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Pop Rock Nation

Author: Jenny

  • Kate Bush announces London gigs 35 years after her only tour!

    Kate Bush announces London gigs 35 years after her only tour!

    Could it be true? Will fans finally get to see Kate Bush perform live again?

    I have been a Kate Bush fan since the early 1980s, when my older sister bought her 1982 album, The Dreaming, and played it for me. It took another seven or eight years before I finally started buying her albums myself. I was enchanted by her otherworldly singing and unusual musical arrangements. Kate Bush’s music is not for everyone, but I have loved most of it for a good portion of my life. I would have loved to have seen her perform live when I was younger. Unfortunately, Kate Bush hasn’t been on tour since 1979, when she famously played at Hammersmith Odeon. That was her one and only tour and it left many of her fans pining for more.


    Kate Bush sings “Wuthering Heights” and proves that she can dance and act.


    The Red Dress version of “Wuthering Heights”.

    I don’t know what has kept Kate from the stage for all these years. She’s clearly very talented at everything that makes someone a great live performer. While she has been somewhat reclusive in recent years, she hasn’t completely disappeared. In 2011, she released 50 Words for Snow, which included some innovative new songs. It was her first album since 2005’s awesome Aerial, which is probably one of my favorite albums by her.


    Kate Bush’s very moving song, “This Woman’s Work”.


    Mesmerizing duet with Peter Gabriel, “Don’t Give Up”.

    Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn show will be at London’s Eventim Apollo in August and September 2014. Tickets for the fifteen shows go on sale at 9:30am GMT on Friday, March 28th. Patrons are limited to four tickets per booking and must show photo identification to the booker upon arrival at the venue the night of the show. I wish I could be among the lucky people who will get to see Kate Bush perform live again after 35 years. Those who attend her concerts are definitely in for a treat.


    Cool version of Kate Bush singing “Running Up That Hill” with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.


    “The Sensual World” is one of many favorite songs by Kate Bush. There’s something so seductive about this song.

    I’m sure someone will make a concert DVD of this show, which I’m certain to get my hot little hands on. For now, I can only be green with envy that those who are lucky enough to live in the United Kingdom will get the chance to see this rare event.


    One more for good measure! “Cloudbusting” is one hell of a cool song!

    Have a great weekend, everybody!

  • New discovery! Zucchero’s La Sesion Cubana!

    New discovery! Zucchero’s La Sesion Cubana!

    Zucchero “Sugar” Fornaciari’s La Sesion Cubana gives me a taste of Havana!

    One of the greatest things about being a music blogger is that I occasionally get to discover artists and promote them. Italian rock star Zucchero “Sugar” Fornaciari has been around a long time, but I just discovered him days ago when I scored a promotional copy of his latest album, La Sesion Cubana. I really knew nothing about Zucchero when I agreed to review this album, but was impressed by his Latin flavored cover of “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime”, a song that was originally a hit in 1980. Since I am a sucker for retro hits from the 70s and 80s, I wanted to hear more of Zucchero’s music.

    I played Zucchero’s La Sesion Cubana for the first time on Sunday afternoon. As soon as the music started, I immediately felt like dancing. This album was obviously a labor of love for the Italian blues-rock singer, who has long dreamt of recording in Cuba with the best native musicians in Havana. The end result is a fun mix of Latin, Cuban, Tex-Mex, and Mexicali sounds that practically beg you to get to your feet. This album was released on February 18, 2014 and includes music recorded live at the Legendary Concert in Havana, Cuba on December 8, 2012. La Sesion Cuba features seven brand new songs and six newly arranged versions of Zucchero’s previously released European hits.

    My deluxe copy of La Sesion Cubana includes a DVD. As much fun as it is to just listen to the CD, watching the DVD really adds to the experience. Zucchero and his band have a lot of fun with their live performance, which includes festive backup singers dressed in colorful Cuban inspired costumes. I enjoyed watching the horn section accompany Zucchero’s soulful singing, and the acoustic guitar player’s fingers nimbly dance across the guitar strings with intricate Latin infused melodies. The DVD is a treat for the eyes as much as the music is a gift for the ears.

    Interspersed within concert footage, there are video clips that depict Cuban people and the complexities of life there. Besides the docufilm, the DVD also includes bonus videos for two songs, “Never Is A Moment” and “Quale Senso Abbiamo Noi”. Though you can purchase the CD or download alone, the deluxe CD/DVD package is definitely worth it– you get more than two solid hours of entertainment and the pleasure of watching Zucchero perform with his excellent band.


    Zucchero sings one of his new songs, “Guantanamera (Guajira)”. Try to sit still for this one!


    Zucchero’s haunting cover of “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime”, a song that was originally made popular by The Korgis in 1980.

    Zucchero actually first covered “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” in 2004, when he performed it as a duet with Vanessa Carlton. The version on La Sesion Cubana is a new one, performed as a solo with subtle Latin accents.


    Zucchero performs “Pana”.

    The song “Pana” features Spanish singer “Bebe”, who adds even more spice to this very saucy number. I’m listening to this song in my office this morning and I have to admit, it’s getting the blood flowing! The music is so festive and energetic that I can’t help but wake up and greet the day. I am especially impressed by the high octane horn section on this song.


    “Ave Maria No Morro” is an inspirational duet with Brazilian star, Djavan.

    I really enjoy the soulful collaboration of Zucchero and Djavan, another artist with whom I was not acquainted before I listened to La Sesion Cubana. The slower, more emotional sounds of this song nicely complement the lively salsa rhythms on the rest of this album.


    By contrast, there’s the very frisky “Baila”, which I think is my favorite song on this album!

    “Baila” is remade Latin style for La Sesion Cubana and from the looks of the way the audience reacts to it, I think it’s a hit! This song reminds me a little of something I might hear by Santana.

    While La Sesion Cubana is my first taste of Zucchero’s music, I can say without hesitation that it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed La Sesion Cubana and now I want to hear more by Zucchero! It gets five stars and a hearty recommendation from me!

    If my review has turned you on to Zucchero’s La Sesion Cubana, you should try to catch him live. He’s on tour in the U.S. and Canada this spring!

    I received a complimentary copy of this album in exchange for my honest opinion of it.

  • I discovered Eddi Reader!

    I discovered Eddi Reader!

    I love it when I stumble across something brilliant, and that’s just what I did when I discovered Eddi Reader!

    I like to watch British soaps on YouTube sometimes. I get a kick out of the accents and the edgy music they play on Hollyoaks and Coronation Street. I’ve bought a lot of music after watching one British soap or another and discovered some artists I might not have otherwise noticed. Scottish singer Eddi Reader is now among the musicians I’ve found by watching soaps on YouTube.

    It helps that Eddi Reader is from Scotland. I visited there a couple of years ago and it felt like I belonged there. Indeed, many of my ancestors were Scots, so it’s only natural that I’d look and feel the part. Even if she’d been from Bangladesh, I’d love her beautiful voice. I first heard her sing “Auld Lang Syne” on Hollyoaks and just from that, went straight to iTunes to download it. It turned out “Auld Lang Syne” was included on her 2003 album, Songs of Robert Burns. You can’t get more Scottish than that.


    Eddi Reader sings “Auld Lang Syne”…

    I was so moved by her rendition of this song that I bought the whole album. Then last weekend, during my music shopping spree session, I listened to the rest of her brilliant musical tribute to Robert Burns. I liked each more more than the last.


    I love how Eddi Reader introduces “My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose”…

    The first time I ever heard Burns’ love poem, it was when I was singing in a choir in college and we performed a musical version of that poem. I really enjoy Eddi Reader’s take on this lovely sentiment toward Burns’ many loves. She gives it sort of a dreamy wistfulness, with the romantic accordion and the gentle accordion. I could easily get lost in this song.


    The sweet “Wild Mountainside”…

    When I visited Scotland, one of the many things that struck me was its stunning beauty, mainly owing the the mountains and the way the sunlight hit them. The light gave the rugged hills these unusual highlights that made them seem almost magical. I’ve never seen that anywhere else, though I will admit I haven’t seen as much of the world as I’d like to at this point. Eddi Reader’s “Wild Mountainside” reminds me of that dramatic beauty of the Scottish landscape.


    I’m not very religious, but this could make me find God…

    I don’t have a big weekend planned, so it’s entirely possible I’ll end up on another music buying spree. Or maybe I’ll just scout out more British soaps in search of great music from across the pond. I’m so glad I discovered Eddi Reader. I hope you will too, if you haven’t already!


    Captain Richard Heaton on Hebridean Princess recites the famous Robert Burns poem, “Address to a Haggis”. Yes, I tried it. It wasn’t that bad when accompanied with whisky!