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

Jonathan Jeremiah, who’s debut album “A Solitary Man” was recently released to widespread critical acclaim, garnering significant national radio support, releases his new single “Lost“ on September 12th through Island Records. With previous single ‘Heart of Stone’ a top 20 airplay hit and spending an incredible 7 weeks on the ‘A’ list at Radio 2, ‘Lost’ seems destined to build on the incredible support at radio. Following an amazing performance at the North Sea Jazz festival in Holland, Jonathans’ album is currently No.3 in the Dutch charts. A full European tour is now scheduled for October. The Londoner was recently invited by Rumer, a self-declared fan, to open for the Brit nominated singer at her Manchester show and he has just completed a sold out UK tour supporting Katie Melua. The summer sees Jonathan playing a number of shows in Europe including PukelPop in Holland. Jeremiah first came to prominence when he was invited to appear on Later With Jools a full five months before the

Detroit born Alex Winston has announced news of her next release; the brand new ‘Velvet Elvis’ will be released as part of an EP on September 12th through Island Records. An enigmatic artist, at first glance Alex’s music appears upbeat, but on closer examination, her lyrics reveal subject matters brimming with strange and provoking subjects. ‘Velvet Elvis’ – the EP’s lead track examines the notion of objectum sexuality; where people have fallen in love with objects, often humanising them: “Ma said I ain’t right / Clutching on you all night / But you’re my, you’re my guy / Elvis”… “When I feel your velvet / I can’t help it / You don’t breathe / So you can’t leave me”. Backed by ‘Fire Ant’, another new song from Alex, it beckons at what untold surprises are in store for the multi-instrumentalist’s forthcoming January album. Traces of her motown influences can be felt in the track alongside stunning percussion, eerie harmonies and propelling drums culminating in a wall of sound in the la

Following on from her multi-million selling, multi-award winning, global smash of a debut album ‘Lungs’, Florence returns with new music and confirms the release date of her forthcoming second album. The, as yet untitled album, was produced in full by Paul Epworth to retain one complete sound. It all magically came together over five weeks in the famous Studio 3 of Abbey Road (where the Beatles recorded ‘Revolver’ and Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’), after which Florence and Paul decamped to his own London studio to add the finishing touches. What she gives us as an explosive taster here is what, she says, the water gave her: a captivating art-pop vision that’s as much for dancers as it is for dreamers, for ravers as for rockers, for the living as the drowned and dead-and-gone. “It’s a song for the water...” says Florence; “Because in music and art what I’m really interested in are the things that are overwhelming. The ocean seems to me to be nature’s great overwhelmer. When I was