Tag: 2020s

Madison Cunningham | Take Two

“(Madison) Cunningham has been described as the musician’s musician …” (Here Comes the Song). “We prefer to be more inclusive and regard her as the discerning listener’s musician … the Californian achieves an almost classical sophistication in beautiful ballads such as ‘Shore,’ the Joni-esque ‘Take Two‘ and ‘My Full Name‘ (on 2025’s Ace). The young Madison was experimenting with open tunings before she discovered Joni Mitchell; secular sounds took time to woo her away from the constrictions of megachurch worship music.

… Her approach to melody is fearlessly innovative, the candour of her lyrics unflinching … At 29, Cunningham has survived a period of turbulence – married young, divorced young – normally experienced by people much older than her. Instead of retreating, she turned the ordeal into a meditation on the difference between happiness and contentment. ‘Happiness is hollow and shiny, contentment is rooted and rich and doesn’t deny sadness or joy,’ she told Leo Sidran on his Third Story podcast. ‘We want to numb pain away and that just means you numb everything else too. Contentment isn’t afraid of the feeling of pain … I’m learning how to be alone and to not feel loneliness. Those don’t have to be the same thing.’”

Joni-esque isn’t an adjective to be applied lightly. But given the broad harmonic vocabulary, the shifting instrumental textures, and cutting lyrics on offer here, it seems fitting. Beginning in A minor, “Take Two” progresses through two verses before a more strongly textured C minor verse falls into place at 1:41. At 2:26, there’s a return to the original key.

Herb Alpert + the Tijuana Brass | A Taste of Honey

Well, the Tijuana Brass weren’t really from Tijuana, just some L.A. studio musicians to play along with Herb Alpert. And those bass drum kicks that launch the in-tempo sections of “A Taste of Honey” weren’t really part of the arrangement, meant instead to be a tape-splice marker. Nonetheless, the single achieved very real success, reaching #7 on Billboard in 1965. The single was taken from the album Whipped Cream and Other Delights, released on Alpert’s own label A&M, featuring the most famous album cover of the 20th century (ed. note: perhaps I’m biased in that opinion).

“A Taste of Honey” was written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow.for the Broadway version of a British play of the same name, later made into a movie. There are many cover versions, including a vocal version by the Beatles recorded in 1963. There’s a half-step upwards modulation up at 2:12.

As of this writing, Herb Alpert is still playing. Below, we’re including the same tune, performed this month at the Hollywood Bowl.

Toad the Wet Sprocket | Starting Now

“By 2019, it was evident that there would be a new Toad the Wet Sprocket album,” (American Songwriter). “As frontman Glen Phillips was toiling with what he thought was new solo material, something wasn’t sticking. What he had was a Toad record. ‘We’d taken a long break from recording together,’ says Phillips, ‘and it felt like we had the right songs and the right energy again.’

As he was pulling together Starting Now, Phillips was also coping with bigger life changes, the end of his 23-year marriage, and his kids leaving home, all shifts he says transformed his relationship to songwriting … He adds, ‘For me, it’s much more a matter of like, I am trying to find my way in the wilderness, and I need all the help I can get, so the songs are my own bread crumbs for the things that I know to be true but often forget, and in that realm, it’s about leaning towards hope.’”

“Starting Now,” the mid-tempo track from the 2021 album of the same name, begins in C# minor. An instrumental bridge (1:54 – 2:17) pivots subtly towards its end, leading to a shift up into D# minor at 2:18 as the next verse begins.

BTS | For Youth

Popsugar, 2022: “To commemorate nine years in the music industry, BTS have dropped a three-disc anthology album titled Proof. While the album largely consists of past hits, the world’s biggest mainstream K-pop group added three new tracks to the mix, including … ‘For Youth.’ As fans put on the record and relive the hits that made them a lifelong stan, many may wonder about the inspiration behind the closing track, ‘For Youth.’

The song’s placement on the album is undoubtedly intentional, as it’s dedicated to the the K-pop phenom’s avid fanbase … there’s something poetic about including fans in a song that’s basically a love letter addressed to them, thanking them for their love and support over the years … Having gained worldwide prominence at an early age, the group members talk about how they can’t look back on their younger years without associating them with the kindness fans showed them …”

BTS tracks have garnered a staggering 51 billion streams to date — more than three times as many as the next most popular K-pop group. “For Youth,” a track with a gentle 6/8 feel, is augmented in this performance by fans singing tightly coordinated backup lines. The tune features a minimal accompaniment compared to the dense textures of most K-Pop. 3:37 brings a half-step shift upwards from D major to Eb major. Many thanks to our multi-post contributor Ziyad for yet another great submission!

New York Vocal Collective | Weak

“The three members of SWV all came from New York. Like so many of their peers, those three singers came up singing gospel,” (Stereogum). “SWV never had a gimmick. Their name stood for ‘Sisters With Voices,’ and that was also their sales pitch. They were all ferociously gifted singers, but they were also approachable young around-the-way everywomen, known primarily by their nicknames. When SWV were at their best, you could tell that they were all real-life friends, though their friendships eventually frayed in the old, expected show-business ways. For a couple of weeks, those three young women had the most popular song in America (‘Weak’).”

“The New York Vocal Collective (brings) together a group of vocalists (balancing) tight ensemble work with individual artistry.” (Broadway World) … ” … (showcasing) what happens when strong singers are placed in a collaborative, high-level a cappella environment, with a focus on both musical precision and emotional connection. The New York Vocal Collective functions as an advanced training ensemble, pulling together singers to workshop, rehearse, and ultimately perform a set of fully arranged contemporary a cappella pieces. It’s not just about blending voices … arrangement, dynamics, and storytelling within a group setting … “

While SWV’s 1993 original version of “Weak” featured a single key change, NY Vocal Collective’s cover, arranged and directed by Ben Bram, features several upward steps. After beginning in F# major, the tune hits its first half-step key change at 2:13, followed by an upward cascade after the bridge (3:07 – 3:17), ending in C# major.

Silk Sonic | Put On a Smile

After fiddling with the R&B of the 1980s and ’90s to great commercial success on 2016’s 24K Magic, Bruno Mars has assigned himself a more challenging project: Silk Sonic, a fidelity-obsessed act in which he and onetime tour mate Anderson .Paak recreate the rhythm and blues of the ’70s. The duo sought out particular drum skins to better replicate the sounds of the studio during the heyday of Gamble and Huff, when those songwriter-producers polished soul music to an extravagant sheen. With period-specific instrumentation in place, the exuberant pop hitmaker and the acclaimed rapper-singer-drummer with underground cachet recorded as their ancestors did, with just one or two mics for the entire room of musicians … (the) splashy interplay between male vocalists is perhaps the record’s strongest selling point: there are virtually no male R&B vocal groups of note these days, though the power of layered harmonies is the catalyst for much of the genre’s finest records, most notably the entire body of work of Marvin Gaye.

… Co-written by the singularly talented Babyface, the (2021) album’s big ballad (‘Put On a Smile’) digs as deep emotionally as Mars and .Paak are willing to go on a project that keeps the stakes low by choosing humor over sincerity at just about every turn. (Guest star Bootsy) Collins’ rhyming intro mentions ‘begging in the rain,’ and the subject matter doesn’t stray far from the Temptations’ ‘I Wish It Would Rain’ or the Miracles’ ‘The Tracks of My Tears,’ perfect songs about trying to mask your busted heart. Structurally, ‘Put on a Smile’ teases massive catharsis with its first chorus that it smartly holds back until the second refrain, when the drums finally crescendo and Mars leaps to the top of his falsetto. The song is played entirely straight, as the level of emotion calls for.”

Starting in C# minor, the ballad’s vocals-forward mix showcases Mars’ powerhouse delivery during the first verse, then shifts to .Paak’s raspy, heartfelt technique in the second. At 2:55, a half-step key change takes effect, nestled on all sides between compound chords. Mars continues to ascend to the stratosphere from there, until the tune returns to earth with both singers’ voices moving in close harmony.

The Old Gods of Asgard | Dark Ocean Summoning

The Old Gods of Asgard is a fictional heavy metal band that debuted in Alan Wake, a fantastic horror/action video game produced by Remedy Entertainment. The real group behind the curtain of the game is Finnish metal ensemble Poets of the Fall. While the band has four steady members, two of them, Marko Saaresto(lead vocals) and Markus Kaarlonen(keys), have avatars which first appear in-game as brothers Tor and Odin Anderson. Real world guitarist Olli Tukiainen makes appearances as Bob Baldur. According to the Alan Wake Wiki, the boys form a band with far more in-game lore than can be adequately covered in a brief post that’s ostensibly about a modulation. Suffice it to say, their casting throughout multiple Remedy games functions largely as a vehicle to showcase Poets of the Fall absolutely ripping their way through some excellent metal tunes. One such instance, “Dark Ocean Summoning” (2024), is the source of today’s modulation.

The song begins with an atmospheric verse set firmly in A minor. The verse builds into a chorus that sets the stage for the modulation waiting in the wings, but refuses to give it to us just yet. Another verse and chorus lead us finally into the modulation we’ve been hoping for, starting at the 2:50 mark and culminating with a whole-step modulation up to B minor. This shift occurs for no good reason other than that it is rad, and gives the song an excuse to showcase Tukiainen’s guitar shredding skills. The song’s tonal center moves around a bit during this time, but after some very Vincent Price-esque narration at the 4:03 mark, it settles nicely into a triumphant refrain of the chorus in the new key, where it stays until the end.

Oli Howe | Livin’ On a Prayer

“After releasing his debut album Moving Forward in 2020, Brighton UK based pianist/producer Oli Howe has been establishing himself a leading force amongst the dynamic UK jazz scene … In 2022/23, Oli released a six-track EP Hackney Daze … which amassed over 2.8 million streams on Spotify alone in just six months (artist website).

… Oli has shared stages with the likes of Yoland Brown, Omar Lyefook, Tortured Soul, Freak Power, The House & Garage Orchestra, Billy Cobham and Taylor McFerrin while drawing sold out houses with headline shows at top UK venues such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Pizza Express Jazz Club, Brighton Jazz Festival and most recently Love Supreme Jazz Festival.”

Via his very popular Instagram channel, Howe has made a habit out of cranking out modernized, harmonically up-cycled cover versions of pop favorites. Just like Bon Jovi’s 1986 original, “Livin’ on a Prayer” starts in E minor (later flipping over to its relative G major). But after the bridge, there’s a shift up to Bb major, enhanced by a hiccup in the otherwise stable meter.

NOTE: Howe’s Instagram channel won’t allow direct embeds, so please click through below!

Young Gun Silver Fox | Kids

“Musical chemistry is a rare, intangible thing. However, for Andy Platts and Shawn Lee, the creative force behind Young Gun Silver Fox, the unmalleable, unspoken connection that gives their work such a unique and distinctive sound was apparent from their first experiences together in a studio,” (Glide Magazine). “Alongside their now decade-plus-long tenure as Young Gun Silver Fox, both have already received plaudits for their creative excursions.

American-born, UK-based musician Shawn Lee (is known for) his extensive catalog of recordings with the likes of Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra and his well-received solo albums, as well as a go-to award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist for the likes of Hannah Williams and Joel Culpepper.” The multi-talented UK-born Andy Platts is “chief songwriter and leader of much loved Brit-soul sensations Mamas Gun. He’s also clocked up many songwriting collaborations with legends such as Rod Temperton and Brian Jackson.”

YGSF’s compact release “Kids” (2020) beings in D major, shimmies through a short but dynamic bridge at 2:06, and lands in E major at 2:24.

Rina Sawayama | This Hell

” … Japanese-British pop superstar Rina Sawayama … was born in Japan and raised in North London. (She) ascended to pop stardom via an unusual trajectory at Cambridge University studying politics, psychology and sociology, and funding her early music with modeling before signing a record deal,” (IMDB). “At the beginning of her song “This Hell,” Rina Sawayama recalls seeing a religious poster condemning so-called sinners for their identities,” (Pitchfork). “She rebukes the hateful messaging with an eye roll—’Don’t know what I did but they seem pretty mad about it’—pulls her chosen family closer, and offers affirmation: ‘This hell is better with you.’

The first track off the SAWAYAMA-follow up Hold the Girl (2022) was inspired by country pop, and that influence is most evident at the track’s intro, which features a neighing horse and a winking tribute to country pop queen Shania Twain (‘let’s go, girls’). From there, she fans these flames into a turbocharged pop banger complete with a glam, unapologetically over-the-top hair metal riff. Not one to pass up a good pop culture reference, Sawayama quotes Paris Hilton’s famous catchphrase and chastises the paparazzi for their cruelty towards Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, and Princess Diana. ‘Got my invitation to eternal damnation,’ she chants. ‘Get in line, pass the wine, bitch.’ With Sawayama, hell is the hottest party in town.”

After an intro in A minor, the verse enters in E major (0:31), then shifts to a pre-chorus and chorus in C major at 0:48. More changes follow from there.