Remembered My Password!

Wow. It has been such a long time since I posted on this and so much has changed since then. I really used to enjoy writing it but it seems 'adulting' quickly got in the way... But here goes nothing.

SUMMER SONGS FOR A HAPPY 2017. 

1) SOOM T - BOOM SHIVA

If I were to be a musical artist I'd be Soom T. She mixes Asian influences from classical folk to bhangra with reggae and hip hop. She can rap with the best of them and the cherry on the top? She has an awesome Scottish accent. I've not seen her perform live except for an appearance on the odd YouTube video but I have asked her to perform in Manchester at some point in the future and she said she would! The album 'Ode to a Carrot' is a must for the summer months and you can find the whole thing online.

2) DARK DARK DARK - IN YOUR DREAMS 

I heard this song for the first time and was instantly hooked. It was literally on repeat for days and it's the kind of song that can change with your mood from making you dance like a crazy person to a contemplative journey on a train. Dark Dark Dark are an American folk band - using all of my favourite instruments including the accordion! I'll be honest I'd never heard of them until I started to watch the BBC drama 'Thirteen' about a girl that was kidnapped as a teenager and her escape from her captor. If you haven't seen the series you really should give it a watch. It's very good but I can say the ending was fairly disappointing.

3) VALERIE JUNE - PUSHING AGAINST A STONE

What a gorgeous voice Valerie has. It's a cross between country and soul. This album is one of my current favourites. I don't think I've ever heard an American artist with such a distinctive voice for a very long time. The whole album is worth a listen and if this title track doesn't inspire you to do that you and I can no longer be friends...

4) SHOCKING BLUE - LOVE BUZZ

If you are feeling in a bit of a slinky mood the original version of Love Buzz is the song you must listen to. Obviously the cover by Nirvana is amazing and it was only on a trip down grungy memory lane that I came across the original. It is so of it's time... basically a mad 60's trip. It's been sampled by so many people including The Prodigy that you feel like you know it anyway.

 

5) TANYA STEVENS - IT'S A PITY

I heard this on one of the Pirate Reggae Radio Stations I sometimes tune into. You honestly find some amazing stuff on the wireless if you ride the dial for a bit. I know people don't really do it these days with so much music on your laptops and phones but there are some gems that you will only find if you are introduced to them by DJ's who really love what they do. This song is great to dance around to but it also makes me laugh lyrically.



So obviously this is the female artist summer edition! I promise it was not intentional! But I hope you enjoy this long overdue post! xx

The Blues Revival...

JACKSON C. FRANK. 

It's probably not the kind of music you should start your year listening to but most of you know I have a strong appreciation for musical storytelling, especially when there is a sad story to tell. The story of Mr Frank is quite an extraordinary one.... 

His life was as tragic as any bluesman, his songs laced with melancholy and simplistic honesty. Whilst researching him I found that there had been many dark turns of fate which brought to life his lyrical genius.  Through his misfortune his talent was born, he learnt how to play the guitar after being badly burned in a school fire. Following a substantial compensation settlement he left America in 1965, for less sunnier climes here in the UK. 

He arrived in the midst of the British folk revival where he influenced, and was influenced by an impressive list of musicians including Paul Simon (who produced Mr Frank's first and only album.) Upon trying to record his second album he developed writer's block, with money running low he returned to the USA. Along this journey he married a former fashion model and lost his son to cystic fibrosis. 

What followed was a rapid downwards spiral - childhood scars burned, disappointment and mourning wept, a shot to the eye left him blind, homelessness on the cold streets of New York ensued and all roads led to mental illness.

In the early 90's - Jim Abbott- an admirer of Frank's work tried to help him record a new album but the songs they cut were not the glorious return to form either of them had expected. His life experiences had wore thin the voice that made him special. Jackson C. Frank died in March 1999 from pneumonia and a heart attack.  

A special album including the 'newer' material he recorded is what I am now in possession of. My favourite 'newer' Frank song would have to be "Halloween Is Black as Night." It has a brilliant despondency and sounds remarkably like a Leonard Cohen song, only much darker and more desperate than Cohen has ever been.   

My favourite songs with a 3 word review: 

1. MARLENE - blissful folk lovesong
2. HERE COME THE BLUES - traditional raw blues
3. PRIMA DONNA OF SWANS - beautiful lyrical imagery

Forgive me, for I am only human...

I have been threatened by my trustee followers that they will no longer follow this blog unless I actually post something. So let me start by apologising for my absence, times have been busy, stressful, exciting and ever changing but these are not excuses.

Instead of reflecting on what I have been listening to, watching and craving from the fashion weeks that seem so long ago, I will give you a slice of three things I love.

INTRODUCING …. KYLA LA GRANGE.

 

Her debut album “Ashes” was thrown into my life by chance and I was not disappointed. Florence and the Machine worshippers may tune their ears to Kyla’s vocals and rejoice in a folkier/goth version of the Welch master!  

The album itself is quite a mixed bag. One thing I think it lacks is continuity – even the vocals sound different on each track – but I think that makes for a charming listen. You move from the anthemic vibes of “Been Better” to the grass roots folk (similar to Frazey Ford) on “Woke up Dead” to the quirks of Americana on “The River.” It’s a bit of a rollercoaster but give the girl a break, it’s her first album! For me, it has been the perfect accompaniment to these dark nights – be that on the tram ride home from work or a night in, in the pod. For anybody who appreciates a bit of drama and darkness, this is your album.

Above is my favourite. 

INTRODUCING…  THE WINTER LBD ENLACED.

For the past few months I have been pawing my way through magazines and eyeing up beautiful black lace dresses. Lace is such a difficult thing to wear – you can end up looking like your dressed for Halloween, as a widow, a Goth or just really cheap and tacky. But there is something about the fabric that is both elegant and sexy. It’s been worn by many a celebrity this winter already and was a big hit for Dolce and Gobanna on the runways in Milan this year. So I finally did it, I purchased myself a full sleeved lace dress with a high neckline. I’ll be honest, it did look more Goth than hot but I liked it anyway. For once in my life I decided to go for a trend I wasn't sure would suit me and I didn't die or anything, so maybe I’ll take a fashion risk again at some time!   

INTRODUCING… THE NEWSROOM.

I am obsessed. For anyone who works in a newsroom this is a must. I felt so pained waiting for the weekly episodes to be aired that I waited until they were all recorded on sky plus and watched them in one sitting. Then I watched them all again the following week! Characters, plotline and scriptwriting was all impeccable. I laughed at least once in every episode. The thing I loved most was that I realised just how exciting my job was and that I could liken the characters to people I know. The programme blurred the line between tv drama and reality by using real life events and showed how newsrooms in America might have dealt with them. One of my trusty friends also revealed that one of the characters “Mackenzie” was based on a BBC Newsnight producer, which explained why the fictional programme had the same name!

NEW AGE FOLK BY FRAZEY FORD

If you are looking for something to listen to while you work/cook/do something that makes for some nice background music... let me introduce you to Frazey Ford!

I thought I would  review a few songs from her debut album 'Obadiah' which has a mixture of amazing Americana-sounding folk songs and here are my thoughts on my top 3 songs, in the order of preference: 

Blue Streak Mamma: - The song is introduced by a nice steady drum beat which carries it from beginning to end accompanied by the repetition of a beautiful riff that is locked on repeat. The structure and sound of Blue Streak Mamma resembles that of the down tempo soul and blues of the mid 60's.  The vocals start up pretty quickly and you are stuck by an extraordinary voice that is very similar to Adele but with a less commercial feel. This song is based on a lot of repetition- that locks you in and draws you closer. I honestly believe that a song you can sing along to whilst hearing it for the first time is one that is destined for great things - and Blue Streak Mamma has to be one of those songs! This song is sure to feature on some US drama and then become a big hit!

If You Gonna Go: - This song highlights what beautiful vocals Frazey Ford has. It is the kind of song that you could melt on your sofa to, whilst eating strawberry cheescake flavoured ice-cream and feeling sorry for yourself (not that I am speaking from experience -honest.) I could imagine Norah Jones doing an amazing cover of this for her next album. If you are a fan of Norah Jones' - Come Away With Me then I honestly think that this is the song you should be listening to from Frazey Ford's debut album. 

One More Cup Of Coffee: - This song has a lot of memories attached to it and it will always be one of my favourite songs. It is my favourite Bob Dylan track by far and Ford does a good job of covering it. I think covers of classic songs are a risk especially when they are sang with as much as passion and integrity as was the case of the original but Fazey Ford's cover is beautiful. I love the vulnerability in the verse but I find the chorus a tad soul-less - it lacks the authenticity that Dylan succeeded in putting across in the original. To some degree Ford's cover feels like it is heading to a great crescendo but it fails to deliver. 

 

  Bob Dylan - One more cup of coffee

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