Jesse J

Jessie J [Jessica Ellen Cornish] born 27 March 1988, an English singer and songwriter first saw fame when she began writing tracks for singers Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. The most successful track she co-wrote is "Party in the U.S.A.", which gained Platinum certification in many countries. 

On 7 January 2011 Jessie J came top of the BBC's Sound of 2011 list. She followed this in February by receiving Critics' Choice at the 2011 BRIT Awards.

She released her first single, "Do It Like a Dude" which peaked at 2 in the UK. Jessie released her follow-up single, "Price Tag" which went straight to number-one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand and top ten in 19 other countries. 

It remained at number-one in the UK for two consecutive weeks. Her debut album was released on 25 February 2011 and charted at number-two on the UK Albums Chart.

Cataracs feat Dev

The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. 

The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at Berkeley High School. The two were first signed to the label Indie-Pop. They describe their music as "an everyday man's take on pop music.

Cool, dry beats and neo-pyschedelic flows characterize this Berkeley group’s contribution to the burgeoning hyphy movement. Less raucous than Dem Hoodstarz but perfectly willing to sin, the Cataracs put another pushpin in the Bay Area map.

Devin Star Tailes (born July 2, 1989), better known by her stage name Dev, is an American recording artist. She was discovered by The Cataracs when she made an Amy  Winehouse cover and posted it onto MySpace back in 2008. 

Dev’s song Booty Bounce was sampled in Far East Movement’s hit single Like A G6 which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and sold over two million downloads in the country. 

Dev was signed to Universal Republic in October 2010 and released her first official single, Bass Down Low in December. The song debuted at number ninety-four in the US. Dev’s debut album called The Night The Sun Came Up. is set for 20 September 2011 release.

Beyonce: Run the World Girls

Beyonce's elaborate music video for new single "Run the World (Girls)," premiered during "American Idol" on May 18 to mixed reviews.

The Francis Lawrence-directed video finds Beyoncé navigating through an apocalyptic world and leading a determined army of supporters while sporting a slew of high fashion outfits from Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Emilo Pucci to Jean Paul Gaultier.

"Run the World (Girls)," which relies on a sample of Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor" and was produced by Switch with additional production by Beyoncé and Shea Taylor, is the first glimpse of the singer's highly anticipated fourth album, "4."

"It's definitely riskier than something a bit more…simple," Beyoncé told Billboard.com of the single. "I just heard the track and loved that it was so different: it felt a bit African, a bit electronic and futuristic. It reminded me of what I love, which is mixing different cultures and eras."

Beyonce told MTV News about her new album. "I started off being inspired by Afrobeat music pioneer, Fela Kuti. She reported that she actually worked with the band from Fela!,the hit Broadway musical based on Kuti's life just to get the feel for the soul and heart of his music.

Beyonce stated that she also found inspiration in a lot of old-school R&B too, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie," Beyonce said. "I listened to a lot of Jackson 5 and New Edition, but also Adele, Florence and the Machine and Prince. Add in my hip-hop influences, and you can hear how broad it is.

Suze Rotolo: More Than Dylan's Early Muse

Suze Rotolo with Bob Dylan in the early 60s. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives

Since her death on 24 February at the age of 67, Suze Rotolo has been commemorated as "Bob Dylan's muse" and the girl on the front cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan – Dylan's second album which propelled him to fame. [Nathalie Rothschild, Guardian.co.uk]

In addition to forever being captured on the Don Hunstein-photographed "Freewheelin' " cover, Rotolo's three-year relationship with Dylan, from 1961 to 1964, also inspired him to write three of his early love songs, "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," "Tomorrow is a Long Time," and "Boots of Spanish Leather." Dylan's breakup with Rotolo also influenced one of his most vitriolic tunes, "Ballad in Plain D". 

 "All is gone, all is gone, admit it, take flight. I gagged twice, doubled, tears blinding my sight. My mind it was mangled, I ran into the night. Leaving all of love's ashes behind me," The wind knocks my window, the room it is wet. The words to say I'm sorry, I haven't found yet. I think of her often and hope whoever she's met, will be fully aware of how precious she is." [Ballad in Plain D]

 

 

Although it's not surprising that the obituaries highlight her relationship with the singer, "Bob Dylan's ex" is really not an adequate epithet for Rotolo. A trained artist and jewellery maker, she never sought the spotlight herself, but she was a fascinating woman who helped shape the rebellious 1960s. [Full Article: Nathalie Rothschild, Guardian.co.uk]

Rotolo rarely spoke about her time with Dylan, but that changed within the past few years. Rotolo appeared in Martin Scorsese's film 'No Direction Home: Bob Dylan,' a documentary focusing on Dylan's early career from 1961 to 1966. In 2007's semi-biographical Dylan film 'I'm Not There,' Charlotte Gainsbourg portrayed a character that was part Rotolo, part Dylan's early wife Sara. Rotolo authored the highly regarded biography "A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties" [2008] [Excerpt from Salon.com Book Review ]  

Bob Dylan at 70

1966 Bob Dylan sits serenly while fans peer inside his limousine in London, 1966. Photo by Barry Feinstein courtesy of the Morrison Hotel Gallery

Dylan turns 70 today.  I have been fortunate enough to have be around since the beginning of his career. One of the earliest and more memorable events i remember was when Dylan went eclectic. I was attending the University of Nebraska at the time. My house-mates had tickets to see Dylan in concert and for whatever reason I had decided not to go. When they returned they were pissed screaming that Dylan had sold out. They were folkies and were not happy with Dylan turning electric. As Dylan said Times They Are a-Changing and as it turns out it, it wasn't a bad career move.
  

1966 Bob Dylan leaving the LSD betting office in Sheffield, England, 1966. Photo by Barry Feinstein courtesy of the Morrison Hotel Gallery

 

 

I finally did get around to see Dylan in concert when he was touring with the Band. By that time no one cared about whether he had sold out Dylan was Dylan and had became my generation's poet. 

Cover for the May 26, 2010 issue of Rolling Stone. Photograph by Jerry Schatzberg

The May 26, 2011 issue is available  online It is an excellent  review of Dylan's music, including famous covers by the Jimi Hendrix, the Byrds, and others. Articles include: My Favorite Dylan Song by Bono, Bob Weir, Marcus Mumford and more; The 10 Greatest Dylan Songs by Rolling Stone Readers; 20 Overlooked Classics by Rob Shefield; 10 Best Bootlegs by Andy Greene; Quiz: Do You Know Your Dylan? By Douglas Wolk; Photos: The Evolution of Dylan By Andy Greene; and Dylan's First Rolling Stone Interview By Jann S. Wenner. 

Metropia

This as most of my postings/reviews of film is somewhat dated, primarily due to the fact that I wait for the dvd release since theater-going is rather expensive and often disappointing i.e Sucker Punch (2011), The Adjustment Bureau as well as others.  I do go to second run showings of critically acclaimed films when I can, but not as often as I would like. Independent films often escape me since I live in a relatively small market and indie films generally have a very short run if any at all.

Metropia a dark animated Swedish sci-fi thriller is an excellent film that was released on dvd by Tribeca Film in Association with American Express last November.  Jeannette Catsoulis in her review Dystopia Animated in the New York Times wrote: "The distinctive voices of Vincent Gallo and Juliette Lewis emerge from the lead characters in “Metropia” but provide no comfort: Tarik Saleh’s dystopian vision of a depleted, smog-engulfed, financially collapsed Europe in the year 2024 seems a touch too close to home. In any case, the real star here is the film’s eerily unsettling animation, a digitally manipulated photomontage that makes everyone look almost human — in a heavily medicated, genetically suspect kind of way." 

Synopsis

This sci-fi animated thriller directed by Tarik Saleh takes place in a not-so-distant future. The world is running out of oil and the underground train systems have been connected into a gigantic subway network beneath Europe. Whenever Roger (Vincent Gallo) from Stockholm enters this system he hears a stranger’s voice in his head. He looks to the mysterious Nina (Juliette Lewis) to help him escape the disturbing web of the Metro, but the further they travel, the deeper he’s involved in a dark conspiracy. Also starring Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander Skarsgård, Sofia Helin.
--Joel Hoglund

As an aside Stig Larsson, author of the Millennium Trilogy, is listed below as one of the screenwriters

Cast & Credits

Primary Cast:

Vincent Gallo, Juliette Lewis, Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander Skarsgård, Sofia Helin

Director:

Tarik Saleh

Screenwriters:

Stig Larsson, Fredrik Edin, Tarik Saleh

Producers:

Kristina Åberg

Editor:

Johan Söderberg

Composer:

Krister Linder

Art Director:

Martin Hultman

Director of Animation:

Christian Ryltenius

Imelda May: Love Tatoo

I was introduced to Imelda May from the soundtrack of Wild Target [2010] starring Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt.

Imelda was the spitfire who sang the “How High The Moon” tribute to Les Paul with guitarist Jeff Beck at the Grammys in 2010. 

 

The Dublin native’s album Love Tattoo features a similar retro rock-a-billy sound. 

 

 

 What sets Imelda apart from other rockabilly acts is her incorporation of traditional Irish and jazz instrumentation into her rocked out arrangements. [Full Review: Love Tatoo]

 

 

Her latest album Mayhem was released last October by Decca Records. Decca describes the album as "made up of a fusion of surf guitars, blues and rockabilly - but with an edge that comes from some even more eclectic influences. 

The first single "Psycho" channels the spirit of early PJ Harvey, whilst the heartbreakingly poignant "Kentish Town Waltz" conjures an image of Chrissie Hynde at her most reflective. "Mayhem", the upcoming single, clocking in at just under three minutes is a rockabilly whirlwind, showcasing Imelda's bluesy vocals and rootsy sound." [Decca Records] 

The Irresistible Rise of Imelda May an article by Tom Lewis on Decca Records web site is an interesting read. Imelda May - Official Website for Imelda May is a great way of keeping up with the latest news as well as downloading the Imelda May Retro Radio widget.