One of my fave bands, Snow Patrol, is readying their 6th album Fallen Empires, and it seems that they're moving away from the sombre ballads and going for more fun.
After all, the lead single "Called Out In The Dark" has a funky soul-pop vibe that is a bit of a departure for the band, but a departure that works.
And then we have the video, which features Gary Lightbody being replaced by dashing Pirates of the Caribbean actor Jack Davenport for the video shoot. Not happy with this decision, Gary makes himself a big bother on the set by ruining shots, knocking over walls and messing up the dancers' choreography.
Okay, technically, it's Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel in the 90s hit comedy Family Matters, who is back.
In Cee Lo Green's new video "Cry Baby", Jaleel plays a younger (and slimmer) Cee Lo, breaking up with his girlfriend and telling her not to cry over it by busting into a sweet dance routine to the smooth Motown-esque song.
"I'm Adele and I'm going to sing you some songs and hopefully you'll enjoy them."
Such was the humility of one of this year's biggest musical success stories as she took the stage at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday night.
Watching Adele perform was like watching three very distinct personalities. Of course, there is the singer with the heartwrenching, honey-dipped voice who's honest lyrics and knack for melody was the driving force behind her runaway success of an album, 21. In fact, her voice was the first thing we heard, before she even stepped on stage, as she opened with the reflective number "Hometown Glory".
But, shortly after that, we saw Adele number 2: a shy, pretty girl who seemed nervous as hell to be singing on a stage in front of thousands. On more than one occassion, she expressed how nervous she was. After all, the venue was originally supposed to be at the Kool Haus: a modest, mid-sized club in Toronto that many bands, from The Killers to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, are more than happy to play. But, I assume because of a high demand, the venue was changed to the Air Canada Centre. Despite the fact that the arena was set up for half it's capacity, apparently this was the biggest audience Adele had playedf for. The adoringly loud crowd prompted Adele to remark that the audience was "like a wall of sound", which was only reinfornced when we sang along to her hits "Someone Like You" and "Rolling In The Deep". "That was the biggest sing-along I've ever had," she confessed afterwards.
And then, there was Adele, the comedian. In between songs, she would tell random anecdotes that were frank and darkly comic. There was the time she pissed off her friends because she wrote "Rumour Has It" about their gossiping. And the time when she played the break-up ballad "Take It All" for her boyfriend - who became her ex 3 weeks later. And about how she "fancies the fuck" out of the much buzzed-about band The Weekend. Punctuated by a bawdy cackle, Adele seems like the kind of girl you'd want to share a drink with in the corner of a pub, people watching and taking the piss out of each other.
But, grounding it all was her stellar voice. Back by a solid band, she made singing seem so effortless and breezy. It was as if singing such well-crafted songs about love, loss and life was no different than her reciting her grocery list. And the audience was held captive by it.
Here is "Someone Like You", courtesy of Kevin Francois, prefaced with another funny tale from her tragic love life before being performed on guitar, as she wrote it, then piano as it was recorded.
Set List:
Hometown Glory
I'll Be Waiting
Don't You Remember
Turning Tables
Set Fire To The Rain
If It Hadn't Been For Love (The Steel Drivers cover)
My boyfriend and I often have discussions about gender roles and the influence of sexuality on society and we often point out that those who identify as "queer" are often freer in their ability to forge their own life path, without the boundaries of what has come be expected the norm in a world that has been shaped by a predominantly heterosexual view.
I suppose that liberating feeling also helps queer musicians to create some of the most exciting music because they are able to cross the borders of genre and play with music in a less-restricted way, since they are already on the fringes of the mainstream. As evidence, I point to Kele Okereke, Diamond Rings, Rufus Wainwright, Scissor Sisters, all the way back to Freddie Mercury and David Bowie.
And now, we can add Marques Toliver to that list of musical innovators.
The Florida native, who now lives in London by way of New York is an out gay black man, dressed like he just came out of the 70s and he plays violin and has a voice as soulful as Adele. His music is a blend of R&B, soul and classical, which allowed him to get noticed by TV On the Radio's Kyp Malone, when Marques was busking on a New York subway platform. Since then, he's gone on to perform on the renowned Jools Holland show in London, as well as score a live gig at SXSW.
His first EP, Butterflies Are Not Free is expected to come out April 25th, but for now, take a listen to his live performance of "White Sails" from the Jools Holland show.
The past few weeks, all I've been hearing about is dubstep, that swirling, bass heavy branch of electronic dance music that you probably recognize most from the breakdown in Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me".
It seems that everyone is doing it, including Alex Clare, a British singer (and Amy Winehouse's ex), who's actually being touted as a soul singer, despite the fact that his album has been produced by dance heavyweights Diplo and The Switch.
It's almost like this is what James Blake's album was supposed to be - a strong soulful voice riding over brooding dance beats and the notorious dubstep-influenced production. But, where James' album seems more about the minimalism and "post-dubstep", Alex revels in the dirty sounds.
The single "Too Close" is an angry song about the realization that you can't always be with the one you love. Hmm...is he still licking his wounds from his romance with Amy? Who knows. But, if that's what's driving his inspriation, then keep it coming.
You may have noticed I've been on a bit of an Adele kick lately. But, can you really fault me for giving love to someone with such a stellar voice?
Anyway, we're only a week away from the release of her second album 21, but the second single "Set Fire To The Rain" has hit the radio and internet. And, following the theme of "Rolling In The Deep", it's another bitter, fiery song about a breakup.
When you add this in to the other songs she's been performing, "Someone Like You" and "Don't You Remember?", which take a more whistful, sympathetic look at the breakup, I realize whoever this ex is, he must feel like crap.
I mean, check this lyric from "Set Fire To The Rain" - "I felt something die 'cause I kne that was the last time". Ouch.
But, like any great artist, masterpieces come from pain, so all the power to Adele for using this to inspire what sounds like an amazing album.
Adele is one of thsoe singers who I didn't pay much attention to when she first came out with her debut album 19. Mostly because I just lumped her in to this neo-soul category that was big a few years back, with Amy Winehouse and Duffy.
But, ever since I heard her new single "Rolling In the Deep", I find myself looking forward to her upcoming release 21, which is due in North America next month.
What really captivated me was her voice. This girl sings with a voice that captivates your attention from start to finish. It's that raw talent that really has brought her to the forefront of my mind.
I also like that she's very very pretty and she's not a skanky stick figure.
Anyway, check out two live performances of hers. "Someone Like You" is a haunting song about a past relationship that is guaranteed to give you goosebumps. "Don't You Remember" is another break-up song, but she places the blame squarely on her own faults. It's genuine, raw, and oh so lovely.
