RECENT ARTICLES

Austin, Texas-based blues guitarist, Carolyn Wonderland (born Carolyn Bradford), just wants to play music. Hers is a simple-yet-noble ambition. For the frontwoman, who is a whirling dervish on the six-string and who offers a formidable growl on the mic, to participate in song is not about ego or shine. Instead, it’s about the glory of the artform, the chance at harmony, the opportunity to participate in unison with other talented folks who have similarly devoted decades to the craft and journey.

Wonderland, who has released her new LP, Tempting Fate (Oct. 8), is just happy to be on the gig. And it’s been this way since she began in front of audiences at 15 years old, and later when she traded the guitar back-and-forth on stage with now-late songwriter, Townes Van Zandt. Since then, Wonderland has earned praise from Bob Dylan, of all folks. Now, just as always, it’s about the work.

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DeSean Jackson says he did it for his friends. The star NFL wide receiver, who made a name for himself in the league with the Philadelphia Eagles, first as a rookie in 2008 and then as a Pro Bowler in 2009, 2010, and 2013, created his personal record label, Jacc Pot Records, as a means to helps his friends who were, and are, aspiring musicians.

Jackson, who is a musician and lyricist, himself, knew that his success in professional football, earning upwards of millions of dollars per year, could be a window for others to find success. He knew that talent is not always given its proper support. So, Jackson decided to be that support system, and create a new label for those who might not receive the types of chances he’s gotten over the years.

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There’s a term for something that, these days, feels new. For something that’s perhaps numinous, but has never actually truly been felt before. That term, as many under 25-year-olds will tell you, is “hits different.” It indicates something that is both effective and fresh. The term also fits the Redding, Pennsylvania-born rapper Beanz perfectly. The sharp-tongued artist spits in the traditional hip-hop sense: she doesn’t hold back, she isn’t afraid to muscle or body someone in her way and she’s the type of artist to get your ears to perk once you first overhear her flow. But Beanz succeeds in this because she tells the truth “slant,” as in the Emily Dickinson sense. Beanz is unique and will bring all this talent to the proverbial table when she releases her newest album, Tables Turn, on November 5.

And the artist just released her latest single, “Pink Drink,” on October 6, providing a sneak peek into the forthcoming LP.

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Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, JoJo (born Joanna Levesque), needs to write. The act is part of her self-care, part of a crucial regular practice. If she doesn’t put pen to paper, her mind can become more of a minefield. It can be dangerous up there, she says. The writing could be journaling or jotting; it does not need to be public or poetic. But it needs to happen. And at one point recently, the writing wasn’t coming for Jojo. She felt stifled.

At the time, the last thing she’d composed was a holiday album in July. It had been six months since she’d written and it was becoming painful. Coupled with the creative inertia, JoJo was experiencing severe bouts of depression and anxiety. She reached out to her record label and told them she needed to write about what was going on in her brain. And she began to do just that. This is the origin story of JoJo’s sleek, stellar new record, trying not to think about it, which is out now.

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At first, Florence LaRue didn’t want to be in the famous R&B group from the ‘60s and ’70s, The 5th Dimension—a band that was also recently reintroduced to audiences thanks to the recent documentary, Summer of Soul, from The Roots’ famed drummer Questlove. She’d just won a beauty pageant—the Miss Bronze California contest—and one of the group’s founders, Lamonte McLemore, had approached her but she declined, thinking McLemore would have asked anyone who’d won the contest. So, she sloughed him off.

At the time, LaRue was in school, in the final year of getting her bachelor’s degree. She was also working full-time. So, she told McLemore that she wouldn’t even be able to make many rehearsals. But he persisted and eventually, LaRue acquiesced. The rest is music history. But none of this would have happened, LaRue says, if it hadn’t have been for the actress (and former Catwoman) Eartha Kitt.

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Sebastián Yatra is a heartthrob superstar. He’s also a darn fine songwriter. Yatra, who was born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida, now has legions of fans numbering in the tens of millions. He’s collaborated with the Jonas Brothers, covered Elvis Costello, with the singer’s blessing, and he’s currently on tour with Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin, idols who Yatra looked up to as a kid.

Now, though, he’s sharing their same air. This is what comes when you’re a Latin Grammy Award-nominated artist, what follows you when you garner millions of song streams in a matter of days. Yatra, who released his most recent hit, “Tarde,” two weeks ago, even more recently earned a Latin Grammy nomination for his earlier 2021 single, “Adios.” That song, which has its own unique backstory, came to the artist in a matter of moments.

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