I Love You Better

With powerhouse pipes, razor-sharp wit, and a tireless commitment to self-love and self-care, Lizzo is the fearless pop star we needed. Born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit, the singer and classically trained flautist discovered an early gift for music (“It chose me,” she tells Apple Music) and began recording in Minneapolis shortly after high school. But her trademark self-confidence came less naturally. “I had to look deep down inside myself to a really dark place to discover it,” she says. Perhaps that’s why her third album, Cuz I Love You, sounds so triumphant, with explosive horns (“Cuz I Love You”), club drums (“Tempo” featuring Missy Elliott), and swaggering diva attitude (“No, I'm not a snack at all/Look, baby, I’m the whole damn meal,” she howls on the instant hit “Juice"). But her brand is about more than mic-drop zingers and big-budget features. On songs like “Better in Color”—a stomping, woke plea for people of all stripes to get together—she offers an important message: It’s not enough to love ourselves, we also have to love each other.

A new smooth jazz indie artist looking to make his way among the established throng needs all the advantages he can get marketing wise, and what better a selling point could this electric guitarist have than having top flight all-stars on his debut? Mixing up easy funk, mid-tempo blues and instrumental power ballads, Tropea bounces off the fresh creative input of bassist Will Lee, keyboardists Paul Shaffer Ricky Peterson, drummer Steve Gadd and saxman Tom Scott.

The out of print 1972 CD from Shirley Bassey, And I Love You So, gets two additional bonus tracks on its 2000 re-release, and the more Bassey in the world the better. Her over the top rendition of pianist Jack Dieval's "The Way of Love" keeps the gender intact, as did Kathy Kirby and Cher on their respective hit versions, of a woman singing a song of heartbreak to another woman, only Bassey puts her trademark style on it bringing it into another realm. Chris White includes two lengthy pages of liner notes in the informative eight-page booklet which includes four lovely photos of the queen diva. Perry Como's hit version of the title track, "And I Love You So," a composition from the pen of Don McLean, might've kept this album from getting more exposure, but it is essential Shirley Bassey which her fan base is well aware of…