Its Time We All Learnt A Little Bit About Lawrence Preston

 

 

With the recent release of brand new single ‘Something For You’, we trace it all back to see where Lawrence really found his talents.

Born in the 50’s, in the San Francisco bay area, Lawrence’s love for music grew early on,  when he joined his parents in the gospel band known as ‘The Sensational Travelers’. They would practice in his grandfathers old Victorian Church every Saturday night.

This then led on to a bigger responsibility for Lawrence, when he was asked to join another family band known as the ‘Fantastic Four’, which he fronted, at the age  of 5!

Through his experiences in the music industry at this time, he gained love for instruments such as guitar and Trombone, however, there was an instrument that was calling his name, the bass would later on be a trademark for the singer-songwriter.

While being asked to join band and groups such as Dorothy Morrison’s gospel band, which he contributed bass to for much of the early 80’s.

 

 

Now ready to push his solo releases, Lawrence has recorded and produced his own material such as ‘Driving me away’ and brand new track ‘Something For You’.

 

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@law_preston

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawrence.preston.37

 

The Lounge Revival Starts Here! LAPP’s Sunny.

…and when we say “lounge”, we really do mean both in terms of the room in your house and relaxing horizontally. At the forefront of fashionable relaxing is LAPP, whose video to his track, Sunny, a song which is actually intrinsically linked to The Catcher in the Rye, has actually tickled our fancy purely because:

A. It’s catchy.

B. We like snooping in people’s homes.

Watch the video to “Sunny” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzsLz_54E8A

 

Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/lapp_x

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNyN8MCeeJ9RQNIa6-MQSDA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LAPPx/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lapp_x

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lapp_x/

Crack of Dawn – Spotlight – A More Than Welcome Blast From The Past

For nearly 40 years now, ‘Crack of Dawn’ have been meticulously honing their craft, and the results are clear, honest and hard to deny. These guys are one of those bands that have always been around, working hard simply for the love of it, and their latest release ‘Spotlight’ is no exception to this. It is a soulful, sublime ballad that wraps you up and holds you seemingly forever.

They are also one of Canada’s most successful musical stories, releasing their first album in 1976 from which there were a number of hits including ‘It’s Alright (This Feeling)’, ‘Keep The Faith’ and ‘The Key’. This however is not all. They also outsold ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ in Canada (a feat that only a small number of bands from this period can claim), were the first black band to get a record deal in Canada with Columbia and were tipped as being one to watch by billboard in the USA before everything started to go a little quiet due to “musical differences” within the band.

However, with differences put aside and new music coming, ‘Crack of Dawn’ are back on top and ready to pop. Check out the new single ‘Spotlight’ and be sure to keep an eye on them

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoNzxEP5sJc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrackofDawnBand/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crackofdawnofficial/?hl=en
Website: https://www.crackofdawn.ca/

 

 

 

‘Modern Soul’ from Les Kirsh

You’ll hear many people who say that soul music is dead, much like rock’n’roll, but these people are about to eat their hats as Les Kirsh is resurrecting the style after many years out of the game.

The scene is 1974: Les Kirsh has has been an emerging name in the soul scene for a while and he’s close to signing record deals and making the big time. Unfortunately, a car crash intervened and left Les’ dream hanging. He was in a coma for over a week and it took him around two years to fully recover, whilst he tried to relearn the songs he had written from before by picking up the guitar and strumming a few chords.

But recently, after a career pursued elsewhere, Les’ son stumbled across some of his old recordings, listened to them, realised they were vintage gold and consequently got his Dad back into the music game.

Les decided to pick three of his old tracks, ‘Say, ‘La La La’ and ‘Tell Me To My Face’ which he then took over to renowned producer, Andy Whitmore, who worked his magic and brought them into the modern day. Hence, Les’s self-labelled genre of ‘modern soul’.

Within the three tracks, there’s a lot of juggling with genres as Les likes to see himself as a complete songwriter, but this only shows his ability to adapt, which of course, is a good thing. There’s elements of pop, rock, even reggae, but at the end of the day, Les has always been a soul man.

Find out more on Les Kirsh here:

https://soundcloud.com/leskirsh

https://www.facebook.com/LesKirshMusic/

https://twitter.com/LesKirshMusic

 

Rosie O’Sullivan Returns

Talented songstress, Rosie O’Sullivan, who you may remember from Britain’s Got Talent 2013, has returned with an EP of soul inspired tracks that exhibit her new direction in music.

Since then, Rosie has been perfecting her craft as a singer-songwriter, developing her style and proving to the judges of BGT that she certainly should have been in the final.

When it comes to inspiration for her music, whilst Rosie has rejuvenated her love for soul and motown on the new EP, she looks to her experiences and relationships from the past few years to form the context behind her songs. In addition, the track ‘No One’ interestingly takes influence from her parents and their story of love that Rosie knows so well.

Having performed at events such as Birmingham Pride, Big Festival and the Brummie awards, Rosie is clearly at the next level with her music and it looks like her new EP will take her even further, now that she has found her niche.

When Rosie was just 11, she was already proficient at playing piano and saxophone and these evidently helped her become the musician she is today. As she was growing up, she began performing with The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain in the 2011 and 2012 BBC Proms and then gained a Bachelor of Music Performance Degree at the London College of Music.

https://www.facebook.com/rosieosullivanmusic

https://twitter.com/rosieosullivan

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAh8bWfq9q0o2n4L5gnIiCw

http://www.rosieosullivan.co.ukwww.instagram.com/rosieosullivan

Track Review: ‘I Belong In Hell’ by Jodie H. Dunn

Jodie H. Dunn is a young, but supremely talented singer-songwriter hailing from Swindon who uses her life experience as material for her powerful and heartfelt songs.

Having been bullied for long periods of her teenage years at school, growing up wasn’t easy for Jodie. Also, when she made her first foray into the music industry, she encountered a shady producer/manager who ended up trying to sue her family over a contract dispute. You’d think things like this would put Jodie off music all together, but for her, it was always a welcome escape where she could truly express her feelings.

Since then, Jodie has progressed her music and songwriting in leaps and bounds, now releasing her first professionally produced track, ‘I Belong In Hell’, along with the help of Andy Whitmore at Greystoke Studios.

Consequently, ‘I Belong In Hell’ is a beautifully produced track that allows Jodie’s remarkable vocals to steal the limelight. The bass is looming, the drum beat is strong and booming, yet neither take away anything from Jodie’s voice and the meaning behind her well-crafted lyricism. In addition to that, there is a great little piano hook that is subtle and intermittent, but sets the tone at the beginning of the song perfectly.

It’s also refreshing to hear a different pop style in this day and age; we’re so accustomed to the status quo of r’n’b/ dance infused pop that has dominated the genre in recent years, but Jodie’s brand of soulful, slightly dark, yet enchanting pop brings something else to the table entirely.

So, if you’re fed up of the conveyor belt material you hear everyday on the radio, then definitely give Jodie H. Dunn’s ‘I Belong In Hell’ a listen. You won’t be disappointed.

Find out more on Jodie H. Dunn here:

https://www.facebook.com/jodiehelendunn/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2-EwF7vdFUEFRwGgzk1b5g

https://www.instagram.com/jodiehdunn/?hl=en

 

Review: ‘We All Love Burt Bacharach’

A group of famous and talented have come together to create the ultimate Burt Bacharach tribute album. Featuring 13 Burt Bacharach hits, ‘We All Love Bacharach’ is a blend of jazz, swing and funk to form a refined, elegant compilation.

The album has been produced by Giampaolo Pasquile and Michele Garruti for PLAY (Milan) and Oracle Records ltd (London).  The producers took inspiration from acts such as Chet Baker, Michael Bublé and Norah Jones, which has formed the smooth jazz sound but with strong clever hints of pop, funk and folk. Within the 13 tracks are 5 instrumentals that depict the several nuances and moods of the classic Bacharach sound.

The variety present in ‘We All Love Burt Bacharach’ makes it an album for all occasions; easy listening on a Sunday afternoon, relaxing on the commute home or even at a dinner party (guests are sure to recognise Burt’s classic tracks and the instrumentals provide the perfect elegant soundtrack to your evening).

Die-hard Bacharach fans will not be disappointed with the quality of the recordings nor the repute of the artists on the record. Featuring the likes of Massimo Colombo, Peter Erskine (ex-drummer of Weather Report), Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets), Michael Stever and Kathleen Grace (West coast folk singer).

Highlights include the new upbeat version of ‘Walk On By’ which has a real head-nodding groove to it, and also the smooth-jazz influenced instrumental of ‘Close To You’ (made famous by The Carpenters).

Overall, the album is essential listening for Bacharach fans helping you to rediscover why you fell in love with his music in the first place, whereas those unfamiliar with the great songwriter may just be surprised as to how many of his songs you actually know anyway.

Find out more here:

https://www.facebook.com/weallloveburtbacharach/

 

The Truebelles set to release powerful pop track ‘If Your Hear Is There’

The Truebelles are ready to shake up the pop scene with plenty of soulful energy while aspiring to remodel the traditional image of femininity in today’s world of media and music.

After having been able to gain experience singing with Stevie Wonder’s musical director and bass player, Nate Watts, and doing backing vocals for Coree Richards of Damage, lead singer Grace has now started her own musical project with friends Talullah and Lorena. With the help of producers Steve Snead and Mat Condon, who has previously played keyboard in Katie Melua’s band, the newcomers comprise remarkable vocal skills with the spirit of rebellious girl power. Their funky debut single ‘If Your Heart Is There’ is a melodic bubble gum explosion that creates the kind of buzz that makes you get out of bed in the morning. The track features rapper XYM who is known for having played alongside Colin Farrell in the film London Boulevard.

The London based group combines their music with a world view that sees women stepping out of a narrowly defined image which reduces them to merely being pretty, as Grace puts it: “Sometimes people like to see a woman with balls. The masculine side of women is not so often portrayed in the media. Annie Lennox, Kate Bush, Madonna have done it. It makes pop art more interesting.” Grace started singing at the age of seven. She used to be in a girl gang in high school and kept skipping classes to make videos as part of a production company she created with two of her friends in which they “used to run around screaming creating Blair Witch Project type scream flicks.” She says: “They used to call us the Kill Twins.”

The Truebelles are a band, an art collective and a feminist statement about the differences between men and women when it comes to communication – which, ideally, they’d like to overcome with their work.

Difficulties of communication between the two sexes has been part of the story of how ‘If Your Heart Is There’ and the entire project, in fact, has come to life. The narrative of their song writing is specifically pro-female and committed to the idea of presenting women as fun and exciting. When Grace first moved to London and met producer Steve she initially refused to work with him because she “thought he was a weirdo”. It took another two years to get her in the studio to record the track.

Having been able to overcome their very own communication problems, The Truebelles are now ready to revive modern feminist pop with their debut single taken from the upcoming album ‘Truebelles Coming’.

The single ‘If Your Heart Is There’ is out on 13^th February 2016.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/The-Truebelles-920344594701415/

https://twitter.com/ttruebelles

http://thetruebelles.com/

Incredible Wembley show “The Great Voices of Soul”

Featuring some of the greatest soul music and vocals ever written, this exciting November night will fill Wembley with soul thanks to the spectacular, star studded ‘Voices of Soul’ event.

Patti LaBelle – The Whispers – Soul II Soul – The S.O.S. Band – Loose Ends – Gwen Dickey – Meli’sa Morgan

Ticket outlets:

www.AXS.com (Box Office) www.Ticketmaster.co.uk

www.Seetickets.com

www.Gigantic.com

Tickets: £50, £60, £75, £80, £100

Promoters: http://www.tbhevents.uk/

Court Royal brand new single – ‘Watch Yourself’

Life affirming funk tune release on May 29^th through Fly on the Wall Records

https://soundcloud.com/court-royal-1/watchyourself-mastered-mp3cutnet

With the single due on May 29^th, the next couple of months are set to be very busy for Court Royal. May 24^th sees them play a hugely anticipated show at Goodison Park, the home of Everton Football Club, while in August they will take to the stage as part of the bill at the prestigious Strawberry Fields Festival. And, with an upcoming album already in the bag, it’s unlikely things will quieten down for Court Royal anytime soon.

It all feeds perfectly into the band’s main aim – to bring FUNK back to the UK music scene in 2015. And with previous single ‘Can’t Get Enough’ fast tracked onto the BBC Introducing playlist on the same night as it was uploaded, that target doesn’t feel like an impossible one.

Aside from the music, Court Royal also have something of a unique boast – how many bands can say that two of their members work for the emergency services? Juggling high pressure work like that with creating top class music can’t be easy, but in the case of Court Royal, it is all taken in stride.

Keep an eye on Court Royal in 2015 – ‘Watch Yourself’ is unleashed on May 29^th.

Links:

www.facebook.com/CourtRoyalOfficial

www.twitter.com/CourtRoyalMusic

https://soundcloud.com/court-royal-1