OCTOBER 2013 ISSUE
A sneaky peak of just some of what is in the October 2013 issue
Harleighblu
Harleighblu is the name and, yes, it’s really what her mum christened her. I know this because mum happens to be sitting right across the table from me, with her talented daughter enjoying a spot of lunch in a pleasant pub rooftop bar in Kings Cross. It’s a sunny, late summer afternoon and the pair of them are just off the train from their hometown of Nottingham, ready to jump into an array of publicity and promotional dates ahead of Harleighblu’s first album, Forget Me Not, for the redoubtable Tru Thoughts label.
Robert Luis, head of A&R at Tru Thoughts, has been pretty damn excited about recording Harleighblu ever since hearing a series of demos she’d cut with producer Joe Buhdha, following a tip-off from Rodney P. What they were doing, he said, “had the hallmarks of a classic soul album, with added influences of hip-hop and artists like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, but then filtered through a distinctive singer who has this fresh, intense spark.”
Earth Wind & Fire
It’s happened before and it’ll happen again: an established, widely adored act takes a period away from the scene of their triumphs – either by choice or because time and musical fashion have moved on – and when they record that big comeback album they screw it up completely by chasing the prevailing trends in a desperate attempt to appear current.
Whether it be down to artistic insecurity or – perhaps more likely – record label pressure to come up with something commercial [i.e., that sounds like the rest of the chart], the number of older acts who missed their second chance because they chased the youth market is legion. And it’s almost never the way to go. Happily, Earth Wind & Fire have not fallen into this trap on their new album, Now, Then & Forever…
Tony Touch
It’s been almost 15 years since Tony Touch’s original 50 MCs mixtape trilogy ended. Each featuring 50 rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Big Punisher and Q-Tip, the Power Cypha series boasted a guest list most DJs would envy. Almost two decades on from the first instalment, Tony’s brought the format out of retirement for The Piecemaker 3: Return of the 50 MCs. But where Tony previously featured the hottest rappers of the day, Piecemaker 3 sticks faithfully to those from the era of the original tapes. Action Bronson, Willie the Kid and Termanology represent rap’s current crop, but the bulk of the set is mostly filled by artists who came of age when Tony did. So The Lox, MOP and Black Thought pass the mic while DJ Premier and Beatnuts Psycho Les and Juju control the boards. Tony felt most comfortable sticking with the personalities he’s friendliest with.
“My initial approach to the album was to make it like a reunion,” he says on the phone from New York, not wanting to discount the possibility of doing a 50 MCs-style mixtape with rap’s new generation…
Bitty McLean
Just 20 years ago, Bitty McLean’s first two singles It Keeps Rainin’ and Pass It On were perched high in the UK charts. It was as if the young Brummie had come from nowhere. There’d been no prior recordings or sound-system presence. He’d arrived with a batch of pop reggae sides that he’d played and produced himself and taken everyone by surprise. His next two singles Here I Stand and Dedicated To The One I Love both went Top 10, but then he disappeared after making reggae a lot of new friends but receiving little recognition in return.
It was an album of songs voiced over Treasure Isle rhythm tracks – On Bond Street – that put him on the reggae map and made people take him more seriously. Lead single Walk Away From Love was a big hit back in 2005. He then teamed up with Sly and Robbie for his next album, Movin’ On, and that’s when Jamaica sat up and took notice. Lately, riding the Taxi rhythm was tune of the summer in 2009 and he’s remained close to the Riddim Twins ever since.
Bitty’s latest album is The Taxi Sessions, again co-produced with Sly and Robbie, who provided the rhythms…