Why ‘Tin Man’ Is The Sad Song We Need Right Now

Nowadays in popular music escapism is the name of the game. Songs are often nothing more than an attempt to make the listener feel good – even ballads are autotuned and polished to perfection. Raw emotion is no longer acceptable.

But look at the world. Look at all the terrible things that are happening. More than ever we need to hear songs that tell us the real stories of people’s lives – of their heartbreak and pain and suffering. These songs are still out there, but you won’t hear them much on the radio or at award shows. When Miranda Lambert stepped up to sing Tin Man at the ACM awards she said it was a ‘risk’ but it was a performance which proved that sad songs still have the most power. Continue reading “Why ‘Tin Man’ Is The Sad Song We Need Right Now”

Why A Win for Laura Mvula Would Be A Win for All Women in Music

The Ivor Novello awards, given for song writing, are to take place in London this week. They are strange awards in many ways – sometimes rewarding just for commercial success and other times recognising artists beyond the mainstream.

What makes this year’s nominations list stand out for the right reasons is the inclusion of Laura Mvula, who was recently dropped by her record label. Now you would think if they signed you for a five album deal then they at least believe in your talent and potential. But in this case they dropped her after her second album failed to reach their sales targets. And they did this by email.  Continue reading “Why A Win for Laura Mvula Would Be A Win for All Women in Music”

Album Review: Tanika Charles – Soul Run

Canadian singer Tanika Charles might have started out wanting to be an actress/comedian but thankfully she ended up finding her voice by singing back up vocals and has now evolved into an artist in her own right. Her music is sometimes billed as ‘classic soul’ but she admits some of the songs on her debut Soul Run started with hip hop style beats before being recreated with more traditional instrumentation. This blend of modern and vintage styles really makes this colourful album fly. Continue reading “Album Review: Tanika Charles – Soul Run”

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