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

Jackson Tennessee born, London based singer-songwriter Lauren Pritchard, a new artist with a remarkable voice and a rare song-writing talent to match, follows the release of her acclaimed debut “The Jackson Sessions” ep with the release on July 19th of her new Island ep “ Painkillers ” . Written by the 22 year old Pritchard and produced by Eg White, best known for co-writing and producing Adele’s Grammy-winning classic hit “Chasing Pavements” and Duffy’s worldwide smash “Warwick Avenue”, the track features legendary sticksman and Roots founder Questlove on drums. The full track listing is as follows: 1. Painkillers 2. Try A Little Harder 3. Painkillers (Body Language Remix) 4. Painkillers (Flotilla Remix) Since the beginning of the year Lauren has performed live across the UK building an ever growing fanbase. The young American was personally invited by Paul Weller to join him on stage during his recent In Concert Radio 2 session after he had heard her debut ep The Jackson Sessi

Following the release of her debut EP ‘Because I Do’, Pearl and the Puppets will release the new single ‘Make Me Smile’ on August 16th. Pearl, AKA Katie Sutherland and her band The Puppets, have been receiving a steady stream of attention over the last year after winning the Scottish Sun’s New Band award and a performance on the BBC Hogmanay show on New Year’s Eve. With live shows so far including an appearance at The Great Escape, a headline Scottish tour and UK support tour with Alphabeat. Their debut EP was well received and performances at the likes of Secret Garden Party and T in the Park this summer along with a support slot with Elton John at Watford Football Club. Her second single ‘ Make Me Smile ’ is a feel-good summery pop song that has a breezy melody and catchy chorus that you can’t help but sing along to. A favourite in Pearl’s live set, it is perfect for the summer festivals and is sure to make even the most tired festival goer get up and dance. Three years ago Pearl w

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

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 of

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

Jackson Tennessee born, London based singer-songwriter Lauren Pritchard, a new artist with a remarkable voice and a rare song-writing talent to match, follows the release of her acclaimed debut “ The Jackson Sessions ” ep with the r elease on July 19th of her new Island ep “Painkillers” . Written by the 22 year old Pritchard and produced by Eg White , best known for co-writing and producing Adele’s Grammy-winning classic hit “Chasing Pavements” and Duffy’s worldwide smash “Warwick Avenue”, the track features legendary sticksman and Roots founder Questlove on drums. The full track listing is as follows: 1. Painkillers 2. Try A Little Harder 3. Painkillers (Body Language Remix) 4. Painkillers (Flotilla Remix) Since the beginning of the year Lauren has performed live across the UK building an ever growing fanbase. The young American was personally invited by Paul Weller to join him on stage during his recent In Concert Radio 2 session after he had heard her debut ep The Jackson

Half Rwandan and half Belgium Stromae produced European Billboard no.1 hit ‘Alors On Danse’ on his computer at home with a desktop mic. Even more remarkable, he created his buzz when filming homemade ‘lessons in how to make a hit’ for his Youtube channel, starting in January 2009 (‘Les Leçon De Stromae’ or ‘Stromae’s Lessons’). Lesson no. 8 ‘Alors On Dance’ became a viral sensation and then a real hit on Europe’s radio airwaves, getting to no.1 across the continent and running up 7 million Youtube plays. It started when the internet excitement from his music production Youtube shows caught the attention of DJ Julie on the dance specialist NRJ Mash Up Show of France’s biggest radio station in June 2009. Getting rave reactions on the specialist show it was moved to playlist rotation proper and from there it shot to no.1 in both France and Germany. French language blog Fluo Kids described ‘Alors on Danse’ as like ‘Calabria X tranxene’. ‘Calabria’ referring to Alex Gaudino’s 2007 dance hi

For the first time since 2008, Robyn brought the party back to London with a one off show at Heaven last week. Now she is pleased to announce a series of UK dates later in the year. The first of three albums – Body Talk Pt 1 – was released on June 14 with the lead single ‘ Dancing On My Own ’ becoming her fourth UK Top 10 hit. The second album – Body Talk pt 2 along with its single ‘ Hang With Me ’ will be released on September 6.  Pre-sale tickets for October will be available from www.robyn.com Dates: 18/10 Glasgow ABC 19/10 Manchester Academy 2 21/10 Brighton Concorde 22/10 Shepherds Bush Empire WHAT THE PAPERS SAY "Is there a more inspiring pop star on the planet than Robyn?" NME “Dancing On My Own, a digital torch song worth of Confessions-era Madonna’ The Times ‘Watching Robyn is comparable to seeing a one woman rave…she’s infectious” Daily Star

Mumford & Sons are pleased to announce details of a UK tour this autumn , their biggest headline shows to date. The dates in October will follow a relentless touring schedule for the band, that has taken them across India, Australia, Europe and America over the past 12 months. Tickets are on pre-sale now from www.mumfordandsons.com for £18.50/£20 (London) and on general sale from Wednesday. In addition to the live dates, fans have the option to pre-order a limited EP called ' Volume 1 ' under the band's alter ego, The Wedding Band . 'Volume 1' was produced by Ethan Jones and Dom Monks within two days at a London studio, with some of the band's old friends. The EP comprises of songs that are regularly heard played out on the band's tour bus, but very rarely live on stage. The 10" EPs will be limited to 100 copies per show, and can only be bought via www.mumfordandsons.com in conjunction with the purchase of gig tickets. Any remaining copies of the

Last year’s biggest selling British solo male artist is back. Grime emcee Tinchy Stryder is set to release In My System, the first single from his forthcoming album Third Strike on August 9th 2010 . 2009 saw Tinchy Stryder break out from the underground into the mainstream with the release of two number 1 singles (Number 1 and Never Leave You), and his critically acclaimed second album (Catch 22). In the same year Tinchy performed at all the major festivals of the summer, supported Akon on tour, embarked on his own 18 date sold out nationwide headline tour, developed his Star in The Hood merchandise from T-shirts sold on eBay to a fully developed clothing range, and completed a degree in Digital Arts and Moving Imagery at University of East London. 2010 to date has seen Tinchy Stryder complete a second sold out headline tour in the UK, upgrade his Glastonbury booking from the dance tent (where he played last year) to opening the Pyramid stage for the festival , expand his clothing ra

As Glastonbury Festival celebrates its 40 th Anniversary we thought we would highlight a few of the new up and coming artists appearing at the 2010 event, some of whom, like Jack Johnson and Tinchy Stryder, will also be appearing on that iconic Pyramid Stage some day soon. If you are lucky enough to be there or watching on TV check out our favourites. Florence and the Machine Mumford and Sons Bombay Bicycle Club Ellie Goulding I Blame Coco The Drums Two Door Cinema Club Glastonbury Festival site Line up and Stages BBC Glastonbury 2010  Click here to shop Play.com for Festival Music and more Click on the tags on the Focus Music Blog for artist biogs, news, other live gigs and new releases.

The final single to be taken from the million selling album ‘Lungs’ is Florence’s personal favourite - Cosmic Love. A wildly impassioned hymn to the overwhelming supernatural power of love, the epic Cosmic Love has been a show stopping favourite at Florence’s gigs ever since it was first written. Florence was on tour in America and played to an ecstatic crowd at the Coachella Festival. She headed back to the UK in May for her sold out Cosmic Love tour as well as a Somerset House show (July 15th) and a headline slot at this years Latitude Festival (July 16th).

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 band most likely to make 2010 their own, with the release of their self-titled debut LP out on June 7th. Off the back of their critically acclaimed Summertime! EP - released in October 2009 on Moshi Moshi Records - The Drums took the coveted opening slot of the NME tour throughout February before being crowned winners of the "Philip Hall Radar Award" at the NME awards. Having played an intimate sold out three-date UK tour during the last week of March (where they were watched by Morrissey, Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke of The Smiths), the band has just put the finishing touches on their debut album, produced by lead singer Jonny Pierce. Joining the dots between the melodic glitter of sixties girl groups and some of Factory Records' finest, The Drums contains 10 brand new tracks with only summer hit-in-waiting Let's Go Surfing and torch-burning, heartb

Fans of English Soul are in for a treat tonight. If you can bear to tear yourself away from the football BBC4 schedule tonight (Friday June 18) includes: 9pm- Steve Winwood English Soul 10pm - Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton This is followed by 50 Years of Island Records Island Records who celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2009, released the definitive career retrospective of this all-time great 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. Click here to read all about Steve Winwood "Revolutions" Enjoy!

Welcome to the world of Kid Adrift. The Oxytocin EP is a personal manifesto from Iain Campbell, the brains behind the Kid Adrift project. It’s passionate, intense, and is set to establish him as a rare talent in 2010. With a demo of ‘ Red, Green and Blue ’ being picked up on radio last year, so far it has seen plays all over Radio 1, with Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, Fearne Cotton and Rob da Bank, as well as featuring on BBC Introducing . Ambitious and creative in equal measure, live the band is a four-piece, and sure to become an essential live band in the coming months. ‘ Oxytocin ’ is a guitar led, with more brutal beats and waves of dense electronic waves whilst synthesized strings and mechanical beats bring the song to a thrilling crescendo.‘ Crash Therapy ’ hits with a wall of electronica, heavy and propulsive. With clear nods to Warp Records, its testament to Kid Adrift that this is very much his own work, a new unique voice for music fans to discover. ‘ Static ’ illustrates the

From Florence to Dappy, from Jay-Z to Alici a, they’re all agreed Drake is amazing and about to explode…The marquee signing to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Records , and without question the hottest, most exciting artist to explode onto the US music scene in recent memory, Drake will be playing his first ever UK headlining dates at London’s 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Monday July 12th and Tuesday July 13th . The sense of anticipation for this 23 year old Canadian’s arrival in the UK is such that a second date had to be added after the original show sold out within hours of going on sale. Tickets are £25.50 in advance (plus booking fee) and are available at www.livenation.co.uk . The shows, ( featuring special guests ) will be the US superstar’s first headlining dates in this country and follow his recent special guest performances on Jay-Z’s June Manchester and Birmingham dates . Drake is also confirmed as special guest of Jay-Z for the Wireless festival on July 4th . The June dates prec

Bombay Bicycle Club release double A-sided single Ivy and Gold / Flaws on July 5th – the first release from their stunningly beautiful, new acoustic album also titled Flaws. Having finished recording their debut LP I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose in February 2009, the band went straight back into the studio (The Church, Crouch End) days after they submitted the master for I Had The Blues, and started the initial recordings for this album. Recorded in between touring over the past year and a half, a few early tracks were laid down at The Church and produced by Neill MacColl (guitarist Jamie's Dad), but the rest was recorded in singer, Jack Steadman's bedroom and produced by Jack himself. The album is characterised by a delicate, heart-swelling beauty and lightness of touch throughout. Those that had BBC pegged merely as an indie band may need to re-think. The A-side to the single Ivy & Gold (already made “ Hottest Record In the World ” by Zane Lowe on Radio 1) wrap

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

Jack Johnson makes a hot return this summer with the follow-up to his previous two UK No.1 albums and his fifth studio LP ‘ To The Sea ’, released May 31st on Island Records. He released the album’s beautiful lead single ‘ You and Your Heart' and heads out on a mammoth world tour, which features four eagerly anticipated UK dates in June. The 18 million album-selling artist’s new record was recorded at the Mango Tree Studio in his native Hawaii and the Solar Powered Plastic Plant using 100% solar power. The 12-track record was written by Jack Johnson and produced by Jack with three-time Grammy winning producer Robert Carranza .“ I can’t tell you anything but the truth. ” sings Jack Johnson in his beautiful new studio album, To The Sea, defining the ethos of a man born and raised in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. You could say it was his late father’s solo sail from California to Hawaii that opened his son’s future fate and underpinned it with a personal mythology, but it was J

Brixton’s original folksteppers Melodica, Melody and Me Release their debut single, ‘Piece Me Back Together’ on Monday 12th July 2010 through Everybody’s Stalking   To check out the beautiful new video: click here . They have done a great little cover of Paul Simon – Diamonds on the Soles of Her shoes, which you can get at www.myspace.com/mmmelodic as a free download. 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 creating waves across the UK touring with the li

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

Introducing Kids On Bridges… electro pop duo Danny and Christian from Liverpool and Manchester. They have been collecting fans in all the right places for months, and they may well be your new favourite band. Their track ‘Y Don’t U’ is available to download now for free from: http://www.kidsonbridges.com/ They recently signed a deal with Wall of Sound , and their debut single “ Check Your Head ” is due out on July 12. They are booked to play a plethora of festivals this summer along with some live dates, so we doubt you will be able to miss them: May 25 Back to the Phuture Party @ Le Beatroute, Greek St (details below) June 12 Parklife Festival - Manchester June 13 Rockness Festival - Scotland July 3 Wireless Festival - London July 23 Secret Garden Party - Huntingdon Aug 28 Creamfields - Cheshire Sept 9 Bestival - Isle of Wight www.myspace.com/kidsonbridges - www.twitter.com/kidsonbridges Kids On Bridges “ The perfect mix of north west influence..the swagger and gr

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

One of music's premier pop punk bands, Four Year Strong, are set to release their heavily anticipated third full length album, Enemy of the World, in the UK on Defacto Records on May 31st 2010 . The band, Dan O'Connor (Vocals/Guitar), Alan Day (Vocals/Guitar), Josh Lyford (Vocals/Synth), Jake Massucco (Drums), and Joe Weiss (Bass), was formed in Massachusetts in 2001 after O'Conner, Day, and Massucco met through mutual friends. With influences like Lifetime, Saves the Day, Gorilla Biscuits, and New Found Glory , FYS has always strived to create music that they themselves would enjoy as listeners. Their motivation has manifested itself in a fluid mix of everything from punk pop to hardcore to indie rock. Their distinct sound and incredibly energetic live shows has led to their inclusion on countless tours and also caught the attention of Fallout Boy's Pete Wentz , who signed FYS to his label Decaydance Records in February 2008. The band's heightened profile hasn&#

Eliza Doolittle’s new single ‘Pack Up’ boldly raids the chorus of the George Henry Powell marching song ‘Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag ’ and repurposes it to startling effect, creating a gorgeous dance-hall ode to the joys of being the eternal optimist. The follow up to Doolittle’s hit debut ‘ Skinny Genes ’, ‘Pack Up’ is another killer single from one of the breakout stars of 2010. Recently turned 22, Eliza Doolittle (a nickname that stuck) was raised in Camden, north London by a piano-playing dad and singing mum. Currently residing in nearby Primrose Hill, on her eponymous debut album Doolittle marries breezily beautiful melodies and witty, erudite lyrics with a delightfully off-kilter twist and a knack for a killer hook. Out on 28th June, it’s a summer essential. Eliza Doolittle ‘Pack Up’ The new single released 28th June on Parlophone . Debut album released 28th June Click here to watch Eliza’s brand new video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TsnQya30yo You can

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. With tracklistings personally selected by Steve Winwood from his five decade career , “Revolutions: The Very Best Of Steve Winwood” will be available in two high quality formats: a single CD for the casual fan and a four CD deluxe box set including 52 page book for the connoisseur, with sleevenotes by writer Dylan Jones . A child prodigy, Winwood first performed live on stage at the tender age of 8 in his father’s trad jazz band, and joined the Spencer Davis Group at 14. His stunning vocal style was compared to Ray Charles. He left Spencer Davis to form Traffic then later teamed up with Eric Clapton in Blind Faith at the tail-end of the

“ 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