20 January 2010
By Lyov
In Pop
Sacred Love
On the day that the second live album of Sting’s illustrious solo career (and third if you count the Police’s 1995 LIVE set) was to be recorded in Tuscany, Italy, the widely respected singer/songwriter/bassist was beset with one of the world’s worst horrors of all-time. The show was to be recorded and broadcast live on the web on September 11, 2001, the day of the World Trade Center tragedy. Instead of canceling it altogether, Sting went on with the recording (although the web broadcast was scrapped except for a single song), resulting in the release of the 15-song ALL THIS TIME, just two short months later. Featured are a trio of Police-era classics inventively re-arranged (“Roxanne,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” and “Every Breath You Take”), plus renditions of such solo selections as the expansive “(If You Love Somebody) Set Them Free,” “Brand New Day,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” and the poignant folk-like ballad “Fields of Gold.”...
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british, classic rock, Pop, Rock, Sacred Love, singer-songwriter, Sting
15 January 2010
By Lyov
In Jazz, Pop
The Pursuit
Now officially anointed as the new Dudley Moore, being a talented British pianist about to wed a much taller blonde, Jamie Cullum returns after a four year break with The Pursuit, his fifth and best album yet. A gleeful and deft big band version of Cole Porter’s classic “Just One Of Those Things” kicks off proceedings with a new Cullum-composed introduction, an indicator of his current confidence. And on this evidence it’s warranted. First single, the soft-rocking “I’m All Over It” deserved greater success, while the jaunty “Wheels”, inspired by the credit crunch, neatly encapsulates the varied moods of The Pursuit. A funereal reading of “If I Ruled the World” owing far more to Elvis Costello than Harry Secombe, is followed by “You and Me Are Gone”, a tribute to Louis Prima’s turn on the soundtrack of The Jungle Book that’s as much fun as its inspriation. A cover of Rihanna’s hit “Please Don’t Stop The Music” is as vulnerable and full of longing as the original even as he makes it his own, yet “Mixtape”, a tribute to the varied music Cullum loves, is an upbeat, even extravagant pop song not miles from Ben Folds. “We Run Things” is slighter–Cullum can’t really do threat–but the concluding “Music Is Through”, effectively a house tune anchored by his brother’s stand-up bass, neatly combines several genres to great effect. The playing is great throughout, the songs well chosen and arranged, the result entirely satisfying. If marrying pop and jazz without contrivance was the target, then The Pursuit has succeeded perfectly....
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british, Jamie Cullum, Jazz, piano, Pop, singer-songwriter
08 January 2010
By Lyov
In Pop
Hall of Mirrors
Her debut album, Hall of mirrors, is a declaration of love, an exchange “all that I’ve learned on my life path, I now try to give it back as best I can” she says again. – a beautiful way about her and a collection of 14 gem songs like “Imagine One Day”, “Bang Bang”, “Lost” plus a very nice cover of Ike Turner’s “Working Together”....
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british, dance, Grace, Hall of Mirrors, indie, trance, vocal trance
09 December 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
I Dreamed A Dream
Susan Boyle, 48, from Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, was a contestant on the 3rd series of Britain’s Got Talent. She surprised the judges with a strong performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables in the competition’s first round, aired on 11th April 2009....
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awesome, british, female vocalists, I Dreamed A Dream, Susan Boyle, talent
29 November 2009
By Lyov
In Soul
Rockferry Deluxe Edition
International ‘Deluxe Edition’ 2-CD set – Comprising the UK #1 10-track CD album featuring the massive hit singles ‘Rockferry’, ‘Mercy’, ‘Warwick Avenue’ & ‘Stepping Stone’; plus a Bonus CD containing 7 brand new previously unreleased recordings including the smart & sophisticated ‘Rain On Your Parade’ which pairs irresistible strings with one of Duffy’s trademark soaring vocals. Also includes new artwork....
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british, Deluxe Edition, Duffy, female vocalists, Pop, Rockferry, singer-songwriter, Soul
26 November 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Betcha Bottom Dollar
In a witty and energetic updating of mid-20th century vocal groups such as the Andrews Sisters, the U.K. trio the Puppini Sisters perform close-harmony swing-style backdates of contemporary pop songs, such as their Italian wedding reading of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and a slinky version of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights.” Also featured are 1940s and ’50s pop classics such as their a cappella “In the Mood” and the Andrews Sisters’ own “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.”
In a witty and energetic updating of mid-20th century vocal groups such as the Andrews Sisters, the U.K. trio the Puppini Sisters perform close-harmony swing-style backdates of contemporary pop songs, such as their Italian wedding reading of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and a slinky version of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights.” Also featured are 1940s and ’50s pop classics such as their a cappella “In the Mood” and the Andrews Sisters’ own “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.”...
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50s, Betcha Bottom Dollar, british, female vocalists, Jazz, swing, The Puppini Sisters
26 November 2009
By Lyov
In Pop
Alright, Still
Like most British pop, Lily Allen’s debut album, Alright, Still, overflows with impeccably shiny, creative productions. However, Allen attempts to set herself apart from the likes of Rachel Stevens, Natasha Bedingfield, and Girls Aloud with a cheeky, (mostly) amusing vindictive streak in her lyrics that belies the sugarcoated sounds around them. You know exactly what she means when she says her ex is “not big whatsoever” on “Not Big”; later, she revels in being the one that got away on “Shame for You.” However, this nice-then-naughty approach is at its best on Alright, Still’s singles, which open the album in a one-two-three punch. Another ex-boyfriend kiss-off, “Smile,” has a silky verse melody that just barely conceals her spite, which finally spills over on the chorus: “At first, when I see you cry/It makes me smile.” But even here, Allen keeps her revenge sweet — she sounds like she’s singing about how ice cream or puppies or being in love makes her smile, which gives the song an extra sting. “Knock ‘Em Out” is an even sassier, more stylized battle of the sexes than the Streets’ “Fit But You Know It” (and could very well be the response from the girl in Mike Skinner’s song). And “LDN” is a glorious summer confection, even if “it’s all lies” underneath the Lord Kitchener sample and “sun is in the sky” chorus. Alright, Still’s production and arrangements, courtesy of Greg Kurstin, Mark Ronson, and Futurecut, balance Allen’s tart observations with a backdrop of pop-grime beats and freewheeling, feel-good ska that makes her sound playful and kittenish instead of just catty. While the album doesn’t exactly go downhill after its opening salvo, it does lose some steam, particularly with “Take What You Take,” a song that feels out of character with the rest of Alright, Still because it’s uncharacteristically dull, and “Alfie,” which falls especially flat as the album’s final song. Allen softens her tough-girl pose more successfully on “Little Things,” a ballad that celebrates the mundane moments of a dying relationship (“You’d take me out shopping and all we’d buy was trainers/As if we ever needed anything to entertain us”) and “Everything’s Just Wonderful,” where “bureaucrats that won’t give me a mortgage” are the targets of her ire instead of a previous (or soon-to-be previous) boyfriend. As with Nellie McKay (another young, opinionated woman eager to make herself the maverick in her chosen style of music), the dichotomy between Allen’s sweet sound and ironic lyrics could be seen as either witty or clever-clever....
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Alright Still, british, britpop, female vocalists, Lily Allen, Pop, singer-songwriter
Brenda Boykin
Deela
John Mayer
Elton John And Tim Rice
Summertime
