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

As the third and final album in Robyn’s unique trilogy for 2010 approaches, the exquisite song Indestructible will round off her single releases for the year. Further album details to follow. The acoustic version on Body Talk PT2 was orchestrated by a surging string section and displays Robyn’s ebullient lyrics about the power of love. Once again we witness her innate ability to project utter strength in her lyrics while also wearing her heart proudly on her sleeve. This pulsating full power version takes every ounce of that emotion and wraps it up in another exceptional disco-pop record worthy of any dance-floor or passion-laden sing-a-long. “ I wanna love you like I’ve never been hurt before, I wanna love you like I’m indestructible ” Robyn recently performed Dancing On My Own at the MTV VMA’s in LA with Deadmau5 following her tour of the U.S with Kelis. Currently on tour in Europe, she returned to the UK on October 18th to play her biggest shows to date. And Robyn has just announced...

Nicki Minaj, the first lady of Young Money/Cash Money Records and one of the hottest artists on the planet right now, has her new single “Right Thru Me” released on November 22nd. The track is taken from the 25 year old rap phenomenon’s feverishly anticipated debut album which is also released on November 22nd.  Nicki Minaj’s star has been on the rise since she released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in 2007. The mixtape featured Lil Wayne and the cover showed Nicki posing as a Barbie Doll. A second mixtape “Sucka Free” released a year later, increased the heat around Minaj and was followed in 2009 by mixtape number three “Beam Me Up Scotty”. Shortly thereafter Nicki, aka Harajuku Barbie, aka Nicki Lewinsky, aka Roman Zolanski, aka Ms Step Your Cookies Up, signed to Lil Wayne’s new label Young Money Entertainment and featured heavily on Young Money’s debut album “We Are Young Money” which spawned the massive hit single “Bedrock”. Minaj has also made her name from her many fea...

To round off yet another exceptional year, Florence will be releasing the mighty single ‘Heavy In Your Arms’ on November 15th. Produced by Paul Epworth the track a favourite of recent festival headlining live sets was recorded for the Twilight Eclipse film. Florence comments “ Heavy in your arms I suppose is about the weight of love, and how sometimes it can be a burden between two people, I felt this was a strong theme in the twilight series, is someone being rescued or are they being condemned, and is the love you carry bringing you down. I recorded it with paul one evening, using a lot of strange reversed vocal samples and big hip hop piano, its basically inspired by 90's hip hop, and gospel choirs, like most of my songs.. ” ‘Heavy In your Arms’ will also be available on ‘Between Two Lungs’. A two disc special edition version of her 4 x platinum selling Brit Award winning debut album ‘Lungs’. ‘Between Two Lungs’ will feature new cover art, sleeve notes by Florence and exclusive...

Rapper/actor/CEO, 3 time Grammy winner and all-round superstar Nelly, whose 30 million plus combined album/single sales have established the St. Louis native as one of music’s most bankable and consistent stars, returns in a big way with the release on November 8th of his brand new US smash single “Just A Dream”. Taken from his hotly anticipated forthcoming new album “5.0”, “Just A Dream” entered the US iTunes chart at number 5, has already sold over 1 million copies. “Just a Dream” was produced by Jim Jonsin (Lil Wayne “Lollipop”, T.I. “Whatever You Love”) and Rico Love (Beyonce “Sweet Dreams, Kelly Rowland “Commander”). The new album will feature appearances by Akon, T.I. and Kelly Rowland. With “Just A Dream” Nelly looks to add to his celebrated run of global hit singles from his game-changing debut “Country Grammar,” and “Ride Wit Me” to the Justin Timberlake collaboration “Work It”, the Kelly Rowland duet “Dilemma” and the seven-week at No. 1 “Hot in Herre.” With a catalogue of g...

Global superstar Akon, whose three previous albums have each sold more than half a million copies in the UK, yielding an unbroken string of massive worldwide hit singles, returns with the release on November 22nd of his brand new single “Angel”. Taken from his eagerly awaited dance music inspired album “AKONIC”, “Angel” was produced by Akon & fellow master hit maker David Guetta. Akon is without question one of the greatest hit making forces of all time and is the first solo artist to hold the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 - twice. Over the years he has worked with, produced and featured on a slew of international hits, including those for Michael Jackson, Sir Elton John, Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Whitney Houston, as well as Lady Gaga, who was one of the first signings to Akon’s Kon-live label. Akon has also established himself as a serious business man and entrepreneur who has quickly built an empire that includes a record label, fashion line and ch...

Twice Grammy Award-nominated Plain White T’s return with a new single, “Rhythm of Love,” out on October 17th, taken from their forthcoming release, “Wonders of the Younger”, released on October 18th. Penned and sung by the Chicago band’s guitarist Tim Lopez, the summery romantic pop single, “Rhythm of Love,” picks up where previous No.2 charting hit “Hey There Delilah” left us swooning two summers ago – #1 song on UK radio for 3 weeks, #1 on iTunes for 2 weeks, UK singles chart Top 10 for 12 weeks. The track, inspired by a bittersweet romance, is in its third week at radio in the US, and has already hit the top 30 on the Hot AC chart – and it looks likely to dominate the airwaves here too. Though the band is leading off with a romantic pop song, Higgenson points out that the group is in a different place than the one that prompted “Hey There Delilah.” An example of the five-piece’s darker, more expansive songs is album track “Welcome to Mystery,” which fans will have already heard as p...

Kylie Minogue has announced dates for ‘Aphrodite – Les Folies Tour 2011’ Tickets will go on sale for Glasgow SECC, Manchester Evening News Arena, and London O2 Arena on 13th September . More territories will be announced shortly. This tour promises to be an absolute landmark in the career of Kylie Minogue as she intends to create a live spectacular that will surpass even her own previous groundbreaking shows. Kylie has already been working on concepts for the tour and says “ The reaction to ‘Aphrodite’ has been absolutely incredible and has inspired me and my creative team to develop a new show that will take all of us on a euphoric journey of joy, excitement and glamour. I can’t wait to get on the road and see all my fans in 2011 ” As a special thank you to her UK fans, Kylie will ensure that no booking fees will be charged on tickets bought for Aphrodite - Les Folies 2011 UK shows, if purchased from official outlets (see list on Kylie.com ). There will be a one-off transaction fee, c...

Multi-talented vocalist, musician and songwriter Tinashé released his new single ‘Saved’ on August 15th. Taken from his self-titled debut album - released on August 23rd – ‘ Saved ’ is a joyous blast of guitar pop so perky it belies its rather weightier subject matter. Written after being accosted by a particularly forthright tramp on London's Oxford Street, its underlying message of defiance and self-belief ("I'll be here until your faith is won!") is deeply personal. " It's a song about trying, and trying, and trying ," explains Tinashé. "This bum tapped me on the shoulder, and said, 'I'm an angel, mate, but don't worry, you'll be saved. You know what thy did to me? They chucked me in the bin!' ” CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER ALBUM "SAVED " (CD )

Nicki Minaj, the first lady of Young Money/Cash Money Records and one of the hottest artists on the planet right now, has her debut official single “Your Love” released on September 20th. The song, which samples Annie Lennox’s “ No More ‘I Love You’s’ ”, is taken from the 25 year old rap phenomenon’s feverishly anticipated debut album which is scheduled for release on November 22nd. Nicki Minaj’s star has been on the rise since she released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over , in 2007. The mixtape featured Lil Wayne and the cover showed Nicki posing as a Barbie Doll. A second mixtape “ Sucka Free ” released a year later, increased the heat around Minaj and was followed in 2009 by mixtape number three “ Beam Me Up Scotty ”. Shortly thereafter Nicki, aka Harajuku Barbie, aka Nicki Lewinsky, aka Roman Zolanski, aka Ms Step Your Cookies Up , signed to Lil Wayne’s new label Young Money Entertainment and featured heavily on Young Money’s debut album “We Are Young Money” which spawned the...

“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 ...

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...

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...

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...

ROBBIE WILLIAMS releases a brand new single “ Shame ” on Virgin Records on October 4 . The single was co-written with Gary Barlow and is a duet between the two superstars. This is the first time the two of them have ever recorded and performed a duet together and the first time they have written and recorded a song together since Robbie's departure from Take That in 1995. The single is a brand new track which will feature on the forthcoming Robbie Williams 39-song greatest hits set “ In And Out Of Consciousness – The Greatest Hits 1990 - 2010 ”, to be released on CD and DVD on Virgin Records on October 11. The album is spread over 2 CDs and is the definitive hits collection of one of the biggest superstars to have emerged from the UK in the last 20 years. With a staggering 57 million album sales and 11 million singles sold, Robbie Williams has been breaking records over the course of his whole career.  7 No 1 UK albums meant he is easily the biggest selling solo artist in UK...

Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley whose hugely anticipated collaborative studio album, Distant Relatives is released on Monday May 24, 2010, have confirmed a third major UK date Gabriella Kilmi ‘Hearts Don’t Lie’ released by Island Records on 31st May 2010 Steve Winwood . Island Records will release the definitive career retrospective of one of the all-time greats of the UK music scene on 7th June 2010. Entitled “ Revolutions – The Very Best Of Steve Winwood ” it is a portrait of one of the most influential British musicians in rock history, a singer-songwriter, peerless vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player. Mumford & Sons release their new single, ‘ Roll Away Your Stone ’ through Gentlemen Of The Road / Island Records on the 7th June 2010. It is taken from the band’s critically acclaimed, platinum selling Top 5 debut album, ‘ Sigh No More ’ The Drums . 2010 has seen NYC based quartet The Drums go from being one of the most talked about new bands of the year to being the...

‘Genius… she’s still ruling the school.’ NME After the huge success of 2007’s eponymous album (platinum UK), which produced the international #1 smash single ‘ With Every Heartbeat ’ & the top 10 hit ‘ Be Mine ’, Robyn is back with her killer combination of natural pop nous and cool sassiness offering up an exciting mix of cool electronica, heartfelt pop songs and tracks that have all the hallmarks of becoming classic club hits. Due to an abundance of great songs bursting to get out 2010 will see her release not one, not two but three albums. The first, Body Talk PT 1 , will be released on June 14th and the single Dancing On My Own released the same day. Robyn explains: " I got all these great songs so why not ? It’s been 5 years since " Robyn " and I didn’t want to wait with a release until they are all recorded, so I decided to start putting them out right away. I also can’t wait to play live again and this enables me to tour and record at the same time. I just ...

Kelly Rowland is well and truly back and is kicking the summer off in style! Hot on the heels of Grammy award winning No.1 smash ‘When Love Takes Over’ Kelly has teamed up again with DJ supremo David Guetta and releases her fabulous brand new single “Commander” through Motown on 17th May. Kelly has amassed over 60 million record sales since being in Destiny’s Child , she’s has had two international No.1 hits with duets with Nelly ‘Dilema’ and David Guetta ‘ When Love Takes Over’ . ‘ Commander ’ is another smash which is not only produced by the legendary David Guetta but also written by Grammy award winner Rico Love (Beyonce - I Am…Sacha Fierce, Usher – Raymond vs Raymond). It has been an amazing year for Kelly who was signed personally by the President of Universal Motown records, Sylvia Rhone , for her new record. ‘Commander’ shows a different side to Kelly and for the video she plays a different role ‘the whole concept is very futuristic, very cool, it’s about me being the command...

“ Proper Kylie is BACK BACK BACK ” - Popjustice Kylie Aphrodite Kylie Minogue’s new single ‘All The Lovers’ has been brought forward two weeks due to overwhelming public demand. The track, originally due for release in all formats on June 28, will now be available digitally from June 13 . A physical release / digital bundle will follow on June 28. Popjustice recently called the song “ a truly incredible comeback single…a solid gold summer pop anthem ”. News of the World called it “ one of the best Kylie songs ever ”. The track is co-produced and written by Jim Eliot & Mima Stilwell. Kylie’s highly anticipated new album ‘ Aphrodite ’ is released on Parlophone records on July 5. It is Kylie’s eleventh studio album and was executive produced by Stuart Price. ‘Aphrodite’ sees Kylie return to the dance-floor, with a string of high profile collaborators from the pop and dance worlds including: Calvin Harris & Jake Shears, Sebastian Ingrosso (Swedish House Mafia) & Luciana ...

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals Debut UK single ‘Tiny Light’ Released June 6th on Island Records. The act named as one of Rolling Stone’s Best New Bands of 2010 will release their debut UK single on June 6th. The powerful, spine-tingler of a track, ‘Tiny Light’, comes from Grace Potter and the Nocturnal’s forthcoming, self-titled album. Produced by Mark Batson (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Jay-Z), the song kicks off with a moody AOR tinged kind of melancholy that wouldn’t seem out of place next to the more downbeat moments on Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’ . Hope and redemption come in the shape of a soaring chorus as well as through Grace’s cathartic, powerhouse wails at the climax of the song. Inspired by the worldwide financial crisis of the past few years, the song’s intensity should come as no surprise, but what is a shock - albeit a pleasant one – is the way Grace’s vocals morph from honeyed huskiness into a full throttle, Janis Joplin -worthy siren screech. Impressively howling and crooning h...