Remembering Mary Wilson and her ‘Supreme Glamour’

Founding member of the Supremes Mary Wilson has sadly died at the age of 76, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Motown and music history. While the famous story of the band’s unravelling pits Diana Ross against Florence Ballard, the narrative that is often overlooked is how Mary survived as a Supreme through the whole ordeal, continuing the band after Ballard was dismissed and Ross went stratospherically solo. Mary’s story is one of quiet endurance and commitment to performance and style – beautifully told in her recent book ‘Supreme Glamour’. Continue reading “Remembering Mary Wilson and her ‘Supreme Glamour’” →

0

Dolly Parton’s Discography: Something Special (1995)

Something Special is a short album of ten songs, including three re-recorded versions of Dolly’s biggest hits. There’s no attempt to court the modern country charts or push her sound into any new directions. Instead we have some nice, middle of the road piano ballads and gentle vocal performances which tell us that at this stage in her career Dolly was content to embrace her middle age. Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography: Something Special (1995)” →

0

Stay On Your Feet and Other Life Lessons From the Mosh Pit

My first near death experience happened in a mosh pit, summer 1996. I had been bouncing around, a fourteen year old wearing DMs and an oversized band T-shirt, lost in the innocent, musical sweat of my youth. The band were britpop also-rans Northern Uproar whose star burnt out before they’d even released their debut album. But I wasn’t to know that at the time, since I was so deep in the joy of being a music fan that every new single heard on the radio felt like it could save your life. Continue reading “Stay On Your Feet and Other Life Lessons From the Mosh Pit” →

0

Music to Look Forward to in 2021

Apart from some initial delays and postponements, 2020 ended up feeling like any other year in the music calendar, albums wise anyway.

What we don’t know is how 2021 will play out. So far we have some releases scheduled but nowhere near as many big names as in previous years. You wonder if delaying until 2022 makes more sense for most especially in alternative, roots and Americana music which relies so much on touring to promote a record. At the same time independent artists may fear losing career momentum if they don’t release a record at all.

All we can do to counter some of these issues is to support the artists who do decide to release new music by buying their albums, merchandise and spreading the word to others.

So here are a selection of new albums I’m really excited to hear in 2021! Continue reading “Music to Look Forward to in 2021” →

4

Dolly Parton’s Discography: Home For Christmas (1990)

Dolly released her third Christmas album last year to great success, even if the pandemic year was not the most opportune timing for an album full of Yuletide cheer. Her first Christmas album was Once Upon a Christmas – a fun collaboration with Kenny Rogers released in 1984. Home for Christmas released in 1990 is composed of Christmas standards, rather than the originals which made up half of her album with Kenny. Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography: Home For Christmas (1990)” →

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑