Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

“G.R.I.N.D.”, the brand new track that’s been lighting up the blogs, (no 2 on Hype Machine) from Asher Roth, is released on July 26th through SRC/ Island Records. “G.R.I.N.D”, which stands for “Get Ready It’s a New Day”, was produced by a team called 1500 or Nothin, and is taken from Asher’s forthcoming as yet untitled second album which features production from the likes of Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beats, Ryan Leslie and Q-Tip. For further info on Asher’s movements and to see the cool viral video for “Muddy Swim Trunks”, and to download the tasty new mixtape “Seared Fois Gras with Quince and Cranberry”, visit http://asherrothmusic.com/ . Asher Roth’s debut hit single “ I Love College ” and acclaimed album “ Asleep In The Bread Aisle ” announced him as one of the most exciting new artists in hip hop. Heavily tipped at the beginning of 2009, alongside Kid Cudi and B.O.B, as one of the freshest new artists taking hip hop in an exciting new direction, Asher charted with his first single ...

Multi-platinum-selling, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter-actress ERYKAH BADU, one of the best loved, most constantly challenging and uniquely creative artists currently working in popular music, releases her new single ”Turn Me Away (Get Munny)” on August 2nd . The release of the single, taken from her universally acclaimed new album New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh, comes the week after Badu blesses the Brixton Academy with a sold-out one-off UK date on Saturday July 24. The new album is the Dallas native’s follow-up to her equally critically acclaimed 2008 album, New Amerykah, Part I: 4th World War. In contrast to New Amerykah, Part I: 4th World War, which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh features lush live instrumentation and taps into Badu’s emotional side by thematically focusing on romance and relationships. “ With Part I, I was standing at an apex, looking at what was going on around me politically, socially, and ec...

Named as one of Rolling Stone’s Best New Bands of 2010,  release their racy bedroom blues single ‘Paris (Ooh La La)’ on August 15th. Doing a much better job of hotting up the summer than the UK’s reliably unreliable weather, this sultry, saucy song is Grace and the gang’s strutting tribute to getting down and dirty. A classic rock shakedown packed with guttural grunts and shrieks, it’s probably best that we hand over to Grace for a more detailed description of the tracks’s subject matter…“ When I wrote ‘Paris’, I was listening to the Kinks non-stop, and I was going for something with a big primal riff, like ‘You Really Got Me’. It was the first time I ever really just said ‘I’m not going to try to tell a story, and I’m not going to try to communicate an emotion. I’m just going to say, basically, ‘I want to have sex right now. ’ Produced by Mark Batson (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Jay-Z), this Vermont five-piece have more than earned their chops at home in the USA, gaining a reputation as one...

Little Fish singer, writer and guitarist Juju says that the band’s recent single ‘Am I Crazy?’ is about “the pain you go through when falling in love” but the title could equally refer to the crazy ride the band have experienced in the last year or so since legendary songwriter/producer Linda Perry heard their demos, flew to the UK to see them play at a pub in Oxford, signed them on the spot and took them out to LA to produce their first album. This has been followed by a hectic touring schedule supporting a who’s who of rock bands including Placebo,Them Crooked Vultures, Hole, Juliette Lewis and, most recently, Blondie. This, plus having three songs on the Rock Band game, a song in the new Hilary Swank movie ‘The Resident’ and a host of great reviews for their live show, as well as Radio 1 play and playlisting on XFM and Kerrang! TV have brought the band to the public’s attention even before the release of this, their first album. The addition of a Hammond player to the Oxford-based...

Gabriella Cilmi’s second album ‘Ten’ sees the just-turned-18 Australian singer-songwriter discovering her inner disco diva . Inspired by the likes of Giogrio Moroder, Blondie and Donna Summer, and working alongside the likes of uber producers Dallas Austin (TLC, Gwen Stefani, Michael Jackson), Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys), and Greg Kursten (Lily Allen, Little Boots, Flaming Lips), Gabriella has created a body of work that takes new wave and classic dance influences into poptastic future disco for the 21st century. Following on from scoring a top 10 hit with the infectious dance-floor anthem, ‘On A Mission’ and from supporting Leona Lewis on her nationwide UK tour, Gabriella Cilmi is set to release double A side single, ‘ Defender & Magic Carpet Ride ’ on 22nd August 2010. The ballad ‘Defender’, produced by Invisible Men (Noisettes), is one of the stand out tracks on ‘Ten’. Showcasing Gabriella’s unique vocals ‘Defender’ has all the ingredients of an anthemi...

Grammy award winning, 15 million album selling, singer-songwriter Macy Gray, one of the most unique and original artists to emerge in recent times.  Macy, whose eagerly awaited new album " The Sellout " is out now performed recently at " Live from Leicester Square ". Macy's fans had the unique opportunity to see this global star up close at one of London's most intimate music venues. Macy's new single, " Lately ", which she recently performed live on Later With Jools, was released on June 14th through Concord Records/Island Records. " The Sellout " features 12 new songs and was co-written and executive produced by Gray in Los Angeles throughout 2009. Collaborators include Bobby Brown, The Bodyrockers' Kaz James and Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum formerly of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver . " The Sellout " tells the story of how I found my salvation in just being myself instead of who other people thought I s...

Album Release: An Airplane Carried Me To Bed Label: Island Records Released: 26th July 2010 “ Before there was Owl City, there was Sky Sailing. These recordings are a step into the past, the documented account of a shy boy from Minnesota with more hopes and dreams than he knew what to do with. I am so very excited to share it with you .” – Adam Young Adam Young was a mere teenager in Owatonna, Minnesota when he wrote and recorded his first collection of songs under the moniker Sky Sailing. The album An Airplane Carried Me To Bed offers 11 songs that trace back the genesis of Adam Young as a songwriter and showcase a simple innocence through their sound and openhearted lyrics. Fan’s got their first peek into the world of Sky Sailing a few weeks ago when Adam quietly posted demo versions of two songs that are on the album, “Brielle” and “I Live Alone,” on MySpace. Written and recorded nearly three years ago, the songs that Adam Young did as Sky Sailing reflect the wonder and exc...

Olly Murs will release his debut single on August 29. The track ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’ is co-written by Olly along with Steve Robson and Claude Kelly. A major radio network has already added the single to their playlist, 9 weeks upfront of release. The single will be available as a CD and download, with b-side/extra track ‘ This One’s For The Girls ’. Following his appearance on the X Factor, Olly signed a deal with Epic, who are responsible for the phenomenal success for JLS, and Syco Music. Olly said “ I’m so excited to be releasing this track which I co-wrote with Steve and Claude. It was important to me to be releasing an original song, and you can blast this one in the car with the windows down and the sun shining ”. Olly is currently working on his debut album due for release later this year. He is collaborating with Roy Stride from Scouting For Girls, John Shanks (Take That), Eg White (Adele, James Morrison, Duffy), Claude Kelly (Jason Derulo, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson), S...

Melodica, Melody and Me release their debut single, ‘Piece Me Back Together’ on Monday 12th July 2010 through Everybody’s Stalking and confirm lead support on Bombay Bicycle Club’s acoustic tour. Check out the beautiful new video: click here Brixton’s original folksteppers Melodica, Melody and Me announce the release of their debut single, Piece Me Back Together , through Everybody’s Stalking on Monday 12th July 2010. The new single will be available on limited edition seven-inch vinyl and download. Huw (Vocal/Guitar), Rudi (Guitar, Charango, Kora, Melodica), Emilio (Kora, Melodica, Charango), Anna (Vocals, Melodica), John (Bass) and Greta (Drums) uniquely combine their folk influences of Bert Jansch and Victor Jara with their Dub and Reggae heroes Augustus Pablo and Lee Scratch Perry and have become Britain’s go-to band for all-night skanking and festival stomping. From their first proper gig supporting Whitest Boy Alive at Hoxton Bar Grill MMM's infectious live set has been c...

Tom Jones teams up with producer Ethan Johns (Laura Marling, Kings of Leon, Paulo Nutini, Rufus Wainwright) to release a remarkable new album on 26th July on Island Records . Entitled ‘ Praise and Blame ’, the album is a captivating collection of songs drawn from the American spiritual repertoire. Tracks include interpretations of works by Susan Werner, Bob Dylan and John Lee Hooker, alongside takes on traditional songs previously rendered by the likes of The Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Tom and producer/player Ethan Johns lead a small band of players - drummer Jeremy Stacey and bassist Dave Bronze, through tracks that were recorded wholly live in singular performances at Real World Studios in Bath. Further guest contributions come from Booker T. Jones, Chris Holland, Gillian Welch and Orin Waters. ‘ Praise and Blame’ is an evocative collection, with Tom going back to his roots on stripped down interpretations of gospel, blues, traditional and countr...