'Blackpop,' which is their debut album, which has a lot of nostalgic, bubbly [1980s] R&B vibes to it with a modern twist.
"I love this song because it has a great story behind it. Now, Ben and Syndee were in the middle of making plans to record a children's album. So they wanted to create kids' music that the parents could actually enjoy. So during a visit to a bookstore, actually, they found a children's book about the Zodiac and they thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool to make a song about the Zodiac for kids?'
"That's how Baby Star came to life, and they loved it so much that they decided to include it in 'Blackpop' instead of saving it for the kids' album."
"Superman" by JSWISS ft. Eric Roberson
"In this musical scene, we're always hearing just sort of revenge rap. JSWISS is super refreshing because he brings hope and love through his voice and lyrics.
"On this tune, he's kind of focusing on men and how there's so much pressure that men feel on a day-to-day basis. And so he released this particular song during Men's Mental Health Awareness Month to sort of spark conversations about emotional and mental support men need to truly thrive for themselves and those around them."
"Bright Side" by Alicia Olatuja & Michael Olatuja ft. Christian Sands
"They have really a remarkable story about the power of reconciliation. They've been divorced for 10 years and they've transitioned from life partners to musical partners once again with the release of their album 'Olatuja,' which is their first since 2011. And they were just featured in People Magazine and they were discussing how they were able to mend their relationship through music.
"After spending some time apart, they grew both personally and professionally. And Alicia is now remarried and her husband and Michael are now great friends, which is a cool story about the power of reconciling and growing and really getting back to a sense of normalcy with your ex. So it's a beautiful, just really inspiring story."
"Phoenix Reimagined" by Lakecia Benjamin ft. Randy Brecker, Jeff "Tain" Watts & John Scofield
This segment aired on November 13, 2024.
