Kylie Minogue’s future comeback single

2007 is gonna see Kylie Minogue come back on the radio, TV screens & CD shops.
First, she's gonna release a brand new single called 2 Hearts on November, 12th. It is written/produced by electro team Kish Mauve and the cover looks incredible!
Then, she's gonna appear along Celine Dion in the new Star Academy french TV show and that will surely help her tenth album, tentatively called X, rush to the top of our charts by the end of November.

Back in studio after her years of battling her breast cancer, she's rumoured to have been working with (usual partner) Richard Stannard, "huge in demand after Beyoncé's hitsingles" remixers Freemasons, Cutfather & Joe, Bloodshy & Avant, Calvin Harris, Boy George, Pet Shop Boys (again), Greg Kurstin, Eg White, Guy Chambers, Mylo and (always) Cathy Dennis.
I bet Steve Anderson will still be on board too, as he has always been since her departure from PWL Studios in the 90's.

Tracks that could appear on X have leaked : Excuse my french, I am ready, Mood for love, Spell of desire (both of which are available for download from Mylo's MySpace page http://myspace.com/mylo), When the cat's away, Fall for you, Stars, Sensitized, Lose control, In my arms...

www.kylie.co.uk have just posted an "official" tracklisting and some of these looks like they will still be featured on the CD :

01/ 2 Hearts
(Kish Mauve) Produced by Kish Mauve
02/ Like A Drug
(Mich Hedin Hansen / Jonas Jeberg / Engelina Andrina Larsen / Adam Powers) Produced by Cutfather & Jonas Jeberg
03/ In My Arms
(Kylie Minogue / Adam Wiles / Richard Stannard / Paul Harris / Julian Peake) Produced by Richard 'Biff' Stannard
04/ Speakerphone
(Christian Karlsson / Pontus Winnberg/ Henrik Jonback / Klas Ahlund) Produced by Bloodshy & Avant
05/ Sensitized
(Guy Chambers / Cathy Dennis / Serge Gainsbourg) Produced by Guy Chambers & Cathy Dennis
06/ Heart Beat Rock
(Kylie Minogue / Karen Poole / Adam Wiles) Produced by Calvin Harris
07/ The One
(Kylie Minogue / Richard Stannard / James Wiltshire / Russell Small / John Andersson / Johan Emmoth / Emma Holmgren) Produced by Richard Stannard & Freemasons
08/ No More Rain
(Kylie Minogue / Christian Karlsson / Pontus Winnberg / Jonas Quant / Karen Poole) Produced by Greg Kurstin
09/ All I See
(Jonas Jeberg / Mich Hedin Hansen / Serano) Produced by Cutfather & Jonas Jeberg
10/ Stars
(Kylie Minogue / Richard Stannard / Paul Harris / Julian Peake) Produced by Richard 'Biff' Stannard
11/ Wow
(Kylie Minogue / Karen Poole / Greg Kurstin) Produced by Greg Kurstin
12/ Nu-Di-Ty
(Christian Karlsson / Pontus Winnberg / Karen Poole) Produced by Bloodshy & Avant
13/ Cosmic
(Kylie Minogue / Eg White) Produced by Eg White

As always with each forthcoming Kylie album release, maybe only a couple of these should make the final cut but I bet we're in for an electro-pop masterpiece and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

And as a taster to her new sound, Kylie's just been featured on Just Jack US album release, adding her vocals on I talk too much, a solo track on the UK version of the album. Nothing really to rave about but still good enough to make us wait till November...

Celine Dion’s taking new chances in 2007!

Yes, Celine Dion is finally coming to the end of her Las vegas show contract so she's coming back on the international music planet with a brand new english album, Taking Chances, which has to take international charts by storm if she wants to take her crown of worldwide middle of the road pop diva back...
From her brand new hairdo, storm alert's already been there...
She looks purely ridiculous like this... You can't be Tina Turner anytime poor lil' Celinn'! And you look so severe it could be her statue from Tussault that's been photoshopped here.

And isn't there some little bit of a breast (!!!) we can glance here ? Beware of Janet Jackson's showoff, miss Renée... OK, there's more Jane Birkin than Pamela Anderson in here but that could be shocking these conservative middle-aged female CD buyers of yours and then there will only be gay hardcore fans to buy Taking Chances.
The songs are better be good 'cos your latest albums were all a bit lame since Falling into you... You need to call some house remixers back on board to boost your balladery back in the clubs, as well as Diane Warren's romantic songwriting to put emotions back in your voice.
If only... (sigh!)

Come what may... The songs are all recorded so I guess I just have to wait until the day of release and... rush to my supermarket and buy it straight away to check! And even if the songs are not what I'd have been dreaming of, there will always be your voice... I just hope you haven't followed Whitney & Mariah's road to HipHop/R&B nonsense! I like my mainstream diva to stay in her ballad/pop highway, it's better then remixed .

Here is the (tentative) tracklisting :
1. Taking Chances
2. Alone (a Heart cover)
3. Shadow of Love
4. A Song for You
5. This Time
6. Surprise, Surprise
7. Can't fight the Feeling
8. Let Me Be Your Soldier
9. Eyes on Me
10. My Love
11. World to Believe in
12. Right Next to the Right One
13. Just Fade Away
14. That's Just the Woman in Me

To promote it in France, we all know now she will be mentor along with Kylie Minogue of the new Star Academy but as, by the end of the year, we should expect some strong awaited new albums by Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Girls Aloud, Alicia Keys, BWO, Kristine W, Madonna, Whitney Houston..., the race is gonna be tough in the album charts!

Love To Infinity : 15 years of Classic Paradise

Thankful to one of my favourite pop blog http://poptrashaddicts.blogspot.com/, I have learned on this anniversary day of mine that one of my beloved production/remix team will be celebrating this year their 15 years in the music industry by relaunching their career with none other than one of the most underrated diva in the UK : Kelly Llorenna is Love To Infinity's new vocalist.
And they're coming back with a new recorded version of their 1995 anthem "Keep love together"!



First, who are Love To Infinity ?
I can't believe one dares to ask this question... It is the UK most talented and successful remix team on the commercial uplifting house & dance/trance sides of the club planet!
Want some proof?
Easier than ABC : I just got to list worldwide artists who've chosen to place their hits in Andy & Pete Lee's hands :
3SL, 911, 98°, Abbacadabra, Ace Of Base, Adeva, Alizée, All Saints, Alsou, Anastacia, Anna Vissi, Aqua, Aretha Franklin, Ashanti, Ashley Jade, Atomic Kitten, Aurora, Baby D, Bananarama, Barbra Streisand, Beyoncé Knowles, Black Box, Boxcar, Boyzone, Canto, Carole Laure, Cartoons, Celine Dion, Cher, Cheryl Lynn, Christina Aguilera, CoCo Lee, Code Red, D:ream, Damage, Daytona, Deja Vu, DeLacy, Delta Goodrem, Desoto, DeVox, Diana King, Diana Ross, DJ Bobo, Double Exposure, Easy Street, Emilia, Erasure, Espresso, Esprit, Eurogroove, Faith Hill, First Choice feat. Rochelle Fleming, George Michael, Georgie Porgie, Gifted feat. Denise Gordon, Gina G, Gloria Estefan, Gloria Gaynor, Gloworm, Grace Jones, Hannah Jones, Harlan, Hear'Say, Honeyz, Ilene Barnes, Indigo, Jacksons 5, Jaki Graham, Janet Jackson, Javine, Jennifer Holliday, Jessica Simpson, Jo Breezer, Joose, Judy Cheeks, Kahal & Kahal, Karaja, KD Lang, Kenny Thomas, Kerri-Ann, Kuva feat. Beverly Skeete, Kym Sims, Las Ketchup, LeAnn Rimes, LFO, Lighthouse Family, Lightning Seeds, Lisa Scott-Lee, Loleatta Holloway, Louise, LoveHappy, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Mary Griffin, Maryanna Matiss, Masai, Matt Goss, Matthew Marsden, Melanie Williams, Michael Jackson, Michelle Lawson, MN8, Mozaic, Music Relief, MyTown, Nassa feat. Charlotte Day, Nootropic feat. Ruth Campbell, Pasadenas, Patricia Kaas, Pet Shop Boys, Phil Bailey, Puff Johnson, Pulp, Rachel Stevens, R.D.A., Reba McEntire, Re-Joice, Robbie Williams, Rockmelons, Roger, Rosie Ribbons, Rowetta, Rozalla, Sacred Spirit, Sarah Washington, Sarah Whatmore, Sean Maguire, Shania Twain, She Moves, Simply Red, Sirens, S'N'G, Soko, Spandau Ballet, Stephen Gately, Stereopol feat. Nevada Cato, Steve Balsamo, Strict Instructor, Sub Sub, Sunshine Anderson, Supersister, Sweet Mercy, Sybil, Tabu feat. Mitzi B, Tak Tix, Take That, Taylor Dayne, Texas, The Full Monthy All Stars feat. TJ Davis, The Other Two, The Similou, The Who, Thunderbugs, Tina Arena, Tony Di Bart, Tyson, Undercover, Urban Cookie Collective, Vittesse, Whitney Houston, Will Smith, Willa Ford, Workin' Happily feat. Melanie Murial, Zomkiat... The list is endless!

Truth is that under their different aliases, Love To Infinity, then Soda Club and M*A*S*H, the Lee Brothers (the family includes Dave "Mr. Joey Negro" too) have been since 1992 always in demand remixers. They have released several self-made club hits too :
First, "Keep love together", "Pray for love", "Someday" & "No apology" from 1995 to 1998 under the Love To Infinity artist name and along with Louise Bailey then Loleatta Holloway as vocalists, plus a japanese double CD release named after their trademark remix theme "Classic Paradise".


Then, back in 2002 till 2004 under new alias Soda Club, "Take my breath away", "Heaven is a place on earth", "Keep love together" (again), "Venus", and "Ain't no love, ain't no use", with blondies Hannah Alethea, Andrea Anatola & Ashley Jade, as well as releasing a whole new album "Anthem Alert" featuring more vocal talents by Gina G (of Eurovision famous "Ooh aah... Just a little bit")and Charlotte Day (which was featured on the Love To infinity comeback single of 2005, CeCe Peniston's cover version "Finally").

From the beginning, as the remix team labelled LTI to new concept Soda Club (more trancey) and then M*A*S*H, or as self-artist, they have never deceived me (except for one or two less dance-able, more R&B remixes for Will Smith, Michael Jackson & Gloria Estefan) and I've always followed them with passion, collecting the singles that featured their remixes!

Here would be my Top10 Remix tunes of them :
01 Diana King "I say a little prayer (LTI classic radio edit)"
02 Gloria Estefan "Everlasting love (LTI Classic Paradise radio mix)"
03 Judy Cheeks "As long as you're good to me (LTI original production)"
04 Lisa Scott-Lee "Lately (Soda Club radio mix)"

05 M*A*S*H feat. Stacy D "I touch myself (LTI radio mix)" (before High Street Honeys covered this 1991 Divinyl song to 34 in the UK charts of 2007)
06 Sybil "When I'm good and ready (LTI stratoradio mix)" (their remix even topped the original Stock & Waterman production and that comes from a die-hard Stock/Aitken/Waterman fan!)
07 Atomic Kitten "Someone like me (Soda Club radio edit)"
08 Kenny Thomas "When I think of you (LTI radio edit)"
09 Puff Johnson "Over and over (LTI stratomaster radio edit)"
10 Supersister "Summer gonna come again (LTI radio edit)"

So now they're back!
And their latest vocalist is none other than ex N-Trance "Set you free" diva, Kelly Llorenna.

Times have been hard for Kelly since she charted high worldwide along her mates of N-Trance with hits like "Set you free", "D.I.S.C.O.", "Forever"... She decided to go solo in 2002 (with help from AATW label mates Flip & Fill) and rocketed to 7 with "True love never dies" then the 9 Taylor Dayne's cover "Tell it to my heart" followed by "Heart of Gold" (19), her album "All clubbed up" and Donna Summer's SAW anthem "This time I know it's for real" (14) in 2004.

Then things got worse when less dance but instant pop hit "Nobody like you" didn't get released and then her fabulous rendition of the METRO written Lara Fabian's song "I will love again" only got to 105...

But now she had re-recorded with Love To Infinity their all-time classic "Keep love together" as well as a cover of 1995 Joe T.Vannelli "Sweetest day of May" in pure LTI classic paradise style and an album is on the way!
Put your hands up in the air, clap your hands in rhythm and move your feet to the rhythm of the Love To Infinity beat!
THEY'RE BACK!! ...and I'm in cheese heaven .
They were along with Loveland my favourite Handbag/commercial house act of 1994/1995 and I miss this kind of refreshing happy sing-along party house numbers you can't help but sing along to while nodding your head in rhythm.

If you want to listen to their brand new tunes, get yourself here :

http://www.myspace.com/lovetoinfinity
or here : http://www.myspace.com/classiclovetoinfinity
and if you want to know more on them, check these fan sites (that haven't been updated for some while but that is worth checkin' out anyway) : http://www.freewebs.com/sodaclub4u/index.htm
http://www.geocities.com/kellyllorennaforever/index_old.html

Vous avez dit 35?

Aujourd'hui, 9 Septembre, je me suis réveillé plus vieux...
Heureusement, après tout un été passé sous le règne musical de Rihanna et de son umbrella, le ciel était loin d'être pluvieux.
35 ans déjà me disent les papiers officiels...
35 ans déjà?
Sûrement pas!
Dans ma tête, je me sens toujours ado...
Un peu plus, d'accord, lorsque je suis au boulot,
Mais depuis longtemps déjà, mon compteur est bloqué sur 25 et ça me va
Il paraît même que les 35, je ne les fais pas!
Alors quoi!?
Rendez-vous dans quelques années...
Déjà que 35, c'est de 70 la moitié,
Je me demande ce que mon trouillomètre dira
Lorsque la quarantaine approchera...
A moins que d'ici là,
Une épaule soit venue se joindre contre moi...
A deux, les bougies se soufflent plus facilement!
Mais en attendant...
Les candidatures sont ouvertes!
Visez ma boîte aux lettres...
Et vite car attention!
Jai peur de ma date de péremption...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Un peu d'auto-satisfaction personnelle pour mon nouvel article en français... ça fait toujours du bien aux chevilles et si ça peut en encourager quelques-uns à tenter le coup, ça vaut la peine !

Je veux dire, ça vaut la peine, à compter que vous soyez habitué à surfer le net sur des sites anglais et que vous vous aidiez de votre wikipedia chéri pour suivre qui est qui, d'oser le tenter en anglais ; lire Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows en VO non sous-titrée...



Un collègue se l'était commandé et m'a proposé de me le filer après l'avoir lu et en avoir été enchanté, sachant que j'étais Harry-Potter-ophile moi aussi. Je n'ai pas dit fan car je suis monté dans le Poudlard Express quelques wagons de retard j'avoue...
Quand j'ai entendu parlé de Harry potter pour la première fois, j'ai pensé, comme certains, "ouais, c'est des histoires de magiciens pour enfants... bof, bof!". En plus, moi qui suis très Science-fiction mais pas du tout Heroic Fantasy dans mes lectures, je ne me décidais pas à voir vraiment ce que ça valait.
Et puis, quand le premier film est passé à la télévision, un Noël que je passais en famille, j'ai d'abord été surpris de voir mes parents d'habitude peu enclins au fantastique, et peut-être aussi faute de mieux, accepter de le regarder avec moi et, une fois la soirée terminée, s'étonner d'avoir apprécié le film autant que moi finalement... !
Damned, il allait falloir que je m'intéresse tout de même de plus prêt à cette littérature pour jeunes ...de 7 à 77 ans donc!

J'ai donc acheté en poche les premiers tomes sortis et les ai dévorés comme de bien entendu à la vitesse de l'éclair (de feu ). Une autre collègue ayant commencé sa collection dans la version reliée m'a passé ensuite au fur et à mesure les volumes suivants avant qu'ils soient issus en poche (et que je les achète à ce moment là) et j'ai fait la queue au cinéma comme tant d'autres à chaque sortie du film suivant tout en mettant dans mon caddie chaque DVD sa semaine de sortie... J'étais eu! Englué dans la toile d'araignée magique de J.K.Rowling...

Je me demandais donc cet été comment j'allais pouvoir me rebeller contre ce marketing implacable qui fait sortir la version anglaise en plein coeur de l'été tout en repoussant la version française pour les achats de fin d'année...
L'attente allait être longue, d'autant que le volume 7 était le dernier et que j'étais sûr de par la prophécie annoncée d'y lire la mort double du héros et de son égal rival...
Je ne m'épancherai pas ici sur l'histoire, le dénouement, etc. Qui ne peut pas attendre de le lire pour savoir peut toujours surfer le net et y lire le résumé jusqu'à la fin sur le même site dont je parlais plus haut. Mon propos ici est de dire que c'est possible! Le lire en anglais, au début, on accroche sur chaque mot inconnu, on les cherche dans son vieux dico de lycée anglais/français, pour au final n'en trouver qu'un sur deux parce que le langage magique, c'est moitié inventé, moitié non courant. Puis on découvre que les noms ou des prénoms ou même les deux parfois ne sont pas les mêmes en anglais et en français pour un tiers des personnages... Bref, les premières pages sont difficiles à descendre... Et puis, une fois la barrière du vocabulaire sautée, une fois que le sens de la phrase, son sens dans le paragraphe, son déroulement dans le chapitre, s'emboîte au fur et à mesure dans l'histoire complète, on oublie qu'on a un mot manquant au milieu et on enchaîne!

J'ai donc commencé le livre lundi soir, continué mardi soir après le travail toujours, et ai profité du jour férié du 15 Août pour tourner les pages, et tourner les pages, sur mon canapé, sur la moquette, en mangeant, devant les infos, en écoutant la musique, jusqu'à me rendre compte vers 23H30, que j'étais allé trop loin et que je ne pouvais plus laisser les quelques 100 pages restantes pour le lendemain, que sinon, je ne saurai pas m'endormir et qu'il me fallait les lire, absolument, les lire jusqu'au bout, pour savoir le dénouement, savoir la fin, pour étancher ma soif, savoir s'il fallait que je sorte les mouchoirs, savoir si oui ou non la victoire de Harry Potter sur Voldemort signifiait sa propre mort ou pas...

Alors, oui, le lendemain, le réveil a été un peu difficile à 6H30 puisque j'avais finalement posé ma tête sur l'oreiller à 2H00, oui, j'ai baillé un peu plus qu'à l'accoutumée devant mon ordinateur toute la journée mais je l'avais fait ! Je l'avais lu ! 600 pages en 3 jours et EN ANGLAIS !

Bien sûr, j'attends toujours la sortie en français avec impatience pour le relire aussitôt, pour, en plus du plaisir de l'histoire, retrouver le plaisir des mots, des phrases, comprises de A à Z... mais de l'avoir lu dans la version originale m'a fait découvrir d'autres choses, comme la manière dont J.K.Rowling fait parler la française Fleur (et c'était délicieusement drôle pour un français de le lire) en V.O., ou (et c'était un peu plus dur à lire) les paroles en argot de Hagrid , à moins que ce n'exprime un fort accent en tout cas, et que la version française me laissait moins voir...
Et justement, d'avoir lu le septième volume des aventures de Harry en anglais m'a permis d'apprécier à sa juste valeur le travail incroyable d'adaptation plus que de traduction d'ailleurs de Monsieur Jean-François Ménard, le traducteur des Harry Potter en français. Parce que trouver le mot juste pour exprimer l'inventivité de J.K.Rowling dans tout ce que son monde imaginaire incluait, comme inventer le mot "Portoloin" là où la version originale appelait "Portkey" cet objet ensorcelé pour emmener ailleurs toute personne le touchant, c'est génial et je dis Chapeau bas à ce monsieur qui a su faire un travail exceptionnel et difficile à partir des mots anglais de l'auteur original... !

Alors maintenant, vous savez ce qui vous reste à faire! Inutile d'attendre fin Octobre, lancez-vous! Osez! Vous saurez la fin de l'histoire et en plus, ça ne vous en fera qu'apprécier mieux la version habituelle que vous lisez en français...

BWO third album’s tracklisting & cover art

Bodies Without Organs' third album, "Fabricator", which is expected on 19/09/07 for release in Sweden, looks promising from its tracklisting & cover art, isn't it?

01. Last Flight To San Francisco
02. Give Me The Night
03. Let It Rain
04. The Destiny Of Love
05. Gomenasai
06. We Should Be Dancing
07. Stay with you again
08. Rhythm Drives Me Crazy
09. Save My Pride
10. Happiness
11. Hooked On The Danger
12. Concrete Jungle
13. Paradise On Mars
14. Chariots Of Fire
15. Save My Pride (The Attic radio edit)
16. The Destiny Of Love (The Attic radio edit)

It reminds me a lot of Army Of lovers and after rumours at the start of the year that Alexander Bard was seen in the PWL studios, I can't help dreaming track 6 could be a Stock/Aitken/Waterman cover song he could have re-recorded with the re-united trio... If only !

Sagi Rei's dance hits in acoustic versions

Surfing the net I found last week an israelian singer that has settled now in Italy where he produced last year a 12 tracks album called "Emotional Songs - Acoustic Dance" made of his own vocal/guitar versions of dance anthems.

The album enlists Billie Ray Martin's Your loving arms, Lisa Stansfield's All around the world, Gala's Freed from desire, Jam & Spoon's Right in the night, Snap!'s Rhythm is a dancer, Gigi D'Agostino's L'amour toujours, Robin S' Show me love, Blast & V.D.C.'s Crayzy man, Ultra Naté's Free, Raul Orellana & Jocelyn Brown's Gypsy rhythm, Haddaway's What is love and Alex Party's Wrap me up : All dance/club hits from 1992 to 1997 (except for Lisa Stansfield's 1989 classic) that Sagi sings as if they were ballads or romantic songs with his beautiful voice and just his guitar... and it's FABULOUS!



I, for sure not one who usually likes it when the tempo's down or when there is no synthés, analogic beats nor keyboards, have found me completely spellbound by these versions and I even forgot it was a guitar that gives the rhythm and embodies the stripped-to-the-bone acoustic versions.

Don't expect these dance anthems to sound still like club hits (except for the dance remix of Rhythm is a dancer that found its place as a B-side to the single release of the original album version) but you will re-discover all these songs and will agree then that a good song sounds good either when expensively recorded & mixed with loads of electronic equipement AS WELL AS recorded live with just a guitar by a talented guy with a voice of gold.

Not only has he apparently met some huge success in some places around the world but Sagi Rei has just released a brand new album called "Emotional Songs - Part 2" which duplicates the reciepe of the first, but with greater arrangements involving piano & strings this time. My Heart melted again!

This time, he chose his songs in an extended range of styles & years and picked on Crystal Waters' Gypsy woman, Tina Charles' I love to love, Joe Smooth's Promised land, Everything But The Girl's Missing, Alcazar's Crying at the discotheque, Livin' Joy's Don't stop movin', Supermen Lovers' Starlight, Moloko's Sing it back, Dead Or Alive's You spin me round (like a record), Boys Town Gang's I can't take my eyes off you, Modjo's Lady, Ace Of Base's All that she wants, La Bouche's Sweet dreams and Bobby Brown's Two can play that game.
The result sounds as great as on "Emotional Songs 1" and you can't help loving his interpretations of all these beloved and rather well-known hits.

On the whole package, there's only one single track that I can't get used to : his take on Robin S Show me love where I think he lost the magical rhythm of the original. There are other lesser known songs (Crayzy man & L'amour toujours) that I don't know the originals enough to compare but really like his versions and there are others that fit its guitar-led arrangements perfect because of the latino/gipsy original inspiration (Gypsy rhythm & Right in the night). The best ones for me though, and the ones you should first listen to, if you want to make yourself an opinion about his work, are Free, Promised land, All around the world, Gypsy woman, Rhythm is a dancer and Your loving arms.

So go to his Myspace page and take a listen before iTuning his name!
www.myspace.com/sagireitan
And remember you've heard of him here first :)
This man is gonna be HUGE!

Now I dream, before he chooses some new classics to make his own, of a remix album made of dance mixes of all these acoustic versions, just to make sure the usual dance addicts get to know this artist that looks like he loves the dance scene enough to re-invent its best anthems for the after party cooldown times.

Nouveau Riche's Pink Trash

Another swedish album for tonight, bought on www.cdon.com again, and found in the same parcel as Magnus Carlsson : the long awaited Nouveau Riche duet's first album Pink Trash.

When I first wrote about them here (see in my blog's archives on 10/02/07), their album was supposed to be called Matters of the heart... It's finally made it to Pink Trash and the cover is fabulous with these two mannequins close-up face to face. My version of the CD is not the digipack but the simple crystal box so as for Magnus' there's no lyrics included here, nor lots of photos but what is impressive is the tracklisting : 16 tracks!
But your CD player will indicate 18 as there's an introduction at 17 to the bonus Dusty Springfield cover version of the Pet Shop Boys written song In private as track 18 as well as new single apparently... There's a Soundfactory remix of it floating on the net...

Nouveau Riche's male part, Ulrich Bermsjö, looks here like the mastermind behind the project because he co-wrote some songs when Camilla none. Army Of Lovers' heritage proof lies here in the contributors : Magnus Frykberg, Mattias Lindblom & Anders Wollbeck (aka Vacuum), Jeanette Olsson, Emil Hellman and... Mister Alexander Bard himself it seems!

The album is much darker electro cold pop than Magnus' campy disco cheese so I would say it's a cross between Vacuum and BWO, although at some moments, there is some AoL extravaganzza too (Psychosexuality makes me think of an electro remix of Heterosexuality from Army Of Lovers' Gods of Earth & Heaven album). Included are Nouveau Riche's previous songs with Dominika, Oh Lord, Hardcore life & It's my party, but resung by Camilla, latest single, Angels, and more potential single material like the evident choice of the Vacuum written Wounds of love, Stay (where Camilla takes the lead), the fabulous anthem It's my party, the camp cover Calling all boys or Atomic love.
Their cover of In private is a good revival of the Dusty Springfield classic of 1989 and I suspected that Camilla, who sang backing vocals on the album of Pet Shop Boys cover versions of swedish West End Girls, wanted to do her part in the PSB Tribute... So it came as a surprise to hear Ulrich sing it all (or it seems). I don't know what it is with the Pet Shop Boys and Sweden but swedish people tend to like to sing their songs more than anyone (remember Alcazar sang Lovelife too!) and I won't complain at all! I'm a PSB addict !

The only plus they could have made would have been to include at the end the Soundfactory radio mix of Angels 'cos it transformes the ballad song in a club anthem and I like it maybe more than the original but I'm still satisfied with the original tracklisting : I will only add this one to my mp3 player's version of this album that will stay for long in my favourites ...for sure!

Magnus Carlsson's first post Alcazar english album

After a self-named solo album in swedish in 2006 and a swedish/english christmas album the same year, Spår I Snön, ex Alcazar (and former Barbados) singer Magnus Carlsson has finally released his first album in english. Named after his entry of this year MelodiFestivalen, Live Forever, it includes the A-Ha inspired single version as well as an accoustic one and 11 other disco pop gemms. THIS song should have gone to Eurovision's night instead of The Ark's one and sure 2008's party would then have been in Stockholm! This tune was Take on me Part II, vamped up for 2007 and with some Magnus' incredible vocal performance. Magnus even recorded this song in french (and spanish) on the CD single and although it suffered of some translation (its title J'ai vivrai is ungrammatical and should have been Je vivrai), like previous Alcazar's french version of Here I am, his french singing is charming and I'd be ready, more than willing & able to help him with his french accent with some tutoring anytime he wants .


The new single Waves of love is a summer anthem in the making but the album is full of pure pop dance hits. Crazy summer nights, I won't cry, Another rainbow, Give a little love, Don't you worry, You, Boogie time should ALL become singles as they're catchy as hell!
Magnus has worked with 3 different swedish songwriting/producing teams (HitVision, Thomas Thörnholm & Michael Clauss and Figge Bogström) but they've managed to create a full on disco pop anthem party from track 1 to 12, just before Magnus calms it down with his piano led acoustic version of Live forever. Track 7's midtempo, Never walk away, was right at the middle to slow it down a little too.
Live Forever - The Album is so much the follower of Alcazar's Alcazarized album that I now nearly can bear with the lack in my heart this missing quatuor have created. Andres, Magnus, Tess & Annikafiore were such a fabulous group I still hope they reunite someday. Till then, and with Andres' career not as sparkling as his ex boyfriend's, we only have this CD to help us forgive them for parting away...

I had waited for this CD to come in my post for long (it is an import from Sweden you know, thank you www.cdon.com!) and I was hoping for a great surprise maybe with the booklet or hidden tracks... I was deceived : no printed lyrics nor bonus included! I was so harder deceived that the iTunes version of the album includes some bonus material and I can't understand why Warner Music gave bonuses for digital downloads and none for CD buyers.
THAT will only lead to the die of the CD format! And I still like having that piece of plastic in my hands, opening it up feverishly to read the notes, discover who wrote what, who produce what, which guests have been invited, sing along to it with the help of the lyrics...

Instead, I've been to iTunes and have bought the bonus tracks to complete the tracklisting and the added part is GREAT!
Nothing less than 3 other new songs plus a demo version of one of the songs that made it to the CD version plus some remixes, and the newbies What about love, I found love & I belong to you could all have fitted in the original tracklisting. The space was enough to include them too so that makes me hate it a little more when the music industry takes us CD buyers for fools : that can only lead to peer-to-peer files trade and make consumers take over the market.

Till then I hope there'll still be plenty of releases of that quality on CD and I will sure buy them all ! I'm so proud to have this new CD in my personal discothèque.
I also hope Magnus will release plenty of singles off it just to get them with fabulous remixes as we've been used to with its Alcazar & former releases... Bring Emil Hellman & his Soundfactory's mixes in! There's never enough of a good song and there ain't a bad one here!

www.magnusonline.se

From under Her to His Umbrella...

Sometimes nowadays, R&B charts unleash a tune that is poppy enough to appeal to me and make me want to dance to its beat.
There haven't been loads in the last past years but, to name a few, I'd admit I've liked Beyoncé's Crazy in love original or all her recent Freemasons remixes, Rihanna's S.O.S. or Umbrella, and not only remixed, even in its original flavour...
The point must be that when a song is good, whatever the arrangements, dance, R&B or acoustic, the song will reach you straight to the heart!

And that leads me to where I'm going tonight : just before going to sleep (I still have to wake up early tomorrow morning 'cos it's one more saturday morning of work...), I wanted to share with you a link that I just came up to tonight and it's so good I want to share it with everyone :

Just go to this MySpace page : http://www.myspace.com/scottsimonsmusic and click on the music player to listen to this man's own rendition of Rihanna's last hit Umbrella...
It's AMAZING!
He's made a haunting mid-tempo sticky version of the syncopated R&B track and it's pure genius... His rendition must become a HIT very soon or the whole music industry doesn't deserve to be saved...

It may be a shame for an artist that apparently is a songwriter first to break it with a cover maybe but it must be because of his songwriter & arranger talents that he's magnified this already instant song and made a true musical pearl of it.
Add to this that his version will still sound fresh in a decade as its sounds are untemporal and you've got a hit! A shame it is not him that have released Umbrella first...