14 July 2026 - Camille Yembe - Rien à fêter

I mentioned the Polaris Prize yesterday.  But they aren't the only ones with a recent shortlist.  The Prix Joséphine - a prize honouring French-language artists (mostly) - also has a shortlist that was dropped recently.  I haven't listened to all of them yet - I will this week - but what I have heard so far is full of standouts. 

One such standout is Belgian-Congolese dance artist Camille Yembe.  Her latest album Jeune & Laide was shortlisted, and I have to say, it's REALLY good. Mostly performed in French, she does mix English language into her beats. 

This is her latest single. Despite having nothing to celebrate, it is a spirited song.  The video was recorded in Brussels.

The beats and sounds that back her sound dense, but as you can see live, it's her voice and flow that really fill the stage.

13 July 2026 - Charlotte Cornfield - Hurts Like Hell

Last week, the Polaris Music Prize shortlist was released.  10 great Canadian albums are on there.   Well, in my opinion, 9 great Canadian albums and one good one. I would have personally chosen six of them myself, and I really couldn't fault the rest of them.

One that I wouldn't have chosen but has really grown on me is the latest by singer/songwriter Charlotte Cornfield.  Her March 2026 album Hurts Like Hell is a beautiful piece of storytelling.   This title song - so far longlisted for the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize - is a heartbreaking, lush piece that evokes thought of Courtney Barnett and Randy Newman. 

This cool and mellow vibe - which permeates the album - is even more apparent when listening to the song live. 

10 July 2026 - Lou Gramm - Midnight Blue

By 1987. Foreigner was done really releasing new music.  Lou Gramm, however, was at the top of his game, and so he released a solo album, Ready or Not. 

It's weird to me that the guy I used to run into at the Webster Wegmans - this is not a joke, people - has a top 5 solo hit in 1987 that is broadly considered to be one of the most underrated pop-rock songs in history. He does still make music - even after a brain tumor impacted his voice - but this was his biggest solo hit. Written by Gramm and Foreigner bandmate Bruce Turgon, it really does endure. 

There's a lot of recent performances by Gramm of this song, but I chose this one from 2018, from a fair in Wisconsin.  Yes, the tumor impacted his voice and his body, but I have to say, he adapted well and he still sounds amazing. 

9 June 2026 (Special Edition) - Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero

I had a different post scheduled for today.  No worries about that one - it'll go tomorrow. 

You might remember I wrote a Bonnie Tyler special edition in HOPE that I wouldn't need it. 

And I hoped I wouldn't need to write another one too soon. 

Two months and one day later, Bonnie Tyler has passed away from that very illness that sent her to an induced coma.  I honestly thought she was going to recover. 

I chose for this day her last US top 40 hit - hitting #34 in 1984 - from the Footloose soundtrack. You forgot it was on that soundtrack, didn't you? It was a much bigger hit in the UK, where a 1985 rerelease brought it to the top of the charts. 

Written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford (he co-wrote every song on that soundtrack), the song became a Bonnie Tyler staple and one of her most recognized. She rerecorded the song several times, but it was never as successful as the original. 

She was performing right up until this year.  This was her in Paris in 2023, and she was still going strong.

Bonnie Tyler was a force of nature.  Her spirit and her unique voice will be missed. 

7 July 2026 - Indigo Girls - Closer to Fine

We've made it to Georgia.  And that's a great state, with both a strong soul music scene in Atlanta and a strong college/indie scene in Athens.

So let's go folk. 

That's right.   

Folk. 

And the Indigo Girls are likely the best known folk duo in Georgia history.  So, enjoy their first single and breakthrough hit.

7 July 2026 - 10,000 Maniacs - You Happy Puppet

I often tell the story of when I met Natalie Merchant and how she wasn't very nice because she was trying to make horse riding plans for the next day.  

What I don't say much is that Robert Buck wasn't exactly nice either. But he just seemed tired, and he was nicer when I met him at a later date.     

What does that have to do with anything?  Well, guitarist Robert Buck wrote the music for Natalie's lyrics for this, the third single from their classic Blind Man's Zoo album that I feel was their best work. 

I have been fortunate enough to see 10,000 Maniacs live several times, including a few times with Natalie on vocals.  I definitely saw them on this 1993 tour, which was Natalie's last with the band, and while it wasn't this performance, it was the same tour.... and it also featured violinist Mary Ramsey on stage.

I actually saw them in July, just days before their final performance at MSG.

Nevertheless, 10,000 Maniacs have persisted, mostly with Mary Ramsey on vocals. Here is a 2025 performance with Mary Ramsey.

6 July 2026 - Wire - Ahead

I was too young to have heard Wire in the 1970s.  My parents were not exposing me to UK punk. No, back then, I was getting crossover country by Mac Davis and Loretta Lynn and Kenny Rogers.

All of which I appreciate now, but still.  It's not UK punk

No, I first learned of them when Enigma Records signed them in the 80s and brought their music to my ears.  They had an electronic sound that was appealing to my 14-year-old budding music fan ears. 

Boy, was I ever shocked to hear Pink Flag when I did.

This song, from their 1985 album The Ideal Copy, was written by the band and did fuel a minor comeback. 

Wire, believe it or not, is STILL around, and still tours sometimes.  This is a live show from 2017. They still sound great - even though they have returned to a guitar-driven sound.