celesteauroraAs part of her first tour post-prison release, Ms. Lauryn Hill returned to Washington, DC last night for a sold-out show at the Lincoln Theatre. From the sound of it, if nothing else, her musical talent is certainly rehabilitated. If what you wanted was to be transported to 1998, tough luck. From the moment she sang the first note of her opening number- some two-and-a-half hours after doors opened- Ms. Hill made it clear she was…
Clean Bandit “Rather Be” single review
Olivia Pad
Cambridge based Clean Bandit have returned with an absolute gem for the charts with their new single Rather Be. Featuring the lovely vocals of Jess Glynne, the fresh and memorable tune appears to be lighting up the eyes of every listener. The band are well known for their blended classical club chart hits and Rather Be is no different. The blend of violins and pianos with dance pop rhythms are definitely what keeps this track…
Peter Darling – Uh Huh Huh
francescaPeter Darling described Uh Huh Huh to me as ‘a simple nostalgic pop song under 3 mins – standard.’ That’s the thing about songs that just work. They often are short and simple, a pleasing melody around basic chord structures, the right notes and the right words all working together to sound like the feeling of being barefoot in the grass, or seeing eyes that smile, or hearing church bells in the distance, or responding to the delight…
The Strypes – A Snapshot into the Future?
Dani_BS
Snapshot… Where to start? This album is the closest we’ve had to the raw sound of the early sixties since the early sixties. Aged only between 16 and 17, and with their debut album reaching the top 5, these 4 boys are really starting to make a name for themselves. They’ve already got Jeff Beck, Paul Weller, Roger Daltrey, Noel Gallagher and Dave Grohl behind them, and I think if 5 of the biggest musicians in the…
Arctic Monkeys – AM
Justin ZamarripaWhen the Arctic Monkeys arrived on the scene in the mid-2000s, few must have pegged them to make it this far. Cursed with extraordinary hype from the music press, the band seemed destined to follow the paths of the many similarly-hyped bands that preceded them. Fellow Brits The Libertines fizzled out after two albums while The Strokes have been unable to recapture past glory and have seemed on the verge of a breakup since the…
Flyleaf: Who We Are – EP review
MusicMyLife
Flyleaf are a changed machine. Singer Lacey Sturm left the band to spend more time with her family. In came Kristen May, who I feel has added a new dimension to the band. Her voice seems to have more of an edge, more potency. The new EP from the band is called ‘Who We Are’ which features a brand new song. The track is full of flamboyance and character, May sings with authority and really…
James Blunt Makes A Comeback With ‘Bonfire Heart’
Stephanie StarodubI’m sure if any of us searched the dusty corners of our musical memory banks, we’d find the unmistakable and unforgettable lyrics to James Blunt’s breakout hit ‘You’re Beautiful.’ The catchy track that earned him a #4 spot on Billboards top songs of 2006 list. Well if you’re one of those people whose been living in 2006 for the past seven years, you’ll be excited to know that James Blunt has returned. His new single…
Magna Carta Holy Grail review
Joseph Reid
It’s been four years since Jay-Z released his last solo album, The Blueprint 3. While that was his last solo offering, he also worked on the album Watch the Throne, a collaborative effort with Kanye West. In many ways Watch the Throne was the introduction to a new Jay-Z, one who is enthralled with name-dropping high-end brands and seems almost impossibly unrelatable. On Magna Carta he’s become even more interested in both expensive clothing…
Peter Darling – Limehouse
Singers, songwriters, singer songwriters…everywhere you look more seem to appearing. Peter Darling is something of a unique proposition. Not just in that he is a slightly quirky bloke to have a chat with, but that his music is engaging, exciting, classic and complex, whilst being simple and instantaneously captivating. He has just released his second album, Limehouse which marks the first of what should be a prolific rate of work that will see him releasing…
Black Sabbath – 13
35 years. That’s how long it’s been since the release of Never Say Die!, the last Black Sabbath studio album to feature the band’s original lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. When Black Sabbath reunited in 2012, they announced an album that was to be the long-awaited studio return of this legendary lineup. The resulting record, entitled 13, does not quite fulfill that promise, as drummer Bill Ward pulled out…