The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now

Lizzo tops the Chart for fifth week, Irish punks crash in the basement

Lizzo poses for a portrait at The Current.
Lizzo poses for a portrait at The Current.MPR Photo | Nate Ryan
  Play Now [1:15:00]

by Mark Wheat

July 18, 2019

At 14, when she formed her first group in Houston, The Cornrow Clique, and her rap name was Lissa, shortened from her given name Melissa. But Jay Z's song "Izzo" was a big hit at the time so he name became Lizzo! Now she's maintained the top spot for the fifth week and EVERYONE knows her name! This February article in The Cut does a great job of catching you up on the phenom, with awesome photos.

Pick your top five songs in this week's Chart Show Ballot, and you could win a pair of tickets to see Gary Clark Jr.

Kept out of the Number One slot again by Lizzo, Billie Eilish decided to bring in the big gun ringer for a re-mix of the
#2 song this week, Justin Bieber?!

Dessa has a little bit of Lizzo and Billie in her style on the new single, which is the highest new entry at number three. She'll be one of the free shows at this years Minnesota State Fair, Sept 1 and 2nd.

On Monday night Jack White became the first star to grace the stage of The Armory twice in less than a year. His co-leader of The Raconteurs, Brendan Benson was called the "spittin' image of Minneapolis' Paul Westerberg" in The Star Tribune's generally positive review, which ended calling it a "meaty, big and bouncy performance." On Tuesday night, Jack, Brendan and the lads were spotted at Target Field watching the Minnesota Twins!

"It's an album to get lost in, sit with, recall in dreams and play again." says Andrea Swensson about our Album of the Week J.S. Ondara's Tales of America. He also just got rave reviews for his performance at Glastonbury in the UK and sits at #6.

Locked together on this weeks chart at eight and nine, Spoon and Cage The Elephant have just started their tour with Beck, playing Irvine, California tonight and Chicago on July 31st, with no Twin Cities date planned.

Slipping three places to #13 this week, Bon Iver announced more details about the new album last week.
It includes guest appearances by The National's Aaron Dessner, James Blake and local star on the rise, Velvet Negroni.

Big Thief are bringing their new 'U.F.O.F.' Album to the masses at some big festivals in Europe this summer, including The Green Man in Wales and Pukkelpop in Belgium. We'll have to wait until The Fall for their USA return, Oct 21st at First Avenue.

The new punks from Dublin, Ireland who crash into the basement this week, Fontaines D.C. do have a local date, Sept 17th, but it, like many of the gigs on their first big tour, is already sold out! However we captured them live on video in Austin, TX at SXSW.