Jessie Ware makes us feel good, Kesha is back, and AI-generated creepy music
That! Feels Good! is the Jessie Ware Dance album we’ve begged for.
Jessie Ware’s fifth album That! Feels Good! is out now and It! Feels like a summer soundtrack. The opening title track hands you the mission statement of the record on a gold platter of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. This is a capital D Dance album and she wants you to know it. For listeners who’ve followed Jessie’s career since her debut in 2012, the evolution from night driving R&B to thunderous dance vocalist is clear and welcomed. Jessie’s always had the vocal agility but leaned on restraint for much of her early work. Since 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure?, which remains her best work, she’s explored different facets and decades of dance music. That! Feels Good ropes in melodies and lyrical tropes from Earth Wind & Fire, Donna Summer, Blondie, Spice Girls, Moloko, and Kylie Minogue. She even gives us some Scissor Sisters with the spoken word on Beautiful People. Pride anthems aplenty alongside the warm soul she’s always provided. To my ears, this record is humid summer nights, discoball-lit dancefloors, and the undercurrent of romance and possibility.
Kesha and Rick Rubin team up for the Kesha album we’ve also been waiting for?
After a lot of social media teasing, Kesha announced her new album Gag Order is out May 19th. She worked with legendary producer Rick Rubin (The Chicks, U2, Jay-Z, so many more) on the entire set. Clearly a reference to the legal battle she’s been in with former producer Dr. Luke, Gag Order is already shaping up to be her most experimental and honest work. Ahead of the album, Kesha released two singles “Eat The Acid” and “Fine Line.” The production accentuates the lyrical rawness, giving Kesha space to express herself in a new way. These songs have me intrigued about the full effort!
AI-Generated music is fucking weird.
I don’t know, folks. A lot of friends have shared mashups generated by AI that give me an uneasy feeling. On one hand, it is… interesting? Aurally pleasing? To hear a voice you know and love singing a song you know and love. Take for example this one that my friend sent me last night - Britney Spears singing Christina Aguilera’s Genie In a Bottle.
It’s… strange! It definitely sounds like Britney, and the vocal choices it makes to sing certain phrases sound like what you’d imagine Britney choosing. Still, it also sounds soulless and hollow. The passion and performance you’d get from an actual cover is completely missing. I’m still trying to formulate my thoughts around all of it and we definitely feel at the beginning of something that’s going to get worse, but I don’t like the idea of an artist’s abilities to be manipulated in this way. You can imagine the nefarious ways this could be used. I mean take Kesha! There’s a world where someone could manipulate her voice over a recent Dr. Luke production. That’s…awful? Or what about estates from artists who have died? They could use AI to finish unreleased songs, or worse just make completely new ones. It’s such a betrayal of what it means to make art.
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Yes, I know this is all in good fun at the moment. Every time I come across a new one, the accuracy seems to improve, which is a bit frightening. There’s already label concern about AI, and simultaneously some artists like Grimes are encouraging it. It’s complicated, including for myself! Of course I’ve sat here and imagined the combinations of songs and artists I’d love to hear. Aside from a quick glimpse into a world where Britney recorded Genie in a Bottle instead of Xtina, I’m hoping this is just a trend. Would love to hear what others think about this.