Amy’s new album This Is The Life hits stores August 19th
She’s humble, thoughtful, and not one for mindless chatter. She’d sooner talk about her favorite bands and songwriters, about football and films, than about herself.
But put Amy Macdonald on stage with a guitar in her hands, let loose her rich, bell-clear voice on a brace of superb original songs-and the self-effacing 20-year-old with the pale skin and wide blue eyes is revealed as a compelling performer possessed of formidable musical gifts.
Take a listen to her single “Mr. Rock & Roll”
Her Decca Universal debut album, This Is The Life, is equally impressive. On each of its eleven tracks, Amy’s own acoustic guitar patterns form the foundation for the beautifully de¬tailed arrangements created by producer Pete Wilkinson and mixed to perfection by Bob Clearmountain. The result is a seamless set of contemporary folk-flavored pop-rock with a warmly natural sound and free of hip-hop affectations. Amy’s melodies are incredibly catchy-the quality that has made “Run,” “This Is The Life,” and “Mr. Rock & Roll” into international radio favorites-but her lyrics sometimes hint at a darker, edgier under¬current.
“Footballer’s Wife” ponders the devaluation of celebrity, from James Dean and Marilyn Monroe to today’s reality-show wanna-bes; “Poison Prince” is a sharp-eyed ‘look at the high-wire act of Pete Doherty (of Libertines and Babyshambles), one of Amy’s earliest and most important musical inspirations. “Youth of Today” is a challenge to older gen¬erations, firm and clear-eyed without being self-righteous-Amy’s version of “The Times They Are A-Changin’” or “My Generation.”
This Is The Life began moving up the British chart soon after its initial release in July 2007. The album reached Number One on January 13, 2008, knocking Radiohead’s In Rainbows out of the top slot. To date, This Is The Life has sold more than 700,000 copies in the UK (double platinum) and over one million worldwide, mak¬ing Amy Macdonald the biggest-selling female British artist to emerge last year. Thus far, her album has reached Number One in the UK, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands and cracked the Top 20 in Germany, Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Greece.
Back in the USA, the excitement has proven contagious. In April 2008, Amy arrived in the States for debut club appearances in Boston and New York. Her 4/28 performance at Great Scott in Boston prompted The Boston Globe to hail Amy Macdonald as “a 20-year-old lass with a guitar, a strong will, thick eyeliner, and a voice that snaps you to attention.We give her a year before she’s headlining the Orpheum [Theater].”
Track Listing:
1. Mr. Rock & Roll
2. This Is The Life
3. Poison Prince
4. Youth Of Today
5. Run
6. Let’s Start A Band
7. Barrowland Ballroom
8. L.A.
9. A Wish For Something More
10. Footballer’s Wife
11. The Road Home
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WatchMojo NewsletterThere are a lot of reasons to celebrate the July 1 release of Night Ranger’s HOLE IN THE SUN, notably that it marks the band’s first studio album in a decade and commemorates the pioneering hard rock outfit’s 25th anniversary as a band. The best reason, as has been the case throughout Night Ranger’s heralded career, is to celebrate the music itself.
“People will hear this record and recognize our dual blazing guitars and vocals, and big choruses and melodic verses, because that’s definitely how you can describe this album,” explains singer/bassist Jack Blades of the self-produced new release, the band’s eighth studio album, and first for VH1 Classic Records. “It’s new Night Ranger, but in a lot of ways it’s classic Night Ranger.”
Guitars grind and swirl through the unrelenting opener “Tell Your Vision,” delivering a progressively-fueled crush that sets the tone for the eleven new tracks that follow, from Keagy’s Jim Morrison-like soft parade of vocals atop the blinding guitars of “Drama Queen” and the blitzing melodic charge of “You’re Gonna Hear From Me,” through the enduring depths of the piano-driven power ballad “There is Life,” and back again. HOLE IN THE SUN rings with the vibrancy of vintage Night Ranger, yet echoes with a modern relevance that endures throughout the album.
“We wanted to sound new, but still keep our roots,” says Keagy of the new release. “We grew up in the ‘70s, when pop music was really starting to thrive. Sometimes it drove you crazy because the songs were so poppy that you couldn’t get them out of your head, but they were still amazing songs. We wanted to portray some of that on this album.”
While there is definitely a pop glisten to HOLE IN THE SUN, there’s also a heavy dynamic that plants the band firmly in the millennium. “Brad brought in a lot of great ideas, some more modern-sounding things, but we were still able to keep that melodic sense in the songs. We wanted a lot of songs like ‘Drama Queen,’ great, gritty songs that reestablish our roots in hard rock,” continues Keagy.
Night Ranger—original members bassist/vocalist Jack Blades, drummer/vocalist Kelly Keagy and guitarist Brad Gillis along with guitarist Joel Hoekstra and keyboardist Christian Cullen—will be on the road throughout 2008, including a stop in Pryor, OK on Friday, July 11 to perform as part of Rocklahoma. They’ll also be doing various shows with Styx & Boston, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Cinderella & Warrant.
The band has been touring all over the world the past few months, including a stop at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to perform for the men and women stationed there. For Night Ranger, it was a life changing experience.
As Keagy described, “There could not have been a more proud moment in my career then when we stepped foot on Guantanamo Bay to play for the troops there. We all had mixed emotions about going and we didn’t really know what they do there. Well we certainly found out, but the world should know that the people that are being held should be there because they are (I believe) the most dangerous people on this Earth. We heard the facts in a briefing given by one of the highest ranking officers on the base. It was amazing! To the men and women that work so very hard to keep us safe from the kinds of things that happened on 911, I salute you.”
“Going to Guantanamo Bay Cuba to play for the troops is right up there as one of the wildest things Night Ranger has ever done,” Blades continues. “We’ve been all over the world, but never have we sung “You Can Still Rock In America” in a Communist country with armed Cubans watching us in guard towers just a few clicks away. Everyone was so appreciative of us being there, and seeing them rock out was the greatest. We were given a tour of the detention facilities, got the REAL story first-hand and went face-to-face with the detainees (nice stare-down moment that I shall not soon forget). Saw it all and it made us even more appreciative for what our soldiers, sailors, marines and airman are doing to keep us safe. They’re doing their part, so we’ll keep doing our part. Rock in America baby!”
Says Gillis of the band’s current tour plans: “We started with our classic backline with the American flag and the Night Ranger logo, and then we built it all up from there – bigger lights, bigger sound, bigger everything! We’ve got the ramps, the vintage t-shirts, the old-school Night Ranger antics, and it’s going to be nothing but fun.”
Night Ranger has left an indelible mark on the music world thanks to a number of best-selling albums—starting with their 1982 DAWN PATROL debut–that sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. The band’s popularity has been fueled by an impressive string of instantly recognizable hit singles and signature album tracks, including “Sister Christian,” “(You Can Still) Rock In America,” “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Sentimental Street,” “Goodbye” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.” Harnessing the frenetic drive of heavy metal to hook-laden rock songs, throwing in a stunning twin lead guitar team, and melodious, radio-friendly power ballads, Night Ranger inspired new descriptive phrases such as “melodic metal” and “metal power pop.”
“Music is constantly evolving and changing, and people need to keep evolving in life, spirit, soul and everything, or you might as well pack it in,” notes Blades. “That’s why I’m so proud of Night Ranger, and that’s why we will continue to evolve. With this new album, we’re just going to roll with it, have a blast doing it, and keep playing as long as it’s fun, and as long as people want to come out and hear us play. There are still a lot of people out there that want to get up and sing, ‘motorin’…’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,’ ‘You Can Still Rock in America,’ the list goes on and on…”
Night Ranger Official Site:
http://www.nightranger.com
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/nightranger
VH1 Classic Official Site:
www.vh1classic.com
DATE CITY VENUE
Sat 7/19 Fort Smith, AR Harry E. Kelly Park
Fri 7/25 St. Clair, MI Palmer Park
Sat 7/26 Maquoketa, IA Jackson County Fair Iowa
Sun 7/27 Lake Ozark, MO Horny Toad Entertainment Complex
Sat 8/2 Rifle, CO Garfield County Fair
Sat 8/9 Windsor, ONT. Lakeshore Soccer Park
Sun 8/10 Des Moines, IA Iowa State Fair/Grandstand (Cinderella/Warrant)
Sun 8/17 St. Joseph, MO Trails West Festival
Sat 8/23 Tower, MN Fortune Bay Casino
Sat 8/30 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Field
Sun 8/31 Sparks, NV John Ascuaga’s Nugget - Parkin
Sun 9/28 Jackpot, NV Cactus Petes Casino/Ameristar Amp (Foreigner)
Wed 10/1 Tulsa, OK Tulsa State Fair
(July 15, 2008 - New York, NY) International superstar Mariah Carey’s newest single from her RIAA platinum album E=MC², the #1 Most-Added “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time,” will be the subject of a unique competition. Beginning July 15th, the “Mariah Remix Contest” will allow fans and remixers throughout the world to create distinctive new mixes of the song, using individual tracks from the master sessions of “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time.” The “Mariah Remix Contest” is being launched by MariahCarey.com, in conjunction with UltraStar Entertainment, the digital media company behind her official site and fan club, and IndabaMusic.com, the leading music collaboration website and online community for musicians.
Eight instrument stems from “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time,” including lead vocals, keyboards, brass, bass, and drums, will be available at www.indabamusic.com/
Submissions will be accepted through August 28th, with online fan voting beginning the next day, and ending on September 12th. The 10 remix finalists, as voted by fans, will be judged by the celebrity panel of Mark Sudack (co-executive producer of E=MC2), Kerri Mason (Dance Columnist, Billboard), and Mantis Evar (EVP, Indaba Music).
The grand prize package will include $5,000 cash, the winning remix posted on Mariah’s official website, www.MariahCarey.com, her record label’s website, www.IslandRecords.com, and MySpace page, www.MySpace.com/MariahCarey, and the winning remixer featured as Mariah’s ‘Top Friend’ on MySpace for one month. The second prize winner will receive a complete Pro Tools recording system, courtesy of www.Sweetwater.com. All ten finalists will win a signed copy of E=MC².
In conjunction with the “Mariah Remix Contest,” fans will have the opportunity to take yet another step closer to Mariah by signing up for a complimentary 90-day membership to her fan club, Honey B. Fly, at www.MariahCarey.com/remix. Members of Mariah’s hugely popular fan club enjoy access to ticket presales, exclusive media, merchandise discounts, giveaways, and more.
“I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time” is the third single from E=MC², and follows up hit, “Bye Bye” E=MC² arrived in stores April 15th and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with first week Soundscan sales of 463,000 copies - the biggest first week total of Mariah’s career.
“Touch My Body,” the album’s first single, made history when it became Mariah’s 18th #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 - surpassing one of the most enduring chart records of the past half-century, Elvis Presley’s 17 #1’s. “Touch My Body”’s two weeks at the top marked Mariah’s 78th and 79th cumulative career weeks at #1, which tied Elvis’ long-standing all-time high of 79 weeks at #1, as calculated in Billboard. At the same time, Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles’ all-time high of 20 #1 hits.
The 11th studio album of her career, E=MC² follows-up The Emancipation Of Mimi (released April 12, 2005), Mariah’s worldwide 10 million selling #1 album. Mimi contained “We Belong Together” (Grammy winner for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song) and “Don’t Forget About Us,” Mariah’s 16th and 17th #1 singles respectively - which tied Elvis Presley’s 17 #1’s. Mimi generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles, and countless more honors during its 18-month stay on the charts. Mimi was an industry phenomenon for the mega-platinum award-winning superstar. Soundscan’s biggest-selling album of the year, it brought total sales of Mariah’s albums, singles and videos to over 160 million worldwide, securing her place as the top-selling female recording artist in history.
Robin Thicke will premiere his highly anticipated video for his new hit single “Magic” on Monday, July 21! In the meantime, Myspace gives you a sneak peek into “Magic.” Check it out!
Chicago MC Bullet AKA Jeanius Jenkins is finally gearing up to back to the lyricsrelease his debut album Back to the Lyrics on July 29th. The album is a true testament to how sincere this young Columbia College student is to the art of beats and rhymes.
Bullet who has been garnering the support of his home city understands the importance of originality in todays marketplace and hopes that fans will understand by listening to this album just how serious he is as an MC. “I put a lot of effort into this project and I do think it is a strong introduction to me as both a lyricist and a writer, but this is just the beginning really.”
There is nothing that this Chicago MC is afraid to do. It is his versatility that will win a person over every time. He doesn’t want to hear that you can only rap in a certain way or attract a certain market. Bullet is aiming for total domination. He knows he can maintain his individuality and uphold his credibility and when he releases Back to the Lyrics his artistic capabilities will be on show for the world to appreciate and the industry to respect.
The album is filled with tracks which have the ability to capture the attention of various audiences thus encouraging a mass appeal for the enthusiastic lyricist. “I want to re-engasasge fans with what Hip-Hop is about,” explains Bullet. “This project is about ridiculous beats and serious storytelling.”
With heavy bass driven and synthesizer loops in abundance, Bullet is definitely making his mark with Back to the Lyrics. The production on the album fell into the capable hands of fellow Chicagoans Vanysh and Slot A. Both provided Bullet with a highly versatile backdrop for him to paint his picture of what life is for a 21 year old college studio in Chicago right now.
His determination at becoming a success is summarized in this opus, each and every track was crafted with the intention that it will become a single. Bullet never half steps which is probably a good thing considering how fast he is heading upwards and onwards.
TRACKLISTING FOR BACK TO THE LYRICS
1.Intro
2.Put ya Hands High
3.Follow the Leader
4.I’m On My ish
5.I ain’t gotta front pt.2
6.Blue Moon feat. Youngblaze
7.Take That
8.Quick
9.Complete Love feat. Bekky
10.Back to the lyrics
11.Swag up.com (skit)
12.Hype
13.Earth Girls
14.About Me
15.Damage is done
16.That Girl feat. Christian Rich
17. Get It feat Inglish (Bonus Track)
TO DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM SAMPLER OF BACK TO THE LYRICS PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
http://www.sendspace.com/file/r5fgh7
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY
“Bullet is truly the new voice of Chicago. In just a few months he’s risen to become one of the leaders of the new school for the Windy City. Every time I receive something from him, it’s posted on Fake Shore Drive in a matter of seconds. Watch out for this kid!” -Andrew Fakeshoredrive.com
“He is coming with some space age swag shit and I like that,” Naledge of Kidz in the Hall
“Bullet Works his ass off and he sticks to his own thing which is what is needed in Chicago” - Inglish of the Cool Kidz
“I heard a track from him last Summer and it was just plain nasty, he is coming into the game prepared - Flosstradamus
“Perhaps the best thing about Bullet is that beyond his skill, he has a firm understanding of Hip Hop’s past while simultaneously being a part of its future. With his upcoming album, Back To The Lyrics, Bullet aligns himself with artists out of Chicago that have a brought a new flavor and perspective to Hip Hop Music.” Alex Fruchter EIC RubyHornet.com
“One of the Hottest dudes in Chicago”- Grafh
“My Homie Bullet is taking it back to the lyrics” - D.O.E (Mosley Music Group)
“This kid definitely has a lot of tenacity; this is Hip-Hop in it’s purest form.” - DJ Scream
Part two of New Kids On The Block’s making of the “Summertime” video is here. Follow the guys to Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA while Jon shoots his driving sequence, then to Topanga Canyon for Danny’s running scene and finally to Topanga Beach where Jordan, Jon, Joey, Donnie and Danny reunite. “Summertime” is available on iTunes now and will appear on their forthcoming album due out on 9/2. Stay tuned for part 3, and in the meantime check out all of the band’s upcoming tour dates at http://nkotb.com/tour.
