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Pop Rock Nation

Category: People

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  • 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!

  • 2Cellos … you’ve never heard the cello played like this before!

    2Cellos … you’ve never heard the cello played like this before!

    2Cellos combines classic instruments with classic rock with awesome results!

    The other day, my Facebook feed was inundated with videos by two handsome guys who play the cello. When I think of cello music, I think of soothing classical music by composers who have been dead for at least two hundred years. But these two guys were not playing classical music. They were playing classic rock. I was blown away as I watched them saw their strings playing a wicked version of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”.


    I have never heard “Thunderstruck” played quite like this.

    The men behind 2Cellos are Slovenian born Luka Šulić and Croatian born Stjepan Hauser and boy can they play! I had to know more about these guys, so I went to YouTube to see if there were any more videos of them. Sure enough, I discovered them playing “Welcome To The Jungle”. Yes, the very same song by Guns N’ Roses that featured Axl Rose and Slash trading vocal and guitar snarls was played by these two cellists.


    Here’s a pretty cool video of them jamming for the public. Notice how their bow strings get totally shredded when they play.

    Their version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” was apparently what landed them a record deal with Sony Masterworks in 2011.


    I like the little taste of “Billie Jean” in 2Cellos’ version of “Smooth Criminal”.

    Even Elton John is impressed by 2Cellos!


    Like so many others, Elton John discovers music on YouTube! He asked 2Cellos to join his band.

    Elton John says these two guys have a “homoerotic” way of playing together, though they aren’t gay. He compares them to himself and Bernie Taupin, when they compose songs together.

    Obviously 2Cellos has been around for awhile now. I’m kind of embarrassed that I’m just now discovering their music. I am certainly impressed, as obviously a lot of other people are. They’ve already made a huge name for themselves in Japan. Judging by the number of people sharing their “Thunderstruck” video over the weekend, many more people are making their first discovery of their music.


    A soothing 2Cellos version of Sting’s “Fields of Gold”.

    They do also play classical music, of course. Elton John invites everyone to listen to how these guys play Vivaldi.


    Just breathtaking!

    But I’m guessing most people are far more interested in their rock and roll stylings. Here they are playing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.


    Not only do they play this classic song masterfully, but they do it with style and panache.

    I think I’m in love. I would put up a link to their CD, but I think these guys are the type of performers you need to see to believe. I would definitely buy their DVD over their CD.