NYS Music 202​0

Author: Jacob L. Pitts

  • Video Premiere: Todd Alsup “Manhattan”

    Todd Alsup premieres his new music video “Manhattan” is an ode to his beloved city as it braves the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dedicated to the essential workers and everyday heroes of New York City, the video features its diverse population coming together as a community while remaining six feet apart. Essential workers such as firemen and first responders are given special focus, as well as the artists and musicians who continue to brighten up the city in dark and confusing times.

    Raised in Detroit, Alsup first became enamored with New York City on a high school trip. He fell further in love while attending New York University, where he earned a bachelor of music degree studying voice, theory, and songwriting. The singer, songwriter, and keyboardist says:

    “‘Manhattan’ is a love song I wrote for the city I’ve called home for over 20 years. New York was, of course, hit very hard at the onset of COVID-19 and is now a center of protest in the fight against systemic racism and police brutality.  I’ve seen my city rise up in the face of daunting challenges many times before and I’ve chosen to create a video that celebrates the spirit of strength and perseverance of New Yorkers.”

    Todd Alsup

    Todd Alsup criticizes many aspects of the city throughout the track, such as its noise, cold temperature, and “lunatics everywhere,” but ultimately couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.  “One million reasons to leave and a million more to stay / Oh Manhattan, I wouldn’t have you any other way,” he concedes. In addition to “Manhattan,” Alsup has also released a lyric video for his cover of The Spinners’ 1973 hit “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” adding a retro hip hop flair to the Motown classic.

  • Take a ‘Ride’ with Lenny Kravitz

    Breezy, summery, and carefree: the latest new music video for “Ride” by Lenny Kravitz is exactly what the world needs right now. Sharing a chord progression and key with his groovy 90s hit “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” “Ride” hearkens back to simpler times and offers some welcome respite from chaotic current events. Kravitz and his love interest frolic through Parisian museums, cafes, and fields of yellow daisies as he croons in the background, allowing us to vicariously live through the kind of summer road trip or vacation we may have recently canceled.

    In addition to Kravitz’s earlier work, “Ride” is reminiscent of 1970s records such as Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. Although more understated, it retains their funky synths and strong basslines and makes the ideal soundtrack for floating in the pool on a lazy summer Saturday. Despite Lenny Kravitz singing “Through the storm, my love, we will ride,” it sounds like the storm has already passed and now there’s only peace. 

    Much like “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” the lyrics of “Ride” deal with standing by a lover’s side through thick and thin, this time nearly 30 years later. “Ride” first appeared as the penultimate track on Kravitz’s 2018 album Raise Vibration. He told Rolling Stone, “We shot this video months ago in France before we could have imagined what life would be like today. After listening to the song […], we had a vision of expressing the song through portraying the characters of the writer and the spirit.” One might wonder why now after the nearly two-year wait for “Ride”’s music video, but there couldn’t be a better time to escape into a utopian summer where peace, love, and travel all prevail.