Brant's April 2017 Playlist

Infamous crime duo Bunny and Clyde:  hoppin' dirty.  

Easter is two weeks away, and we've got a basket full of tunes for ya!  I guess the theme for this month could be collaborations.  Many of these songs are the product of artists coming together to make music.  And much like infamous Easter crime duo Bunny and Clyde - the results are outrageous and memorable.  Let's hop on in.  To listen on Spotify, click HERE.

1.  Babygirl (Charli XCX feat. Uffie) - I've definitely been keeping my eye on rising pop star Charli XCX.  She seems to have a clear vision of where she's going, and I love her sound - which takes the best of 80's and 90's pop and repackages it to feel fresh and contemporary.  And what a treat to hear Uffie return from a hiatus to lay down some rhymes!

2.  Friends (Francis and the Lights feat. Bon Iver) - Cinematic electronica backed by a choir of Auto-tuned angels to soothe your tax season nerves.

3.  Never My Love (Knox Hamilton) - Inspired New Wave take on the Association's groovy classic.

4.  San Francisco Dues (Chuck Berry) - This rock pioneer passed away last month, but his body of work will live on forever.  He's best known for early songs like "Johnnie B. Goode" and "Maybellene", but this 1971 recording shows that he was still going strong in his later years.  RIP

5.  There 4 U (Leela James) - Another artist I've followed for a while now.  I'm totally digging the 1970s vibe she's got going on here!

6.  Songbird (Freedom Fry) - Usually I get my freedom fries with a burger, but nothing wrong with some fowl every now and then!  Especially when it's sung so deliciously.

7.  Crazy Love (Irma Thomas) - I stumbled across this on NPR.  Apparently Instant Records is releasing a series of recordings of women singing love songs traditionally sung by men.  If the rest of the offerings are as great as this one - we've got a lot to look forward to.  Here - New Orleans soul legend Irma Thomas covers Van Morrison.

8.  Empty Hotel by the Sea (Conor Oberst) - Okay, I guess the theme for this month could also be Artists that I Love.  Here's the latest from prolific songwriter Conor Oberst.  I was a little puzzled why he went back and re-recorded songs from his last acoustic album, this time with a full band behind him.  But luckily he threw in some new stuff as well, such as this tune.

9.  Slide (Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean and Migos) - Whether it's K-Pop artists or Bruno Mars, it seems that the 80s R&B sound is making a comeback.  Calvin Harris jumps on the bandwagon with this funky mid-tempo collaboration featuring Frank Ocean and hip hop group Migos.

10.  Just a Feeling (Phantoms feat. Vérité) - LA electronic duo teams up with Brooklyn singer to serve some icy cool dance beats.

11.  Lost in Music (Sister Sledge) - We also lost Joni Sledge, of Sister Sledge, in March.  Best known for their hit "We Are Family", here is Joni singing lead on this selection from the same album.  RIP Sister!

12.  All My People /Boogie Back Remix/ (Kindred the Family Soul) - Neo-Soul husband and wife act deliver some feel-good vibes that would make Ashford and Simpson smile!

13.  I Feel It Coming (the Weeknd feat. Daft Punk) - Grammy winner shows no signs of a slump on his third album, which concludes with this Daft Punk collaboration that could easily have been an outtake from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album.

14.  Get on Up (DJ Bobo) - Sometimes a song can be doing everything wrong (hokey raps, Chipmunk-style background vocals) and it totally works!!!  This song gets my toes tappin' every time.  I guess that's why DJ Bobo has sold 14 million records throughout Europe - clearly he knows what he's doing!

15.  (Nothing But) Flowers (Talking Heads) - Hard to believe the Talking Heads released this 29 years ago this month!  The lyrics still seem relevant with President Trump recently signing an Executive Order to undermine Obama's efforts to curb climate change.

16.  Answer My Text (PWR BTTM) - I used to love Pansy Division back in the day, so what a treat to find this new Queer Punk band!

17.  She's Like a Star (Soul System) - Heard this online and never would have guessed it was an Italian band!  Great contemporary soul vibes!

18.  Good as Hell (Lizzo) - Crystal turned me on to this artist.  Up-and-Coming hip hop star with sassy attitude for days!

So that's April's list!  I guess that means now I've gotta get back to my taxes.  Somehow that doesn't seem as much fun as discovering new music.  See you in May!