I got turned on to Yannah Valdevit by her song, Western Horizons. Then, I went to her new album, Equilibrium. The fact that it is on world renowned label, Tru Thoughts, is enough for anyone to check a new record out, and I'm glad I did. This is actually her first worldwide release, with co-production duties going to Zed Bias. Lots of great electronic sounds, with a hint of jazz in there, which was a clencher for me. The lead off track, "Gotta Keep Me Goin" has been on repeat for a little while now, so I figured I should share with you, and then I can move on to obsessing about something else.
Sooooo goooooood. With a title like that, how can you go wrong?! Sadly, there has been no vinyl release of this yet, so you can only obtain it in digital format. Still worth it!
Gilles Peterson will always be an inspiration and motivator for my passion for radio. Dude is cream of the crop in the independent radio world to me. Pushing out consistent content for 20+ years is not an easy task, and yet Gilles makes it look easy, with radio programs, dj mixes, dj gigs, an international festival, and even his own awards ceremony, celebrating good music from across the globe. He is truly a remarkable brand, and human being.
I got an email from the Gilles Peterson Worldwide email list today about their revamped website, and they posted a picture of the new Brownswood FM radio studios, located in the basement of Brownswood Records. This is what I need to be doing! This setup looks amazing, even in its minimal nature (no posters on the walls?!). I'm now inspired to get my studio to this level.
So Rebecca Ferguson has pop exposure already, being a runner up on the X-Factor. That being said, this type of album doesn't normally come down my path, but I heard "Mr. Bright Eyes" and I thought this was some underground soul singer making her breakthrough. I was wrong, and that's okay. I guess it's a good thing I don't watch TV. Maybe I would've been sick of her if I actually watched that season of X-Factor. I listened to the entire album that "Mr. Bright Eyes" was on, and wasn't 100% sold, but I DID find this song, the closing track to the album, which is amazing. Who does she remind me of? Patti Labelle? Not sure. Enjoy.
I heard this track quite a bit over the last month, and then stopped hearing it, as DJ's moved on to other songs from her new album, "Is Your Love Big Enough?" But this one was in my head allllllllll morning. Lianne La Havas is an amazing singer/songwriter from London, who really solidified her place in my heart with "Forget." This is one of very few artists whose lyrics actually stay with me. I NEVER pay attention to lyrics. My brain doesn't process them, for some reason, but rather groups the melody of the voice as part of the overall musical piece. So this is a big deal.
Another thing I can't stop praising is Lianne's guitar playing and great arrangements to accompany her insightful, somewhat melancholy take on love and ex-boyfriends (I watched her performance on this year's iTunes festival and she attributed a whole segment of the show to her ex). I absolutely love the guitar intro of this song (kind of reminds me of this), and would love to make a re-edit of this if I can make some time in the near future. Lianne La Havas is in town this November at The Roxy. I highly recommend you see her. I'll definitely be there vibing out!
I cannot get enough of this track, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for this UK singer. The UK’s making the states look bad on the music end, y’all! Always quality material coming from across the pond, and I can’t hate. You can find Lianne La Havas music anywhere. Go check it out on Spotify, or do what I did and buy her vinyl direct from London. My receipt said “expected delivery date: June 23.” WHAT?!
Her “Lost & Found EP” is available now, and be on the lookout for the Forget EP.
While normally I don’t seek out Eric Roberson tracks, this one really caught my ears. I heard this on a hotel room music channel a few months back, and it was just background noise for much of the song. It wasn’t until near the very end of the track that I had to stop my conversation with my girl, ask “What IS this?!,” and Shazam it. I believe it’s due to the fresh drum programming. Reminded me of a more Bugz in the Attic kind of broken beat soul track, which really attracted me. The entire concept is cool, though, and I like the photo negative idea for this video.
Actually, now that I think of it, this is EXACTLY what it reminded me of…Jneiro Jarel.
My man Endo came through The Straight Ahead last week and mentioned that he had some 45’s in the car for sale, so I politely exited the spot and proceeded to follow the man to a parking structure down the street. After sifting through some goodness, he handed me this 7-inch. A fine cover of The Jackson Sisters rare groove classic. UK soul & latin bands always come with the heat. Hearing this record reminded me how excited I was when I heard about Grupo X quite a few years back.
