Ane Brun

Whilst in my way home from a wonderfully stressful day I went with the soft, gentle, & most importantly, soothing tones of Ane Brun. Her album Changing Of The Seasons is truly wonderful.
The whole album is great. I really can't pick a bad track. Although I do tend to lean towards My Star as being the standout. Although to pick that would mean ignoring the superbly melancholic Big In Japan
There's also a very decent cover of Cyndi Lauper's True Colours on there too.

One to add to my "too see live" pile...

Michael Kiwanuka - Islington Assembly Hall - 16/02/12

I feel very fortunate to have been at this gig. I bought tickets for it on the basis of a stunning performance on Later with Jools Holland. With Kiwanuka not having an album out until March he was a slightly unknown quantity, but when a guy has the sort of voice & talent as him you just know that it won't be a waste of your time. Listening to his few songs on Spotify I was convinced that this guy has a wonderful talent that is timeless. If you told an unwitting listener that he was a singer from the 60s or 70s I don't think they'd put up too much of an argument. He has similar qualities to such icons as Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Richie Havens & James Taylor. He has a long way to go for sure, but the talent is there & I will be listening along for the ride.

As a venue, Islington Assembly Hall is stunning. The decor is wonderful with it's 1930s charm. Holding only a few hundred people it was a very intimate gig. The talent on stage was there for all to see. Not only Kiwanuka but the guys he surrounds himself with. They are musicians straight out of the very top drawer & there just aren't enough jazz flutes around. Kiwanuka has a tremendously smooth Baritone voice which just seems so effortless. It's wonderful to watch & even better on the ears. The guy is awesome & if he wants to do a similar thing to Adele & break America, I get the feeling he will be huge over there too. Special mention for the drummer who I thought was wonderful. He managed to play some stunning beats without ever taking the limelight. One of the most accomplished drumming performances I think i've ever seen.

I must say that hats off to the sound guys working on the show, it was probably the best sound quality i've ever experienced at a gig & only helped to enhance the musical & vocal qualities on the stage in front of me.

HIGHLIGHT: A very tough one but probably just sneaking it was Tell Me A Tale which was just majestic. I'm not sure i've heard a crowd quite so quiet.

SUPPORT: The Staves.
3 girls from Watford with stunningly beautiful voices & harmonies. Very much fitting into the British "Folk" scene currently boasting Johnny Flynn, Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, et al. I would say they're more 'American' than the aforementioned names. I could very much imagine them being endlessly played on a country music show, or finding them in a parallel universe where Bob Harris is introducing them on the Old Grey Whistle Test in the late 1960s or early 1970s. They were so good that I may have to go & see them again when they play London again in May. I bought their EP straight after their set. You can listen to their EP on their website www.thestaves.com

PHOTO:
My view of the stage. Back to the mixing desk in order to be in the centre of the speakers.

Gavin DeGraw - Shepherds Bush Empire - 14/02/12

Last Tuesday I had the privilege of seeing Gavin live for the first time. Having been a fan of his since the first album Chariot back in 2003, which featured the song I Don't Want To Be, (which in turn shot Gavin to fame thanks to the TV show One Tree Hill having it as the "theme song") & missing out on seeing him live through the years, I was very excited to see if what I had read of his live shows was true. It certainly was! His vocal range is insane, & so damn effortless it makes me sick. Although the sound in the venue wasn't great (why do sound engineers not tell the bass player to turn his bass right up, then knock him down from the desk? Ruins almost every gig & drowns the vocals. Sort it!), his vocals still shone through & lived up to all I had read previously. Must give a mention to his band too, who were superb. Especially so the guitarist, Billy Norris, who gave the impression that he would be a very capable frontman & singer if he should chose to go in that direction later in his career.

HIGHLIGHT: Gavin's cover of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On. A sensational song to cover, and one that so many people know so well, but Gavin really made it his own. With just his piano for company he explained how it was a song he used to sing in bars when he was trying to forge himself a music career. From the first note to the last the audience was captured, especially as it was Valentine's day, but his effortless vocals & superb piano playing were a joy to behold.

GRIPE: Sound quality was poor, especially the bass guitar being to high in the mix. Also must mention the drunken German lads who's haircuts & dodgy facial hair were amusing to begin with but got more annoying as their alcohol consumption grew.

Support: Juan Zelada - Didn't know anything about this guy before the show but from what I heard live & what i've listened to since I like it a lot. There's a quote on his website that says "Its sound is still hard to pigeonhole – the closest anyone has come is “Ben Folds Five meets Dave Matthews Band” Well that's alright by me. I'd add John Mayer & Ben's Brother & Jon Allen to that list. Very nice sound, & he studied in my hometown at LIPA too. Can't be bad.

If you've not heard of Gavin's music I can highly recommend his first album Chariot. Also check out Stay off his album Free & Spell It Out from the newest album Sweeter.

The Journey Begins...

...Or rather continues but this time it's going to be in a written form so that I can remember stuff & share it with a wider audience. My ramblings on this blog will hopefully be able to inform people of the types of music I enjoy (& don't enjoy) & allow them to perhaps find new things that they can take on their musical journey through life. I don't want to do this in a preachy way, so if it ever seems that way please shout very loudly or remove my earphones & tell me.

Music has been a huge part of my life to date & I love how it can shape your moods & feelings towards people, places, situations, etc. I love to have conversations with people about music & I find that people really open up when they start explaining what music they like & why it is that the like it. You can tell a lot about someone from their musical choices. A guy who gives the impression he's one of the boys who goes home after work & relaxes to some Chopin or the Bridget Jones' Diary soundtrack, or a shy girl who likes nothing better than some hardcore dance music or some Lamb of God. People's guilty pleasure songs/artists can be SO eye-opening too. There's a guy in work who chose Hanson's MMMBop as one of his guilty pleasure songs & he pretty much only listens to Hip Hop or R&B. That came way out of left field that one.
One of the biggest buzzes, for me at least, is when someone introduces you to some new music, whether it be artist, genre, instrument, or something else entirely. Even if you don't like it once you've listened to it, you've learnt something & your eyes, & ears, have been opened to something you might never otherwise have come across.

I hope you will enjoy my blog & please, please, please feel free to chip in & send recommendations, gig ideas, etc through.
Enjoy.