Hey, it’s James Bay!

You might heard about James Bay by now, maybe on the radio – you might even have downloaded one or all of his three EPs. I swear you gonna hear a lot more from Mr Bay this year – and years to come!

Photo by Alex Shahmiri

The 25 year old English singer-songwriter, got a second place when BBC summed up “The Sound of 2015” – if you ask me James Bay´s gonna be the voice of 2015. Vocally James Bays passionate voice is the perfect link between Ray La Montagne, James Morrison, Hozier, John Mayer, and sprinkle a little James Blunt on some of the poppier songs. Where Hozier got the gospel feel om some of his best songs, John Mayer and Ray La Montagne got the blue-eyed soul blues/country, James Morrison got the soul, and James Blunt got the pop. Blend them all together and you´ll know what to expect from James Bay. Add that he’s got the look of a young John Mayer / Johnny Depp and sings and write the songs you´ll be hearing everywhere this spring and throughout the year!

I got hooked on James Bay while checking out his three EPs; “The Dark Of The Morning“, “Hold Back The River” and “Let It Go” and you´ll get blown away how great even his non-album tracks sound. Songs from the EPs are included on his forthcoming album, but even his “B-sides” or no-album-tracks shows what a great songwriter James Bay is.

Some of the songs off the EPs deserves and extra mention, and let’s start with “Move Together” is going be one of those songs that will be included in almost every romantic comedy and TV-series, in years to come. It´s actually his answer Ray La Montagnes “Hold You In My Arms”. The song “Running” makes me somehow hum on a ballad version of U2s “Still Haven´t Found What I´m Looking For”, the gospel feel of this song is beautiful. “Need The Sun To Brake” has a humming choir bridge that than draw a line to “Bonfire Heart” by James Blunt song. “Hold Back The River” is a song James Morrison could have released.

James Bays promising debut album “Chaos And The Calm” will be released the 23rd of March, and I´ll be surprised (and mighty disappointed) if this does not hold the same quality as his pre-released tracks off this album. Almost half of the album has been pre-released as tasters on Itunes, and damn they sounds just perfect – can´t wait till the whole thing is released.

Check out James Bays homepage here. All pictures is taken from James Bays Facebookpage

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The rebirth of Beyonce

Sometimes a change in concept makes magic. «Beyoncé» the self titled brand new album release from the artist known as Beyoncé – was hush released without any pre-promo ahead of it’s release. The biggest surprise is that this release is her best album in her career so far.

Beyoncé is laid back and her voice is cooler and more amazing than ever. I first heard this vocal change on her husband Jay-Zs latest album. It’s an adult album, full of sexual references – at times explicit without being pure porn ala Janet Jackson’s albums releases “All For You” and “Domita Jo”. On her new album Miss Beyoncé is experimenting and flirting with several genres, the music is eclectic flirting more with hip-hop than she has done earlier – a trick also the controversial Miley Cyrus did on her latest “Bangerz” album.

I bet Mr and Mrs Carter has boomed albums like Drake, Jay-Z, D’angelo, Prince,Miley and Ocean on their stereo before deciding the sound of her brand self titled 2013 album.

You can actually draw a line between Miss Janets «Velvet Rope”, to Miley Curys «Bangerz» to Beyoncé latest album. D’angelo around Voodoo and Prince lurks in the shadow, especially on the track «Rocket» which sounds just like a twin-sister or part II to D’angelos «Untitled» and the purple Prince´ bluesier soul moments like «Call My Name» or «The One», the song is really soothing and god damn sexy! Had to check the liner-notes both once and twice…to see if Prince is doing a guest appearance on the track (or is it a secret appearance by the Man? Maybe a payback for her guest appearance on «Purple Rain-medley» on 2004 the Grammy awards? Just speculating, or dreaming if you like!

The album production is close to Drake and Frank Ocean and she even sounds like she’s ripping off Miley Cyrus here and there, especially on the tracks where she raps. Yes, you read correctly – Miss B is even rapping on this album!
…She works on the album with song-writer extraordinaire Sia, Timbaland and Ryan Tedder. But the real gem here is the, until now, unknown producer Boots (take note of that name). His production skills is probably the best of the years since Mike Will Made It duties on Jay Z “Magna Carta Holy Grail” and Mileys «Bangerz». Boots, just like Mike Will, sings, produces, and plays a lot of the instruments used on his productions. 9 out of 14 tracks are produced by Boots.
Is Boots a pseudonym to Mike Will? Just speculating again.

I have mentioned both Drake and Frank Ocean earlier, as a possible musical influence, they both visits “Beyonce”. She also lets her hubby Sean Carter aka Jay-Z guest the album, no album without his participation these days and they even lets their little daughter Blue Ivy feature on the last track named «Blue» coincidencially? I don’t think so!

The album sleeve is all black, with just her name on it. Is this her “Black Album” back in 1988, and like Metallica did on their “Metallica” aka The Black Album, and is it a reference to the Beatles self titled album “The Beatles” aka the legendary «White Album»?

Click on the album cover to download the album through iTunes

By not including her self on the album sleeve, as she normally does, she makes a fresh start, she makes gives her album a bit of a mystique. A secret, just like the sudden not-promoted, just like whoooph there it is! And there it was! She somehow erase her own former musical concept and starts a new one!

Beyonces «Beyonce» is a game changer, a new start
The album is an up a modern affair, a grown up 2013 style, modern and funky – a coffee table album, the music answer to coffee table book, an album you would love to play to your friends, and will follow you and your life. I recommend it everyone around me ´cos this is a real grower of an album!

Take note; K. Michelle is here!

If the music lovers, bloggers and music business in the world is awake, they will take note of the name K. Michelle at once, because 2013 seems to be the year she will have her major breakthrough! At the end of 2012 I´d discovered the fabelous K. Michelle mixtapes, planned to do a blogpost about her – but sadly this blogpost have been delayed time after time. Now it´s finally here!

To make a short introduction first; This is K. Michelle 

She is a fabolous soul songer-songwriter, producer, pianist, with her strong voice as her weapon of choice. The voice that brings to mind; First and foremost; Mary J. Blige and Fergie (off the group Black Eyed Peas) (Personal note: Fergie, is a really underrated vocalist, check her solodebut “The Duchess” for her wide eclectic musical range). Secondly:  Names like Sylenna Johnson, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson. K. Michelles sites her own musical influences to be R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston.

The releases of K. Michelle so far!

K. Michelle has released 4 great albums – all of them as indipendent mixtapes. The high quality of those, makes all of them really worth checking out.

Here´s all her mixtapes all in a row:  From top left “What´s the 901”, top right “For Colored Girls”, bottom left “Signed, Sealed and Delivered” and bottom right “0 F..ks Given”. Click on each albumtitle to download the mixtapes for free!

Back in november 2012, she hooked up with a major record company – Warner Bros. Records – and her forthcoming official debut album is planned to be released by the summer of 2013, to spoil the title “Rebellious Soul”, exactly release date will be August 13th (maybe July 13th).

During her career so far she has worked with and collaborated with huge names like R. Kelly and Gucci Mane and Missy Elliot, and thats even before she got a official record deal. K. Michelles duet with R. Kelly on the “Love Letters” album, “Love Is” is a real gem worth checking out!

Of K. Michelles four mixtapes, my favourite is “0 F..ks Given” (“Zero Fucks Given”) – a future classic, actually I´m temptet to call it her “Nostalgia Ultra”. Here she lets her voice and flow really shine through. The lyrics are really strong and in-yer-face.  In songs like “U Gonna Learn Today” she lets the lyrics circle around a rough lifestyle and hard background, of life as a stripper and single mom, she really rips her soul out – and in the songs lyrics begs for respect for working her ass off and really doing what she can to have the best life for her self and her little family. The lyrics, as on many of her songs, have explicit lyrics. This is stories from the heart and the streets!

The lyrics to the song “U Gonna Learn Today” is so strong, that i want to quote it here as-is:

“U Gonna Learn Today”

Well since y’all here with me today, (K. Michelle)
I might as well keep it one hundred nowThey say I drink too much, curse too much,
I can be a little rough, but in God I trust.
Hypocrites so quick to judge,
I’m loving all my fans, Y’all be showing me love.He say this, she saying more,
Yeah, I was a stripper, but I ain’t no whore.
Don’t make me forget what I’m here for,
Keep your record deal, I don’t want it no more.’Cause you don’t know what it’s like to not kiss your son goodnight.
I got my foot in my door, but everyday’s a fight.If this record make you feel some type away
It might be a bullet shot out your way
‘Cause I’m a throw shade when I get paid
All I can say is you gonna learn today.
Hey, you gonna learn today.The dude behind the desk wasn’t impressed
But no disrespect, they be cutting him checks.
Ooh, better watch what I say,
Record ex, throw you back, they don’t play.I have been around the world, slept with some girls,
Smoked a little weed, but they don’t define me.
Ooh, this is my life, who are you to tell me what’s wrong and what’s right?’Cause you don’t know what is like to not kiss your son goodnight,
I got my foot in the door, but every day’s a fight.If this record make you feel some type away
It might be a bullet shot out your way
‘Cause I’m a throw shade when I get paid
All I can say is you gonna learn today.
Hey, you gonna learn today.You know, people tend to talk the most
About things that they know the least about.
My name’s always in somebody’s mouth
They like to talk a lot of shit about me, you know what I’m saying?
But I’m just grateful, I don’t do it for them,
I do it for the women, I do it for my family
And I do it for the love of the game and of music,
Know what I’m saying?
I think you all owe me some respect
I don’t forget.
More than you ever learn in all of your lifetime,
You know what I’m saying?
So if you wanna know about me, you come see me and ask about me.
So if you ain’t know now you know.
And for all y’all that keep throwing that hate
You can just kiss my ass.

She spits the words out, wrench her soul – and begs you to listen to her message!When it comes to K. Michelle you really should NOT give a f… but instead really listen to her strong message – and show her the massive respect she deserves!

Newsflash! Has Prince started a new webpage?

The Prince evoulution is on…It seems like Prince has started a new webpage!

See Print-screen picture here!

PUSH THE PICTURE TO VIEW THE PAGE!

According to the twitterprofile @3rdeyegirl Prince has launced a new webpage!

2013 – is this the year HE comes back? What do YOU think