HOLLYWOOD—Leave it to Harry Styles’ to release the hotly- anticipated new album dropping Friday, May 20. When Harry left the boy band One Direction he was eager to prove his solo musical ambition and historical knowledge. His debut 2017 single was enormous with his Bowie/Queen style ballad “Sign of the Times.” He has a new look, a look that makes him a mega-star. His third album, Harry’s House, makes his music elegant and warm, with intimate, polished smoothness, think Al Green or the gentle refine of Steely Dan.
The album sooths with horns, yet slick with touches of pop and R&B. “A Music for a Sushi Restaurant” has a sensual sweetness, while “Late Night Talking,” is an early-Eighties that adds smoothness to the ear. Songs like “Keep Driving,” and “Grapejuice,” are tingled with openness and vulnerability. According to published reports, Styles took the title for Harry’s House from a line on Joni Mitchell’s 1975 album, “The Hissing of Summer Lawns.” Throughout the album, Styles’ singing is amazing, with the lyrics, making romance feel like a hopeful, at times, fragile dialogue between equals. It’s the perfect time to be released just prior to summer bar-patio season.
On May 27, “C’mon you Know” by English singer-songwriter Liam Gallagher’s third solo album, which is dropping soon is being released via Warner Records. The 14-track full-length album is a follow up to his 2019 studio album “Why Me? Why Not.” In support of his forthcoming album, Gallagher released an upbeat and exuberant namesake single “C’mon You Know” and its music video on April 1.
It was produced by Andrew Wyatt and features Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig on the saxophone. The release of this single was preceded by another drop titles “Everything’s Electric,” which was co-written by drummer Dave Grohl and produced by Greg Kurstin. Gallagher performed the catch and heart-thumping single ”Everything’s Electric” at the Brit Awards back in February 2022. The singer also teased a new single “Better Days,” and released the audio on April 21 on YouTube.
K-pop band ENHYPEN dropped their second Japanese single album titled “Dimension,” via the record label Universal Music. The album will include the track “Always,” which is their second original Japanese song released after “Forget Me Not” from their first Japanese single album “Border: Hakanai.” “Always” was also picked up as the main theme song for the Japanese drama series “Muchaburi! I am The President!” The album will also comprise Japanese renditions of “Tamed Dashed” and ‘Drunk Dazed.”
Then you have Jack Harlow, who seems very evasive when it comes to answering questions on an interview. The rap album was released on May 6. “Come Home the Kids Miss You,” is the second studio album by Grammy-nominated American rapper Jack Harlow. The album was released through Generation Now and Atlantic Records. Prior to the release Harlow dropped the lead single “Nail Tech” in February and followed it up with another chart-topping single “First Class” in April.
On the same day, Arcade Fire, a Canadian indie rock band, which is comprised of husband and wife duo Win Butler and Regine Chassagne along with /Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band released their sixth album “We,” via Columbia Records. It is a follow-up to their 2017 album Everything Now. Produced by long-time Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, as well as Butler and Chassagne, the seven-track album is preceded by their lead single “The Lightning I, II.” The album is divided into two parts, “I” and WE.”
Rose’s Scoop: The trial of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp resumed on May 16. It truly doesn’t look positive for Ms. Heard. She seems like a hostile witness on the stand, evades the questions from Depp’s attorney and seems to forget that she hasn’t given the so called pledge or donation of $7 million from the Depp divorce to the two charities, ACLU and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
