Let's Dance...

Paloma Faith has revealed that she is working with Plan B and Pharrell Williams on her third studio album.

The singer told the Daily Star that the record will be more uplifting than its predecessors.

"I'm sick of being miserable. I'm in the studio now with the attitude of, 'Screw the hard stuff, let's dance'. That sums up how the album is sounding. I can't wait to play the new songs live so I can see people having a good time at my concerts rather than crying at all my emotional stuff." 

Speaking about her collaborators, the 32-year-old added: "Plan B is amazing and inspiring. He's so precise and focused and so dedicated that he makes me doubt myself. I'll think, 'Am I really committed to my job compared to him?' I justify it to myself by saying, 'Well, he doesn't spend as long as I do on artwork. Working with Pharrell is just a dream come true as I've been a fan for years."

Faith released her debut album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? in 2009 and followed it up with Fall to Grace in 2012. Both have since gone double platinum in the UK.

Feels Like Home?...

J/P Haitian Relief Organization, along with founder and CEO, Sean Penn, welcomed Madonna and her son, Rocco, to the J/P HRO-managed Petionville Camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti earlier this week where she witnessed firsthand J/P HRO's progress in the Haiti reconstruction effort.

During their visit, Madonna toured the J/P HRO camp, where there are now less than 2,000 residents in the once tent-city of 60,000 internally displaced citizens, and met with senior program managers, visited its medical facilities, community center and engineering projects and spent time at a J/P affiliated school to connect with students. She also took a tour of the site of the national palace, which J/P HRO cleared last year, and then visited the slums of Cite Soleil.

Through Instagram, Madonna engaged fans in her experience in Haiti, posting photos of the country's inspiring children and various locales such as the beach of Ile-a-Vache, an island off the southwestern peninsula of Haiti. She encouraged fans to support J/P HRO programs which provide health care, education, construction and the safe return to permanent housing for displaced earthquake survivors residing in the Petionville Camp. This week, Penn launched his own Instagram to raise awareness of J/P's continuing efforts in Haiti: instagram.com/seanpenn.

"The progress that has been made in Haiti is extraordinary, but it's clear there is so much more to be done," said Madonna. "I'm very inspired by J/P HRO's dedication and long-term commitment to the families and children of Haiti. What Sean and his organization have done is truly remarkable. They are paving the way to a brighter future for thousands of people. It's vital that the world stays on course with the reconstruction of Haiti."

"I was very proud to introduce Madonna and her son to the work we are doing in Haiti," said Sean Penn. "It is my hope that more people will visit Haiti and see for themselves the beauty, spirit and potential of this great country."

Madonna's Ray of Light Foundation is expected to join forces with J/P HRO on their continuing support for the citizens of Haiti. Details will be announced at a later date.

Why The Music Industry Needs Deluxe Reissues...

A fun article about re-issues and deluxe box sets has been published by The Guardian.

Looking across the range of box sets in the market, they betray something of a bias towards rock music. Will other genres, like pop, ever get the same treatment? "I think Madonna's True Blue would work brilliantly," Chalmers says. "We are talking to Madonna and her reps about various product plans – but a record like that would work perfectly. I don't think it's limited to specific audiences."

Click here for the whole article:

Unrepentant Geraldines & High Hopes...

Tori Amos has announced the release of her brand new album, Unrepentant Geraldines, in spring 2014.

This will be Tori's 14th studio album which will be supported by an extensive world tour starting May 7th, 2014 in Dublin and heading across Europe including shows at London's Royal Albert Hall and dates in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow, Warsaw and other major cities.

Dates in the US and the rest of the world will follow later in 2014 and will be confirmed soon.

Press announcement for Immediate Release

TORI AMOS ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM AND WORLD TOUR

UNREPENTANT GERALDINES CONFIRMED FOR RELEASE SPRING 2014

November 25, 2013 – (London/New York) One of the most accomplished and respected artists, songwriters and performers of the last 20 years, Tori Amos has announced the release of a brand new album, Unrepentant Geraldines, in spring 2014.

Unrepentant Geraldines, Tori Amos’ 14th studio album, will be supported by an extensive world tour starting May 7th 2014 in Dublin and heading across Europe including shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall and dates in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow, Warsaw and other major cities. Dates in the US and the rest of the world will follow later in 2014 and will be confirmed soon.

Unrepentant Geraldines is a return to her core identity as a creator of contemporary songs of exquisite beauty following a series of more classically-inspired and innovative musical projects of the last four years. These have included the seasonal collection Midwinter Graces, the classically influenced Night of Hunters, and Gold Dust, a collection of orchestral reworkings of songs from across her career. Released in October 2012 Gold Dust included Flavor, which was remixed by the late DJ Peter Rauhofer and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Club Dance Chart in February 2013.

Last month Tori Amos also launched her most ambitious project to date as a composer, along with book writer Samuel Adamson, when their musical The Light Princess premiered at London’s National Theatre for the start of an initial run which is confirmed until at least February 2014. At the prestigious UK Evening Standard Drama Awards earlier this month The Light Princess was nominated for Best Musical and leading lady Rosalie Craig won the Best Musical Performance category.

Fuelled by this array of unique projects and experiences Unrepentant Geraldines is both one further step in the artistic evolution of one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation and a return to the inspiring and personal music that Amos is known for all around the world.

Tori Amos has sold over 12 million albums, has played over a thousand shows and has won numerous awards. Since the release of her debut album Little Earthquakes in 1992 where she pushed boundaries with her confessional style of songwriting, Amos continues to be adored, picking up new fans along the way, romanced by her messages of empowerment, tenderness, acerbic assertiveness, and of course her utterly peerless sound.

A pioneer across multiple platforms, Tori Amos was the first major label artist to offer a single for download. She has had her songs turned into graphic novels and has produced groundbreaking videos throughout her career. Ms. Amos is also a noted humanitarian and co-founder of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), which is the United States’ largest anti-sexual assault organization

Unrepentant Geraldines will be released on Mercury Classics internationally and on Mercury Classics/Universal Music Classics in the US.

Unrepentant Geraldines European Tour Dates 2014

May 2014

7th         Ireland, Dublin, Olympia

10th UK, Glasgow, O2 Academy

11th UK, Manchester, Apollo

12th UK, Birmingham, Symphony Hall

14th UK, Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall

15th UK, London Royal Albert Hall

17th France, Paris, Grand Rex

19th Germany, Frankfurt, Jahrhunderthalle

20th Germany, Berlin, Tempodrom

22nd Norway, Oslo, Scentrum Scene

24th Denmark, Copenhagen, DR Koncertsalen

25th Germany, Hamburg, Laieszhalle

28th Belgium, Brussels, Cirque Royal

29th Netherlands, Amsterdam, Het Concertgebouw

31st Switzerland, Zurich, Volkshaus

June 2014

2nd        Italy, Rome, Auditorium Parco della Musicai

3rd         Italy, Milan, Teatro Nazionale

4th Italy, Padova, Geox

6th Austria, Vienna, Konzerthaus

7th Austria, Linz, Opera House

9th Germany, Stuttgart, Hegel Saal

10th Germany, Munich, Philharmonie

11th Czech Republic, Prague, Forum Praha

12th Poland, Warsaw, Sala Kongresowa

14th Russia, St Petersburg, Music Hall

15th Russia, Moscow Crocus Hall

17th Ukraine, Kiev, Oktiabrskiy

Further dates to be announced shortly on www.toriamos.com.

Bruce Springsteen will release a new album, titled High Hopes, on January 14th. 

High Hopes finds Bruce in a number of different musical settings, and includes the members of the E Street Band as well as guitarist Tom Morello and many additional players. Recorded in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Australia and New York City, High Hopes marks Bruce’s 18th studio album and includes his own liner notes that detail the album’s evolution, viewable now at brucespringsteen.net.

Morello joined Bruce and the E Street Band on tour in Australia in March 2013 (sitting in for Steve Van Zandt), and became, as Bruce says, “my muse, pushing the rest of this project to another level.”  Besides his guitar playing on the album, Morello also duets with Bruce on ”The Ghost of Tom Joad.”  Clarence Clemons, who passed away in 2011, and Danny Federici, who passed away in 2008, also appear on several songs of what Springsteen calls “some of our best unreleased material from the past decade.”

To celebrate the album’s announcement, director Thom Zimny built a collage featuring photos from Danny Clinch, Australian tour footage featuring Tom Morello shot by Chris Hilson, and vintage documentary footage set to the title song. Click here to watch the video now.

High Hopes tracklisting:

1. High Hopes (Tim Scott McConnell) – featuring Tom Morello

2. Harry’s Place * – featuring Tom Morello

3. American Skin (41 Shots) – featuring Tom Morello

4. Just Like Fire Would (Chris J. Bailey) – featuring Tom Morello

5. Down In The Hole *

6. Heaven’s Wall ** – featuring Tom Morello

7. Frankie Fell In Love

8. This Is Your Sword

9. Hunter Of Invisible Game * – featuring Tom Morello

10. The Ghost of Tom Joad – duet with Tom Morello

11. The Wall

12. Dream Baby Dream (Martin Rev and Alan Vega) – featuring Tom Morello

All songs written by Bruce Springsteen except as noted

Album produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen

*Produced by Brendan O’Brien

**Produced by Brendan O’Brien, co-produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen

SOTD...

As the weekend thankfully gets closer, here is something make the wait a little shorter: Cher with a 7th Heaven remix of her latest single "Take It Like A Man"!



"Take It Like A Man" is the current "club single" from Cher's new album. The official next single will be "I Walk Alone". No news yet on a maxi CD/12" for "Take It Like A Man" but it is rumored to get a strictly limited 12" release. Fingers crossed!

UPDATE:

The 12" can now be pre-ordered on Amazon in Germany. Weirdly, the release date is said to be December 24th! I just placed my order!

UPDATE:

The 12" single can now be ordered much cheaper from Amazon UK. They list the release date as December 16th.

Return To The Stage...

A few days ago Agnetha Fältskog appeared live on stage at the Children In Need Rocks event in the UK. 

She performed the song "I Should've Followed You Home" from her excellent comeback album A, together with Take That singer Gary Barlow. This is the first time in some 25 (!) years the ex Abba singer has performed live on stage, so this was quite an event for her fans. It was a great performance and a very welcomed return to the stage for the legendary singer. Take a look:

Very Soon...

Above: an e-mail from Parlophone/WMG.

So that's that then - a new album from the princess of pop in early 2014 (although we already knew that - but good to get some official news).



Thanks to the best Kylie blog out there - Shine On And On. Marky the webmaster has a good year in store for him ;)

Timeless, But Incomplete...

Mylene Farmer is releasing a live CD from her current Timeless Tour on December 9th.

It does however not feature the full setlist and does not include a video recording of the show. It will however be filmed before the tour is over and a full CD/DVD/BR release is rumored to be coming out next year, so fans might want to skip this release for now...



Mylene's latest single, "Monkey Me" charted at #3 in France (with 97% of the sales coming from physical formats). It's her 30th top 10 single in a row in France and 45th overall.

 

Here is the tracklist for Timeless 2013:

CD 1:
1. Timeless genesis
2. A force de...
3. Comme j'ai mal
4. C'est une belle journee
5. Monkey me
6. Slipping away (crier la vie)
7. Oui mais non...
8. Mad world
9. Les mots
10. Desanchantee
11. Bleu noir
12. Diabolique mon ange

CD 2:
1. Sans contrefacon
2. Je t'aime melancolie
3. Xxl
4. A l'ombre
5. Inseparable
6. Rever
7. Timeless 2013 le film (CD-ROM)

Blu-Ray Audio:
1. Timeless genesis
2. A force de...
3. Comme j'ai mal
4. C'est une belle journee
5. Monkey me
6. Slipping away (crier la vie)
7. Oui mais non...
8. Mad world
9. Les mots
10. Desanchantee
11. Bleu noir
12. Diabolique mon ange
13. Sans contrefacon
14. Je t'aime melancolie
15. Xxl
16. A l'ombre
17. Inseparable
18. Rever

Love Wins...

Art for Freedom, the global digital initiative co-founded by Madonna to fuel free speech and address intolerance around the world thru art has joined with Tumblr for the month of November to collectively curate a new collection of entries from their community of visual artists.

Today, Madonna conducted a live curation on Tumblr where she commented on the submissions.

Head over to the fantastic Madonnarama to see the submissions and Madonna's comments on them!

Back To The Culture...

Boy George has reveled that he’s finally decided to reform his hit band Culture Club, 15 years after they last recorded together.

George, who has just released his own solo album This Is What I Do, met with guitarist Roy Hay in LA recently and says they plan to get back in the studio with Jon Moss - George’s ex-boyfriend - and Mikey Craig in January.

“Yes, I’m finally ready for it,” he says."It will be a completely new record. There’s no point doing it just for nostalgia. I talked a few years ago about a Culture Club reunion – they wanted me to do it for years but it wasn’t right and obviously for five or ten years I was going through other things. Jon was surprised when I told him I wanted the reunion to happen at last... but I wanted to do this album for myself first.”

You can read the whole interview here

Tracks...

It's that time again:

7 Decades In 3 Minutes...

All bow to the one and only Cher!

Back To Life...

I always enjoy reading interviews with divas who have been in the business for a long time and knew it before everything became about social networks, reality TV, digital "releases" and losing your clothes for no apparent reason. Now, I am not a huge Celine Dion fan per-se but I do like some of her stuff, and I enjoyed the following interview (she's quite crazy as well, which is always a good thing...)



Before Celine Dion even sits down for our interview, she's serenaded us with two songs. The first is Adele's 'Turning Tables', because she's doing a 'round table' interview with us and three other journalists. The second is Lisa Stansfield's 'All Around The World' as she glides around the table to greet each of us personally. Some would call it completely bonkers, but given it immediately diffuses any awkward tension in the room, it seems there's method to her madness.

The star has taken a brief hiatus from her never-ending show run in Las Vegas ("I was supposed to be there for two weeks!" she insists) to promote her 25th album Loved Me Back To Life. The record - her first English one in six years - is classic booming Celine but with modern touches that haul her sound into 2013, something she admits took some time to get right.

She explains: "What am I going to sing? 'My Heart Will Go On'? 'Because You Loved Me'? I don't want to be bored and I don't want people to feel they're buying the same thing again. It feels like I'm not reinventing myself, but I'm not re-doing what I've done before."

"It is edgier for me though," she concedes. "To say I'm going to get a drink and storm out of this house… for me to use words is very unusual. I was letting my voice crack instead making sure it was pristine and pure. This time I want people to hear the soul in my voice. There are no sound effects and no reverb, so now you can hear the saliva in my mouth. That's intimacy. I'm having my wild moment!"



With millions in the bank and the charts a lonely place for big balladeers like herself, I ask if the prospect of releasing another album still excites her. "I don't have to do it. I don't need the money or to do this for the success - I've had it" she says. "It feels like I'm not trying. When you start a music career you have so much to learn and gain from professionals... you try and have to do so much. Now, it's strictly for pleasure."

Loved Me Back To Life features co-writes from Eg White (Adele, Kylie Minogue), Rihanna and Britney Spears hitmaker Sia on the title track and a duet with Ne-Yo on 'Incredible', all of whom she refers to as "the kids". Was she worried people would think she was trying to sound too young?

"You have to trust people like that," she explains. "I'm happy because it sounds more modern than what I was doing 10 years ago. I think people assumed that I would do something older and classical. I feel like it's the reverse - it's wild."

Celine adamantly claims that she doesn't watch television, though she is well aware of the significance of performing on Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor this weekend.

"I know what they are because I'm not stupid, but I know how important shows like those are." She pauses. "I know it's important, otherwise my team wouldn't have flown me out here to do them. They're all ecstatic that we could do the two shows on the same day... they're happier than me!"
And does she approve of reality TV as a way of discovering new talent? "It's the new way," she explains, sighing. "It's like technology. You cannot not use it. It doesn't mean you stop using a pen and paper though as well. I'm just glad I'm not starting my career now. It's great, it means I'm worth it! I see it as a positive thing."

The subject moves on to Miley Cyrus, a singer whose current salacious antics she recently admitted are "hard to take" as a mother.

"For me it's like an old story now." She searches for the right words. "By talking about it constantly, that's what they want. We're helping what we're criticising. Put it this way... If they feel the need to go that far artistically, then I think 'Fine. I wish you luck, longevity and a healthy life'. They've set the bar pretty high from themselves.



"What's going to be next? I remember buying Madonna's sex book," she recalls. "Today, Lady Gaga goes to clubs and strips. Is there anything left to do? I'm not criticising it or praising it, glad I didn't have to do it - we'll see how far it will go."



Before we're ushered out of the room, the subject of touring arises. Celine immediately downplays the idea of another global jaunt ("It's unlike anything else, but man is it exhausting!"), but instead offers a much more exciting prospect.

"Something I'd love to do is say, come to the UK for two months. No big production, just the unplugged version of my songs. Songs that I've never performed before, the unknowns and my favourites. I don't know what the theme would be exactly, but there'd be no orchestra. I've done so many big things in my life that these days, it's the little things that excite me now."



Loved Me Back To Life is out now in the US and Europe and comes out in the UK on Monday.

SOTD...

It's almost weekend, thank god! And here is a perky little 80s number to set the mood.

"We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" (released in the UK as "We Don't Have To...") by Jermaine Stewart was released in 1986. The song was included on Stewart's second album Frantic Romantic and remains his biggest commercial success in both America and Europe.

The song acquired a great deal of success after being used on hit 1980s television show Miami Vice, and reached number 2 on the UK and Canadian chart, as well as going to number 5 in the U.S. In 2011 the song was used in a Cadbury advert in the UK called The Charity Shop. The song became a Top 40 hit again in the UK, this time reaching No.29. Sadly, the singer wasn't around to celebrate - he died of AIDS-related liver cancer in 1997 at the age of 39.

I loved this song back in the 80s and I still do - it's one of those songs that always gets me in a good mood. I just might drag out my 12" copy and loads of cherry wine (obviously) to celebrate the weekend! I suggest you do the same :)

G On M...

Lady Gaga has spoken about Madonna performing one of her singles during her MDNA world tour. Madonna performed a mash-up of her 1989 hit "Express Yourself" with Gaga's 2011 hit "Born This Way", after comparisons between the tracks caused worldwide controversy.

"I have to be really honest, I was completely kind of floored that Madonna was singing my song on her stage every night," Gaga told Attitude magazine.



"I'm certainly not thinking about anybody but me and my fans when I'm on stage. The fact that I was on her mind at all. I mean, Madonna's... she's Madonna. I looked up to her for a long time. I'm not quite sure what her intention was - to do that in the show - but I don't really care."

She added: "I think playing into the gossip of the tabloids and, I guess the fodder of the competition, that's just not what I'm about. She chooses to use her voice the way she chooses to use hers and I choose to use mine the way I use mine. All it meant to me was that Madonna Ciccone was singing my song on her stage and I'm 27! And as a punk-rocker from New York, I've basically been hoping that I would become so good that one day I would piss off Madonna!"



Speaking further about the accusations of plagiarism, Gaga explained: "I truthfully believe that there was nothing about those records sounding alike, and everything about this gay icon versus gay icon nonsense. I don't need to take anybody's torch. I have no interest in taking anybody's torch. I am over here and they are over there and if you feel connected to it, the door is open for you to come in and enjoy this with us. But this need for competition was everything that 'Born This Way' isn't about!"

Good way to handle it, me thinks. Lady Gaga's new album ARTPOP will be released worldwide on November 11. It has so far been met with mixed reviews, with reviewers saying the album is messy and too long, but with some excellent tracks and killer choruses. So I guess it's basically Born This Way, Part 2...

Take That 12" Inch?...

The next single from the new Cher album will be "Take It Like A Man".

So far it seems that will be released in Germany on November 8th and November 11th in the US as a digital "release", but the cover art suggests that there will also be a 12"?

Hopefully it will be released on some physical format, especially since the "I Hope You Find It/"Woman's World" CD single has been selling quite well. The promo CD's from the album tend to go for silly money (I only just got the 1trk "Woman's World" promo CD today and I still need the remixes promo!). The album continues to do very well, staying in the UK Top 10 for a third week and continues to sell very well in the US.

Here is the tracklist:

1. Take It Like A Man 4:11

2. Take It Like A Man (Over-The-Top Mix) 6:55

3. Take It Like A Man (Over-The-Top Edit) 3:38

4. Take It Like A Man (7th Heaven Mix) 7:52

5. Take It Like A Man (7th Heaven Edit) 4:41

6. Take It Like A Man (Over-The-Top Instrumental) 6:54

UPDATE:

From "someone in the know" at the official Cher forum:

Some news about "Take It Like A Man", from what I understood:
* it will be serviced to clubs shortly
* they have done a great remix of it, very disco meets Daft Punk
* there will be a collector 12 inch record in very, very limited edition, this item will be hugely collectable
* there will be a maxi CD single

There are a few other stuff coming in the CTTT era but can't tell now.

And here is a photo of the upcoming vinyl release of Closer To The Truth - on white vinyl!

Cher was on Dancing With The Stars this week during a Cher Night, when all the dancers danced to her songs (including "Woman's World", "Bang Bang", "Turn Back Time", "Strong Enough" and "I Found Someone"). The diva was a guest judge and performed two songs: "Believe" and "I Hope You Find It".

The full show: