Label: A:larm Music
Country: Sweden
Release Date: 2010.03.01

RebekkaMaria udgiver nyt feminint album 1. marts. ”Sister Sortie” er titlen på albummet – en plade, hvor den danske sangerinde hylder mangfoldigheden blandt kvinder og ikke mindst i den enkelte kvinde med musikalsk portrættering af forskellige kvindeskikkelser. Som optakt forærer hun et remix af hendes aktuelle single ”Oh Solitude væk gratis. Remixet er skabt af ét af Hollands fornemmeste elektroniske pop duoer – Anderson.
Fornyelse er overskriften for RebekkaMaria i 2010. Med udgivelsen af ”Sister Sortie” fornyer hun sig ikke kun fra eksperimenterende elektrodronning til feminin fuldblodssolist – prefikset ”As In” er nu slettet for at illustrere, at RebekkaMaria for alvor skyder sin solokarriere i gang med et sanseligt og soulet album. ”Sister Sortie” er lagt an som en række bemærkelsesværdige kvindeportrætter – komplet med karriere, hjemmebag, småbørn og blomstershopping.
Albumtitlen ”Sister Sortie” er ment som et frontalt kvindeangreb, en feminin mission, en søsterlig offensiv med RebekkaMaria i rollen som både bannerfører og hornblæser for et kæmpekor af kampklædte hverdagskvinder.

Label: Naïve
Country: United Kingdom
Release Date: 2010.04.05

London-based trio We Have Band’s debut album ‘WHB’ will be released through French label Naïve. The record will come out on 5th April, preceded by single ‘Divisive’ on 22nd March, and was recorded throughout 2009 with producer Gareth Jones.
Pounding drum machines, dirty basslines, even dirtier synths and a neat line in hypnotic, Hot Chip-style vocal hooks, We Have Band’s sweaty electro is simply irresistible. An adventurous & modernist concoction of post-new rave DIY sambapunkdisco jiggery-pokery that’ll come as a shot of distorted filth in the arm for an overflowing UK electro-pop scene… They got band. We found heroes.

Label: ChinChin Records
Country: Germany
Release Date: 2010.03.01

Music is the only realised Utopia. Here utopia is realized by Martin Strathausen, the brain of the German, French & Russian project: Tape Five, the retro-neobossa-swing-latin-jazzy-pop-flavoured-happening! Are you a Tango-dancing spy, that is searching suitcase No.347 with very suspicious contents in Nice, Havanna or Moscow in 1972? Are you wearing your best white linen suite doing the cha-cha-cha in Rico’s Bar or would you recognize the legendary ‘rat pack’ in a 60ies nightclub in Las Vegas creating a “swingfood mood”? No, this is not a James Bond movie, not even a Humphrey Bogart classic in Casablanca, neither a cotton plant in the Southern States in the ‘Summertime’, nor is it “Avenue du Gare” where you smoke your last cigar… Keep cool – it’s just the film in your head! Or maybe just simply wallpaper your home bar on the South Cape or your Westend chillout-lounge with the right sound? A retro-modern “Cocktail d’Amour” of swing, bossanova, lounge-latin and ambient jazz elements.

Label: Atlantic
Country: Greece
Release Date: 2010.02.22

‘The Family Jewels’ is the debut album from Welsh/Greek pop-songstress Marina Diamandis, more commonly known as Marina And The Diamonds. Her quirky songs show off both Marina’s eccentric personality and her unique voice, which sets ‘The Family Jewels’ apart from the other albums released by solo, female artists, which often don’t have the depth of originality possessed by Marina.

Marina Diamandis has already come a long way. Only six months ago she was playing to a half-empty third tent on a drizzly Friday afternoon at Leeds Festival. Now, she’s been named the runner-up in the BBC’s Sound Of 2010 critics poll and sleb blogger Perez Hilton is tweeting at her, declaring his undying love. Some of this could be put down to good timing, of course. One-woman bands with curious names and a penchant for quirky pop are pretty in vogue right now, after all. But Marina’s singles throughout 2009 showcased a genuine new talent, with Obsessions and Mowgli’s Road becoming two pop music highlights of the year. But the buzz has ensured that debut album The Family Jewels is one of the year’s more eagerly awaited releases. On first listen it’s a somewhat bewildering concoction, dizzily spinning from overtly theatrical pop at one turn to heartfelt ballads the next with, ever so occasionally, a song that sounds like it’s had everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink thrown into it. Mowgli’s Road is a good example of the latter. Brimming with energy from the first shout of ‘Cuckoo!” at the start, it packs in a staccato piano riff, jungle animal noises and more cutlery references than your average restaurant review. It’s certainly kooky, but with enough heart to keep things interesting. Her lyrics aren’t always so unconventional or Kipling referencing. Girls is a witty, knowing song about challenging female stereotypes: “I fall asleep when they speak of all the calories they eat”. The Outsider tackles alienation and insecurity amongst the first flourishing of fame: “Just because you know my name doesn’t mean you know my game.” It’s true that, sometimes, it gets a bit wearying. There are so many punchy choruses and electro hooks that, after a while, you start to feel a bit jaded – a point best made by the best songs here being the relatively downtempo numbers. Obsessions, a plaintive ballad about an abusive relationship, is beautiful, while I Am Not A Robot shows a pleasing touch of vulnerability which works very well. Marina’s voice will also divide people. In a similar manner to Amanda Palmer she takes a theatrical bent to her vocals, making sure to enunciate every word in a manner that becomes a bit grating after a while. She also has a habit of namechecking herself – whether you find Hollywood’s line about “Oh my god, you look just like Shakira, no no, you’re Catherine Zeta, actually, my name’s Marina” endearing or infuriating will depend on your taste. But she certainly has the charisma to establish herself as a proper popstar, and tracks like Oh No, Shampain and the aforementioned Hollywood are all infectiously catchy and have enough depth not to be dismissed lightly as bubblegum pop. The Family Jewels isn’t the classic debut album that her early singles suggested was on the way, but there’s enough promise here to carry her through the hype. (by john murphy)

Label: Sony Music
Country: United Kingdom
Release Date: 2010.02.09

Soldier of Love is only the sixth studio album the band Sade have released during their 25 year career, and the first since Lover’s Rock in 2000. For Sade herself, as the lynchpin of the group’s songwriting effort, it’s a simple matter of integrity and authenticity. “I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I’m not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand.” The call went out in 2008 for the group to re-convene at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio, near Sade’s home in the countryside of south west England. It was the first time the four principals had met up since the Lover’s Rock tour wrapped in 2001. Bassist Paul Denman de-camped from Los Angeles, where he had been managing his teenage son’s punk band, Orange. Guitarist and sax player Stuart Matthewman interrupted his film soundtrack work in New York, and keyboardist Andrew Hale gave up his A&R consultancy. In a series of fortnightly sessions at Real World, Sade sketched out the material for a new album which, they all felt, was probably their most ambitious to date. In particular, the sonic layering and martial beats of the title track, Soldier Of Love, sounded quite different from anything they had previously recorded. According to Andrew Hale: “The big question for all of us at the beginning was, did we still want to do this and could we still get along as friends?” The answer soon came back as a passionate affirmative. (by amazon)

Label: Six Degrees
Country: United States
Release Date: 2009.02.17

It’s no coincidence that Nancy Kaye, Ireesh Lal and Carmen Rizzo chose to name their groundbreaking collaboration after the ancient Sufi folk song, “Lal Meri,” an interpretation which closes the trio’s seductive and refreshing Six Degrees Records debut. “The message of the song is unifying different people from different cultures and beliefs,” says Nancy, the mystery-laden honey-and-sand voiced siren, with a gift for expansive turns of phrases and indelible melodies. “Why can’t we basically be together as one? It’s a beautiful message.”

If ever a band represented such ideals, it’s Lal Meri, with each musician coming in from different backgrounds, cultures and musical sensibilities, all combined into a unified, vibrant whole. Nancy’s singing and writing – both urgent and timeless – have powered her forays in pop (a 2002 debut album for Island/Def Jam Records) and jazz (her recent, saucy tour de force Luckiest Girl), both under the artist name Rosey. Ireesh’s multiple instrumental, composing and arranging talents have been spotlighted in his previous bands Hot Sauce Johnson and Animastik. Carmen’s global-conscious sense has brought him to the forefront as a writer, producer and remixer with Seal, Coldplay, Paul Oakenfold, Jem and countless others, while his expansive vision is at the core of his own wide-ranging album and his work as a member of the groundbreaking world-fusion act Niyaz.

On their self-titled debut album, these distinctly creative musical minds and strong individual personalities form at once a microcosm or mirror of the whole world — and a whole new world unto itself. Nancy’s voice intertwines with R&B punches and smoky cabaret inflections, while Ireesh blends reggae & jazz on the trumpet. Seductive trip-hop beats mix with oud and tabla. Emotions run deep, in matters of romance and the state of the world, the music and lyrics alike questing for the best instincts of the human spirit. From the soulful bounce of opener “Dreams of 18” through the closing title song, Lal Meri is three artists inventing a new common language. (by last.fm)

Label: Verve Records
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 2009.09.29

Gilberto’s fourth album All In One is her debut album for Verve Records label. Known worldwide for her ability to connect modern sounds with the heart and soul of Brazilian music, the New York-born Gilberto focuses on the rhythms of her native country, devising a cosmopolitan yet classic sound with the help of a diverse group of collaborators, including Carlinhos Brown (Caetano Veloso), Didi Gutman (Brazilian Girls), Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Daniel Jobim (grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim) and John King (the Dust Brothers). All In One perfectly expresses Gilberto’s interest in making music that feels romantic and fluid. In particular, Most of the record is sung in Portuguese, Bebel’s native language, and was conceived, developed and recorded in her home studio.

Label: Heinz Records
Country: United States
Release Date: 2009.10.27

Splendor In The Grass, the fourth album from the celebrated and beloved 12-piece little orchestra Pink Martini. Splendor In The Grass was recorded in Portland, Oregon at Kung Fu Bakery, by engineer Dave Friedlander (Prince, The Decemberists) and was produced by Pink Martini bandleader/pianist Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini lead vocalist China Forbes and longtime collaborator and muse Alex Marashian. Marashian, who directed the band’s only music video, “Sympathique,” in summer of 1999, was editor in chief of Colors Magazine in Paris in the mid-1990s and is currently editor-at-large of Another Magazine.
Splendor in the Grass is composed of nine original songs and four covers, with songs in English, Neapolitan, Italian, French and Spanish. The album also features four guest stars: the legendary 90-year old Mexican ranchera singer–and one-time lover of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo–Chavela Vargas sings the Agustin Lara classic “Piensa En Mi;” Emilio Delgado aka “Luis” on the American children’s television show “Sesame Street” duets with China in a multi-lingual cover of Joe Raposo’s “Sing;” NPR justice correspondent Ari Shapiro makes his solo singing recording debut in “But Now I’m Back;” and Courtney Taylor-Taylor of the Dandy Warhols plays electric guitar on “Splendor In The Grass.”
“From start to finish, I loved working on this album,” says Lauderdale. “I honestly love it and could listen to it over and over. Each song is filled with references and back stories and adventures,” he continues. “Franz Schubert’s `Fantasy for Piano for Four Hands,’ for example, directly inspired two of the songs we wrote: `And Then You’re Gone’ sung by China Forbes and its companion piece `But Now I’m Back’ sung by Ari Shapiro, who during the day serves as justice correspondent for National Public Radio. `Tuca Tuca’–originally sung by the great Italian singer Rafaella Carra–features a sitar solo played by our bassist Phil Baker, performed on the actual sitar played by Peter Sellers in the 1968 film The Party. `New Amsterdam’–composed by the blind homeless composer Moondog (who dressed as a Viking and stood on Sixth Avenue in New York City for nearly three decades)–is, in my opinion, the most beautiful song ever written about New York. We found a most amazing choir of young people here in Portland called the Pacific Youth Choir to record the chorus. Meanwhile, the chorus at the end of `Sing’ is comprised of the office staff of Pink Martini, the Royal Blues of Grant High School in Portland (my alma mater) and the staff and friends of Portland Mayor Sam Adams. For me, this album is all about participating in the world…being part of it, being out in the street and finding the incredible beauty in the activities and unfoldings of every day.”

Label: Schema
Country: Italy
Release Date: 2009.10.15

A real rising star on Schema Records — composer Alessandro Magnanini, best known for his hit with Mario Biondi — stepping out here in a beautiful album of his own original music! There’s a fresh feel here that really opens up a new chapter at Schema — still a bit of their old jazz/bossa vibe, but with a more expansive quality too — one that embraces bits of Bacharach, snaps of 60s soundtracks, and gentler jazzier passages too — all put together by a group that features key talents from the contemporary Italian scene — like vocalists Rosalia De Souza and Stefania Rava, trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso, and other instrumentalists on vibes, piano, tenor, and trombone. Most instrumentation is live — scored nicely, but not enough so that it loses the spontaneity of jazz — and other vocals are by Jenny B and Liam McKahey. The work is really beautiful — still mostly upbeat, but hardly just the stuff of dancefloor grooving too — key proof that Maganini’s a big talent to watch in years to come. Titles include “Livin My Life”, “Open Up Your Eyes”, “Stay Into My Life”, “But Not For You”, “Greetings From Here”, “Something Fine”, “Suddenly”, “Blind Date Blues”, and “So Long Goodbye”. (by dusty groove)

Label: Phantom
Country: Belgium
Release Date: 2009.12.08

Since 1996, Dirk Swartenbroekx (Belgium) is making records under the name of Buscemi, one of his favorite actors. His style is deep. Difficult to categorise: nu bossa, house music, brazilian grooves, afrobeat, jazzy electro, balkan mish mash… Dirk has released 10 EP’s, 4 fully-fledged CDs, 2 compilations for the famous Blue Note label, one mixcompilation for Ministry of Sound Germany and one compilation of the remixes he did between 1997-2005. Buscemi’s fame as remixer is rapidly spreading. He reworked tracks for bands like Beach Boys, Suba, Madredeus and Calexico. Buscemi is much in demand as DJ (eclectic, warm and deep stylee!).