Gregg Alexander & New Radicals

You may know this intro:

Sure You do. The song ("You Get What You Give") is by a band called New Radicals. They had one hit album - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. So why bother about a one hit wonder?

Mainly because of the man behind all: Gregg Alexander - an American singer-songwriter.
His first album (Michigan Rain) was recorded in 1989 when he was 18, followed by a second record (Intoxifornication) in 1992. Both records were quite overlooked. Most artists would stop their career after that - for Gregg Alexander something different happened...

... Six years later he created the New Radicals. The band had no permanent member other than himself and Danielle Brisebois.
The album (Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too) and the single (You Get What You Give) where both international smash hits.

But soon he became tired of the musical fame: "Traveling and getting three hours sleep in a different hotel every night to do boring 'hanging and schmoozing' with radio and retail people is definitely not for me", he said - and stopped the project in a moment by emergency braking.

In the following years he had international success by writing plenty of worldwide hit songs for people like

- Santana ("Game Of Love")
- Boyzone
- Ronan Keating ("Life Is a Rollercoaster")
- Sophie-Ellis Bextor ("Murder on the Dancefloor")
- Rod Stewart ("I Can't Deny It")
- Texas ("Inner Smile")
- INXS
- Hanson
- Enrique Iglesias
- Geri Halliwell
- Melanie C
- ex-New Radical Danielle Brisebois

Most of the sons became international hits. The Game Of Love even won a Grammy.

A handful of demos appeared online in the recent years. Some of them are either outtakes from Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too or from the never happened second New Radicals album. Others may be demos for other artists. All of them are sung by Gregg Alexander.

Here's a list of the songs:

- A Love Like That (Outtake from Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too)
- Come Be My Baby
- My Heart Can't Change
- Blown Away
- Speaking My Language
- My One Thing Is Real
- You're Beautiful
- Inner Child (released by Texas)
- The Game Of Love (released by Santana) 

You can listen to all of them on Youtube (or just post a comment with your Email down below).
It's still not clear how they did surface.

After this successful time as a producer Gregg Alexander fell of the face of the earth again and then reappeared in 2014. John Carney (writer, director and musician who is known for the Oscar winning movie Once) called him because he wanted him for the soundtrack of his new movie - Begin Again.
Everything just came together and as a result the soundtrack was mainly written by him. Artists like Keira Knightley, Adam Levine and CeeLo Green performed his songs. On the soundtrack you'll also find a group called Cessyl Orchestra - which is no other than Gregg himself (on vocals). I highly recommend the movie and soundtrack (listen to Lost Stars!).

In October 2014 he gave his first interview in 15 years (!) to Scott Feinberg - read it at hollywoodreporter.com.

A live video - and even a studio version of "Lost Stars" appeared on youtube:

 

In 2017 "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" finally got a vinyl release.

After that Gregg Alexander disappeared again - but I'm sure it was not the last time we will hear from him.

Top 5 records of 2016 (and special mentions)

2016 is coming to an end - it's time to look at this year and its best music:

1. Emitt Rhodes - Rainbow Ends

In 1973, after battling bad contracts and industry demands, Emitt Rhodes saw his last release, Farewell To Paradise. Emitt Rhodes never recorded another full-length LP. Until now.

Rainbow Ends released by Omnivore Recordings - it is his first new album in 43 years.

After connecting with producer Chris Price in 2013, Rhodes revived his home studio with help from Price and an all-star band, all of whom had been enamored of Rhodes’ work: Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Jason Falkner (both solo artists, members of Jellyfish, and currently in Beck’s studio and touring band), indie producer and musician Fernando Perdomo, Rooney’s Taylor Locke and New Pornographers’ drummer Joe Seiders. They would cut the new record live in that space.

More special guests appeared to make this momentous release even more special: Aimee Mann, Susanna Hoffs (Bangles), composer and producer Jon Brion, Wilco’s Nels Cline and Pat Sansone, Bleu, and Probyn Gregory & Nelson Bragg from Brain Wilson’s band, among others. What was achieved is more than what folks thought would ever happen.

Producer Price says, “I view this as a continuation album, meaning it isn’t meant to be recreating the sound from his first record, but instead what he might have sounded like after his third album, Farewell To Paradise, if he kept making music in the mid-to-late ’70s.”

According to Rhodes, “I had a spurt there, you know. I just wrote a whole bunch of songs. I’m just gonna write what my heart tells me, because that’s the only thing that really matters, isn’t it? Sometimes you don’t know, and then the light goes on and you do know.

The music is very good on this record. I think that these guys are all wonderful players and there’s all sorts of interesting stuff. I hope people like it, and I want you young guys to be able to get your due.

I think whenever it happens, it happens on time.”

It’s rare to have your dreams come true. For many, a new Emitt Rhodes recording has only been a fantasy. In 2016, the Rainbow Ends at a true pot of gold.

2. The Honeydogs - Love & Cannibalism

The Honeydogs are back. Four years after What Comes After comes ... Love & Cannibalism.  Adam Levy and his band recorded the album at The Pearl Studio in Minneapolis with producer John Fields (Semisonic, Rooney). 

Love & Cannibalism is the counterpart to Adam Levy's Naubinway from 2015. While Naubinway is sometimes hard to get through because of its meaning (which is reflected in every song), Love & Cannibalism is straight, positive and full of joy.

 

Listen (and watch the video) to "Arguing With Fiction" here:

You can and would do well to buy Love & Cannibalism at Bandcamp.

3.  Air Traffic Controller - Black Box

The third record of Air Traffic Controller - BLACK BOX - is a strong and versatile album. And most importantly: it's FUN!

Listen to two songs from BLACK BOX here:

 

BLACK BOX - digital
iTunes

Spotify

BLACK BOX - CD Digipack

ATC PayPal 

4. Johnson & McAuley - Illuminated Dream

Alexz Johnson and Bleu teamed up for a new record: Johnson & McAuley - Illuminated Dream.

 

Listen to: Illuminated Dream, Heartbeat (Beatin’ You Up), The Secrets You Keep and No More Fear

Order via PayPal:

US Shipping - Black Vinyl Album

International Shipping - Black Vinyl Album

US Shipping - PINK Opaque Vinyl Album

International Shipping - PINK Opaque Vinyl Album

5. Travis - Everything at Once

Travis are back! Their latest full length record "Everything at Once" is their 8th record and the 20th year of the band (time flies!). It was produced by Michael Ilbert at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin.

Travis never disappoints with their records. The opener "What Will Come" impressively shows the strength for lyrics & melody. 

Fran Healy described "Magnificent Time" as the time of everyone's life where boys and girls become adults. A time where everything explodes and you say "Woo-ooh - wait a second, I can do all THAT now?" - a period you never ever get back and you should enjoy it as much as you can. The song itself is also magnificent, by the way.

"Radio song" and "Animal" are dangerously catchy!

And there is "Everything At Once". I had the chance to see it live (it was the opener of the show). Play it LOUD. It rocks!

Special mentions 

The Top Boost - Turn Around EP 

The Top Boost, Vancouver's psychedelic garage pop trio, released their debut EP "Turn Around" in 2016. Recorded and mixed in Vancouver and mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, the record is filled with astonishing good songs.

To assemble The Top Boost, singer/songwriter Hunter Gogo searched for musicians who shared his love for catchy melodies and vocal harmonies informed by classic '60s groups like The Beatles, The Byrds and The Zombies. He found drummer Greg Johnston and guitarist Kirill Yurtsev and together they began to hone their craft, playing live to enthusiastic crowds at clubs around Vancouver.

The band has been working hard writing and performing new material, and have already begun pre-production on a new record.

Listen to the full EP here - I recommend to start with "Turn Around" and "What If She Loves You": 

One final note:  This may be the best debut record I listened to in 2016. I demand to have more of this! The Turn Around EP is brilliance! 

Paul Steel - April & II 

Paul Steel is back with a new record. Or will be. The PledgeMusic campaign has already been closed - and the record may be out in 2017.

BEWARE! Listen to the first song and you will WANT TO pledge. It's stunning.
 


 
 

Paul Steel @ PledgeMusic

Josh Fix - Free At Last

To be honst - this is a record which is almost 10 years old. But I discovered it in 2016 so techncially it is OK to have it in this list (and it's here just because it's SO good!).

Free At Last is the debut record of Josh Fix. It's his first - and only - full length record to date (also there is the "Steinway The Hard Way" EP from 2004 and the "This town is starting to make me angry" EP from 2009).

Free At Last was recommended to me for years, but I was never ready to listen to it properly. Now I did: What I discovered was nothing less than the powerful, refreshing and playful record in years.

If you're into Queen, Ben Folds, ELO, Jellyfish, Elton John or Bleu you should take a close listen!

Start with: I thought about it first / Jethro / Free at last / Don't call me in the morning

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - Brooklyn, You're Killing Me

New Radicals - Lost Stars

"Lost Stars" is one of the best songs of the recent years. It's such a shame there's no full record from Gregg Alexander or the New Radicals: