December Videos: Bleu, Matthew Sweet, Taylor Locke, Richard X. Heyman


Bleu McAuley, is an award-winning songwriter, producer, and recording artist who’s done great power pop in the past and recently helped with the new Dear Stella EP. His new song “I Wanna Write You a Symphony” is supported by the above video work of filmmaker Graeme Wilson who started following Bleu’s career in 2008 and decided to contact him after Bleu casually mentioned in an email newsletter that he was puzzled about how to put his pile of new songs out in the world. He is planning the release of his sixth solo album.


Matthew Sweet is back! “Give a Little” is the new single from his upcoming album Catspaw. Sweet mentions, “It has a lot of elements I like both lyrically and musically. I think this one came to me all at once—music and words together. I really like the start and stop riffs that underpin the chorus; they give it quite a kick.” Yes, it does! I can’t wait to review this new LP.

I kind of lost track of Taylor Locke (Rooney) since his early solo work. But he has been very busy collaborating with artists such as Linda Thompson, the New Pornographers, Sloan and composing music for TV and streaming shows. Plus, he did 40 dates as a touring guitarist for L.A. legends Sparks.“Dying Up Here,” a hooky charmer that was co-written with Bleu McAuley and appears on Locke’s new EP “The Bitter End

Choices We Make is a timely new song from Richard X. Heyman‘s upcoming album. An amalgam of folk-pop with Memphis soul, the song is anchored as always by Richard’s drumming, guitar and organ, and piano, and festooned with a lush vocal arrangement. He is joined in this effort by wife Nancy Leigh on bass, Probyn Gregory (of the Brian Wilson band) on trombone and trumpet, and jazz saxophonist Duke Guillaume.