As 2016 comes to a close, we wanted to recap on this year’s best musical highlights. This week’s topic is artists who have made a significant comeback this year, from reunions of your favorite high school punk bands, to the releases from notable pop divas.
The Monkees: Best known for their song, “I’m a Believer,” the Monkees celebrated their 50th anniversary this year with a new album. It is their first since 1996, and though these gentlemen are in their seventies, they still rock just as hard.
The Rolling Stones: With their first studio album in ten years, the Stones are showing a new, blues-y side we’ve never seen before. Though the album is completely covers, it brings us back to just why Maroon 5 chose to idealize Mick Jagger.
JoJo: When you hear her name, of course the first thing you think is “Leave (Get Out)!” and you may break into a preteen dance. In 2016, JoJo brought back all those memories and more with her new release of Mad Love and a tour with Fifth Harmony.
Green Day: Much of the pop punk world hasn’t gotten been able to replace “Dookie” in their CD players just yet. The chart-topping California “Basketcase” pop punk group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, but hadn’t released material in a few years. Their twelfth studio album, “Revolution Radio” was released in October 2016, and peaked at no. 1 on Billboard 200 and top alternative albums, and top rock albums in the U.S.
Blink 182: The Californian skate punk rock giants took the music world by storm with hits like “All The Small Things,” “Rock Show,” and “What’s My Age Again” in the late nineties and early 2000’s. After a strange dissolution of the original lineup with Tom DeLonge departing, the chances of a 2016 tour were practically nonexistent. The pop punk gods were looking out for Blink fans though, and with the introduction of Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, not only did Blink 182 release a new album, “California,” but they also embarked on a massively popular summer tour with support from A Day to Remember, All Time Low, and All American Rejects across the country.
Alicia Keys: After taking a 4 year break between her Grammy Award-winning album, Girl on Fire, Keys debuted a new single, “In Common,” this past spring. Her sixth studio album, Here, shortly followed along with her appearance on NBC’s The Voice and fans have praise her refreshing “no makeup” movement.
Sum 41: Perhaps the most unexpected of comebacks goes to Canadian alternative rock band Sum 41. After lead singer Deryck Whibley landed himself in a coma from too many years of hardcore drinking whilst riding high from the “All Killer, No Filler” days in 2013, doctors weren’t sure Whibley would ever be able to stand again, let alone play rock ‘n’ roll. After re-learning how to play the guitar, Whibley set out on tour dates with Sum 41 and released a new album, “13 Voices” in October of 2016. Looks like the frontman is never really “in too deep” and that punk rock music can really overcome anything.
Solange: Another artist that took a 4 year break, Solange released her third studio album, Seat at the Table, this past year. The album is a mix between r&b and soul, and what Solange calls a “project on identity, empowerment, independence, grief and healing.”
Filed under: Features Tagged: 2016 recap, alicia keys, artist comebacks, blink 182, end of year lists, green day, jojo, solange, the rolling stones
