listening2: 26/4/25
I've been listening to... #18 in the series
listening2… is a series of regular posts on what I’ve been… well, listening to. Tracks from my travels. New songs and music to explore further. Half forgotten tracks from my collection. Roadtrip gems. If you like this post, let me know or, even better, let someone else know!
It’s been a while since my last listening2… playlist as I’ve been working on some longer feature pieces (see the two part Polly Paulusma feature HERE and HERE, and the first LGBTQ plus plus plus feature HERE). So there’s a lot to pack in…
Listening2… #18: 26/04/2025
On this slightly-extended, legend-heavy listening2… playlist: a couple of new versions of an old classic from legend Brian Jackson; a track from another legend’s most recent album - Beverly Glenn-Copeland; one from the new album from Jensen Macrae; two bangers, one from Sherelle & George Riley, the second from rapper, Doechii; excellent lo-fi indie from the new Cloth album; a track from Aussie singer songwriter, Ruby Gill; and, a track from the new album by uber-legend Elton John - yes, indeed – with the only slightly less legendary Brandi Carlile.
1. Brian Jackson: It's Your World
New single released 2 May 2025
Brian Jackson is a veteran and legend of Black American music. The musical partner of Gil Scott-Heron for years, and flautist on the amazing The Bottle (produced originally in 1974 and featured on Ziggy’s HERE as one of my 12 inch series), Jackson is still producing great music, including amazing versions of some of those classics from way back. It’s Your World is one of them, and he’s done some great versions through the years. This one, produced by House-meisters Masters At Work ( aka "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez) is new. You can just sink into this extended version!
… and here’s a video version he did with Brazilian artist and facilitator, Fernandha a few years ago. Both version are great…
2. Beverly Glenn-Copeland - The Ones Ahead
Live From Lakewind Sound Studios & from the 2023 album, The Ones Ahead
Speaking of legends…
Beverly Glenn-Copeland himself is a legendary composer, artist and campaigner for trans rights. A trans man himself, he has been producing acclaimed music for decades, including the pioneering electronic album, Keyboard Fantasies that came out in 1986. It became a bit of a grower over the years, and is regarded as a bit of a classic now. Glenn-Copeland appears most recently on the epic TRAИƧA album that I’ll be featuring soon. In researching that piece, I explored a bit more of Glenn-Copeland’s work and discovered his award winning 2023 album, The Ones Ahead, which is a beautiful and transcendent piece of work, and and it’s been on my turntable a lot since I receiveddd it last week!
Find the album here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kvzNK7KNw7cc9UujUYY0_VMqzDxHjW-iw
3. Jensen Macrae - Massachusetts
From the new album, I Don't Know How But They Found Me!
Jensen Macrae is someone who I found through Secretly Store, the excellent storefront of labels like Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian, as well as artists like MRCY, Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten and a whole host more.
Macrae is two albums in, and proving to be a deft and emotionally astute songwriter. At first hearing, a little bit Taylor, a little bit Tracy Chapman, but there’s something sparkily original there. I was caught by the wit and honesty of her songs and she’s been around for half a decade, building a reputation. A twenty-something (her) speaking to a sixty-something (me), but somehow it works. You can read more about her background HERE.
I’ve played this track more that any of the other pre-release singles released from the record. The full album is now out, so I’ll give that a listen, but in the meantime, here’s Massachusetts:
4. Sherelle & George Riley - Freaky (Just My Type)
From Sherelle’s forthcoming album, With A Vengeance
A couple of bangers next…
The first from UK DJ and up and coming producer, Sherelle. I LOVE this track, and the video is a blast. The vocals are by George Riley, who I’ve also been checking out. The album looks great too…
Just the kind of thing I like bopping around the living room to…
5. Doechii - Anxiety
From her YouTube channel, originally released in 2019, rerecorded in 2025
Banger number 2…
Doechii is an American rapper who has come up through the social media and mixtape route – TikTok and YouTube in particular. Her big hit, Anxiety, was originally released in 2019, and re-rereleased in April 2025 using a sample from Gotye’s 2011 hit, Somebody That I Used to Know (the royalties on that song must be mounting up, the recent ‘CDK company’ dance version has been all over social media!).
It was a toss up between this one and Denial is a River. Heads or Tails? Tails? OK, it’s Anxiety… You can find Denial is a River HERE! Both videos are awesome…
6. Cloth - Pink Silence
From their new album, Pink Silence, out now
One of my favourite finds last year was the 2023 album, Secret Measure by Cloth, who are twins Rachael and Paul Swinton from Glasgow. It’s a quiet, lovely thing, full of great melodies and interesting, underrated arrangements. Their new record, Pink Silence has just been released, and there was a Bandcamp ‘listening party’ last week to celebrate. It’s just as good as that first album. Rachael Swinton’s vocals are as fragile and affecting, but the arrangements bring them out more on this collection. I think it’s going to be a grower. It’s got the best kind of lo-fi addictive feel…
7. Ruby Gill - The Flood
From the 2025 album, Some Kind of Control
Ruby Gill: songbird and bird nerd from South Africa got lost now living in Naarm/Melbourne 🐦
(From Ruby Gill’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@rubymarygill/releases)
Ruby Gill is a very special songwriter and a number of the tracks on this new album could have made it to this list. With a South African background, and living in Melbourne, she has a powerful left-field lyricism to here songs. It’s Gill’s second album, and it’s really strong. I love the sparsity of some of the tracks, but it’s the words that really hit home… she’s saying something important here..
Definitely an artist to catch up on and follow… and definitely a possible album of the year, I’d say…
8. Elton John & Brandi Carlile - Swing For The Fences
From the 2025 album, Who Believes In Angels?
Who-da thought it? A new classic track by Elton John and Brandi Carlile from their new album, Who Believes In Angels? I must be honest, I’m a longtime fan of Elton. I think he’s up there with the greatest songwriters and performer of all time, but I was a little sceptical about this release. Until I heard it.
Elton’s done that a number of times in his career, of course. Gets momentum going. Skids to a halt. Then BANG, out with another classic era-defining bunch of new songs. On the 15th June 2019, Mary and I went to see his Farewell Yellow Brick Road at Cardiff City Stadium. The car parking, buses to and from the stadium and sound quality were a nightmare, but it was still a great night, one on which I said my own ‘farewell’ to Elton, and basked in all the memories he’d given me.
And yet here he is back again with a kind of, well, tribute to himself and all his own memories and eras – though not in a bad ‘up-yourself’ way – he’s proved to be nothing less than musically generous over the year! All the classic Elton ingredients are in there. Cheesy rock and roll, on-the-nail lyrics (thanks Bernie), amazing piano playing and, frankly, some great songs. His voice is still awesome, though the main vocal duties on my playlist choice, Swing For The Fences are by Brandi Carlile, his collaborator on this record. I could go on - and probably will in a future post - after all I’ve been an Elton John fan for nigh on 55 years, so there are some stories in there…
On this track, he’s saying to the world that love is love, and teenage passion is horny and fine whether it’s LGBTQ+, straight or not sure/don’t care… That piano is still there and unmistakably awesome, there’s a nod to Billy Elliot in the video, and I’m sure there’s a Ziggy tribute riff somewhere near the end. See what you think…1
Notes and bonuses
Note: I might be wrong but the chord riff at the end of Swing For The Fences (3' 55'') sounds a lot like the false ending on Suffragette City (see below, 2' 43'') just before Ziggy calls out “Wam bam, thank you ma'am” - which would make sense on a whole range of levels, not least what is is just about to happen in the video…
Just to add a bit of rabbit hole to the whole thing. Ziggy Stardust, the album, came out in 1972, the same year as Honky Chateau, the album, which had Rocket Man on it. Three years earlier, Space Oddity, the song, had been produced by Gus Dudgeon, who also produced Honky Chateau (and many other Elton albums). So at the very least there would have been bits of inspiration and tribute crossing between the two artists…
…and here’s a tribute to David Bowie by Elton John, doing Rocket Man, at a concert in 2016, not long after Bowie passed away…
Incredible playlist 💜 listening to its your world as we speak. What a gift !