Throwing back to the week of July 18, 1976, we find R&B group The Manhattans atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Kiss and Say Goodbye,’ by far their biggest hit.
Written by the deep-voiced Winfred Lovett, who also provides the spoken word intro, the song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 and was a worldwide hit, topping the charts in a handful of other countries. The song also topped the R&B chart and ended the year as one of 1976’s most popular singles.
In a year of notable new releases by women, I was very excited to hear that my favorite of all — Miranda Lambert — will drop her tenth solo studio album in October.
Lambert is currently riding high on the success of Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas,’ the Billboard juggernaut that she co-wrote and produced. That song has a bit of a 70s feel, and it’s that decade Lambert is exploring on her new album, Crisco.
Nearly ten years have passed since Tift Merritt’s last album, 2017’s wonderful Stitch of the World.
Merritt stepped away from recording new music after her daughter was born, but she certainly kept busy. She has served as a Practitioner-In-Residence at Duke University, collected artist interviews on her podcast The Spark, is a board member for the Artist Rights Alliance, and has refurbished an historic boutique hotel in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. The 18-room hotel, The Gables, is now booking rooms for the fall.
Given the outsized presence Phoebe Bridgers has in my household, I’m shocked that I’ve featured only two of her songs, one of which was a version of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas‘ posted on the holiday.
My daughters are huge fans of Bridgers, as a solo artist and as part of the duo Better Oblivion Community Center and the trio Boygenius. Given her similarities to, and appreciation of, Elliott Smith, she should be right up my alley, too.
Ariana Grande’s 2024 album Eternal Sunshine was her best in nearly a decade, producing two #1 hits and finding her in a delicious smooth pop groove.
Then came her celebrated appearances in two Wicked movies (one of which earned an Oscar nomination) and much concern about her emaciated physical appearance (warranted, in my opinion).
Now she’s back with new music, and first single ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’ seems to tackle her relationship with fans and the media over the last two years.
Meet Me In Montauk 