BLOG - CLASSIC

Mark Harrison Band – Fools & Clowns – Music News

It's the latest from Mark Harrison and his band, and perhaps their most heartfelt album to date.

Mark Harrison has been a Blues/Roots musician for many years, and to me, he is one of the most unique musicians working today. He has an incredible knowledge of Blues music from the 30's onwards, and writes in the style of legendary musicians, but on his own terms.

He is joined on the album by his regular band, Charles Benfield on double bass and harmony vocals and Ben Welburn on drums, percussion and backing vocals. Guy Bennett, an old friend of the band, contributes on electric guitar and keyboards. Harrison himself plays a '30s resonator guitar, a 12-string guitar and, for the first time, an electric guitar.

As always, the songs themselves are stories, perhaps about contemporary life or blues legends or personal memories, all sung in his dry, slightly Midlands accent (he's originally from Coventry).

This time he touches on the topic of “them and us” – the difference between the people who actually make the products and the people who “manage” the companies without any understanding of what it takes to make those products.

As always, there are some umbers about blues legends – “Sonny Boys” (where the original Sonny Boy Williamson met an impostor and suffered even more ill effects), “Fancy Hotel” or “The Only One”.
Some songs speak to his own philosophy on life, and some simply talk about life today.

All in all, it's a treat for the ears: three accomplished musicians using instruments rather than samples or “toolkits” to create 13 tracks with melodies and hooks, some that will make you dance, some that will have you nodding wistfully, and some that will have you pumping your fists and yelling at the top of your lungs.

Source link

Historian who predicted nearly every election since 1984 reveals who's more likely to win: Trump or Harris

“White House Keys” currently predicts that Vice President Kamala Harris would defeat former President Trump in a hypothetical 2024 showdown, but has no final predictions for the 2024 race yet.

Election forecaster Alan Lichtman, who has accurately predicted nearly every presidential election since 1984, developed a formula that is used to predict the next presidential election, and in most cases, that formula has proven to be correct.

Lichtman's “Keys to the White House” consists of 13 true/false questions that strongly suggest who will win this fall's election. Each question is about two opposing candidates, and if correct, a “key” is awarded; if incorrect, the candidate is given points. If a party's candidate receives six or more keys, that candidate is predicted to be the winner.

At the beginning of the election cycle, Democrats were automatically handed one “key” to incumbent President Biden, but the voting results have since changed dramatically.

Piers Morgan says Kamala Harris would make history if elected as 'literally' the most left-wing senator

Former President Trump arrives at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 16, 2024. (Mike Seeger/Reuters)

The “keys” are:
– Mission of political parties
– Contest
– Current position
– third party
– Short-term economics
– Long-term economics
– Policy changes,
– Social anxiety
– Scandal
– Diplomatic/Military Failure
– Overseas/Military Success
– The charisma of the incumbent
– Charisma of the challenger

Lichtman predicts that a Democratic party with Harris as the front-runner currently holds six of the 13 key factors: primary elections, short-term economics, long-term economics, policy change, lack of scandals and lack of a charismatic challenger.

Harris vs. Trump: 100 days until the election, a dramatically changed presidential race

Republicans have three keys to success: winning a majority in the House in the 2022 midterm elections, the incumbent not seeking reelection, and the incumbent lacking charisma.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the presidential campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, July 22, 2024. (Erin Schaff/Reuters)

There are four keys yet to be distributed.

The key that remains is the third-party element, which Lichtman said is worth noting given that independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has entered the race.

The “absence of social unrest” and “foreign military failures” and “foreign military successes” are also still up in the air.

According to the election forecaster's formula, if the Democrats lose three more keys, they are predicted to be “losers.”

History professor Alan Lichtman lectures on “13 Keys to the White House” at American University in Washington, D.C., on October 28, 2008. (Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images)

While no final predictions have been made yet about the 2024 election, Lichtman told News Nation he thinks “a lot of bad things would have to happen for Harris to lose.”

Click here to get the FOX News app

Lichtman correctly predicted a Trump victory in 2016 and a Biden victory in 2020. The historian plans to release his final predictions for this election cycle after Democrats choose their nominee at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Aubrey Spady is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Source link

Lady Gaga's new song details, LG7 release date, tracklist and more

July 29, 2024 15:31

Here's the latest on Lady Gaga's new music. Photo: Getty

When will Lady Gaga release her new album? From release date to tracklist, here's everything you need to know about LG7.

Rumors of LG7 began circulating in November 2023 when “Bad Romance” singer Lady Gaga was photographed leaving a restaurant with Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am, the pair carrying large folders under their arms and smelling new music.

Gaga then confirmed the rumors of new music with a series of new Instagram posts showing her playing the piano with the caption “Tick tok tick tok.”

And she dropped a major hint at the film's Los Angeles premiere in May, at the Gaga Chromatica Ball, and after her big performance at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, she gave her French fans a sneak peek at the material from her upcoming album.

Although she has released several collaborations and anniversary albums in recent years, Gaga hasn't released a new album since 2020's Chromatica, and this recent hiatus has left fans eager for new music.

Lady Gaga appears to be working on a new project. Photo: Getty

Will Lady Gaga release new music?

Yes, LG7 is coming. At the end of the Gaga Chromatica Ball movie premiere in Los Angeles, Lady Gaga confirmed that her seventh studio album would be released as the movie ended and a new song played with the lyrics, “LG7. Gaga is back.”

Lady Gaga teased new music earlier this year by sharing photos of her working in the studio. In several Instagram posts, the “Born This Way” singer can be seen playing the piano. She captioned one of the posts, “Tick tok tick tok.”

This comes after rumors of new music surfaced in November 2023. Fans were convinced that Gaga was working on new music after she was spotted leaving a restaurant with singer and music producer Will.i.am. Carrying a large folder. The two worked on her ARTPOP song “Fashion!” back in 2013, so it's likely Will.i.am will be working with her on this upcoming album as well.

Not only is Will.i.am the founder of the Black Eyed Peas, he is also a songwriter and producer who has worked with numerous artists, including Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, and Rihanna.

It's great to see the star return to music after recently concentrating on acting: after her successful role in A Star Is Born, Gaga appeared in American Horror Story and is currently playing Harley Quinn in Todd Phillips' Joker sequel.

Lady Gaga with Joaquin Phoenix on the set of Joker: For Do. Photo: Getty

When is Lady Gaga's new album coming out?

Gaga has yet to announce a release date for LG7, but the release seems imminent after she previewed the music for fans in Paris.

Standing on the sunroof of her car, Gaga performed some of her songs for fans, and judging by the performance, LG7 looks like it's going to be a rock album.

What is the track listing for LG7?

It's unclear what will be on the tracklist for Lady Gaga's new album, but when she announced her return, she teased a new song, which she performed at the Gaga Chromatica Ball movie premiere with the lyrics “Dance in the Shadows of the Night.”

Lady Gaga performed a new song for fans in Paris. Photo: Instagram

Listen to Capital live on Global Player and catch up on shows you miss.

Source link

Adele sells lucky dip tickets to Munich concert for 35 euros – Music News

Adele is selling lucky dip tickets to her Munich show for 35 euros.

Just days before her 10-night run at the purpose-built stadium is scheduled to begin on August 2, the Grammy Award winner is giving fans the opportunity to take part in the show, without knowing where they'll be sitting or standing until the day of the show.

The Ticketmaster listing states, “Ticket locations will be assigned on the day of performance and can be anywhere from the back row to the front row.”

“35 euros per ticket (including all fees).

“Once a location is assigned, it cannot be changed.

“You can purchase up to two tickets per person.

“Tickets must be collected in person at the box office on the day of the performance.

“Tickets cannot be transferred or resold.

“There are only a very limited number of Lucky Dip tickets available each week, and they are available while supplies last.”

Adele recently announced that she won't be releasing any new music anytime soon as she prepares to take a “big break.”

Following a show in Las Vegas in November, the 36-year-old superstar is planning to take it easy and spend quality time with his sports agent partner Rich Paul, 42, and his 11-year-old son Angelo, whom he has with ex-spouse Simon Konecki.

“I have no plans for new music whatsoever,” the “Hello” hitmaker told German outlet ZDF.

“After this I want to take a big break and do other creative things for a little while.”

Adele has made no secret that she wants to have another baby.

“I Set Fire to the Rain” hitmaker previously confessed she's still a long way from returning to the studio to work on her 2021 sequel to “30,” but promised to embark on a world tour when she returns with a new album.

“I don't think I'm going to make an album for a while,” she told the crowd at her regular “Weekends With Adele” show at the Caesars Palace Coliseum in Las Vegas earlier this year.

“But next time I'll come to where you live.”

The singer extended her Sin City show, reflecting on how performing and the intimate interaction with fans helped her “reconnect” with her music.

The “Chasing Pavements” singer also explained why he took such an extended break from the public eye before releasing a new album.

She said: “I sometimes wonder if people think I'm a calculating person because I can disappear for years and be elusive and believe that less is more and stuff like that.”

But the real reason I only have four albums, and not a lot of people know this, is because I have a child. My son is 11. So if you do the math, I got pregnant at 21. To a lot of people, that would be considered career suicide, and it was.

“That’s when I chose to reject the rarity of success and the idea that you have to be relevant all the time to be successful.

“And maybe, just maybe, I'll be popular on and off stage. And, you'd never guess, I'll [redacted] I managed to escape!”

Source link

Heather Small wants to return to Glastonbury in 2025 – Music News

Heather Small has said she would like to return to Glastonbury in 2025.

The 59-year-old soul star and M People bandleader is hoping to celebrate his 60th birthday and 30 years since his last performance at the world-famous music festival by returning to Worthy Farm to perform a duet.

She told the Mirror: “I'm turning 60 next year and I've got a bucket list of things I want to do before I die.

“I'll be supporting Wet Wet Wet, Take That and Marty Pellow, but there are a few other things I'd like to do. Next year will be 30 years since I played Glastonbury so I'd love to play Glastonbury again. I think it's easy to fit into that mold, with women coming and doing their own thing. Maybe even doing a duet.”

Heather claims that it was very hard to “keep the momentum going” at the time because there was nothing like TikTok, and that M People were not the “hit makers” that people think they were.

After discussing the blow of being “fired” from her former band, Hot House, instead of releasing an album, she explained: “I got a second chance with M People and I just gave it my all.”

“People think we're a hit machine and we can depend on it. But we're not. We don't have that. We just write songs that we enjoy and believe in, sing them and put them out there. When things are going well, we just focus on keeping the momentum going.”

“That's the reality. No one can guarantee you a hit, there was no following or TikTok or anything like that. I joined a band the old-fashioned way – I answered an advert in the music paper.”

Heather was awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours List for her services to charity.

She said: “It was a humbling and slightly surreal experience to have my charitable work recognised.”

“I am truly grateful for this honor and it will help me continue to shine a light on a cause that is so important to me.”

Source link

Up-and-coming singer Nel Mescal claims nepotism has nothing to do with it because of actor brother Paul Mescal – Music News

Nel Mescal isn't making music to go viral on TikTok, and is trying to distance herself from the fame of her actor brother, Paul Mescal.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter had already begun her music career around the time her sister rose to fame playing the idol Connell in the 2020 romantic psychological drama series Normal People, but since she wasn't as far along in her career at the time, it's understandable that people might assume she's just riding on the coattails of a famous name.

Paul, 28, has since become a major movie star and will next star in the Gladiator sequel.

Nell, who released her debut EP, Can I Miss it for a Minute?, in May, told The Independent: “I was already a musician. [Paul got famous].

“From an outsider's perspective, I see that someone becomes famous, [another] Someone who knows what they're doing.”

This musician has worked hard to get to where he is now and wants to be involved in music for the rest of his life.

She continued, “Especially now with this EP, I hope that people who think that's the only reason I'm doing this listen and realize that I don't just want to be here for TikTok moments or anything.”

“I want to keep doing this until I'm about 70 years old and I can't do it anymore.”

Nell, who accompanied Strangers star Daniel Radcliffe to the Oscars, insists that the music world is very different to the acting world, adding: “I don't think people realise how far apart music and film are. When I go to these events with Daniel I'm just running around like a fly on the wall.”

Nell admitted it was “horrifying” to have no say in the rumours being spread about her brother.

She said: “We think they're really funny because they're just not true at all. I mean, who would make these things up?!”

“It's pretty tough not being able to say, 'Damn, that's not true.' It's appalling.”

And the singer said that although she has lost people in her life who think her career is “weird”, she is “very lucky” to have the support of her family, including her brother Donnacha, with whom she lives in London.

His mother, Dearbhla, who recently battled cancer, worked as a police officer and his father, Paul, was a school teacher.

Source link

Nelly Furtado proposes loose Las Vegas show with Timbaland – Music News

Nelly Furtado has proposed doing a residency concert in Las Vegas with collaborator Timbaland.

The 45-year-old “I'm Like a Bird” hitmaker is hoping to team up with the 52-year-old record producer for the show, which will focus on his iconic 2000s LP “Loose,” which topped the charts in 10 countries upon its release in 2006.

Speaking to NME , Nelly said: “I think it would be so fun for Timbaland and I to do a standing 'Loose' show in Las Vegas. We could play the album from start to finish, because I think that album captures the world we were in at the time.”

Nelly believes that the record's “authentic sound” combined with their distinctive style was what made it appealing to the public.

She explained: “I didn’t want it to sound perfect, I wanted it to sound real. [to lay] My trippy, melancholic and bittersweet melodies and lyrics are set to Tim's heavy beats to create a dreamy mix.”

The record includes the hit singles “Maneater,” “Promiscuous,” “Say It Right,” “In God's Hands,” and “All Good Things (Come To An End).”

The pair later collaborated together on the 2007 hit “Give It to Me” with Justin Timberlake, 43, and reunited as a trio for 2023's “Keep Going Up.”

Nelly described returning to the studio with Timbaland and Justin as a “therapeutic” experience.

Speaking on Emily Ratajkowski's “High Low” podcast, she spoke about the phone call with the two former collaborators, saying, “We connected. And something really healing happened.”

“Timbaland, JT and I have all had long careers with ups and downs, so for me personally, writing this song together feels so authentic and like a small miracle.

“It started with Tim and JT. Tim texted me like, 'Hey, I have a song for you. It's got a dance vibe and it's for a trio.' And I was like, 'With JT?' And he was like, 'Yes.'”

“He and JT had been working on music separately from me for about a year now, and they had ideas and wanted me to give them a little direction and let them bring it to life.

“I just cooked it.

“I think energy-wise it's very positive. The lyrics and everything are very real to me right now.”

Source link

Apollo provides $700 million 'capital solution' to Sony Music Group

Apollo announced that it has provided a $700 million “capital solution” to Sony Music Group for investment in the music industry. Could this have something to do with the rumored purchase of the Queen catalogue?

Two weeks ago, multiple sources told Variety that Sony Music was potentially looking to buy the Queen music catalogue for £1 billion ($1.27 billion). The only revenue not covered in the deal would be live performances, with founding members Brian May and Roger Taylor retaining the income from live performances they make while touring with Adam Lambert. The report said that other companies had expressed interest in bidding for the catalogue, but fell short of a $1 billion offer, leaving Sony Music with an interest in worldwide publishing rights, name and likeness rights, and recorded music rights.

“We are pleased to provide a bespoke capital solution to an affiliate of one of the world's leading companies. This investment enables our client to invest in highly rated securities while helping Sony execute on its business plan,” Jamshid Ehsani, a partner at Apollo, said in a statement.

The firm is a global alternative asset manager with several ties to the music industry. It is also a funder of music IP investment firm Harborview Equity Partners, which was founded in 2021. Apollo also recently acquired CKx. Inc, owner of 19 Entertainment, which produces entertainment productions such as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

In 2022, Apollo also structured a major asset-backed securities transaction for Concord, a $1.8 billion bond offering based on Concord's music rights catalog of about 1 million songs. Concord recently exited a bidding war for the Hipgnosis Songs Fund, which Blackstone won, but Apollo had previously put in both debt and a minority stake to set up the deal.

Apollo has approximately $671 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. Apollo serves clients with a focus on three investment strategies: yield, hybrid and equity.

Source link

XG's “Something Ain't Right” is this week's favorite new song

Photo credit

XG's “Something Ain't Right” tops this week's new song poll.

Music fans chose the Japanese girl group's catchy dance track as their favorite new song of the past week in a Billboard poll published Friday (July 26).

Though XG complains in their new song that “something's wrong” with the relationship, fans at least stepped up to reassure them that all is well for the septet in this week's new song release poll.

XG's new song received over 60% of the vote. This week voters chose “Something Ain't Right” over new songs by Fuerza Regida, MGK with Jelly Roll, Halsey, Post Malone with Luke Combs, Ice Spice, and more.

“You've been acting weird lately/Don't lie to me/You've been driving me crazy/What are you trying to hide?/Baby I can't take it anymore, I can't fake it/Something's wrong/I know something's wrong,” XG's Chisa and Hanata sing in the opening verse of the group's latest offering, a '90s-style dance number.

The song is a teaser for XG's second mini album, which is set to be released on November 8th and will be available for pre-order in early August.

The song is accompanied by a vibrant music video in which Chisa, Cocona, Harvey, Hinata, Julia, Julin and Maya flawlessly show off their sophisticated choreography and cool, confident style.

In this week's vote, the next top new songs after “Something Ain't Right” were Fuerza Regida's new album “Pero No Te Enamores” with 14% of the votes, and MGK and Jelly Roll's collaboration “Lonely Road” with 10% of the votes.

See the final results of this week's poll below.

What's your favorite new song this week?

Source link

Sinead O'Connor's cause of death revealed – Music News

Sinead O'Connor's cause of death has been revealed a year after her death.

The Irish star died on July 26, 2023, at the age of 56. She was found unresponsive by police at her London home.

In January the coroner confirmed she died of natural causes, but it has now emerged that her death certificate states she died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

The Irish Independent also reported that the singer had been suffering from a “mild respiratory infection.”

The 'Nothing Compares To You' singer's funeral was held in Bray last year, with Bob Geldof and Bono among those to pay her respects.

Bob Geldof later told the crowd at the Cavan Calling Festival in Cavan, Ireland, that he had been in contact with the singer shortly before her death.

“She was a very close friend of mine,” he said. “Some of the emails were filled with despair and sadness, and some were filled with ecstasy and happiness. That's just the way she was.”

Sinead has spoken openly about her mental health issues and admitted to attempting suicide at least eight times.

The year before her death, she lost her 17-year-old son Shane to suicide. At the time, she posted on social media, “The light of my life, my beautiful son Nevim Nesta Ali Shane O'Connor, decided to end his struggle on earth today and is now with God. May he rest in peace and no one come after him. I love you so much my baby. Rest in peace.”

She is survived by her three children, Jake, 37, Roisin, 29, and Yeshua, 18.

Source link