When I heard that Will Young was back in the studio, I was very happy, to say the least. I have been a fan of the singer since I first saw his music videos on YouTube following his win of the very first 'Pop Idol' in 2002. His music appealed to me right away, so I became a fan. With '85% Proof' coming out in May, I couldn't wait to get a sneak peek.
Well, my prayers have been answered, for the official audio was posted to Will's YouTube page. The first single, "Love Revolution", is online and I just love it. From the opening chords, you hear the lush retro sound, like some soulful song by Lulu or Dusty Springfield is about to come on the radio. Will's voice is bold, with a fantastic fullness that stands out over the blare of the horns. This is the official audio for Will Young's "Love Revolution".
"Love Revolution" is the first single off the upcoming release, '85% Proof'. If you enjoyed that as much as I did, you need to get in line behind me and hope it is made available in the United States. To learn more about Will Young, visit his official website. You can also 'like' him on Facebook, and 'follow' him on Twitter.
In my continuation of the Valentine's lovefest, I offer you a love song from the UK's Will Young. Will was, of course, the first winner of the UK's 'Pop Idol', the brand from which so many artists sprang from, like 'American Idol''s stars Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, and others. I was a fan early on, and continued to follow his music. In 2008, Will released 'Let It Go', which included the hits "Changes" and "Grace". And while it wasn't released as a single, I really liked the song "Love". It was the eighth track on the album. This is "Love".
In 2011, Will released the album 'Echos', which is really a great album. Unfortunately, it is not available to his fans in the United States, unless they follow my example, and order it as an export. One of my favorite songs off the album is "I Just Want A Lover", written by Will, Mima Stilwell, and Jim Eliot. And the music video is very cool.
To date, Will has released five studio albums, and every one has been certified at least Platinum in sales. His second, 'Friday's Child', was certified 5 X Platinum! "Love" can be found on Will's fourth album, and you can purchase 'Let It Go' from iTunes and Amazon. And while you cannot buy 'Echoes', you can purchase the music video in iTunes. To learn more about Will Young, visit his official website. You can also 'like' him on Facebook, and 'follow' him on Twitter.
Clockwise: Jason Walker, Groove Armada, That Rogue Romeo, and Christopher Dallamn.
It is time to kick off the weekend, and this time out, I thought I would offer a group of songs I really like, and come together for no other reason than I have put them in the same post. There is no overall theme, same that all four are in my iTunes, ready to be played. I will start with a voice I still find incredible. From the first time I heard him sing, to the last time I played his music, Jason Walker always blows me away, and leaves me wanting more. "I Can't Get You Off My Mind" appeared on his 2007 album, 'Flexible', which also had "Can't Stop" and "Foolish Lover (I'm Sorry)" on the track listing. This is the official music video for Jason Walker's "I Can't Get You Off My Mind".
You can purchase 'Flexible' from iTunes and Amazon. I first discovered Groove Armada, made up by electronic artists Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, when they worked with a favorite of mine, Will Young. The British duo paired up with the fantastic British singer for the 2010 release. The song is "History", and it has a wonderful sound, that was just a bit retro, and just the right amount of current to set it apart. And Young's vocals were dreamy and muysterioius, and I couldn't stop listening to the song. This is the official music video for Groove Armada featuring Will Young with "History".
The song can be found on Groove Armada's album 'Blacklight', which can be purchase from iTunes and Amazon. When I think of singer/songwriter Christopher Dallman, I don't go straight to dance music. But there have been a couple of times when an imaginative DJ picked out a great song and gave it a wonderful treatment. That was the case with his song "Nighttime in the City", which I first came to know off his album 'Race the Light', which is how I got to know Dallman. I was intrigued by every song on the album, and couldn't wait to hear more from the man. Eight years after the first release, out came a remix of the song that I just found so very cool. Give a listen to Christopher Dallman's "Nighttime in the City (Radboy Radio Edit)" and see what you think.
You can purchase 'Nighttime in the City' from iTunes and Bandcamp. Finally, I could listen to just about anything That Rogue Romeo put out. I love the way he pulls together the drive and edge of great Rock music with the sound and energy of fantastic Electronica. He released 'Machine and Magic' in 2012, and I loved it. The following year, That Rogue Romeo released 'Rebuilt', a collection of Remixed songs off the first album, giving a whole new feel to them. I was particularly fond of the song "Domino", written by That Rogue Romeo (aka Kevin Stea) and Stefano Borzi. The love kept flowing with the remixes. This is That Rogue Romeo with "Domino (EmJay's Neomaster video version)".
You can find "Domino (EmJay's Master)" on the remix album 'Rebuilt', which can be purchased from iTunes and Bandcamp. I hope you enjoyed the music you heard here, and think about adding it to your own collection. No matter what you decide, I hope you have a great weekend.
I really just love Will Young's Friday's Child, and thought now would be a great time to put it out there. The album of the same name was released in December of 2003, and went to #1 in the UK, selling Platinum 5-times over. The song has a certain sultry, sexy feeling to it.
I am a big fan of Young. His voice is just so sweet, so true. Also, Will came out as a gay man shortly after winning the first Pop Idol series in the UK, the 'daddy' of the Idol contests around the world. Just last summer, Will released Jealousy, another steamy one from Will.
You can purchase the Friday's Child album on iTunes and on Amazon. You can order an import of Echoes, the album that features Jealousy, here.
Just before he released his latest album, Echoes, Will Young released a beautiful acoustic version of Kate Bush's exceptional song, Running Up That Hill. It most certainly is Will's take on the song, I am an unabashed fan of Kate Bush, and think this cover is layered and nuanced, just so very lovely.
The latest single off the new album, Come On, is one I like very much. What I didn't realize that is is essentially also a cover, have been first recorded in 2009 by the British ElectroPop group, Kish Mauve.
The first single off the new album, Jealousy, is another wonderful song, and the first to get an official video. I like the song very much, but this video is great!
While I would love to give you a link to Will's latest album on iTunes, I can't. At least not on the USA iTunes. You can find it on Amazon, where you can purchase it as an import. Check it out here. You can find his official website here, and his official Facebook here. Also, I just started watching a new series on BBC America. Bedlam featured Will in one of the central roles, and he is very good indeed.
Leona Lewis, Will Young, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Anthony Callea.
On this fine Sunday morning, I thought I would pull some great swing music from unexpected sources. Namely, the Idol programs from around the world. Well, there are representatives from American Idol, the UK's Pop Idol, Australian Idol, and the UK's X Factor. I picked some of my favorites from these series, at least the ones I could find clips on YouTube that might apply. And I could not think of a better way to start this post than with Anthony Callea swinging on Route 66. The song was written by Bobby Troupe, husband of torch singer Julie London. It was first made popular by the great Nat King Cole, but Anthony does an amazing job with it.
In the third season of the UK hit show X Factor, Simon Cowell and company introduced us to a beautiful young lady whose talent was soon heard 'round the world. After winning the season, Leona Lewis was soon releasing Bleeding Love, which topped the charts and earned Lewis fans world-wide. While on the show, she made it through Big Band week singing Summertime, the classic song by George Gershwin.
In late 2001, we were introduced to the series that started it all. Pop Idol crowned the first winner in February 2002. Will Young crooned his way into the hearts of the British public. And, I might add, they had good taste, for Will is so very talented. And he did a lovely version of We Are In Love, a song written and performed by Harry Connick, Jr, for his 1990 album of the same name.
In the second season of American Idol, we were introduced to North Carolina native Clay Aiken. He charmed the fans enough to stay out of the bottom three for the entire season, and finished in second behind winner and good friend Ruben Studdard. When it came time to perform as part of the Final Three, he did an incredible version of Mack The Knife, the famous song by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht from their masterpiece, The Threepenny Opera.
The first season of American Idol ran during the summer of 2002, and in September, winner Kelly Clarkson was crowned. Kelly waded through the musical waters with poise and panache, like when she blew everyone away with Stuff Like That There, the song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, originally sung by Betty Hutton in the 40s. Kelly took the song and made it her own.
Hope the music got you into the 'swing' of this fine Sunday!
The band is made up of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, two British boys delivering Electro-Pop. I just saw them on the Jonathan Ross show, and am loving it. I first heard a clip on xolondon's blog, but the performance on the show was even better! I swear, if I close my eyes, I am listening to Jimmy Somervile, circa early Bronski Beat, singing to a current beat and sound. I am digging it greatly. Here is History.
They also reached back into the 80s for another cut, Shameless. They brought in feature vocalist Bryan Ferry, he of the hot solo career and the driving force behind the great band Roxy Music.
The first single off the 'Blacklight' album is I Won't Kneel, featuring SaintSavior on vocals.
In 2002, Will Young was crowned the first Pop Idol, making him the very first of a world-wide franchise. Will, a handsome 23-year-old, came out of the gate with a double-platinum release, From Now On. Shortly after winning, he came out as an out and proud gay man. His music has remained in the UK and Europe, not making it to the US. Through 2008, he released four studio albums, all of which earned platinum status. This past November, he released a greatest hits album, with twelve hits and two new songs. The first single is Hopes & Fears, with an incredibly interesting [and funny] video.
As I said, his first album, From Now On, went double-platinum in 2002 on the heels of his Pop Idol victory. The fifth and final single released was You and I, a power ballad with an R & B tilt on the pop roots.
Late 2003 saw the release of Friday's Child, the second album which proved Will wasn't effected by the sophomore jinx. The album went on to quadruple-platinum status, and number 1 on the UK album charts. It opened with the single Leave Right Now, which went #1 in the UK, and had a fascinating video that was shot in a single take. But I loved the second single, Your Game, which went #2 on the UK charts.
The 2005 release Keep On was another success, earning triple platinum sales in the UK. The second single released was Switch It On. The video is an homage to Top Gun, complete with shirtless buff men and a pornstache.
Will's fourth album was Let It Go, the platinum selling effort lead with the single Changes. The album hit #2 on the album charts, and the song went to #10.
Over the past 8 years, Young has proved to enjoy putting out a variety of styles, and some interesting videos. You can find out more about him on his official website here. I certainly enjoy his slightly quirky style. And it is nice to see an out singer having such strong success.
