New Tunes In The Jukebox Baby: 2021 March Music Madness

Every week I feature new music in the Catholic Bard Week in Review Exclusive or CB Wire.

The CB WIRE I decided needed a more catchy title that was provocative and stood out more.

So now in the Last Week of Life, I feature New Tunes in the Jukebox Baby.

And then I collect them all and put them in this post reviewing the Last Month In Music with some more titles. This week we got new tunes from Imagine Dragons, Catholic artist Lisa Marie Nicole and a New Netflix Christian Musical. There is Passover and Easter Music, More Sea Shanties, Pop hits made Irish, Katie Curtis, a fellow OCDS of my wife who sings, Ringo Starr, and more including a Weird Al Interview while driving around his hometown.

So if you like to explore music, take a look and listen and discover some new tunes for your ear to hear and put some

New Tunes In The Jukebox Baby: 2021 March Music Madness

Passover/Lent/Easter

Six13

The month of March was dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of the high holy days of Jews and Christians. Musically Jews could celebration their passover with a new composition sung by the Jewish acapella masters of parody Six13. They have already given us the classic Uptown Passover and this past month they have given us their version of a Sea Shanty called The Red Sea Shanty.

There once was a time in Egypt land
The Jews were slaves in the desert sand
We cried out for an outstretched hand
Oh, let my people go

Soon may our freedom come
To bring us liberty, peace and fun
One day, when the Pharaoh’s outdone
He’ll let my people go

Also check out Acapella Singers Home Free’s Sea Shanty Melody

Carrie Underwood

The Beautiful and Lovely Country Superstar Carrie Underwood has decided to grace God and ourselves with her latest singing project dedicated to classic hymns sung Carrie Style. She has given us wonderful renditions of songs perfect for the Lenten and Easter seasons such as the classic ‘The Old Rugged Cross.”

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross (rugged cross)
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown

Matt Maher

And of course, The Old Rugged Cross leads to the Brightest, Happiest, and Celebratory Resurrection Day. So I’m pulling out an older tune from the Catholic musician Matt Maher Tune from 2006 to stir up that Easter Joy in song.

It’s the weight of Your glory
Brings the proud to their knees
And the light of revelation
Lets the blind man see

It’s the power of the cross
Breaks away death’s embrace
And we celebrate our freedom
Dancing on an empty grave

Roll away the stone
Roll away the stone

We sing for joy, we shout Your name
We celebrate Your resurrection day
We sing for joy, we shout Your name We celebrate
Your resurrection day

Jessamyn Rains

Sometimes the music video comes out much later after the initial release of a song. Just in time for Easter this year Jessamyn Rains put out her music video for her cryptic and not so cryptic Easter inspired song she released back in 2016. I’m not sure it’s directly related to Easter, but the imagery is there nonetheless.

Won’t they be surprised when they find out I’m alive in here
Won’t they be surprised when they find out I’m alive in here
They left me for dead and just figured I would somehow disappear

Won’t they be surprised when they find out I’m not what they thought
Won’t they be surprised when they find out I’m not what they thought
They wrapped me up in grave clothes won’t they freak out when I start to take them off

I’m a voice in a cage
I am an ox in a muzzle treading out the grain
I’m imprisoned and blind
I’ve been thwarted and stifled, but I’m biding my time
Till that day when you hear me coming out with a roar, saying
I just can’t take it anymore

Cassandra Star Armstrong

Out of the mouths of children are sung the praises of God. Youtube sweetheart Cassandra Star Armstrong sings a rendition of the Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah with rewritten Easter lyrics along with her big sister Callahan. You can also catch young Cassandra on the single by singer Carolyn Sloan, Give Love.

A crown of thorns placed on His head

He knew that He would soon be dead

He said, “Did you forget me, Father did you?”

They nailed Him to a wooden cross

Soon all the world would feel the loss

Of Christ the King before His Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”― St. Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła)

Feminine Genius Singing

Katie Curtis

Katie Curtis is a part of the OCDS community of St. Therese of the Andes that meets at the same convent my wives community Mary and Joseph meets at in Danvers, MA. That is the area I grew up in and have had many jobs working. She recently became friends with my wife. Besides being a fellow OCDS, she is a musician. Here is her latest recording.

Malinda

Hello friends! I am a singer/songwriter/actor, and this channel combines music and vlogs to create “musical stories” around themes within my own life and the lives of young people. I want to use music to have discussions about things that matter to us. If you’d like you can subscribe with your notifications on so that you don’t miss a video every Friday!-Malinda

Here is Malinda showing how to turn a modern rock song into an Irish Song.

and here you can hear her sing one of her new original songs. Listen and then let me know If She’s Anything Like Me.

Lisa Marie Nicole

My Patheos colleague William Hemsworth (The Pursuit of Holiness) recently interviewed Christian recording artist Lisa Marie Nicole. In the interview they discussed her faith growing up, how being a person of faith has helped her through tough times, and what it is like to be a Catholic in the Contemporary Christian Music industry. Here is her latest single In My Time Child.

God will answer our prayers, In his time, not ours, keep praying. He hears all of our prayers

Alina Gingertail

Finally in this section, in order to give you more beauty and more Sea Shanties here is the gorgeous Russian Redhead Alina Gingertail, singing once again another version of The Wellerman.

NEWLY DISCOVERED ARTISTS

Ashe & FINNEAS

Ashe co-wrote her new single, “Till Forever Falls Apart,” with producer Big Taste the day before Los Angeles and most of the U.S. went into a COVID-induced lockdown in March 2020. The timing was (and, sadly, still is) perfect, given the song’s subject matter. Set against an apocalyptic backdrop, “Till Forever Falls Apart” is a somber acceptance that life is fleeting, but worth every moment if you spend your time with those you love.

“If the tide takes California / I’m so glad I got to hold ya / And if the sky falls from heaven above / Oh, I know I had the best time falling into love,” Ashe sings in the song’s chorus.

“The day before we were ordered to go into lockdown was the day I wrote this song,” Ashe tells Variety. “That’s definitely in the song. You can kind of feel it, like ‘Oh, the world is definitely on the edge of falling apart.’”-Ellise Shafer, Ashe on Enlisting Finneas for a Doomsday Duet (March 4, 2021)

Fruit Bats

A catchy name catches eyes. A catchy hook catches ears. Fruit Bats is an American rock band formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Noted as an early entrant into the folk-rock boom of the early 2000s, the group has had many personnel changes but revolves around singer/songwriter Eric D. Johnson. Her is their latest piece of music.

A WEEK AWAY

A Week Away is a Christian Musical on Netflix with music by

Steven Curtis Chapman,

Amy Grant,

Michael W. Smith,

Audio Adrenaline,

Rich Mullins,

For King and Country

And some original songs like this one…

So if you hear it, you hear it, you hear it too
The music, the music is calling to you

Turn it up (Turn it up)
Dive in (Dive in)
Let it play like a song from your heart to your skin
Feel the love (Feel the love)
Soak it in (Soak it in)
This is where you belong
This is where it begins
While we’re young take a chance with me
C’mon, c’mon let’s go make a memory

BACK FROM LAST MONTH

NF

Last Month NF took us on a fun filled romp teleporting from place to place in the pre-released song Clouds. Now that his Mixtape has arrived in digital shelves he has gotten Lost with rapper Hopsin.

Look
Self-awareness, pride’s a coat, and yes, I like to wear it
Buttoned up, don’t like to let no air in
With a pair of gloves that I hope doesn’t perish
I discovered, though, when I get holes in them
And I let joy in, I’m in higher spirits
My mistakes are like a screamin’ parrot
Just repeating lyrics, I can barely bear it when I’m lost

Jon Batiste

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Jon Batiste is a multitasker. His band, Stay Human, is the house band for Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, where he is also music director. He’s composed parts of the soundtrack to Disney’s “Soul,” which has earned him critical acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination. And he’s still releasing solo music. His new album “WE ARE” is out now. Let’s talk about this record. There is a lot of New Orleans on the record. I’m thinking of the title track, which features the marching band from the high school you attended.

BATISTE: (Singing) We are, we are, we are, we are the golden ones. We are, we are, we are, we are the chosen ones. We are, we are, we are, we are the chosen ones. We are, we are, we are, we are the golden ones.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Tell me, how did this come together?

BATISTE: Well, this started on a six-day recording session, creative bent that was in my dressing room at the Ed Sullivan Theater and ended eight months later with me having a vision for wanting to put my grandfather on the record, wanting to put my nephews on the record, and my high school marching band. The St. Augustine High School is a historically Black college-level marching band, but it’s a high school. Jon Batiste Interview On NPR

VETERAN ARTISTS BACK WITH A NEW RELEASE

Loretta Lynn

Country legend Loretta Lynn released her latest album, “Still Woman Enough “.

The 13-song album features new versions of some of Lynn’s classic hits, including her debut single from 1960, “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl,” her 1968 song, “My Love,” her 1971 hit, “I Wanna Be Free” and her famous 1970 song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

This is the 88-year-old singer-songwriter’s 50th studio album, not including her 10 studio albums with her late duet partner Conway Twitty.-Good Morning America

The title track Still Woman Enough features Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood whom you heard above.

Sting & Shirazee

Sting updates an old song of his, singing it with the artist known as Shirazee.

Ringo Starr

This song technically came out in December 2020, BUT his official EP came out in 2021.

And this song is on it.

And it has Paul McCartney on it as well.

So how could I resist sharing a new song with the two living Beatles?

Harry Connick Jr.

My priest at Easter Sunday Mass last Sunday (April 4, 2021) gave a homily about Harry Connick Jr. and his new album of faith. I plan on transcribing the sermon at some point.

Like other singers and musicians around the world forced to stop touring last March, Harry Connick Junior dealt with a range of mixed emotions. There was the positive side of getting to spend rare, extended time with family, but also the uncertainty about the future.

“I thought it might be cool to play and sing some of the songs about what I was feeling,” Connick explains, “which was a combination of joy, but I was also down a lot of the time. I was happy to be a person of faith, but was questioning my faith and everything in between, and I thought I would document all of those feelings in an album.”

On all 13 tracks of the new album, Connick plays every instrument (piano, B3 organ, drums, trumpet, tuba, and more), and sings every note (including all of the voices in what sounds like full church choirs singing back-up). In the past, he has played multiple instruments and sang numerous parts on various albums, but on this one – he does all of that and more.

“I was setting up drum mics and everything else because there was literally no one else for the entire eight months or so that I did it.”- Forbes Magazine

Imagine Dragons

One of my favorite bands of the modern era is back with another toe-taping sing along song. Imagine the Dragons Follow You.

You know I got your number, number all night
I’m always on your team, I got your back alright
Taking those, taking those losses if it treats you right
I want to put you into the spotlight
If the world would only know what you’ve been holding back
Heart attacks every night
Oh, you know it’s not right

I will follow you way down wherever you may go
I’ll follow you way down to your deepest low
I’ll always be around wherever life takes you
You know I’ll follow you

WEIRD AL

One of my favorite all time recording artists is Weird Al Yankovic. Some of the first cassette tapes I owned were his first several albums. I have memorized his songs in sang them on stage in talent shows. Somehow I never did see him in concert. He hasn’t done a lot in the last several years, but has done some things here and there. Including his unique spin on the hit musical Hamilton with Hamilton Polka . Here he is with another legend of comedy, Jay Leno, talking about his musical career and life driving around his home town.