Photo of Dorothy by Courtney Dellafiora, courtesy of Grandstand Media.
I don’t know what is going on in my universe, but something is off. Just the other week I was bragging about how I have found all this fantastic new music and I could write a dozen articles. But then something changed. I don’t know if Venus moved into Mars or the depression of the COVID pandemic finally hit me, but the music wasn’t speaking to me.
I would go through my list of songs I had earmarked and they just fell flat on my ears. It wasn’t exciting to me. It wasn’t giving me the same high. It made me really doubt my musical ear and made me ask myself what the hell I was thinking.
Let’s just chalk it up to Seasonal Music Disorder and move on. I have made it through the rain and the music is back to making my heart race again. I have found five songs I am so excited about that I literally ran to my computer to write this column.
And away we go…
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Artist: Dorothy
Song: “Rest In Peace”
In A Word: Classic
The first time I heard Dorothy’s first album, ROCKISDEAD, I was instantly hooked. Dorothy Martin’s voice reached all the way down into my soul and spoke to me on a molecular level. I remember standing there captivated, not being able to move a muscle. Voices like this don’t come around every day. I wondered if this is how my parents felt the first time they heard Janis Joplin. I knew this singer was a game changer. When she toured St. Louis, you bet your bippy I made my way to the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill to see this vision manifest. She stood on the stage—no more than 97pounds soaking wet—covered in a fur coat and belted out one of the best performances I have ever heard in my life. So let’s say “Rest In Peace” brought me back to life. When I heard this song, it shook me out of my funk and made me love music again.
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Artist: Elles Bailey
Song: “The Game”
In A Word: Bluesy
I hate to be repetitive, but once again, it was the tone of Elles’ voice that caught my ear. It would be easy to put her in the country genre, but her vocals on this track are much more dimensional. She serves up smoky vocals and a kick ass attitude. I would love to see her open up for Brandy Clark or Wynonna. The video for this song is visually perfect. Oh, and did I mention the singer is British? Her mystique level just increased by 20 points. I, for one, am eagerly awaiting her upcoming album, Shining in The Half Light.
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Artist: The Linda Lindas
Song: “Growing Up”
In A Word: Lively
I was hoping this band was a tribute band to Linda Belcher of Bob’s Burgers. I was delighted to learn the group is a punk band from LA who took their name from the Japanese film, Linda, Linda, Linda. The girls’ stage names are Linda Linda No 1, Linda Linda No 2, Linda Linda No 3, and Linda Linda No 4. How punk rock is that? (But it’s also a coincidence with Bob’s Burgers when Gene formed a girl group and named his girls similarly.) All that aside, this group flat out rocks. Energetic, lively, and fun, I am super stoked to check out their entire album of the same name which should come out this April. Talk about mystique level—these girls aren’t even old enough to pay in bars, with the youngest one being not even a teenager yet. Once again, how punk rock is that?
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Artist: Anitta
Song: “Boys Don’t Cry”
In A Word: Retro
Sometimes, you just want a song to be fun. Anitta serves up tons of fun in her music video for “Boys Don’t Cry.” Her vocals are sinfully delicious as they float over a wicked ‘80s synth pop rhythm. In the video, directed by Anitta and Christian Breslauer, it had everything I wanted and more. While I was hoping for some Lost Boys style of vampires for the bar scene, I will take zombies any day. I’m sure she gets this all the time, but Anitta’s beauty is breathtaking. And yes, I want to wear every single garment she wore in the video. Her new album, Girl From Rio, is expected later this year.
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Artist: Halestorm
Song: “The Steeple”
In A Word: Spiritual
It is only fitting I should end this column with another band I feel very connected to—Halestorm. I discovered this band around the same time I found Dorothy. And like Dorothy, when I found out about them, I had to see them live. They opened for Shinedown at Riverport Amphitheater (this was during my pre-COVID timeline when I actually went to concerts). To this day I still recall this concert fondly. Lzzy Hale and her band slayed St. Louis as they fully lubricated the crowd for Shinedown. I still think of her brother Arejay and his Pee-Wee Herman giant drumsticks during his drum solo. Their latest single, “The Steeple,” is the perfect unifying song for rock fans everywhere. As they tour relentlessly, Halestorm is all about their fans. This song should make us all greater devotees of the band and I may just peek my head out of my hovel to see them if they make their way down South. Their upcoming album, Back from the Dead, is scheduled to come out in May of this year.
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Well kids, I don’t think it is random that I featured five females in my column and I have always been partial to the feminine voice in music. All of these ladies got me through my rough spot and reignited my passion for new music.
You can hear these songs and others I have found by checking out my own curated playlist, “K-JIM 2022.” You may notice I have switched streaming services for obvious reasons. Just click this link:
Feel free to reach out to me to let me know what you think. You can always reach me at @TheFoundFive on Twitter. I really would love to hear from you—it would make my day. | Jim Ryan
