Stop yawning and wipe the sleep outta your eyes, folks. Lionel Richie is back. I said stop yawning! Yes, I understand that new millennium Lionel is a far cry from the man who funked up the joint on cuts like "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" and "Machine Gun" with The Commodores in the '70s. He's been in the Pop/Soul-lite lane for over two decades now, so it's safe to say that he's probably gonna stay there. Although on his last album, Coming Home (2006), he collaborated with Raphael Saadiq and Dallas Austin and went for a more contemporary R&B sound, which ended up being a good look. There's no denying that Lionel is still churning out good music -- whatever the genre. A new song has recently surfaced that finds him swinging the pendulum back in the Pop direction with a Rock edge. The piano-driven "Good Morning" showcases Lionel's vocals while he sings about every morning being a good morning when he wakes up next to his woman. This doesn't have the soul of "Easy" from the olden days, but it's a good track for these days nonetheless. [H/T: BMF]

Lionel Richie: "Good Morning"