Jewel Live on Leno

Hi people

Here's a link to Jewel's performance on The Jay Leno show last month. She's singing 'Again And Again' live, the first single off her latest CD, Goodbye Alice In Wonderland.

The single is is the shops NOW! So head on over to amazon.co.uk through the link below and support Jewel!

Jewel - Again And Again (Live on Leno)

THE DIXIE CHICKS ARE BACK ON TOP!

All I can say is “FINALLY!” Why, you may be asking, am I whooping for joy in my bedroom? Because The Dixie Chicks have (IMHO) FINALLY released another BRILLIANT album!!!!!

I totally fell in love with the Chicks back in 1998 with their major label debut Wide Open Spaces. The CD was literally stuck in my player for over a year, I know all the songs backwards and it generally rocks my ass! Then came Fly. Sorry, I was disappointed. VERY disappointed. Then came Home. Couple of good tracks, (‘Landslide’ in particular) but again, generally disappointed. But now, beating up on my ‘person I hate the most but who isn’t a total Nazi’, President Bush, seems to have got the Chicks all riled up and busting out some HOT HOT tunes!

Taking The Long Way's lead single ‘Not Ready To Make Nice’ quite literally says it all. Natalie’s impassioned near-screaming vocals on the bridge make my heart lift in a way that can only come from the feeling of revolution and vindication. Okay, she’s not Martin Luther King, or even Jesus, but bloody hell she’s saying what so many of us have been thinking! She had the guts (and the brain) to say she was less than impressed with Bush and then had the BALLS to tell the right-wing mentalists that took it way too personally that she had a right to her opinions and was sticking by them! WOHOOO! Despite receiving death threats from ‘fans’, rocking their Republican fanbase and being told their careers were over, millions of us have stuck by the girls and have been truly rewarded with their latest record.

The rest of the album is outstanding, with great attention to song structure and harmony arrangements that carry tracks like ‘Silent House’ and ‘Lullaby’ far beyond brilliant. Opening title track ‘Long Way Around’ is a real country-rock stomper, full of the ‘big dream’ lyrics I loved so much about Wide Open Spaces.

This album is more than a return to form, it is proof that rock, passion, politics and country twangs can sound as thrilling today as the revolution songs of the sixties and seventies did.

BUY THIS ALBUM NOW! It will carry you down the highways this summer with a smile permanently affixed to your face! Of course, I’d also recommend you buy Wide Open Spaces and here’s a taster to tantalize your taste buds and leave you begging for more!


Wide Open Spaces

Silent House

The Long Way Around

Check out the girls’ myspace: www.myspace.com/dixiechicks to hear ‘Not Ready To Make Nice’ and ‘Everybody Knows’ from the new record, and two older tracks.

And for all you revolutionaries out there, here are the lyrics for ‘Not Ready To Make Nice’ – read them and weep Bush-ites!

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting.

I’m through with doubt
There’s nothing left for me to figure out
I’ve paid a price and I’ll keep paying

Cos I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
Cos I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

I know you said why can’t you just get over it?
It turned my whole life around
And I kind of like it

I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
Have no regrets and I don’t mind saying
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach
Her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I’ve said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
Cos I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

Lyrics by The Dixie Chicks

The Wreckers Video - Leave The Pieces on Leno

Here's a video link for The Wreckers performing 'Leave The Pieces' on the Jay Leno Show last month.

Enjoy!

Leave The Pieces (Live on Leno)

STOP PRESS! LONI ROSE IS BACK!!!!

For those of you who have yet to hear of the PHENOMENAL Loni Rose, you are in for a treat!

Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Loni's had songs featured on various US shows and films, notably Roswell and American Pie. Her album Starlight was released in 2001 and is available to buy on Amazon.com. This album is one of my ALL TIME favourites. Its short 7 tracks are all breathtakingly moving and memorable. You might even recognize 'I Never Thought You Would Come' or 'Let Me Go Back'. Loni's version of The Counting Crows' 'Raining In Baltimore' goes down as the best cover version ever in my opinion! Better than the original - and I NEVER say things like that!

All I've ever really been able to find out about Loni is that she's done various folk festival tours in the US (Lilith Fair) and did have an independent album out before Starlight, and possibly also a Christmas album. But I haven't managed to get hold of them (and believe me i've tried!).

There was supposed to be a new album in 2002, entitled Bittersweet Disaster but as far as I'm aware, this was eiter never released or scarcely available. I have spent the last five years sporadically checking her website for updates, and there have been none. No release info, no tours, nothing.

Until a couple of days ago, I checked again and...THERE'S A NEW SITE! A NEW ALBUM! NEW PHOTOS!

The site isn't finished yet. At the moment there's just a page with some photos, mailing list and booking info (I wonder if she'll play at my wedding?!!) and an announcement of her upcoming album Shine.

As soon as I hear any more info on her, I'll let you all know, but for starters, I'm putting up a couple of mp3s of Loni to encourage you to buy her records, join the mailing list and tell all your friends about her!

Her website is: Loni Rose

Her myspace page is: www.myspace.com/lonirose

There aren't any songs on it at the moment but go to the page, check her out, become her 'friend' and bask in the world of Loni!

I generally avoid putting up 'illegal' mp3s but in this case, Loni music is so hard to come by (including through myspace) I hope her management will appreciate the promotion. These will be available for a limited time ONLY!

ENJOY AND SPREAD THE WORD!

Download: I Never Thought You Would Come


Download: Raining In Baltimore

Jewel Album Review in the Wessex Scene, The Wreckers on CMT!

Hi people,

First, sorry for the lack of updates..including the previously promised Jewel videos. I've been crazy busy with uni but WILL make the video available asap.

I also have two The Wreckers video performances to put up. Unfortunately, I'm unable to provide a full album review of The Wreckers' debut, Stand Still, Look Pretty, which suposedly came out on the 22nd May, as it's not available properly here in the UK and me, a poor student, can't affort the extortionate price being asked for it! BUT if you are a little less broke, it IS available from amazon.co.uk and from hmv.co.uk PHENOMENAL tasters of the album are available from their myspace page: www.myspace.com/thewreckers

Also, The Wreckers recently gave a great interview for CMT.com where they talked about life in the band, meanings behind their songs, some juicy secrets - who knew Jessica dated Michelle's brother?! - and whole song samples from the album. PLUS an exclusive acoustic performance of 'Crazy People', one of the best songs on the album!

Click here for the interview

The Wreckers are currently touring with Rascal Flatts in the USA, so if you can GO CHECK THEM OUT!

Now, Jewel: My review of Jewel's latest Goodbye Alice in Wonderland is available online. Go check it out and read my handiwork ;o)

Read the review here!



It's also reported Jewel has filmed the video for her second single 'Good Day'. Her first single 'Again and Again' WAS released here a couple of weeks ago but is rumoured to have barely scraped the top 200. PITIFUL! So, if you're wanting to help the gal out (and entice her over to the UK!) get down to your local music store and buy the single! JEWEL IS WAY BETTER THAN THAT CRAP SANDIE THOM! PLEASE SHOW ME THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR THE BRITISH CHARTS!!!!!

To make up for lack of recent updates, I'm currently compiling my very first blogcast, to contain songs for those wonderful artists that I adore and I'm sure you will/do...just might not know it yet! I'll also be adding info on my fav albums of all time and top 10 songs I wish I wrote.