Brant's February 2018 Playlist

Working on my look for President's Day

A February without new music would be unpresidented!!!  I'm Bush-ed from searching for new songs, but I feel like this month's list will Trump anything else out there!  This month has a few Grammy nominees, as well as some new and familiar artists.  To listen on Spotify, click HERE. 

1.  Got Soul (Valerie June) - Indeed she does!  Tennessee singer/songwriter gets us going with this Memphis soul ditty. 

2.  Watch Me (Labi Siffre) - This showed up on my Spotify suggestions - apparently it was recently used in the soundtrack for "This Is Us", but was recorded in 1972! I'd never heard it before (although Siffre has been covered and sampled extensively), but love the expansive, acoustic sound.  Reminds me of classic John Denver. 

3.  Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You (Kesha with Dolly Parton) - It's so good to have Kesha back, and I was bummed she didn't score a Grammy this year.  Apparently her mother was a songwriter who collaborated with Dolly on this song, and Kesha decided to record it with Dolly for her comeback album! 

4.  Real Love, No Shade (Roman GianArthur) - Sexy slow jam from R&B talent known for his work with Janelle Monáe!

5.  Rush (Lauren Faith) - British R&B signer keeps the smooth grooves going!

6.  Tangled (Le Flex) - Eric turned me onto this!  Sounds like something from an 80s movie soundtrack, which I'm totally digging. 

7.  i can't wait (Lalah Hathaway) - Veteran soul singer and Grammy winner is back, and experimenting with a more contemporary sound.  Well worth the wait!

8.  Linger (the Cranberries) - What a shock to lose Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan this month!  Sad to hear that fentanyl may have been the culprit.  RIP

9.  Arkansas (John Oates) - Former Hall and Oates singer channels Springsteen on this new song, and it's actually pretty good!!!  Does this mean we can expect an Andrew Ridgeley comeback album next?

10.  Why Don't You Do Right (Beth Hart with Joe Bonamassa) - Blues rocker teams up with Grammy nominated guitarist for this rollicking Peggy Lee cover! 

11.  Our Love Is Here to Stay (Jean Baylor and Marcus Baylor) - I adored Zhané back in the day, so what a treat to discover lead singer Jean Baylor had recorded a jazz album with her husband!  Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice, because the album (which mysteriously isn't on Spotify) was nominated for a Grammy this year!

12.  Don't Delete the Kisses /Charli XCX x Post Precious Remix/ (Wolf Alice) - I'll forever be grateful to Zach and Gary for turning me on to Charli XCX.  She's a delight to see in concert, and I adore everything she touches.  Here she sprinkles her magic on Wolf Alice's 2017 single. 

13.  No Turning Back (Joy Oladokun) - It pays to have friends with good musical tastes on social media.  This showed up on my friend David's feed, and I was instantly hooked.  Sounds like a Tracy Chapman demo.

14.  All the Stars (Kendrick Lamar and SZA) - Grammy nominated/winning duo teams up for this single from the Black Panther soundtrack.

15.  Alone (Stars) - Indie Pop from long-running Montreal band.

16.  Visions of Gideon (Sufjan Stevens) - Dreamy, melancholy vibes to close us out.  This is from the soundtrack of the Oscar nominated film "Call Me By Your Name", which chronicles the romance between a teen and a young grad student in Italy.  It seemed like an appropriate choice for Valentine's month. 

So that's February's list!  Hope everyone has a great month, and I'll see you in March!