FEBRUARY 2021 ISSUE
A sneaky peek of just some of what is in the February 2021 issue – OUT NOW!
Andra Day
Back in 2016 I called Andra Day while she was checking in at Boston airport for a flight to Philadelphia. Impressively, the singer was still able to handle ticket and baggage enquiries into her other ear at the same time as explaining how Spike Lee had persuaded her to film her first music video in The Box, a kind of fake fish tank/art installation in the foyer of The Standard Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, how much she loved Amy Winehouse [to the point where Andra had picked up the Londoner’s vocal glottal stops] and, amusingly, how when her Musical Theatre teacher had once advised her to study the music of Billie Holiday, Andra had replied with, ‘Who’s he?’ [Well, she was only 11.] So it’s ironic that, some 25 years later, our heroine should make her big screen acting debut playing Lady Day herself in Lee Daniels’ terrific new film, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, released next month. She laughs out loud to be reminded of the encounter.
“Hah-hah! It was a very clueless moment. I was like, ‘Who’s that guy? And why would you suggest him to me?’ Then, of course, I went and listened to her and I was enamoured… ”
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Lady Blackbird
Once there was a singer/songwriter named Marley Munroe. Now there is the artist Lady Blackbird. They’re both incredible.
Imagine a blend of Nina Simone, Etta James and Cassandra Wilson – a deep, dark, husky, muscular voice perfectly pitched to deliver sorrowful, soulful, blues and jazz ballads like no other. Put it at the centre of a set of simple, stripped-down arrangements – a tight crew of players on her album includes former Miles Davis keysman Deron Johnson, Jon Flaugher [double bass], Jimmy Paxson [drums, percussion], producer and co-writer Chris Seefried [guitars] and guest Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews [trumpet on one track] – and let it go where it needs to go, reinventing and owning covers at will, investing strong original material with authority, majesty and magic. The resultant album, Black Acid Soul, due for release next month, simply has to be the debut of the year – and it’s been a long time coming…
Agent Sasco
As we look back on a year defined by COVID-19, thank heavens for music. Despite the lack of live concerts and club events, there’s been no better cure for the lockdown blues than listening to our favourite sounds. The global pandemic notwithstanding, it’s been a good year for reggae and dancehall and some of my own favourite tracks of 2020 feature Agent Sasco – a Jamaican deejay blessed with a rockstone voice, impeccable mic skills and a gift for melody, not to mention a keen understanding of what his genre’s about.
His latest release is an EP called Sasco vs Assassin and it’s a classic. The Loco Remix, now featuring Bounty Killer and Kabaka Pyramid, ran 2020 playlists ragged, whilst other tracks feature Sean Paul, Kranium and Chronixx, who joins Sasco on a striking remake of Represent. All five songs offer testament to how dancehall’s continued to grow and evolve but it’s the title track, with Sasco clashing against his younger self that best illustrates his typically imaginative approach.
His last major release was 2018’s Hope River, a landmark album chiefly inspired by memories of his childhood in Kintyre; a ghetto neighbourhood on the outskirts of Kingston. Aside from talent, Sasco’s rise was due to hard work and determination…
Hil St. Soul
The next album is coming along really nicely. I’ve been recording songs over a long period of time and have collaborated with great producers such as Rex Rideout in the past and most recently Brian Power and the Soulhouse Family, and Regi Myrix. I’m due to collaborate with Calvin Richardson’s producer Lorenzo Johnson. I’ve got a few ideas cooking… so watch this space…
