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Song of the Day #4,333: ‘Levitating’ – Dua Lipa

With the exception of an album I will get to next week, my go-to jam during the coronavirus crisis has been Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia.

The London-born, Albanian singer-songwriter dropped this album three years after her self-titled debut, one of my favorite albums of 2017, and she managed to top herself. Lipa was forced to release the record a week early after an internet leak, but the timing turned out just right. It turns out a throwback disco album with a modern twist is just what the epidemiologist ordered during a worldwide quarantine.

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Song of the Day #4,332: ‘Paradisin” – Rina Sawayama

I had never heard of Rina Sawayama before April 17, when I saw a slew of tweets celebrating the release of her debut studio album, Sawayama. The Japanese-born, London-raised, singer-songwriter and model has been releasing singles since 2013, racking up critical accolades and assembling a growing and fervent fan base.

One listen to Sawayama and it’s clear why she deserves to be a big deal. This album is bursting with creativity, hopscotching between genres and giving vibrant voice to Sawayama’s unique worldview.

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Song of the Day #4,331: ‘The Other Girl’ – Kelsea Ballerini (feat. Halsey)

It feels to me like contry artist Kelsea Ballerini is on the verge of crossover stardom. I don’t think the 26-year-old Tennessee singer-songwriter is destined to reach the heights of her friend and supporter Taylor Swift, but maybe she’ll be another Maren Morris or Kacey Musgraves.

Ballerini released her third album, kelsea, on March 20. It fits firmly in the country-pop lane that Swift perfected on her first few albums, with a couple of tracks that lean a little more Top 40.

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Song of the Day #4,330: ‘Gaslighter’ – Dixie Chicks

I’ve written recently about several artists who are returning with new music this year after a long hiatus. But none of those hold a candle to the Dixie Chicks.

The trio’s last studio album was 2006’s Grammy-winning Taking the Long Way, the record that addressed lead singer Natalie Maines’ controversial comments about President Bush and the absurd reaction of country music fans. While the band suffered boycotts and death threats during that episode, Taking the Long Way managed to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Country charts, go double Platinum, and win Grammys for Album, Record and Song of the Year.

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Song of the Day #4,329: ‘When the Ways Gets Dark’ – Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams is back with her first new material since 2016’s The Ghosts of Highway 20. I featured that album track-by-track on the blog, much to the consternation of some loyal readers.

Ghosts was a very meditative, delicate album, full of sad remembrances and long guitar solos. I think the Trump years have made an impact on Williams, because Good Souls, Better Angels is the opposite — loud, angry, confrontational.

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