This Is What the Truth Feels Like is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani. It was released on March 18, 2016, by Interscope Records, and is her first solo album in ten years. Inspired by the end of her marriage and the roller coaster of emotions she experienced during the time, which also included a new romantic relationship, Stefani returned to feel inspired and started writing new and meaningful songs. With the help of producers J.R. Rotem, Mattman & Robin and Greg Kurstin, as well as songwriters Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels, Stefani wrote the whole album in a few months and described it as a "breakup record", with the songs having a "sarcastic" and dark-humor vibe, as well as being real, joyful, and happy.
Formed by former Mastersounds members Eddie Roberts and Simon Allen and new members Pete Shand and Bob Birch in Leeds in 1999, the New Mastersounds were an act that became part of the new-funk movement in England in the early part of the 21st century. Their first release, a limited edition run seven inch, was merely the band's first rehearsal. An album soon followed, Keb Darge Presents the New…
A minimalist masterpiece a million miles from Nashville country, Kurt Wagner's latest Lambchop album pursues the electronica soundbed and vocoder vocals first employed on FLOTUS. The chilly sheen of its glitchy synth surfaces soon gives way to an envelopng warmth, enhanced by Wagner's crackly vocal, always teetering on the edge of distortion, its electronic soundscapes enhanced by spectral piano melodies, endlessly inventive bass and intiutive drumming from his trio of sidemen. With its melancholic mood and lyrics rooted in reflection and regret, this could be the birth of an entirely new genre - electro-jazz noir.
With ’This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You)’ Lambchop continue to establish themselves as forerunners and innovators of what was once called Alt Country. Their sound has morphed to encompass multiple genres, blending folk songwriting with the tones of urban soul. Following on from the pioneering sounds of ‘Flotus' (2017), ’This (Is what I wanted to tell you)’ showcases Lambchop at a new peak in their career, whilst still retaining the ingredients of their classic albums. ’This’ is brimming with ideas, songs and hooks. A huge influence on the new direction is Matthew McCaughan (of Bon Iver and Hiss Golden Messenger), who produced and co-wrote large parts of the album together with Kurt Wagner.
When it comes to picking material, today's young hard boppers (both instrumentalists and singers) could learn a lot from Sonny Rollins – a tenor titan who has always had a way of surprising us with interesting, unexpected choices. Over the years, he hasn't made the mistake of limiting himself to overdone Gershwin and Cole Porter favorites; Rollins doesn't exclude well-known standards by any means, but he has also made a point of interpreting a lot of material that other hard boppers have ignored (and that has included everything from forgotten show tunes to Stevie Wonder gems).