“If you have more to say, why wouldn’t you say it” said Paul Waaktaar at a press conference at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin in March 2015. This was his explanation for why Norwegian pop/rock trio a-ha reunited this year for a new album titled “Cast In Steel” (slated for release in September 2015) – just a few years after they had officially called it quits as a band and toured extensively as part of their “Ending on a high note”tour. The Norwegian Embassy was the band’s platform to announce their decision to reunite for another album. The decision met with excitement from delirious fans that craved more of a-ha when the band made their grand exit a few years ago. It also met with criticism from those that labeled the band as capitalizing on the “farewell tour bandwagon” and milking it for what it is worth – just to return again a few years later and repeat the highly profitable endeavor of announcing a disbandment (how many farewell tours have The Eagles done so far?). Needless to say, we were thrilled by their announcement and could barely wait to hear the new single title “Under the makeup” which surfaced earlier today.
In a career that spanned 25 years, a-ha has demonstrated a series of stylistic incarnations. This trend, in particular was more obvious after they returned to the limelight in 2000 post an 8-year-long hiatus as a band. “Minor Earth Major Sky” (2000) can be best be described as the perfect marriage of electronic and acoustic elements. “Lifelines” (2002) veered closer to a MOR Adult Contemporary flavor. “Analogue” (2006), for the most part, is a guitar-driven rock album while “Foot of the mountain” (2009) represented a-ha’s “full circle” return to their synth roots and the sound that made them international pop stars with their multi-platinum debut album “Hunting High and Low“. To say that the band’s sonic versatility was staggering would be quite the understatement.
Hence, it is obvious that the first question of consequence revolved around the stylistic direction a-ha would take with the material on their new album “Cast In Steel”. If the new single “Under the make-up” is any indication of what the album will sound like, it appears that the band has opted for a musical mid-point between the “Lifelines” album and lead singer Morten Harket’s “Brother” album. The song is a fairly melancholic and downbeat affair that seems to eschew the musical trademarks (e.g. Morten’s recognizable falsetto) of a typical a-ha single. The song opens with a sparse piano accompaniment to Morten Harket’s distinct and beautiful vocals. The verses do not have any melodic hooks. The chorus fares slightly better although it is still quite pedestrian. In this song, songwriter Paul Waaktaar delves into the universal theme of loss of love. The wistfulness of the song permeates most noticeably in the song’s second verse:
If you wanted out Didn’t I let you go If you wanted in Didn’t I make it so. It could be Tenderness escaped so easily.
The poignantly sung lyrics on this verse are beautiful in their simplicity. The song’s most noteworthy element is its generous deployment of cinematic orchestration which reaches its absolute peak after the second chorus and replaces the Middle 8 (an element in a typical pop song’s structure). The hauntingly beautiful string section of the song almost sounds like something that could have taken its birth from the creative synergies between a-ha and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra as they were rehearsing for the highly acclaimed Royal Albert Hall (London) concerts back in October 2010.
Given that the music of a-ha has, for the most part, succeeded incredibly well in being a radio staple (outside of the US) for most of the band’s recording career, it is only fair to wonder what the radio-hit potential is for this song. While the merit of the song is undeniable, we believe that its lack of melodic hooks, and its sharp deviation from a typical radio staple’s song structure might undermine its ability to catch fire with radio playlist programmers, and that this in turn, might result in the song not being an essential in a-ha’s “singles-rich” legacy. In fact, the song would make a fantastic closing track for the “Cast In Steel” album. It has the classic elements of a grand finale as opposed to those of an appetizer for a new album. In fact, we think the song is a rather odd choice for a lead single.
We have always thought of a-ha as a radio-friendly pop act. Hence, we sincerely hope that “Under the make-up” is not representative of the overall sound of the album. I guess we will find out sooner than later. Until then, here is a full-length clip of a-ha’s “Under The Make-Up”:
STAR RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Tracklist: 01 – Matter Of Time (Feat. Romero Lubambo) 02 – Soul Cargo 03 – My Romance 04 – The Island (Feat. Romero Lubambo) 05 – Close Your Eyes 06 – New Day 07 – Sometimes You Just Know 08 – Out Of Nowhere 09 – Qu’est-Ce Qu’on Est Bien Ici (Feat. Romero Lubambo) 10 – In The Name Of Love 11 – Corcovado (Feat. Romero Lubambo) 12 – The Space Between 13 – Matter Of Time (Reprise)
Eryn Allen Kane - Slipping
Eryn Allen Kane brings fans front and center to her soulful pipes in the music video for her new single, "Slipping."
In the clip, shot in only one take, the rising R&B/Soul songstress follows the camera lens through a suburban neighborhood. Through the process, she unleashes a mix of physical emotions as she delivers the heartfelt and heartstrings-pulling record.
"I'd like for people to choose what it means to them. It's important that I give that freedom to the listener," Eryn previously told The FADER about her creative process around the song.
Eryn is currently working on her debut EP, Aviary, which is due out later this year.
Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Fergie, Colbie Caillat and more have teamed up for "Love Song to the Earth," an environmentally conscious track that's part of a global campaign to raise awareness prior to the United Nations Climate Change Conference this December in Paris. The all-star collaboration has also released an earnest lyric video for the track highlighting how many marvels of the world are at risk if all of Earth's citizens don't work toward stemming climate change. "Keep it safe," the artists implore on the chorus.
According to the song's o...al website, "Every time the song is purchased, streamed, or shared, the royalties go directly towards the efforts of Friends of the Earth to keep fossil fuels in the ground and lower carbon emissions, and to the work of the U.N. Foundation to inspire international action on climate change." Fans are also encouraged to sign a petition to "tell world leaders to stop debating and start taking action on climate change."
"Love Song to the Earth" was penned by Toby Gad, John Shanks, Natasha Bedingfield and Sean Paul, with the latter two also appearing on the track alongside Leona Lewis, Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik, Angelique Kidjo, Nicole Scherzinger, Kelsea Ballerini, Krewella, Victoria Justice, Christina Grimmie and Q'Orianka Kilcher.
"We wanted to create a song to unify voices in a positive uplifting chorus to support the world's leaders as they gather in Paris this December," Jerry Cope, the song's executive director and co-director/producer of the video, tells RollingStone. "We wanted to finally forge a binding ambitious global climate treaty to address carbon omissions and anthropogenic [effects] that is resulting from human behaviorclimate change."
The charity single is the latest effort as the Paris Climate Change Conference approaches. On December 4th, Thom Yorke, Patti Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea and Dhani Harrison will headline a Pathway to Paris concert in the city's Le Trianon theater. The first Pathway to Paris concert took place in September 2014 in New York City with Thurston Moore and guitarist Lenny Kaye.
Earlier this year, Al Gore and Pharrell Williams announced their multi-city Live Ear...s concerts to raise awareness for the upcoming Paris conference, but that June 18th event did not take place.
For Cope and others involved in the project, the goal of the song and video is straightforward. "Our hope is that people will listen to the song and enjoy the lyric video and go to Lovesongtotheearth.org and sign the petition which will be delivered at the opening of the climate conference in Paris this December," Cope says. "As an American, I hope thatthis helps to rally our nation and once again we can leadthe world in what is the most important challenge we face in the 21st-century."
Back in September of 1981, Simon John Charles Le Bon, 23, along with his band of sharp-dressed music-makers, hit American shores for the first time as Duran Duran.
Though the British quintet had only two club shows booked in the NYC area — one at the Spit in Long Island, the other at the Peppermint Lounge on West 45th in Manhattan — the group’s 1981 self-titled debut featured “Girls on Film" and “Planet Earth" as its first and second songs. So, reminisces Le Bon fondly, “By club standards, we arrived to a massive following; it was brilliant.”
Also brilliant? Their debauched adventures in the pre–Rudolph Giuliani–ized Big Apple. “Drugs, mostly. Sex. Booze. You know, that sort of thing,” Le Bon says, cheekily. “[A] normal Eighties rock 'n' roll lifestyle.”
If Duran Duran’s cheekbones-and-hair-gel presence and oeuvre seem omnipresent today, historical context sets the stage for the band’s first stateside foray: In 1981, their genre was “New Romantic.” There was no internet. Then-president Ronald Reagan was shot in March of that year. “Bette Davis Eyes” was topping the charts. The first recognized cases of AIDS were discovered. It was the year Amy Schumer was born.
Yes, it was that long ago that the Duranies — in their original core lineup of keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor, drummer Roger Taylor, and guitarist Andy Taylor (now joined, since 2006, by touring guitarist Dom Brown) — set hearts and radios aflame. Nearly 35 years later, Duran Duran are back with the captivating and contemporary fourteen-cut gem Paper Gods, out September 11, rife with a sound that mines and expands on their infectious early pop-dance style to fine effect.
The road from Rio to Paper Gods began with 2010’s All You Need Is Now, as Le Bon explains. “[Producer] Mark Ronson’s brief to Duran Duran for that was, ‘I want Duran Duran to reclaim the Eighties.’ That was how he felt.” The boys in the band didn’t disagree. “We were listening to this stuff like the Killers and Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand, who kind of have an Eighties sound, and Mark said, ‘You’re one of the originals of this sound; you should have it. It should be yours.' "
They figured why not, and gave it a go. Following the poorly received “urban” outing Red Carpet Massacre, All You Need “worked a treat,” the frontman says. “It was really great for us. We won a lot of fans back; we connected very much with our following with that record.”
That sort of throwback experiment can be easier said than done (successfully), but it worked, so when it came time to do a follow-up, Ronson was back on board. But a few weeks into the album, Ronson had to leave to make Uptown Special, his record that would spawn the massive hit “Uptown Funk.”
But a boost came from an unlikely source: Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. “John Taylor got a message from John Frusciante, and the message was this: ‘I heard Duran Duran are back in the studio making a new album. I would love to play on the album.’ We were like, ‘YES PLEASE.’ He’s one of the most individual-sounding and iconic guitarists who has ever lived,” Le Bon raves. “He’s right up there with Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, all the Jimmys,” he laughs. “Nile Rodgers and Dave Gilmour, these absolute gods of guitar. He’s in the top ten as far as I’m concerned…AND John Lee Hooker must go in there.”
Frusciante was the catalyst that sped up Paper Gods, another fortuitous collaboration being Ronson’s suggestion of Rodgers, the Chic co-founder and in-demand guitarist and producer. Then came U.K. singer/songwriter/producer Mr. (Benjamin) Hudson. There was a geographical kinship with the latter, as he was a “Brummie as well; you know, the band is a Brummie [from Birmingham] band,” explains Le Bon. Yet they tested him. "Ben comes down, we don’t play him anything, we just felt, ‘Put your money where your mouth is.' And we bang out three songs in a row — ‘You Kill Me With Silence,’ his first offering, within half an hour," says Le Bon, still sounding incredulous. "Then we do ‘Paper Gods,’ then ‘Sunset Garages.' The songs had so much freshness and power. Ben just went, ‘OK, I think the album is finished.’ He was the big gel that pulled the whole album together. He was massively, massively important.”
'The paper gods are ephemeral. Maybe it’s fashion, maybe it’s money: all this stuff that really doesn’t matter that we seem to get so crazy about.'
The title track is arguably the album’s strongest, though initially Le Bon, in a snit, ignored the tune. “The band had done the song without me in the studio, and presented it to me. I’m always like, ‘I don’t like it, you did it without me.' And I kinda walked away and went to the toilet. So while I was in the loo having a piss, I started singing the melody, the main chorus melody,” he says, launching into the song. “Because the chords were still going round in my head. I came back and said, ‘OK guys, let me try something before we throw it in the bin. I started singing it on the microphone and it turned into what it is: the best song on the album.”
Lyrically, it’s pure Duran Duran, high-society social commentary you can easily rock at karaoke. Lyrics include: “Find peace with matching bag…So hang it out online, confess and you’ll feel fine...And if you got the time to spare, we want to know which name you’re wearing.” Le Bon, who has been married to former model Yasmin since 1985, calls it “very Duran Duran because there’s a little kind of play, a vagueness.”
Actually, it’s more New York Fashion Week than vague — more Vogue than vague, even — but as Le Bon notes, “It just looks at different aspects of modern life, things that maybe distract us from more important things. The paper gods are ephemeral. Maybe it’s fashion, maybe it’s money: all this stuff that really doesn’t matter that we seem to get so crazy about.” In Brit-speak: a piss-take. “It’s not a criticism; it’s a commentary, a snapshot,” he affirms.
The architects of “Girls on Film” know their snapshots. And when asked to look back at those early days — especially as they play their 30-year-old hits in concert — Le Bon turns thoughtful, and speaks in the third person. “If I was a Duran Duran fan, I’d feel ripped off if they didn’t play ‘Rio’ and ‘Hungry Like the Wolf,’ because they’d be two of my favorite songs. And we’re all mindful of that,” he says, returning to himself. “There was a time when [past hits] felt like millstones around our necks. But the beauty of them and the resilience of them is something to be proud of. You play them now and think, ‘We fucking wrote this song, this is us.’ There’s a lot to be said for that. I’d rather it was Duran Duran who wrote songs than anybody else.”
Duran Duran play August 1 and 2 at the Capitol Theatre, and August 5 at Nile Rodgers's FOLD Festival. For ticket information, click here.
Review: Duran Duran, Yet Again, With ‘Paper Gods’
Photo
From left, Simon Le Bon, John Taylor and Dom Brown of Duran Duran performing last month.Credit Owen Sweeney/Invision, via Associated Press
DURAN DURAN
“Paper Gods”
(Warner Bros.)
Nostalgia is fleeting, but it is renewable, and every few years, Duran Duran returns to remind a new set of people of a sound that, buried deep within, they love.
“Paper Gods,” the 14th Duran Duran album, and first since 2011, brims with the signature louche funk that made this group a paragon of early 1980s sleek excess. Simon Le Bon is still a fragrant, sleepy singer whose default vocal approach is the come-on.
But on “Paper Gods,” he’s newly cynical about the things that used to turn this band on. The title song, about the hollowness of beauty, almost feels like a rebuke to “Rio.” “Butterfly Girl” promisingly begins like classic Duran Duran: “By the look on your face, you’ve been awake all night.” But then Mr. Le Bon becomes a scolding elder: “I still hope you’re gonna realize/There’s only one kind of happy in that glass of wine.”
It’s a bait and switch, especially because that song features Nile Rodgers of Chic, fresh off lending his humanity to Daft Punk. It’s bulbous, throbbing disco, ecstatic and free, recalling the band’s 1980s peak, in sound if not in sentiment. That’s better than the pair of songs, “What Are The Chances? and “The Universe Alone,” which recall an earlier stab at maturity, the soporific 1992 hit “Ordinary World.”
Largely, though, Duran Duran chooses its collaborators wisely here, opting for some from that golden age, like Mr. Rodgers, or those who’ve internalized that era’s balance of sleaze and good cheer, like Mark Ronson — who helped with the group’s last album, “All You Need Is Now” — a producer of “Pressure Off,” a blend of hard-slap funk and dreamy new wave that features Mr. Rodgers and Janelle Monáe.
So long as Mr. Le Bon is oozing atop brisk arrangements like this, the specifics of the words don’t much matter. Everyone here has the posture down cold. It’s not nostalgia if you never stopped. JON CARAMANICA
Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan announced yesterday (Sep. 10) that he will release his second solo album with the band Soulsavers called “Angels & Ghosts” out October 23 via Columbia. Gahan also released the lyric video for the first single “All of This and Nothing.” Check out the video above to get a taste of the new album. As if that news wasn't enough for fans, Gahan and Soulsavers are heading out on a brief tour in October. Shows start October 19 in Los Angeles, CA and finish up November 4 in Milan, Italy. Check out the complete list of dates below. The previous LP Gahan released with Soulsavers was 2012's “The Light the Dead See.”
Depeche Mode's latest album “Delta Machine” came out in 2013. Last year, saw the release of “Live in Berlin” a new concert film and LP directed by long time collaborator Anton Corbijn. This isn't Gahan's first project outside of Depeche Mode. He's released two solo LP's: 2003's “Paper Monsters” and 2007's “Hourglass.”
10-19 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel * 10-22 New York, NY - Town Hall * 10-26 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire * 10-30 Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom * 11-02 Paris, France - La Cigale * 11-04 Milan, Italy - Fabrique * * with Soulsavers
“Angels & Ghosts” tracklisting: 1 2 Shine 3 You Owe Me 4 Tempted 5 All of This and Nothing 6 One Thing 7 Don’t Cry 8 Lately 9 The Last Time 10 My Sun
Pop's most fearlessly out-there star goes even further, with help from the Flaming Lips
Miley, what's good? The lunatic pop princess dropped her surprise new album for free at the end of her hosting gig on this year's MTV VMAs. And it's a doozy: a psychedelic concept trip about sex, drugs and her dead blowfish, mostly created in collaboration with the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne. The songs reference this exciting new drug called "pot," which Miley has discovered and would like to explain to the rest of us. Result: The ex-Disney moppet moans, "How dare you bring another chick in our bed?/You lucky I'm doing my yoga or you might be dead."
"Something About Space Dude" is the real killer here — an aching acoustic sex ballad about a Bowie boy who isn't even there, leaving her to sob, "I want to be there skateboarding in a space dude's evil lair." Most of Dead Petz sounds pretty much like the Lips' latter-day output — she aims for Coyne-like high notes that don't suit her lowdown voice. But she scores wacko successes like "Milky Milky Milk," "Cyrus Skies" and "Slab of Butter (Scorpion)," along with cameos from Big Sean, Ariel Pink and producer Mike Will Made It. Her best line: "Your lips get me so wet/While I'm singing all the verses from the Tibetan Book of the Dead." Relax and float downstream, girl.
"Something About Space Dude" is the real killer here — an aching acoustic sex ballad about a Bowie boy who isn't even there, leaving her to sob, "I want to be there skateboarding in a space dude's evil lair." Most of Dead Petz sounds pretty much like the Lips' latter-day output — she aims for Coyne-like high notes that don't suit her lowdown voice. But she scores wacko successes like "Milky Milky Milk," "Cyrus Skies" and "Slab of Butter (Scorpion)," along with cameos from Big Sean, Ariel Pink and producer Mike Will Made It. Her best line: "Your lips get me so wet/While I'm singing all the verses from the Tibetan Book of the Dead." Relax and float downstream, girl.
Carrie Underwood Reveals Track Listing for ‘Storyteller’
Carrie Underwood revealed the track listing for her upcoming fifth studio album, Storyteller, via social media on Wednesday night (Sept. 9).
The country superstar rolled out the song titles one by one on her Instagram, devoting a video to each track and hiding the individual track titles in a flip book. Later that evening she confirmed all of the song titles, as well as songwriter and producer credits for the highly-anticipated project, via a press release.
The album’s first single, “Smoke Break,” is already at country radio. Underwood wrote that song with frequent collaborators Chris DeStefano and Hillary Lindsey, and she worked with them extensively on other songs on the album, along with more top Nashville writers including Ashley Gorley, Zach Crowell, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, Brett James and more.
Underwood contributed to six of the album’s 13 new tracks, including “Renegade Runaway,” “Heartbeat,” “Chaser,” “The Girl You Think I Am” and “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted.”
Underwood worked with producers Jay Joyce, Mark Bright and Zach Crowell on various tracks for the album, which is set for release on Oct. 23. Physical copies of Storyteller are currently available for pre-order at Amazon, and “Smoke Break” is available for download at iTunes.
Carrie Underwood, Storyteller Track Listing:
1. “Renegade Runaway” 2. “Dirty Laundry” 3. “Church Bells” 4. “Heartbeat” 5. “Smoke Break” 6. “Choctaw County Affair” 7. “Like I’ll Never Love You Again” 8. “Chaser” 9. “Relapse” 10. “Clock Don’t Stop” 11. “The Girl You Think I Am” 12. “Mexico” 13. “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted”
Enjoy Sananda's new adventures in Post Millennium Rock! All subscribers on http://sananda.org can now pre-order a physical copy of his new double album THE RISE OF THE ZUGEBRIAN TIME LORDS. As an added bonus you will receive a digital copy of the album on September 18th, three weeks before the worldwide release on October 9th! - SM Staff
1. Demons 2. Stay Like This 3. Heaven To A Fool 4. Right Here 5. Reach Out 6. We Can 7. Too Late For Lullabies 8. Something Right 9. Easy Love 10. I Need You Tonight 11. Just Like A Child 12. Higher Than Here 13. Shadow Of A Dream (Deluxe Bonus Track) 14. Naked With You (Deluxe Bonus Track) 15. Lonely People (Deluxe Bonus Track)
Duffy snapped up the role of Reggie Kray's favorite singer Timi Yuro for Tom Hardy's new film Legend, and she even wrote a song for the occasion.
In a clip given exclusively to Digital Spy you can watch Duffy performing the track, as well as some extra double Hardy action as he continues to play the role of both Ronnie and Reggie.
The film's director Brian Helgeland approached Duffy for the role because of the classy nature of her 'Mercy' music video.
"There was a guy who was in 'The Firm' who went to prison with The Krays named Chris Lambrianou and I asked him who Reggie's favorite singer was, because I knew music was going to be important," Helgeland told NME. "He said to me Timi Yuro was his favorite singer. Chris told me how he would book her in all the clubs because he liked her so much. I thought that would be a great thread through the movie, to have that live performance from Timi, and I had seen Duffy's video for 'Mercy' – which was very classy, with her up on stage as a nightclub singer.
"So one of the casting directors just got a hold of her. She thought it sounded like a fun thing to do."
Legend is out in UK cinemas now, and US ones from October 9.
'Legend' Director On The Krays' Taste In Music, Casting Duffy And Tom Hardy's Sinatra Secret
Legend – the new film about East End gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray – is in cinemas now. NME spoke to director Brian Helgeland about the sonic side of the movie, including the British invasion and soul-packed soundtrack, casting singer Duffy as long-forgotten vocalist Timi Yuro and what was on Tom Hardy's headphones on set...
How did Duffy end up appearing in the film?
Brian: "There was a guy who was in 'The Firm' who went to prison with The Krays named Chris Lambrianou and I asked him who Reggie’s favourite singer was because I knew music was going to be important. He said to me Timi Yuro was his favourite singer. Chris told me how he would book her in all the clubs because he liked her so much. I thought that would be a great thread through the movie, to have that live performance from Timi, and I had seen Duffy’s video for 'Mercy' – which was very classy, with her up on stage as a nightclub singer. So one of the casting directors just got a hold of her. She thought it sounded like a fun thing to do."
What can you tell us about Timi Yuro?
"She died a few years ago. She was American and she didn’t have much success in the States and she came to England. It was one of those ex-patriot stories when they do better in a different country than they do in their own country. She came to England and was very popular in the Northern Soul scene."
What else did Chris tell you about The Krays’ taste in music?
"He told me what they liked and it wasn’t so much rock‘n’roll really. It was much more a big band sound - closer to Frank Sinatra than it was The Beatles. Ron was a little more interested in rock. Ron actually tried to manage a band for a while. They were called The Shots and they had one single. But Eric Clapton played in Esmerelda’s Barn, their casino, with a band called Casey Jones And The Engineers that he was in early on."
Do you play music on the set to direct the mood of particular scenes?
"I never do. Tom [Hardy] played music a lot in his headphones, just to get himself in the mood. He was listening to Frank Sinatra, that kind of Las Vegas, 1960s music. Period stuff that was along those lines."
Was Tom singing along like in his viral Dubsmash videos?
"He sings along sort of under his breath. We never got to hear what Elton John might sound like coming out of Tom! He’s very into music but he kept it very between his ears, so to speak."
Did any cast members have a hand in the soundtrack?
"It was just me and my music editor, Adam Small. But they did in A Knight's Tale [2001]. It started out as KC And The Sunshine Band but Heath Ledger suggested a David Bowie track which was kinda fun in terms of an actor suggesting something."
The actual soundtrack is pretty epic – 33 tracks over two discs – why so big?
"I think because there’s such a scope to it all. Twelve songs wouldn’t do it justice, because it goes all the way from Herman’s Hermits to Burt Bacharach. So to give it a flavour of all the different things that were going on it works better to be bigger. It was a very big time for instrumental tracks and we used some of those; ‘Cissy Strut’ [The Meters] and ‘Sleepwalk’ [Santo & Johnny]."
Did you try to have different songs representing different characters?
"Yeah, especially Frances [Reggie’s wife, who narrates the film]. When she’s on screen we’re playing ‘He’s in Town’ by The Rockin’ Berries on their first date, ‘I’m Into Something Good’ by Herman’s Hermits and The Dixie Cups sing ‘Chapel of Love’ when she gets married. Even later on ‘Little Miss Lonely’, the Helen Shapiro track, is sort of singing to her. With Frances the tracks are speaking for her."
"Legend" Soundtrack Tracklisting
Disc 1: 1. Legend – Carter Burwell 2. Green Onions (Single Version) – Booker T & The Mg’s 3. Cissy Strut – The Meters 4. He’s In Town – The Rockin’ Berries 5. Watermelon Man (Album Version) – Poncho Sanchez 6. I’m Into Something Good – Herman’s Hermits 7. Are You Sure? – Duffy 8. Hideaway (Stereo Instrumental) – John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton 9. Chapel Of Love – The Dixie Cups 10. Moonglow – The Starsound Orchestra 11. Little Miss Lonely – Helen Shapiro 12. Make The World Go Away – Duffy 13. Elegy For Frances – Carter Burwell 14. Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny 15. Somethin’ Stupid – Tammi Terrell & Marvin Gaye 16. Your Race Is Run – Carter Burwell 17. Whole Lotta Love (Legend Soundtrack Version) – Duffy
Disc 2: 1. Dawn Yawn – Georgie Fame 2. I’m The Face – The High Numbers 3. What Do You Want – The Yardbirds 4. The “In” Crowd (Single Edit) – Ramsey Lewis Trio 5. Strut Around – The Graham Bond Organisation 6. I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town – Rod Stewart 7. My Baby Loves Me (2003 Stereo Mix) – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas 8. Hung On You (Single Version) – The Righteous Brothers 9. They Can’t Convince Me – Ronnie Scott 10. Lady “E” – Tubby Hayes & The All Stars 11. The Look Of Love (Album Version) – Burt Bacharach 12. I Wanna Put A Tiger In Your Tank – Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated (feat. Cyril Davies) 13. Grow Your Own 14. Back In My Arms (Single Version (Mono)) – Hattie Littles 15. Come On Do The Jerk – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 16. Theme From A Summer Place (Album Version) – Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra
Jewel, an iconic pop artist from the ‘90s, makes a comeback with her new album “Picking Up the Pieces” released on Sept. 11.
Crop tops, episodes of Friends, platform sneakers, Jewel blaring out of the speakers in traffic. No it is not the ‘90s, but everything ‘90s is coming back into full swing and Jewel is no exception.
Jewel made her hit debut on the music scene in 1995 with her album titled “Pieces of You.” The album was wildly successful. One may recognize favorites like, “Who Will Save Your Soul” and “You Were Meant for Me.” The album was one of the best selling debut albums of all time, going platinum 15 times over. Jewel also branched into country in 2008 with her album ,
“Perfectly Clear.” In addition to singing, Jewel also co-hosted the tv show “Platinum Hit” on Bravo.
Her newest album, “Picking Up the Pieces,” nods to her first album and also insinuates a comeback. The style of the songs on this album are also reminiscent of her first album in that they rely heavily on the lyrics and are strung together by thoughtful and minimal guitar melodies.
The album is very ‘90s and gives the listener a sense of nostalgia. Your past memories of Jewel might be hearing it blaring from the speakers in your mom’s car, or sampling her music at the listening stations at borders.
However, her lyrics aren’t as young. This album has a more mature sound. One of the best songs on this album is “A Boy Needs a Bike” depicts her relationship with her father.
“Mom feels left out and now she’s starting to cry/ I wonder if all girls are crazy this way/ I wish pops would just get a spine/I said I know it’s kind of small but you can borrow mine/ He just smiled and said, ‘your mom means well son’/Most times are good it’s just some that are lean/But it’s love that makes up for those times in between.”
She stays true to her poetic style, but rather being about the trials and tribulations of love, or self-discovery, these lyrics lend to a more mature Jewel grappling with more mature topics.
“Boy Needs a Bike” is one of the stronger songs on the album. Another song that stands out on the album is “Pretty Faced Fool.” This song is the most downloaded song on iTunes from “Picking Up the Pieces.”
Again, Jewel sticks to a more mature tone in this song, looking back confidently on her choice to end a romantic relationship.
“What good’s a heart that’s too damn tough to break/ That’s too damn cool to take a chance on love/ Yeah I took a chance on us/ Now that I look like I’m just a fool I think you oughta know/ You’re just a pretty-faced fool who let one get away.”
What is great about Jewel’s mature tone is that it’s empowering to women. Few female lyricist have songs as confident as these, which is something that stands out about this album.
The weakest track on this album is “Nicotine Love.” It has almost a surreal-like sound in the sense that her voice fights the guitar’s melody for the dominant noise in the song. It was easily the most different song on this album, but it wasn’t to my liking.
Overall, I would give this album four stars. It was consistent with the style that Jewel started out with, bringing a real sense of nostalgia to this listening experience. Additionally, it still remained fresh, and is new enough that it doesn’t feel like she was repeating any messages that she had previously centered any of her other songs around. This ‘90s singer-songwriter has surely picked up the pieces on this amazing new album.
Jewel, ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ Track Listing:
1. “Love Used To Be” 2. “A Boy Needs A Bike” 3. “Everything Breaks” 4. “Family Tree” 5. “It Doesn’t Hurt Right Now” 6. “His Pleasure Is My Pain” 7. “Here When Gone” 8. “The Shape of You” 9. “Plain Jane” 10. “Pretty Face Fool” 11. “Nicotine Love” 12. “Carnivore” 13. “My Father’s Daughter” (feat. Dolly Parton) 14. “Mercy”
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
Entertainment Tonight reports that Ariana Grande will be featured on Italian classical tenor singer Andrea Bocelli’s upcoming studio album, Cinema. The record features tracks inspired by movie soundtrack masterpieces performed in five different languages including Italian, French, Spanish, English and Sicilian.
“With the album Cinema, I’m fulfilling a wish that I’ve harbored for decades,” Bocelli tells ET. “If films are a ‘dream factory,’ the music that supports them embraces these dreams and heightens all of the magic and emotional vitality.”
Bocelli will perform his new setlist on Sept. 18 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood before Cinema makes its debut on Oct. 23. Until then, please launch the new video for “Nelle Tue Mani” from the Gladiator soundtrack featuring a cameo from John Travolta at the top of the page.
Cinema Track Listing:
1) MARIA from ‘West Side Story’ Lyrics by Leonard Bernstein – Stephen Sondheim Music by Leonard Bernstein
2) LA CHANSON DE LARA from ‘Doctor Zhivago’ Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster Music by Maurice Jarre French Lyrics by Ithier Hubert
3) MOON RIVER from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Lyrics by Johnny Mercer Music by Henry N.Mancini
4) E PIU’ TI PENSO duet with Ariana Grande from ‘Once Upon a Time in America /Malèna’ Lyrics by Mogol – Tony Renis Music by Ennio Morricone
5) BE MY LOVE from ‘The Toast of New Orleans’ Lyrics by Sammy Cahn Music by Nikolaus Brodszky
6) THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT from ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Lyrics by Charles Hart -Richard Stilgoe Music by Andrew Llyod Webber
7) BRUCIA LA TERRA from ‘The Godfather’ Lyrics by Giuseppe Rinaldi Music by Giovanni Rota
8) POR UNA CABEZA from ‘Scent of a Woman’ Lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera Music by Carlos Gardel
9) NO LLORES POR MÍ ARGENTINA duet with Nicole Scherzinger from ‘Evita’ Lyrics and Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber – Tim Rice Spanish Lyrics by J.Carreras -I.Artime Granda – J.Azpilicuieta Perez
10) L’AMORE È UNA COSA MERAVIGLIOSA from ‘Love is a many splendored thing’ Lyrics and Music by Paul Webster- Sammy Fain Italian Lyrics by Alberto Curci
11) MI MANCHERAI from ‘Il Postino’ Lyrics by Marco Marinangeli Music by Luis Bacalov – Riccardo Del Turco – Paolo Margheri 12) CHEEK TO CHEEK duet with Veronica Berti from ‘Top Hat’ Lyrics and Music by Irving Berlin
13) SORRIDI AMORE VAI from ‘La vita è bella’ Lyrics by Noa – Gil Dor Music by Nicola Piovani Italian Lyrics by Roberto Benigni
14) HISTORIA DE AMOR from ‘Love Story’ Lyrics and Music by Francis Lai Spanish Lyrics by Andy Williams
15) OL’ MAN RIVER from ‘Show Boat’ Lyrics by O. Hammerstein Music by J. Kern
16) NELLE TUE MANI (NOW WE ARE FREE) from ‘Gladiator’ Music by Lisa Germaine Gerrard – Klaus Badelt – Hans Florian Zimmer
17) Cheek To Cheek (From “Top Hat”) Andrea Bocelli & Karen Mok
Sara Groves is the real deal, an artist's artist with mass appeal who doesn't compromise her convictions inside or outside the studio. All of her music is the result of the singer/songwriter's process of sifting through the layers of life and presenting us with unique new perspectives on universal experiences with a depth that is unequaled. Floodplain is another profound journey with a theme that speaks to our fight for real authentic faith, the moving away from the rhythm of the way we think things should be, to a search for fresh water out of our desert experiences. It leaves space to ask the tough questions of faith and believe in a God big enough to reveal His heart to us when we ask.
Track Listing: Been Here Before Enough Floodplain I Feel This Love Lost Time My Dream Native Tongue On Your Mark Second Guess Signal The Blessed Life This Cup What A Friend To Me Your Reality
Last we heard from Quadron was their 2013 major label debut Avalanche. Since then, they've been touring the world promoting the project, with little new music coming from their camp outside of Coco O.'s appearance on The Great Gatsby soundtrack, "Where The Wind Blows." And now it seems that Coco is ready for another solo outing as she has just dropped a new single to close out what has been an amazing summer for music.
"Hardest Thing" finds Coco mining old soul sounds over a piano-laden production reminiscent of Lenny Kravitz's "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over." It's also similar in sentiment, as Coco seems to be singing to a lover who has decided to move on. However, where Lenny's song was more of an apology for the wrongs he'd done, Coco's lamenting a love that doesn't seem to see her for all that she is and can be. However, if she had a second chance, she's more than confident that his love would still be hers. Coco doesn't need a second chance with us, though. "Hardest Thing" enchants from its opening notes, with Coco's vocal and the layered background harmonies of the chorus giving us life everlasting.
There's no word yet on whether the release of the song is an omen of more solo material from Coco to come, but when it sounds this good, we take what we can get. Sit back and enjoy summer's last days (we technically have eight more days of the most wonderful season of the year) while you listen to Coco O.'s latest right here.
Meg Myers is used to carving out her own path. Having spent most of her childhood moving around before settling in L.A. (where she lives now), the multi-talented singer-songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist turned to music as a means of escape and to channel her emotions. Today, we’re excited to premiere her debut full-length, Sorry, which you can listen to here:
I talked to Meg about how recording Sorry changed her, how she’s kept hustling, and how she stays centered amidst the music industry’s pandemonium.
ANNE T. DONAHUE: Congratulations on your debut album! What was the most challenging part of waiting to release it?
MEG MYERS: Thank you! The most challenging part was finishing it! I’ve been doing a lot of touring the last two years, and every time I came home I went straight into the studio to work on it. It’s difficult to stay in that focused, creative world when you’re traveling too much–especially when you know you’re about to go out on the road again.
How did you grow between the release of your EP and the release of Sorry?
Well, contrary to what I [just said], the touring ended up being an unusually good thing for the making of my album. Unusual because it was really hard on me physically and mentally–I got sick a lot–but it made for some great writing material! “Motel” and “Feather” especially came from that world. I also think that from 26- to 28-years-old, I did a lot of growing. My taste in music got a lot softer, and my idea of what a good song is, feels, and sounds like grew.
On top of being in a new place career-wise, you spent a lot of your childhood and teen years moving, too. How did you learn to make each new place your home?
To be honest, I never really felt fully at home anywhere growing up. When you move so much and never know if tomorrow you’re going to be relocating again, you kind of just do your best to get through each day. Luckily I was and always have been really close with my siblings, and that is actually what helped me get through. They are my best friends.
How did you make other friends in your new towns? And, how do you make them now?
Being that I didn’t go to public school until after 12, it was difficult to make friends my age. But I did always have friends–mainly through playing music locally or through my siblings or my mom. Here in L.A., I made a lot of friends through working different jobs over the last nine years, and a few of them are still my very close friends. Unfortunately, I don’t get to see them that often, but they understand—and I know—that we’ll always be close, even with the distance. In this business, especially at the stage I’m at, you don’t get much balance in your life. And I mean to be honest: When I do get a chance to breathe, I am quite the hermit and end up spending that time I do have alone.
Do you think having to start over so many times has helped you develop your creativity?
I do. I think every time I had to start over, I was excited, but also moving around constantly for a kid can be very hard. I think I was always open to it because I was so used to it, but I’m sure if I didn’t have that creative outlet, I would have been so much more rebellious than I was. Having a creative outlet grounded me and made me feel less alone. I really needed that for all the emotions I was hiding—not only from my family, but from myself even.
Did you see music as a constant or an escape?
Sometimes it’s the only escape. I still feel that way. Sometimes, though, when I feel so flooded by emotions, it’s hard to write. That’s when other arts help me out, like drawing; even things like meditation or exercise can help.
I’d like to talk about “Sorry.” It’s your album’s title, and also its first single. You can apply it to a romantic relationship or a friendship, but the video shows you confronting your past. Is that the perspective you wrote the song from? As an adult confronting your past self?
I actually did write the song about a relationship, [but] I don’t always want the video to represent exactly what the song is about. It’s nice to step out of the box once I’ve written the song and discover other meanings that the song could be about for me. Also, because I think sometimes when I write a song there are hidden feelings that I don’t even realize I’m expressing, and don’t have a clue when I’m writing it, that it’s coming from these other places. Now, when I sing it live, it has different meanings depending on how I’m feeling that day, or depending on what I’m going through at that time. All of my songs generally end up that way.
What I also love about your story is how hard you’ve hustled. You work hard and have worked hard for a very long time. What did you tell yourself in moments of feeling discouraged?
It may sound strange, but I think I’ve had the hardest time believing in myself only recently. I’ve always believed in myself and my dreams, fully: 100 percent. I’m not sure why, but I always have. Being in the industry, though, things can change–perspectives on things can change. I’ve really struggled to believe that what I do can stand a chance in all of the bullshit that I can’t stand to be a part of. I try to keep myself as distant in my mind and physically as I possibly can from all of it by meditating, being in nature, and keeping in touch with my family. That helps me regain my strength and the courage to go on. In the end, I reckon all I can do is be myself, follow my gut, and ignore the things that don’t feel right.
That’s the best. What dreams do you have now? How do you make sure you stay in the moment while you pursue them?
I love gorillas. I really see myself working with them someday in some way. I’ve always been fascinated by how similar we are and how deeply in touch, intelligent, and emotional they are–all animals, really. I also just love nature and being physical in it. I’ve never been great at staying in the moment. Though, since I’ve struggled mostly with it this last year, I’ve recently found some things that help: The Power of Now is an incredible book that has really helped me. Also: nature, meditation, and creating and listening to music. Classical music [helps], and Enya. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Ryan Adams. Anything that takes my mind off the past or future and brings me into a beautiful place of the now. I love daydreaming in nature or just lying in bed, daydreaming. I can’t think of anything that makes me happier. ♦
01. Motel 02. Sorry 03. A Bolt From the Blue 04. Desire 05. I Really Want You to Hate Me 06. Parade 07. Lemon Eyes 08. Make a Shadow 09. The Morning After 10. Feather
Chris Cornell on Secret Folk Influences, Why He Feels Like Neil Young
"There's no way to be a 30-year-old band, go on tour and pretend the nostalgia isn't happening," Soundgarden leader says
Soundgarden's Chris Cornell discusses his solo LP, secret folk influences and why he sometimes feels like Neil Young. Marc Broussely/Redferns/Getty
"In this case, I feel more is more," says singer Chris Cornell of Seattle hard-rock veterans Soundgarden, referring to the recent reissue of his 1999 solo debut, Euphoria Mourning, and his new, mostly acoustic album, Higher Truth. The latter was inspired by Cornell's Songbook tour — a one-man show launched in 2011 with "25 years of songs I've written for different bands. I distilled what I do down to me and a guitar and arrived at a singer-songwriter identity." Cornell takes Songbook back on the road this fall. He has also started work on Soundgarden's next album. "I spent the last week and a half doing demos. We're going to meet in four days and spend a week together. By the end, we'll have a lot of stuff."
Your new album opens with you playing mandolin in "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart." Do you have any secret folk influences you've been hiding all these years? I rejected most of the folk I was exposed to in the Seventies. I came around later to Tom Waits, some parts of Jim Croce and a lot of Cat Stevens. One of the Robinson brothers from the Black Crowes turned me on to Nick Drake. I found a box set on vinyl and pretty much hated it — until I got to [1972's] Pink Moon. His guitar playing and the compositions are phenomenal.
Are there Soundgarden songs that you play on the Songbook tour that have surprised you — that don't need all of the band's heavy hullabaloo? "Outshined." I had written an instrumental part in the middle, an interlude, on electric guitar. On acoustic guitar, it turned out to have a nice Led Zeppelin-y feel. And the vocals flipped into a dirty-blues thing.
You have always resisted comparisons between Soundgarden and Zeppelin. But the contrast of folk guitar and hard-rock vocal dynamics on Higher Truth reminds me of Led Zeppelin III. It makes sense to me if you look at the range I have as a singer and how I sing over a guitar arrangement. There's only so far in a British-folk direction I can go, being an American. But there are a handful of bands — Zeppelin, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Killing Joke — where if I'm writing a song and it reminds me of them, I'll steer into it, rather than run in the other direction.
You made your 2009 solo album, Scream, with the hip-hop producer Timbaland. It went Top 10, but the reviews were brutal. Was it a success or a failure? It was absolutely a noble failure. A family friend was good friends with Timbaland's cousin. He said, "Timbaland wants to make a song with you." I said, "Awesome, let's make an album." I figured it would take two weeks, and I would have this crazy fucking record. That's what happened. For me, it was a success. The failure in it was the record company trying to figure out what to do with it. The radio stations who had been playing my songs since 1990 — they were like, "We don't want to play this. We can't play this."
How did you cope with the Nineties nostalgia that came with Soundgarden's tour last year with Nine Inch Nails? There's no way to be a 30-year-old band, go on tour and pretend the nostalgia isn't happening. It was also important that young rock fans were discovering both bands at the same time. If you talk to Trent Reznor, you don't get the sense of a guy living in the past. I would hope he would say the same thing about me. It was that attitude that kept it from being like Whitesnake going on tour with Styx.
Is there new rock out there that excites you? I get a sense of healthy revivalism, in a way that will spawn new rock that is interesting and exciting. That comes from guys like Jack White and [the Black Keys'] Dan Auerbach. Unfortunately, when terms like "rock" and "alternative rock" get thrown out there, it's as genres with rules. I always looked at rock & roll as the voice of regular people, of an economic group not in charge. Look at a film like Straight Outta Compton, the origins of it —rock is in hip-hop now.
Speaking of films, did you see the Kurt Cobain documentary Montage of Heck? Uh-uh. It wasn't something I was going out of my way to see. I will at some point.
But you were in the Seattle episode of Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways series. Did he catch the city and scene you knew? It's impossible to capture what I saw. But what I experienced goes further back — years before anybody gave a fuck about what Seattle was. Seattle itself didn't give a shit about its own music. No matter how many fans you had, if a worse band with less following came from out of town, you opened for them. It's never been my inclination to see what other people have put together to describe it.
You've got this solo tour coming up and a new Soundgarden album. Do you feel a little schizophrenic? It's hugely refreshing. Now I kind of get Neil Young. He goes on tour with Crazy Horse, then he's out with Booker T. & the MGs. Then he's on tour by himself with seven guitars. It makes sense to me now. He's not trying to find who he is.
He is all of those things. And all of these things are me.
Don Henley's new album, Cass County, comes out Sept. 25.
Courtesy of the artist
There are good reasons it might not feel right to describe Cass County as "Don Henley's country album." That terminology could easily connote the carpet-bagging we associate with someone like Steven Tyler making his big country move; plus, no one of Henley's stature likes to give in to the reductionism of genre this late in the game. But scroll through the Cass County credits, and you'll see pedal-steel guitar listed on 14 out of 16 tracks. So maybe, just on that basis alone, it's a safe enough categorization to make — just as long as we recognize that he's not borrowing into the hybrid represented here so much as reclaiming it. To paraphrase an old Bono aphorism: The Garths, Keiths and Kennys of the world stole country-rock, and now Don Henley's stealing it back.
Henley hasn't made many adjustments in his lyrical preoccupations — regret and acceptance, the passage of time, love's fading and bloom — so the album is still more about taking the Long Road Out Of Eden than dirt roads. The real shift is in a degree of acoustic instrumentation not heard in his work since The Eagles' classic sophomore album, Desperado. He still rocks it out a little, in a nervously sensual duet with Martina McBride titled "That Old Flame," as well as in an upbeat album-closer called "Where I Am Now" that marks the first time he's wrapped up any record, solo or Eagles, with a cheerful rocker instead of a rueful, end-of-an-era lament. But for the most part, Henley plays to his traditional ballad-singing strengths, albeit with a pinch more dobro and mandolin adding a sense of Southwestern regionalism to the mix.
On paper, especially, a long list of world-class cameos further tilts the balance away from rock 'n' roll. Pretty much every living female country voice you've ever loved puts in an appearance, either as a duet partner — in the case of McBride, Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton — or a featured harmonizer (Lucinda Williams, Lee Ann Womack, Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss, Ashley Monroe, two out of three Dixie Chicks). He also finds room to squeeze in menfolk Vince Gill, Merle Haggard and Mick Jagger. Looking at this list, you might simultaneously marvel at the assemblage of talent and worry that the album will sag under the sheer value-added weight.
Happily, Cass County, named after the underpopulated area of Texas where Henley grew up, evokes a lonesome state of mind, too, without the all-star guest list turning the reflective material into too much of a party. Henley portrays the end of a marriage in "Take A Picture Of This," a track that trades in the pedal steel for tympani on the way toward becoming a bit more Orbison-esque. "Too Much Pride," meanwhile, has just enough of a wistful R&B feel to recall Ray Charles' 1960s excursion into country (and Western). "A Younger Man" looks at May/December relationships with a jaundiced eye, but it's really a chance for Henley the known idealist to play Henley the cynic, telling a young woman that "If you're lookin' for believers in faith and hope and charity / Then you're lookin' for a younger man, not me." The pluses and minuses of having a few years behind you similarly figure into the duet with Haggard, "The Cost Of Living," as well as "Where I Am Now," where the singer is actually able to opine that "Father Time is a friend." Though the album ends on that anti-nostalgia note, he does turn the clock back to visit the title locale in the boyhood verses of the album's most autobiographical number, "Train In The Distance." Still, by the end of it, he's a grown man who turns restlessly in his bed, wondering whether that far-off railway whistle is a beacon or an omen.
Henley reportedly started recording Cass County years ago as a primarily covers-based project. The remnants of that approach are in the four bonus tracks sprinkled throughout the 16-song deluxe edition — none self-penned, all of them wonderful. The most notable of these is the Dolly Parton duet, on the Louvin Brothers hit "When I Stop Dreaming," which finds Parton briefly stretching herself to become a raspy-voiced belter. If you're foolish enough to settle for the standard edition, you do still get one cover — a contemporary one, of Tift Merritt's "Bramble Rose," with Lambert and Jagger joining Henley as the world's unlikeliest superstar power trio. As the reissue of Sticky Fingers recently reminded us, Jagger is one of the world's great underheralded country singers, and it's a treat to hear him revisit his C&W "roots" here.
As for Henley himself, he's 15 years removed from his last solo album, and seven years removed from The Eagles' final attempt at a group record. So it makes sense that he's finally left that ongoing garden party to head back to the desert. As Cass County proves, it's fertile ground for him.
We hadn't heard from her in a very long time. I used to own her first album.
Yeah good to see her back. Her 2nd album was not as good as her first. Hopefully she will put out something soon. I like these new tunes. I'll check out the movie when the bluray comes out.
Leave it to Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy to perfectly capture what a freshly shredded heart feels like. Case in point: their powerful new ballad, “Ecos de Amor” [Echoes of Love], out today.
“Puedo ver tu sombra en la luna” [I can see your shadow in the moon],” sings Joy on the poetic single, produced by Jesse and Fraser T. Smith (Adele, Sam Smith). The song is the first tease of their fourth studio album, set to be released at the tail end of 2015.
Their last set, ¿Con Quién Se Queda el Perro? [Who Gets to Keep the Dog?], earned the siblings four Latin Grammys in 2012, including best contemporary pop vocal album, and had them touring for three straight years, playing for a total of 2.5 million people throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and the U.S.
Enjoy the lyric video below:
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Tony Bennett Releasing New Album of Jerome Kern Songs
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Tony Bennett and the jazz pianist Bill Charlap.Credit Kelsey Bennett
Tony Bennett, who has rarely missed an opportunity to celebrate the Great American Songbook, will release a new album in that vein this fall. “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern” (RPM/Columbia), due out Sept. 25, will feature Mr. Bennett in close collaboration with Bill Charlap, a jazz pianist and diligent songbook steward.
The album will include 14 of the most canonical songs by Kern, who composed hundreds for the Broadway stage. On half of the album Mr. Bennett performs with Mr. Charlap’s longtime trio. Several tracks feature a piano duo, with Mr. Charlap and Renee Rosnes (who are also husband and wife).
And on a few tracks, including “The Way You Look Tonight,” Mr. Bennett and Mr. Charlap work as a duo, consciously evoking Mr. Bennett’s collaboration with Bill Evans, which yielded a pair of highly regarded albums in the 1970s. (This spring, Fantasy released “The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings,” a 4-LP boxed set, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their first release.)
Mr. Bennett, who turned 89 this month, has devoted just a handful of his many previous albums to the work of a single composer or songwriting team. His focus in recent years has been on high-profile collaborations: last fall he had a No. 1 album in “Cheek to Cheek” (Streamline/Columbia/Interscope), sharing the honor with Lady Gaga, with whom he also just finished a major tour. He hit No. 1 in 2011 with “Duets II,” which featured Lady Gaga among a glittery array of guests, including Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin.
“Cheek to Cheek” included the Jerome Kern tune “I Won’t Dance,” which Lady Gaga and Mr. Bennett turned into a coy stage routine.
It reappears on “The Silver Lining” as a trio arrangement, joining other tunes with ample precedent in Mr. Bennett’s roughly 65-year career. Among them is “I’m Old Fashioned,” which Mr. Bennett has recently featured in his repertory, with a sentimental air that hardly masks its vow of single-minded intent.
Darlene Love's Acclaimed New Album 'Introducing Darlene Love' Available Everywhere Today
'INTRODUCING DARLENE LOVE' ARRANGED AND PRODUCED BY LEGENDARY E STREET BAND GREAT STEVIE VAN ZANDT FEATURES SONGS WRITTEN BY ELVIS COSTELLO, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, LINDA PERRY, JIMMY WEBB, DESMOND CHILD, JOAN JETT, BARRY MANN & CYNTHIA WEIL AND OTHERS, INCLUDING ELVIS COSTELLO-PENNED FIRST SINGLE 'FORBIDDEN NIGHTS'
ALBUM'S TRIUMPHANT RELEASE CELEBRATED TONIGHT WITH FIRST OF TWO L.A. SHOWS AT FAMED CLUB WHISKY A GO GO FEATURING LOVE, LITTLE STEVEN & FRIENDS 9/18 and 9/20
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Capping a week of rave reviews from Rolling Stone, the L.A. Times, Entertainment Weekly, NPR's First Listen, the N.Y. Daily News (cheering the new album and crowning Darlene Love "part of the pop DNA") and others, one of the most anticipated albums of this or any year – Introducing Darlene Love is available everywhere today, including iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.
The Columbia Records/Wicked Cool release marks the first new full-length album of original pop songs in 27 years from the renowned vocalist, who has achieved legendary status for her enduring work with Phil Spector and as one of the most prolific backup singers of all time. Now, with the spirited Love deservedly back in center spotlight, the album is being welcomed to worldwide acclaim: "Girl group royal takes back her throne," heralded Rolling Stone, "Love comes at it like a wrecking ball, husky alto thrillingly intact..."; "A stunning collection of vibrant, dramatic rock anthems and R&B workouts...' wrote Entertainment Weekly; "Love singing at maximum intensity..." noted the L.A. Times, with the above-mentioned NY Daily News praising the album as a "'soaring work" and revealing that "Love has lost none of her talents and has never sounded more unsinkable." Electric Review proclaims, "if you're too young to have experienced first-hand the excitement that came with hearing a new Darlene Love song ache through the jukebox or car radio, Introducing Darlene Love will cast you back to a place of innocence and faith, shepherding you back to a time when people gathered in the misty fields, steadfastly holding to the belief that music was about to change the world." Produced and arranged by artist/producer/E Street Band great Stevie Van Zandt, it's more than apparent that his heartfelt mission of re-introducing the irrepressible Love to the world in all her vocal splendor has been affirmed as a rousing success.
Hailed as "a splashy victory lap" by NPR's First Listen, the album is comprised of all new recordings and features never-before-heard and classic songs from a superstar cast of songwriters eager to join Van Zandt in honoring one of the seminal voices in music history. The Elvis Costello-penned first single "Forbidden Nights" has also been embraced at radio and drawn raves, with Costello and Bruce Springsteen contributing two tracks each to the 14-song album (released on Van Zandt's Wicked Cool label in partnership with Columbia Records - see full tracklist below) with Stevie Van Zandt penning three songs. Other writers include Jim Webb, Linda Perry, Desmond Child, Joan Jett, longtime songwriting team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and Michael Des Barres, and more. Various before mentioned songs have been championed across several channels at SiriusXM Radio with feature interviews running throughout release week. NPR's First Listen also praised the Van Zandt/Love chemistry on the album, citing the "dignity in Love's vocals amplified by Van Zandt's grand but well-modulated arrangements."
The irresistible video for the first single "Forbidden Nights" also premiered to an overwhelming response. The jubilant clip catches the charismatic Love and pals cruising the beach sites of Asbury Park, N.J., and features inventive cameos including Costello himself, as well as Joan Jett, Paul Schaffer, Bill Murray, David Letterman, and hilarious glimpses of Van Zandt and buddy Bruce Springsteen. Love and Van Zandt and a stage-full of musicians also rocked Asbury Park's Paramount Theatre live on September 12, reveling in a vibrant set of album selections kicking off Introducing Darlene Love's release as well as delivering torrid renditions of some of her back-classics. Two more buzzed-about shows celebrating the album's release are on deck in L.A.'s famed Whisky A Go Go with the first show kicking off tonight. Headliner Love and Little Steven & Friends will be rocking the bill September 18 and 20.
The captivating Love is sure to bring her iconic vocal rendering to the Whisky just as she does on the acclaimed new album. Songs on Introducing Darlene Love include "Night Closing In" (Bruce Springsteen,) "Still To Soon To Know" (Elvis Costello),"Love Kept Us Foolin' Around" (Linda Perry), "Who Under Heaven" (Jimmy Webb), "River Deep, Mountain High" (Phil Spector/Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich), and "Sweet Freedom" (Barry Man/Cynthia Weil), among others.
Inducted in to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011, Love's five-decade career spans some of the greatest signature moments in music. The Los Angeles native (Love currently resides in New Jersey) nurtured her talent early as a member of the Blossoms, a local trio who began their career providing backup vocals for artists such as Sam Cooke and Bobbie Day. The Blossoms also were featured as part of the house band for the popular '60s music show Shindig, backing up many of the performers who appeared on the series. Love would go on to become one of the most sought-after singers in music history, recording with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Dionne Warwick, The Righteous Brothers, Tom Jones, and dozens of other vocal giants throughout her career. Her early work with pioneering producer Phil Spector on songs such as the trailblazing "He's A Rebel," "He's Sure The Boy I Love," and "Why Do Lover's Break Each Other's Hearts," would garner her legend status. She is featured in the 2013 Academy Award and Grammy winning documentary '20 Feet From Stardom,' chronicling the behind-the-scenes lives of background singers. Darlene's annual holiday performance of her classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on Late Night With David Letterman became a holiday viewing staple.
The Columbia Records/Wicked Cool release, Introducing Darlene Love, is available everywhere today!
Tracklist:
Among The Believers (Stevie Van Zandt)
Forbidden Nights (Elvis Costello)
Love Kept Us Foolin' Around (Linda Perry)
Little Liar (Desmond Child/Joan Jett)
Still Too Soon To Know (Elvis Costello)
Who Under Heaven (Jimmy Webb)
Night Closing In (Bruce Springsteen)
Painkiller (Michael Des Barres/Paul Ill)
Just Another Lonely Mile (Bruce Springsteen)
Last Time (Stevie Van Zandt)
River Deep, Mountain High (Phil Spector/Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich)
Sweet Freedom (Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil)
Marvelous (Walter Hawkins)
Jesus Is The Rock (That Keeps Me Rollin) (Stevie Van Zandt)
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Randee St. Nicholas for Arista Nashville
The new album HIGHER THAN HERE out Oct 30. Pre-order and get Demons & Higher Than Here instantly.
Soundgarden's Chris Cornell discusses his solo LP, secret folk influences and why he sometimes feels like Neil Young. 
