30 November 2009
By Lyov
In Pop
Amor (Spanish Version)
A voice like Andrea Bocelli’s only comes along every generation or so, (if that) Caruso, Lanza, Pavarotti and Now Bocelli; They are my big 4. Not only does Bocelli have wonderful opera skills, but also tremendous pop singing skills, as well. As for classical singing; Bocelli’s breath control is amazing; no one holds high, mid, and low notes (sang either intensely or softly) as long as Bocelli does. His diction is excellent; His tone is wonderful; His color is right in sink to the song being performed, dark or light, and all shads around those as needed. He has that tenor ring that can rise up over an orchestra, he sings just beautifully. As for his pop singing again it’s spectacular; Bocelli can sing a pop song either in a classical way, or a bluesy way or almost anyway. He has tremendous versatility, I would rank him right at the top of pop singing for all time. Bocelli can sing big, bold, intense and beautiful, or can show us a soft side it seems like he is singing in one’s ear, very sweetly and beautiful. ...
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Amor (Spanish Version), Andrea Bocelli, Chris Botti, Christina Aguilera, classical, Italian, Kenny G, male vocalists, Mario Reyes, opera, Pop, Stevie Wonder
30 November 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Make Someone Happy
Toronto’s Sophie Milman has that rare ability to appeal to two often deeply separated worlds: those who like their jazz light and those purists who want their jazz heavy and nothing short of it. By having a more-than-capable traditional jazz band and challenging herself vocally to bring the swing, she has commanded respect from both camps. Milman’s delivery is silky smooth, a gorgeous voice with a low register reminiscent of Fiona Apple and an upper register that brings Ella Fitzgerald’s bounce and playfulness to mind. Like many jazz vocal discs, her sophomore release Make Someone Happy contains an abundance of covers, but some rather surprising in style. The often-done “Fever”’s arrangement is nothing like the original, containing more of an unnerving musical undercurrent than the traditional sultry one. Milman–who recorded this disc in her early 20s–covers a number of underdone melodies, from Stevie Wonder’s “Rocket Love” to the Guess Who’s “Undun” with composer/original band guitarist Randy Bachman offering his sonic inflections to the song. Disc high points include the smokin’ jam “It Might As Well Be Spring,” the sexy bossa nova of original track “Something in the Air Between Us” and the beautiful cover of “Eli, Eli” by Second World War Holocaust hero and poet Hannah Senesh. It is a brave and haunting number that Milman does great justice to....
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canadian, female vocalists, Jazz, jazz vocal, Make Someone Happy, Sophie Milman, vocal jazz
29 November 2009
By Lyov
In Soul
Rockferry Deluxe Edition
International ‘Deluxe Edition’ 2-CD set – Comprising the UK #1 10-track CD album featuring the massive hit singles ‘Rockferry’, ‘Mercy’, ‘Warwick Avenue’ & ‘Stepping Stone’; plus a Bonus CD containing 7 brand new previously unreleased recordings including the smart & sophisticated ‘Rain On Your Parade’ which pairs irresistible strings with one of Duffy’s trademark soaring vocals. Also includes new artwork....
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british, Deluxe Edition, Duffy, female vocalists, Pop, Rockferry, singer-songwriter, Soul
28 November 2009
By Lyov
In Pop
Synchronised Swimmers
Hafdis Huld, acoustic / folk artist and singer-songwriter was born in Reykjavik, Iceland and now divides her time between the UK and Iceland. From the age of 15 she sang and toured the world with iconic Icelandic collective GusGus. When they weren’t touring, Hafdis took time out to star in several Icelandic films....
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alternative, female vocalists, Hafdis Huld, iceland, icelandic, indie, Synchronised Swimmers
27 November 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Moonlightin
Take 7 musicians and sound engineers mates. Lock them up 3 weeks in a barn near Troyes with material straight out of Happy Days. Shake hard after adding a little alcohol … You get Moonlightin ‘.
First album since the band is on the road, it includes both pieces tested on stage, unreleased and winks just for this disc.
A turning point is marked with this opus from long sleepless nights: it’s not “all alone and cons” that will come from Western, but in Patate Records label in Paris in perfect harmony with the spirit of the group...
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french, Jazz, Moonlightin, rocksteady, ska, traditional ska, Western Special
27 November 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Grace
Recorded at last year’s Voss Jazz Festival in Norway, Grace is the latest example of pianist Ketil Bjornstad’s special ability to mix worlds of improvisation and composition, literature and jazz. Featuring several purely instrumental numbers, Grace is a suite of pieces conceived in tribute to the English metaphysical poet John Donne (1572-1631), to whom Bjornstad has already devoted one record, the 1990 The Shadow (on the Norwegian Kirkelig Kulturverksted label). Whereas that record found Bjornstad–who has also set the words of painter Edvard Munch and poet Edith Sodergran to music–putting the operatic vocal skills of Randi Stene and classically-turned viola playing of Lars Anders Tomter next to the jazz sensibilities of guitarist Frode Alnaes, bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Jon Christensen, Grace is a more thoroughly jazz-inflected session. Vocalist Annelli Drecker has a background in electro-ambient music. Here, she shares flowingly phrased vocals with saxophonist Bendik Hofseth, who like Drecker brings a warm and relaxed quality to the various interpretations of Donne’s words, as sensuous as they are spiritual in nature. Much of the music exhibits the poised adagio quality that features in Bjornstad’s work on ECM with cellist David Darling and the Sea Quartet. However, guitarist Eivind Aarset, Arild Andersen and percussionist Trilok Gurtu join Hofseth in ensuring there are some strong moments of driving group improvisation and freshly conceived sound-textures here, as on the seven-minute title track and “Mystery”....
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albums i own, Grace, Jazz, Ketil Bjornstad, me, norwegian jazz
26 November 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Betcha Bottom Dollar
In a witty and energetic updating of mid-20th century vocal groups such as the Andrews Sisters, the U.K. trio the Puppini Sisters perform close-harmony swing-style backdates of contemporary pop songs, such as their Italian wedding reading of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and a slinky version of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights.” Also featured are 1940s and ’50s pop classics such as their a cappella “In the Mood” and the Andrews Sisters’ own “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.”
In a witty and energetic updating of mid-20th century vocal groups such as the Andrews Sisters, the U.K. trio the Puppini Sisters perform close-harmony swing-style backdates of contemporary pop songs, such as their Italian wedding reading of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and a slinky version of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights.” Also featured are 1940s and ’50s pop classics such as their a cappella “In the Mood” and the Andrews Sisters’ own “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.”...
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50s, Betcha Bottom Dollar, british, female vocalists, Jazz, swing, The Puppini Sisters
26 November 2009
By Lyov
In Pop
Alright, Still
Like most British pop, Lily Allen’s debut album, Alright, Still, overflows with impeccably shiny, creative productions. However, Allen attempts to set herself apart from the likes of Rachel Stevens, Natasha Bedingfield, and Girls Aloud with a cheeky, (mostly) amusing vindictive streak in her lyrics that belies the sugarcoated sounds around them. You know exactly what she means when she says her ex is “not big whatsoever” on “Not Big”; later, she revels in being the one that got away on “Shame for You.” However, this nice-then-naughty approach is at its best on Alright, Still’s singles, which open the album in a one-two-three punch. Another ex-boyfriend kiss-off, “Smile,” has a silky verse melody that just barely conceals her spite, which finally spills over on the chorus: “At first, when I see you cry/It makes me smile.” But even here, Allen keeps her revenge sweet — she sounds like she’s singing about how ice cream or puppies or being in love makes her smile, which gives the song an extra sting. “Knock ‘Em Out” is an even sassier, more stylized battle of the sexes than the Streets’ “Fit But You Know It” (and could very well be the response from the girl in Mike Skinner’s song). And “LDN” is a glorious summer confection, even if “it’s all lies” underneath the Lord Kitchener sample and “sun is in the sky” chorus. Alright, Still’s production and arrangements, courtesy of Greg Kurstin, Mark Ronson, and Futurecut, balance Allen’s tart observations with a backdrop of pop-grime beats and freewheeling, feel-good ska that makes her sound playful and kittenish instead of just catty. While the album doesn’t exactly go downhill after its opening salvo, it does lose some steam, particularly with “Take What You Take,” a song that feels out of character with the rest of Alright, Still because it’s uncharacteristically dull, and “Alfie,” which falls especially flat as the album’s final song. Allen softens her tough-girl pose more successfully on “Little Things,” a ballad that celebrates the mundane moments of a dying relationship (“You’d take me out shopping and all we’d buy was trainers/As if we ever needed anything to entertain us”) and “Everything’s Just Wonderful,” where “bureaucrats that won’t give me a mortgage” are the targets of her ire instead of a previous (or soon-to-be previous) boyfriend. As with Nellie McKay (another young, opinionated woman eager to make herself the maverick in her chosen style of music), the dichotomy between Allen’s sweet sound and ironic lyrics could be seen as either witty or clever-clever....
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Alright Still, british, britpop, female vocalists, Lily Allen, Pop, singer-songwriter
