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

Fresh from his recent triumphant sell-out UK Arena dates, Grammy nominated superstar, and without question one of the most interesting rap artists to emerge in years, Drake, releases his brilliant new single “The Motto” released on April 16th through Young Money/Cash Money Records. The single features friend and mentor Lil Wayne as well as label mate TYGA and is taken from the Canadian’s hugely acclaimed new album “Take Care” which has already sold over 200,000 in the UK more than doubling sales of his debut set “Thank Me Later” which went Gold in the UK. The huge success of the album coupled with the sell-out UK tour including 2 consecutive nights at the O2 in London performing to over 38,000 fans, proves that Drake is a genuine superstar and is about to get a whole lot bigger. Facebook likes stand at well over 23million, Drizzy can count on almost 7 million followers on Twitter while combined Youtube views are in excess of a staggering half a billion, not to mention his UK number 1

Dubbed “the UK’s answer to John Legend”, South Londoner Josh Osho is a naturally gifted singer-songwriter with one of the finest pop/soul voices to come out of the UK in years and a life-story packed full of the stuff that films are made of. Born to a half Northern Irish, half Nigerian mother and Nigerian father, Josh Osho, has not only experienced more than your average 20 year old, but more than many people may do in a lifetime. Following an unconventional and often tempestuous childhood, Josh went from being in and out of home at the age of 16 and dealing drugs from notorious half-way house Ebenezer hotel at 17, to signing a record deal at 18, and finding himself recording in a studio with two members of the Wu Tang Clan at 19. It may be a universal cliché to say someone has been saved from a darker route in life by music, but when it comes to Josh Osho this really is the case. He is a young man and artist who has come up the hard way and it is there for everyone to h

Following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Paul McCartney, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Oasis, Florence + the Machine have recorded a session for MTV Unplugged which will be released on CD & download this April. Consisting of some of her biggest songs to date across both her debut album ‘Lungs’ and her recent, 1.7 million selling follow up ‘Ceremonials, this collection of live, acoustic sessions goes further to prove her unique talent. Alongside three of her band members and a 10 piece Gospel choir from New York, Florence played a set that included well known tracks like ‘Dog Days Are Over’, ‘Cosmic Love’, ‘Shake It Out’ and ‘No Light, No Light’. Florence also offered up two brilliant covers of Johnny Cash’s ‘Jackson’ as well as a beautiful rendition of ‘Try A Little Tenderness’. For the ‘Jackson’ cover she was joined by Josh Homme who travelled to New York especially to record this stripped back version of the June & Johnny classic. Earlier that day,