Young vocalist Manou (she's 16) releases her new video for "We Are". She is currently preparing her long-overdue EP with producer pNUT (Amy Winehouse, Eliza Doolittle, Sparks, Foxes, Dido).
With a crazy successful debut single, an album on the way and a summer of festivals ahead, things are looking up for singer/songwriter Kiesza. Limpid vocals, defined beats, amazing dance moves and gorgeous ginger hair are only some of the assets of this 25 year old from Calgary, Canada. The video of ‘Hideaway’ - where she charmingly cruises through a myriad of dance styles and partners - already has millions of viewers dancing, and wanting more. To crack the formula of Kiesza’s roaring success, IDOL sat down with her and talked about her much anticipated first album, trying on different music hats, and what it takes to write a hit.
When did you realize music was the dream to pursue? Was there a specific moment when you said, ‘Yes, this is what I have to do with my life’?
It was a very distinct moment actually. Right after high school I spent some time working on a boat sailing from Canada to Hawaii. One night, this huge storm hit. It was quite scary, I remember the boat rocking so much, and I could hear all the pots and pans just rolling back and forth inside the hold. No one could sleep, and one of the guys in the crew, well, he played guitar. So he took it out and started playing soft lullaby songs, singing everyone to sleep. That’s when I realised the power of music. I was like, "Yes, I want to learn how to do that!". I picked up a guitar, started playing around on the ship and learning something new every day. I actually became the ship ‘lullabyist’, singing everyone to sleep. After I came back, I applied for music school and got a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. So, yes, that’s how it all started.
Your sound has often been described as 'electronic', but the pop influence - especially from 90s pop and dance music - is undeniable. Which is the genre definition you think suits you best?
I can’t define my music by one single genre. If I had to choose one word to describe my sound, it’d be ‘soulful’. My whole project explores different influences. As a true 90s baby, that decade is one of my favourites for dance music and R’N’B. Even some of the best ballads were written at that time. But I also love to stay current, keep on track with what’s going on now. And yes, there’s definitely an electronic element to my music as well.
Talk us through your creative process when you start writing a song. Is it sudden inspiration or the result of a longer process?
There’s no rule really, but I tend to start with melody. Often there’s some sort of musical theme that pops into my head. I start humming it to Rami, my producer, and we take it from there. The melody always has an emotion that goes with it, influenced either by what I’m feeling, or what has happened to me in that period. And that same emotion helps me write the lyrics. About how much time I spend on each song, well, it depends. Sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes it takes five years. Songwriting is based on inspiration, you can’t overthink it. There are rules that help you write a song, but there’s no definite procedure to follow.
How did Hideaway come about?
I had to fly to L.A. that day. I was already heading out of the studio, when Rami just started dropping this beat. I stopped right there, and we immediately threw down something on the track. Usually I just freeze down a melody if I don’t have time, but on that occasion it was different. Basically, the whole song poured out of me. The whole thing was completed within an hour. We didn’t have time to overthink it, we just went for it.
Did you have any idea that Hideaway would be such a success?
Seriously, not at all. Sometimes you write something, and don’t know what to expect until you hear it again. When Rami sent me the track the next day, I really loved it, but that was it. As an artist, you always try to create something that you love, but you can’t anticipate people’s reaction to it. I am so happy people liked it because it is such a genuine piece. For a long time, I tried on different hats, exploring different genres to figure out my personal sound. But listeners perceive when something is not 100% ‘you’. That X factor everyone talks about is also a matter of sincerity. You can feel when something is only pretending to be real, but actually isn’t.
After the success of Hideaway, there's a lot of anticipation about your first EP. Anything you can give away about it?
Actually, the EP project has now turned into a whole album. I have been working on a lot of songs, but I don’t have a title yet. I probably won’t name the album until the very end, when I know exactly which songs will be included in it. Although very varied – don’t expect only dance pieces!, all songs will be very soulful and will belong together in their unique way.
Your Facebook and Instagram pages include some really surreal artworks. Are these your own visual creations?
Yes, these are all my creations. I love painting, and have recently started using Photoshop to manipulate my own photos in surreal ways. The project of the album itself is supposed to be a mixture of music and artworks. To accompany it, I am developing an exhibit, where every song will have a unique artwork to go with it
Is art another strong interest of yours, besides music?
Art intended as drawing and painting has actually been my first attempt at artistic creation. Long before trying to be a musician, I felt I was an artist. I had always been really good at drawing, even when I was very young. I started by accurately copying things, like pictures, or photographs, and then started to do my own thing. If I were to call myself a specific kind of artist, it would definitely be ‘surrealist’. I am deeply influenced by Salvador Dalì’s dazzling dream world.
If you could pick anyone, who would you choose as a fellow artist/songwriter for a collaboration?
That’s so hard to say, it’s something that changes all the time. But if I had to pick someone, I would choose people who are not necessarily known. For example, there is this new artist from California that I discovered recently. His name is ZHU and he has a very mysterious, very haunting sound. Another one would be Hozier. His ‘Take me to Church’ is amazing. I’d totally work with him if I had the chance.
After living in NYC for a while, you have now moved to London. Is there any other city you could picture yourself in?
Toronto, definitely. My brother lives there, and I go to visit quite often. That’s quite new for me, though. In the past I used to think no place could be as cool as NY. But then I started falling in love with Toronto and its totally different vibe. There’s something so charming about the city, and it really grows on you.
Finally, who are your IDOLs?
Well I grew up with Michael Jackson’s music. It doesn’t get better than him, in terms of artistry. But then, I have a lot of other idols depending on the kind of music. I’ve got the great divas, then the great 90s dance singers, Martha Walsh - who I don’t think got enough publicity at the time, Gloria Gaynor, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion. The thing about Calgary, where I grew up, is that 90% of the stations play only country, or folk, or maybe alternative. In any case, all very organic sounds. You wouldn’t be hearing on the radio that kind of electronic music. But my mum loved it, and she kind of force-fed it to me. To this point, I’m so glad she did.
Interview by Margherita Maspero
Photography by Alexis Chabala
Styling by Rickardo Mattocks-Maxwell
Make-Up by Elaine Lynskey using Bobby Brown cosmetics
2 Unreleased Songs From Adele's 21 September , 2014
Two previously unreleased tracks from Adele debuted this past weekend. The tracks, ''You'll Never See Me Again,'' and ''Never Gonna Leave You,'' were cut from her runaway smash album, 21.
Not sure ID I've seen some interviews on youtube, but no mention of the cover. I can't wait for a full album. This lady can have a Madonna career if she she good management behind her.
Bebel Gilberto’s last album was released five years ago, helmed by her then-new husband and suffused with marital bliss. They’ve since divorced, which might be one of the reasons Tudo is colored by richer, more conflicting hues of the saudade that makes bossa nova such a beguiling blend of sunny melancholy.
Exquisite melancholy from bossa nova royalty
But the visceral subtext of personal strife and hard-fought renewal is just one reason why Tudo is such a deeply affecting collection. Gilberto was in her early 30s when she broke out with Tanto Tempo by layering electronic flourishes on the bossa nova genre. Now she’s in her late 40s and harkening back to her royal roots as the daughter of acclaimed singer-guitarist Joao Gilberto. Tudo polishes the acoustic lounge style of her eponymous album from 2004, but augments it with a decade more experience.
American audiences will probably most treasure Gilberto’s sublime cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” although the opening original, “Somewhere Else,” is also exquisite, from its mesh of strings, piano and seagull samples to its exposition on the fickle nature of dreams, sung in English and Portuguese. Traditionalists will swoon to her treatment of a pair of standards associated with Stan Getz — Luis Bonfa’s “Saudade Vem Correndo” and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Vivo Sohando,” the latter performed by Getz and her father in 1963.
There is also a sly, flirting duet with Seu Jorge (“Novas Ideias”) and, for Tanto Tempo fans, a cover of the French club hit, “Tout Est Bleu,” with Brazilian Girls pianist Didi Gutman sprinkling pixie notes. Gilberto, an impeccably impassioned control freak, weaves it all together in a comprehensible whole. Tudo, after all, is Portuguese for “everything.”
Tracklist: 01 – Somewhere Else 02 – Nada Nao 03 – Tom de Voz 04 – Novas Id‚ias 05 – Harvest Moon 06 – Tudo 07 – Saudade Vem Correndo 08 – Areia 09 – Tout est bleu 10 – Lonely in My Heart 11 – Vivo Sonhando 12 – Inspira‡ao 13 – It’s All Over Now
R&B singer-songwriter and seven-time Grammy nominee Joe is back with "Bridges," his 11th album in 21 years.
Featuring the Kelly Rowland-assisted lead single “Love & Sex Pt. 2,” the 16-track opus, released on June 24, features the 40-year-old crooner tapping into the complexities surrounding relationships and sharing his outlook on overcoming personal challenges.
During a recent interview with The Huffington Post, Joe opened up on recording “Bridges” and shared his thoughts on how the continuum of black music has influenced his career.
Last year you presented fans with the evolution of R&B on “DoubleBack,” and now you’re delving into the various stages that coincide within relationships. What inspired you to craft the title into “Bridges”?
“Bridges” pretty much sums up the songs on the album. It’s about relationships. And that’s what I been able to do throughout my career, is to build relationships. Instead of burning them, I’d rather build ... I just got out of one situation, and then got into a completely new one the following year. It’s amazing how things turn around.
In comparison to “Love & Sex Pt. 1,” how has the song developed into the latest version featuring Kelly Rowland?
This one is a mid-tempo record, and it kind of takes it to a different energy when it comes to her audience as well, which is a little bit younger than mine. So it kind of jumps into that arena a little bit. And plus, Kelly’s representing right now. She certainly stepped up.
What led to the creation of the Marvin Gaye-esque track “Sex Ain’t A Weapon”?
It’s a pretty cool record. Just conceptually, it’s about trying to hold [sex] back. And basically my point of view is like, you can’t do that with me. [Laughs] It’s not necessarily how I live, but that’s just being fly. Being a man on the record, so to speak. It’s a fun record. I call it my “Great Gatsby of R&B Records.” So you’re going to see a few videos that coincide with those records to kind of bring the picture out.
As we conclude Black Music Month, how much has the culture influenced your career?
Man, I tell ya, it’s been pretty powerful for me. That was pretty much the majority of music that I listened to growing up as a kid. Coming from gospel and then falling in love with R&B. It’s pretty much in the same lane, musically. So it’s definitely evolving. It’s going to another level in a way, that I don’t want to throw under the bus, but kind of following what’s going on in the scene right now. And I think if there was more originality, and using live instruments and creating with that, I think you get a lot of different things happening with R&B. And people are afraid to sort of stand out and keep it what it is. But there’s some guys doing it, it’s cool and fun. But I think the essence of it needs to certainly come back. And I believe that’s live instrumentations and writing and talking about love and certain things they used to talk about in the past.
Joe’s new album “Bridges” is available in stores and digital retailers.
Tracklist: 01 – Future Teller 02 – Dilemma 03 – Do A Little Dance 04 – If You Loose Her 05 – Sex Ain’t A Weapon 06 – Love & Sex Pt. 2 (feat. Kelly Rowland) 07 – Blame Her Broken Heart On Me 08 – First Lady 09 – Take It To The House 10 – Till The Rope Gives Away 11 – The Rest Will Follow 12 – Mary Jane (Remix) (feat. 50 Cent) 13 – Bridges 14 – Love Sex Hollywood 15 – For Love 16 – Love Undefeated
German-Ghanaian afro-folk singer Y’akoto has a deeply soulful voice tinged with echoes of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse that shines through on her latest offering “Perfect Timing.” Serving as the lead single off her forthcoming album Moody Blues, “Perfect Timing” is a bittersweet admission of lost love and missed opportunities. The track’s accompanying video casts the 26-year old vocalist as the Pied Piper of Accra as she rides through the city assembling a motley crew to join the ranks of her bike gang (comprised of none other than the crazy talented Flat Land Boys, a local BMX crew that previously showed off their skills in Blitz The Ambassador‘s “Make You No Forget” video). The impromptu vibe of the visuals helmed by South African director Lukas Kuhne also highlights Y’Akoto’s vision behind the track: “I wrote ‘Perfect Timing’ for all the folks who believe in being and living in the moment. I missed the perfect timing a lot of times in my life but I chose to let go and enjoy the sweetness of being here.” Watch the video below and pre-order Moody Blues available August 22nd on iTunes.
Tracklist: 01 – Come Down To The River 02 – Forget 03 – Perfect Timing (Radio Version) 04 – I Will Go Down 05 – Carry This 06 – Save You 07 – Now Is The Time 08 – Moodyman 09 – Tobo Darling 10 – Don’t Call 11 – Off The Boat 12 – Mother And Son 13 – Come And Go 14 – In A War 15 – Talk To Me Part II 16 – Without You (Acoustic Version) 17 – Don’t Call (Acoustic Version)
FLYLEAF: Entire 'Between The Stars' Album Available For Streaming
September 8, 2014
"Between The Stars", the fourth studio album from the alternative hard rock band FLYLEAF, can be streamed in its entirety using the Yahoo! Music widget below. The CD will be released on September 16 via Loud & Proud Records.
With producer extraordinaire Don Gilmore (PEARL JAM, LINKIN PARK, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) manning the board, the band spent a month in a Los Angeles studio during the spring of 2014. The fruits of their labor is a wealth of heavy, hypnotic soundscapes laced with new frontwoman Kristen May's piercing vocals.
"When we started writing this record, we had a common hardship," admits Kristen. "Their singer had quit, and my previous band had broken up. As writers, we weren't really sure how to move forward. At the same time, we all had this shared feeling of hope and a second chance. Music came out of those experiences from coming together and persevering through whatever doubts and trials we faced in our lives. It felt like home once we began making music."
Guitarist Sameer Bhattacharya concurs, "It just worked. We were bringing in different perspectives and ideas from earlier times. It was a new beginning for all of us."
For proof, look no further than first single "Set Me On Fire". For the lyrics, the band found inspiration within a rather unconventional place.
"Pat, Kristen, and I had just finished reading Veronica Roth's 'Divergent'," recalls Sameer. "Something in the story resonated with us. It's that moment of finding yourself. Mark Twain said something really powerful. He wrote, 'The two most important days of your life are the day you're born and the day you find out why.' 'Set Me On Fire' represents that realization."
Kristen comments: "It's about the passion we feel when we first fall in love and our emotions are running high, along with our thirst for this great life and all it has to offer. There is so much beauty, excitement and hope in this world and when we collide with one another and fall in love, magic happens. I hope everyone turns this song up to eleven, and sings at the top of their lungs."
Shot with director Noel Maitland (SPEECHLESS, KINGS OF SUMMER) in an abandoned warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, the "Set Me On Fire" video can be seen below.
On the flip side, "Traitor" might just be the group's heaviest salvo to date. "It's about knowing which people in your life aren't good for you," sighs the frontwoman. Then, there's "Thread", which weaves together a spiraling melody and an uplifting message. "It's another journey," Sameer says. "It's got a great message that sometimes you can't only rely on yourself." "You feel lost and like you're hanging by a thread," continues Kristen. "In those moments of fear, anxiety, and depression, you've got to reach for something bigger than yourself. We all collaborated on that, and it just fit."
Throughout this process, FLYLEAF has stayed connected to their diehard fans. Via PledgeMusic, the band was able to crowd-fund some incredible opportunities. Fans got the chance to hang in the studio while the band worked on the album, hear music first at an exclusive listening party, get special art created by band members, or even items knitted by Kristen. That immersion will continue as they head out on the road over the course of the next year.
Ultimately, that audience remains closer to the musicians' hearts than ever before. "This album is a reminder that we're alive," Sameer declares. "Embrace life now. That's a recurring theme since our inception. We want people to know they're alive, they're loved, and there's hope. That's what we want to share." Kristen concludes, "I hope it's an album people can listen to for years to come. We put our hearts and souls into it, and I want them to hear that."
Kristen May replaced original vocalist Lacey Sturm after the latter abruptly departed the group in October 2012.
Sturm left the band on the eve of the release of its third album, "New Horizons", which came out on October 30, 2012 and sold 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 16 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Although they are historically more associated with the pomp of songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the flamboyant fabulousness of their late lead singer, at one time Queen were one of the more kick-ass bands in rock and roll.
Yes, "that" Queen.
The complex, intricately synched harmonies that became their eventual calling card, anchored by Freddie Mercury's pitch-perfect voice, were still very much in evidence on the early albums Queen, Queen II, and Sheer Heart Attack.
But they were matched by a primal, ferocious style of slightly proggy, but undeniably hard rock that nearly disappeared altogether by their fourth album, the breakthrough megahit A Night At The Opera, and all else that followed. If those early records created a sense that the wheels could come flying off the wagon at any moment, once that train left the station it was gone for good.
Drummer Roger Taylor and criminally underrated bassist John Deacon laid down the hammer that powered this engine, while Brian May's thunderous riffage mowed through the din like a buzzsaw. May's playing remained brilliant throughout the band's latter, more commercially successful years even as Freddie Mercury proceeded in getting his full Liberace on. But it became much more measured in short, staccato blasts of power, than the way he used to simply let rip on Queen's rawer, early records.
Sadly, in particular for those of us who remember and miss them most, this seems to be the Queen that history has largely forgotten.
Recently unearthed and restored to perfection by the fine folks at Eagle Rock, Live At The Rainbow '74 seeks to rectify this by making one of Queen's most legendary performances available at long last commercially. Although Queen had recorded their March 1974 performance at London's Rainbow for a proposed live album (four of the songs from that show are included here as DVD extras), they were a much more formidable live band by the time they returned later that same year for the sold-out November show that comprises most of what is seen and heard here.
When the footage is viewed back-to-back, the differences between the band who had just come off a tour opening for Mott The Hoople in March, and the triumphant headliners on the verge of much bigger things by November are palpable. Playing with the same high level of intensity they had just months before, but with the new found confidence and polish that comes when you know that destiny has just come calling, Queen's performance on this set is literally off the charts.
Even more astonishing though, is the way that Queen recreate the dense layers of sound heard on those first three albums in a live setting.
Long before "Bohemian Rhapsody" became the most difficult to sing karaoke song of all time, and "We Will Rock You" became the anthem of choice at many a professional sports stadium, Queen's trademark was this thickly layered wall of sound. This same aural density was made even more inexplicably impossible for the fact that it was recorded by the traditional rock and roll lineup of just four guys with guitars, drums and voices.
Although they could no longer make the same claim with some of their later records, the early Queen album covers always proudly boasted that the music heard within contained "No Synths!" Appropriately, they are now, decades later, able to repeat that braggadocios statement with Live At The Rainbow '74.
Not surprisingly, they do.
As a document of its time, Queen's Live At The Rainbow '74 is a long overdue historical reminder of just how much these guys used to rock prior to adopting the more pompous, grandiose, and some would argue, pretentious sound that made them jet-setting zillionaire rock stars. Not that some of Queen's early music didn't have its own pretentious lapses into ogres, faeries and assorted other manner of prog-rock lyrical silliness.
They just rocked so hard that it could be overlooked.
But as a performance, this set is nothing short of stunning. Hearing these guys rip through the early classics like "Keep Yourself Alive," "Ogre Battle," "March of the Black Queen" and the rest, it's hard to fathom that this is even the same band later responsible for all those campy, showy tunes about bicycles and fat bottomed girls.
I suppose a lot of that can be blamed on Freddie Mercury.
But he sounds nothing short of magnificent here, particularly on songs like "Father To Son" where his range soars high above the glorious racket being created all around him in ways that would swallow other, less gifted singers whole. With barely enough time to catch his breath, Freddie then rips through the borderline speed-punk of "Stone Cold Crazy." It's an undeniable early display of the star power that would manifest itself so much more fully a few short years down the road.
Available in a variety of formats including Audio CD, DVD and Blu-ray, anything that captures both the visual and audio elements of the show is the way to go here. But however you choose to get this, just make sure that you do get it. You will then discover for yourself one of the best kept secrets in rock and roll: Queen - yes, "that" Queen - were once a kick-ass rock band. The evidence is right here.
CD1: 01 – Procession (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 02 – Father To Son (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 03 – Ogre Battle (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 04 – Son And Daughter (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 05 – Guitar Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 06 – Son And Daughter (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 07 – White Queen (As It Began) (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 08 – Great King Rat (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 09 – The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 10 – Keep Yourself Alive (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 11 – Drum Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 12 – Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 13 – Seven Seas Of Rhye (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 14 – Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 15 – Jailhouse Rock – Stupid Cupid – Be Bop A Lula (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 16 – Liar (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974) 17 – See What A Fool I’ve Been (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
CD2: 01 – Procession (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 02 – Now I’m Here (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 03 – Ogre Battle (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 04 – Father To Son (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 05 – White Queen (As It Began) (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 06 – Flick Of The Wrist (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 07 – In The Lap Of The Gods (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 08 – Killer Queen (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 09 – The March Of The Black Queen (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 10 – Bring Back That Leroy Brown (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 11 – Son And Daughter (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 12 – Guitar Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 13 – Son And Daughter (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 14 – Keep Yourself Alive (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 15 – Drum Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 16 – Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 17 – Seven Seas Of Rhye (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 18 – Stone Cold Crazy (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 19 – Liar (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 20 – In The Lap Of The Gods…Revisited (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 21 – Big Spender (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 22 – Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 23 – Jailhouse Rock (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974) 24 – God Save The Queen (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
"I can't be smug about it – I know it's wonderful," Robert Plant says, blunt and cheerful as he talks about his first solo album of new, original songs in almost a decade. "It's fucking great."
Released by his new label, Nonesuch, on September 9th, Lullaby and . . ....eless Roar is the ex-Led Zeppelin singer's first studio effort with the Sensational Space Shifters, his Afro-psychedelic-blues touring band of the past two years. The album is also a return home. Plant, 66, recorded it in his native England after a few years of living and working in America, mostly singing folk and blues covers on Raising Sand, his 2007 hit with Alison Krauss, and 2010's Band of Joy.
"The onus wasn't on writing so much as dipping into the real American songbook," Plant says of that time. For the Space Shifters, he reconvened British musicians from his 2005 album, Mighty ReArranger – including guitarists Justin Adams and Liam "Skin" Tyson, and keyboard player John Baggott, who has worked with Portishead – and added Juldeh Camara, a griot from Gambia, who plays the ritti, a one-string fiddle. "We bring in all the aspects of being European, leaning on Africa and the Delta," Plant crows. "It's pretty virile stuff, and it has come from our countless hours of trudging the endless highways. If we'd just met in a room somewhere, we'd have never gone anywhere near this."
By that, Plant means the dense, integrated blur of North African riffing, heavy-blues grind and electronic looping in "Turn It Up" – a memoir of driving through Mississippi, transfixed by the music on the radio – and "Little Maggie," a drastic rearrangement of a 1948 bluegrass landmark by the Stanley Brothers. "Robert is open to spontaneity," says Adams, who has produced records for the Malian band Tinariwen and worked with Plant since 2001. "He'll leave things slightly undercooked, preferring a rough, early take because it has energy and simplicity."
Plant can also be specific in his choice of sources. Adams recalls a phone call early in their association: "He started talking about the guitar playing on the Doors' 'The End' – 'Do you know what I mean by that?'" Adams says, laughing. "Yes, I did."
There is a profound, reflective grip to Lullaby and . . . The Ceaseless Roar (named after a line in one song, "A Stolen Kiss"). In the overcast Celtic-folk flair of "Embrace Another Fall," Plant underscores his lifelong affection for Wales – where he vacationed as a child and later, in a remote cottage, wrote Zeppelin songs with guitarist Jimmy Page – by incorporating part of an old Welsh ballad, "The Lark's Elegy," sung in the original tongue by guest vocalist Julie Murphy. She says Plant told her "Embrace Another Fall" was "about coming back" – specifically, "to the drizzle, a particular type of rain in Britain. He said he'd been in the desert, these hot places, and he was returning after a long journey."
In this conversation, Plant refers to his old band with elliptical care, never mentioning Led Zeppelin by name and ably dodging the irrepressible reunion issue – the public howl for a tour after Zeppelin's 2007 show in London (with the late John Bonham's son, Jason, on drums) and Plant's steadfast no. But Plant performs a high percentage of Zeppelin songs with the Sensational Space Shifters, and he has been involved in this year's Page-directed series of Zeppelin reissues. It was Plant's suggestion to redesign the original covers in color negatives.
"This propagation of myths and anti-myths will continue forever," he says of Zeppelin. Still, a roundabout question about his relationship with Page outside of Zeppelin matters gets a hearty laugh. "I'll ask him at dinner tomorrow night."
Plant characterizes his immediate future with the Space Shifters as more playing, more travel: "We're getting questions like 'How about Lollapalooza in 2015?' Juldeh wants us to go to Gambia, which is a nice idea. For me, the whole deal is about setting sail for two or three different idioms and calling it a dream come true."
Stockholm-based singer Mapei has announced her debut album, Hey Hey, which is out September 23 on Downtown Records. Check out the track list below, and listen to the new single, "Change". The majority of the album was produced by Magnus Lidehäll (Sky Ferreira, Katy Perry). It also features previous single "Don't Wait".
Mapei will also be going on tour with Lykke Li after a few dates with John Legend. "I am beyond excited and thrilled to announce that my dear friend Mapei will come on tour with me," Li said in a press release. "It is insanely symbolic to me as she's been my idol ever since I saw her the first time when I was 17. She was the coolest thing I've ever seen and she dared me to follow my dream.... First stop was her Bushwick apartment and many open mics, bruised hearts, blood, sweat and tears later we will join forces again to tour America. Don't you dare miss it."
Check out the schedule below.
Hey Hey:
01 Don't Wait 02 Change 03 Blame It On Me 04 Come On Baby 05 Things You Know Thing About 06 As 1 07 Second To None 08 Believe 09 Step Up 10 Keep It Cool 11 What's Innit 4 Me 12 Baby It's You
Mapei tour:
08-07 Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival 08-09 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival 08-16 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop Festival 08-17 Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre ^ 08-18 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre ^ 08-21 Berkeley, CA - The Greek Theater Berkeley ^ 08-23 San Diego, CA - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre ^ 08-24 Las Vegas, NV - The Chelsea ^ 08-26 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater ^ 09-06 Raleigh, NC - The Pour House Music Hall 09-09 Los Angeles, CA - Shrine Expo Hall 09-17 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre * 09-19 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom * 09-22 San Diego, CA - North Park Theatre * 09-23 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium * 09-27 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre * 09-28 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue * 09-30 Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus * 10-01 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer * 10-03 Boston, MA - House of Blues * 10-04 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall * 10-06 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club * 10-08 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle * 10-09 Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues *
Pop music is constructed with many of the same base directives as candy, which is why the two are so often compared. Above all, both must feel good to consume, and both must make us want more. Pop meets basic human desires, and thus often gets dismissed as basic itself. It's true that the consumption of good pop is, by design, easy. But its creation is as exacting an art as tempering chocolate without scorching it, or whipping a capricious meringue into soft peaks.
What distinguishes trite from treat in both candy and ear candy is the search for inspiration in unexpected places. In a caramel, it might be a kick of cayenne or a zing of salt. On her full-length debut Hey Hey, rapper turned pop singer Mapei leaves no avenue unexplored in her search for sonically irresistible ingredients. "Don't Wait," the massive hit from 2013's Don't Wait EP, features finger snaps, a chorus shouting "Hey!" and affirmative lyrics about the power of love between friends. "Come On Baby" opens with spangled brass and builds into a frenetic techno swirl. A theremin layered over acoustic guitar gives way to a few seconds of synthesizer before swinging into funk and big beat in "Things You Don't Know About."
Mapei and producer Magnus Lidehäll (who has also produced Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, and Katy Perry) drench Hey Hey in happy-making combinations, without reaching saturation or losing individual flavors to a rush of sugar. Every influence on display is well-studied and deployed effectively, and over it all dances Mapei's accessible, soaring voice, propelled by genuine charisma and heart. Her savvy-sweet brand of pop is proof that high-quality ingredients can't be faked, even in a product designed for immediate and mass consumption.
Like the rest of us, you’re probably ready for more Jennifer Hudson in your life. Lucky for you, you can stream her brand new album JHUD starting NOW until Tuesday, September 23 at 10 am at jenniferhudson.vh1.com. If you like what you hear on JHUD, and we’re thinking you most definitely will, you can pre order tracks on iTunes or Amazon until the album debuts September 23.
We can’t get enough of her hit “Walk It Out” and can’t wait to hear what else the upbeat, energetic album has in store for us. The R&B star gave us hints about her “colorful” new project earlier this year in the video below.
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