Alice Russell is fast becoming one of my favourite artists. I’ve only known about her for the last 2 years or so, but in that time I’ve made it my mission to collect as much of her music as possible. I own all her albums, plus a significant number of her numerous collaborations with artists such as Quantic, TM Juke and Bah Samba.

I’ve heard nothing but great things in relation to her live shows, and so earlier this year I planned to catch her  when she was performing in my home city. Sadly by the time I got round to getting tickets the gig was sold out. Thankfully, to celebrate the official UK release of Pot Of Gold and the Pot Of Gold: Remixes album, Alice decided to tour again, however this time it involved a three hour round trip to catch her at my nearest venue.

Before I get into Alice’s performance I’d like to mention the support act The Heavy. They only performed 4 or 5 tracks but I instantly liked what I was hearing. Their sound is a fusion of rock and soul, with elements of hard funk and even a little bit of reggae thrown in for good measure. If i’m honest they are not what I would usually go for, however their short set impressed me so much that I intend to grab both of their albums at the earliest opportunity.

Now this show was billed as ‘Alice Russell’ , which to all intents and purposes is what we got, however the show was so much more than just Alice singing away to tracks from her impressive catalogue. Her band also deserve a (big) mention as they came close to stealing the show on a couple of occasions, especially Jack Baker (of The Jack Baker Trio) on drums and Ben Jones on keys. Alice has been performing with these guys for some time now, and it really shows. The chemistry between them is amazing, and when the band are not playing they are either dancing, singing or generally acting up. much to Alice’s, and the audience’s, amusement.

The main focus of the show was on Alice’s newer material from Pot Of Gold including ‘Two Steps’, ‘Turn and Run’, her fantastic cover of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, the super-funky ‘Got The Hunger’, ‘Living The Life Of A Dreamer’ and new single ‘Let Us Be Loving’. She also performed older favourites, such as ‘Fly In The Hand’, ‘Munkaroo’, ‘Humankind’ and her cover of the White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’. To be honest I think she could have sang just about anything and still drove the crowd wild, it was obvious from the moment she first stepped onto the stage that most of the audience were die-hard fans just grateful to hear her fantastic vocals. Well she definitely did not disappoint, every track was sang like it was her last performance, and I didn’t hear a single dropped note throughout the entire set (eat your heart out X Factor!).

It is very difficult to pick highlights, from what I’m sure will be the best show I’ve been to this year, however if pushed I would have to chose two. First would be ‘Big Shiny Laser’, a new track that I’m hoping and praying will be released in some form soon. The track has a slight 80’s vibe, and showed both Alice and the band off at their very best. The second highlight would have to be her slowed-down performance of ‘Hurry On Now’. This track has appeared on several of Alice’s releases, each time either as a remix, or  with an alternative arrangement, and is definitely one of my favourites from her.

Sadly I didn’t manage to get any footage on the night, but here is a video of Alice performing ‘Big Shiny Laser’ at a Toronto show earlier in the year.

I want to give some love to Alice Russell today. She popped into my mind yesterday, so I watched her Red Bull Music Academy interview session with Benji B.

What an inspiring woman! She is mad talented, has incredible musical experience, and seems completely down to earth. It is so refreshing to listen to her words of wisdom. As a vocalist, I totally appreciate her take on performing, on music, and on the business.

I’ve got serious respect for Alice!

Watch her interview by clicking on the link below.

RBMA Alice Russel – Brighton Rocks

PS…If it’s your first time checking out the RBMA site, feel free to get excited! Get ready to discover a plethora of incredible interview segments from the likes of…Amp Fiddler, Benga, A-Track, Mark De Clive Lowe, Benny Sings, Carl Craig, Daz-I-Kue, Domu, Gilberto Gil, IG Culture, M. I. A., etc.

The list goes on and on…Enjoy!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001BPKM92.jpg

YouTube – The Bamboos: Step it up ( feat Alice Russell).

Featuring Alice Russell, Kentucky Nightmare and Skewby.

Direct link to the show’s mp3 file

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes  or the player of your choice 

00:01 Alice Russell – Let Us Be Loving (KidKanevil Remix)
http://myspace.com/alicerusselluk
http://alicerussell.com/

03:47 Beach House – Norway
http://www.beachhousemusic.net/

07:43 Kentucky Nightmare – Caroline & I

Kentucky Nightmare
“Caroline & I” (mp3)
from “Take Her Favour”
(Standard Recording Company)

Buy at Standard Recording Company Store
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

11:21 Das Glow – Lite Brite (Strip Steve Remix)
http://futurella.blogspot.com/

15:49 Skewby – No Critics Allowed
http://myspace.com/skewbymusic

Until next time. . .

21-45

shafiq husayn ft fatima – lil’ girl
sa-ra creative partners ft jay electronica & ta’raach – love czars II (remix)
q-tip ft norah jones – life is better
four tet – love cry
mark pritchard – the hologram
joy orbison – hyph mngo
mr. chop = t.r.o.y
pete rock & cl smooth – for pete’s sake
the beginning of the end – when she made me promise
alice russell – let us be loving (the clonious remix)
georgia anne muldrow – killa peach
samiyam – catch me riding dirty
ras g & the african space program – lisa bonet

22-45

raekwon ft ghostface – criminology pt 2
nat king cole – day in day out (cut chemist remix)
soil & pimp sessions ft jamie cullum – stolen moments
dam funk – mirrors
hudson mohawke – 3.30
monopoly – the george machine
dorian concept – trilingual dance sexperience
hudson mohawke – trykk
j dilla – on stilts
the clonious – oily glue
weldon irvine – love your brother (sanctified version)
gp presents havana cultura – no existen palabras
moondog – frog bog
little dragon – never never
new look – everything
cooly g – love dub refix
build an ark – this prayer for the whole world

Groupe anglais / Groove-Funk / 30/10/2009

Précédée d’une première partie agréablement surprenante de Féfé, Alice Russell offrait à l’EMB-Sannois la première date de concert de sa nouvelle tournée. Un concert de plus de deux heures pour ravir nos oreilles comme il se doit !

Féfé a lancé sa carrière solo après dix ans de bons et loyaux services pour le hip-hop avec le Saïan Supa Crew (je vous invite à découvrir sa bio en images, il raconte tout ça très bien). Je n’attendais rien de cette première partie et le résultat m’a plutôt plu ! Des accords de guitare certes basiques, une façon de chanter qui tire régulièrement sur le rap (ce qui crée un contraste amusant entre les mélodies et le phrasé), mais des textes vraiment piquants et du charme à revendre. Féfé démontre qu’on peut rebondir de différentes manières, certains diront qu’il s’est rangé, qu’il est devenu vieux et il vous le confirmera, lui le jeune à la retraite !

Alice Russell prend place en retard avec ses cinq musiciens en costards. Blanc sur blanc sur des british, ce n’était peut-être pas le meilleur choix (et leurs costumes étaient mal taillés mais ce n’est qu’un détail). Elle facette de mille feux dans sa robe à paillettes. On peut parler de show à l’américaine tant le spectacle est rôdé. Chaque titre est annoncé, les morceaux s’enchainent, les chorégraphies aussi, trop de titres pour prendre le temps de discuter… C’est très pro, très carré, tout en sachant rester assez de connivences avec le public. Au beau milieu de son set, la dame disparaît en coulisses, ses musiciens entament un bœuf jazzy délicieux. Lorsqu’Alice reparaît, elle s’est changée, elle avait simplement trop chaud explique t’elle. Jeux de lumières, jeux de jambes, jeux de voix… il ne manque rien à ce spectacle très bien rôdé pour une première. Les reprises de Seven Nation Army (White Stripes) ou de Crazy (Gnarls Barkley) sont à vous retourner les tripes. On est pris par l’euphorie de ces mélodies qui groovent, qui jazzent, qui laissent s’exprimer une des plus belles voix soul-funk du moment. Etonnement, on n’est pas transporté jusqu’au fond de nos tripes pour autant…

Quoi qu’il en soit, le plateau de l’EMB-Sannois ce soir là était égal à lui-même : de qualité.  Féfé est un artiste à suivre et Alice Russell confirme que la qualité de son disque égale ses prestations scéniques.

Note : 8/10

The video for Alice’s forthcoming single ‘Let Us Be Loving’ has finally seen the light of day. And we’re glad that it did! Directed by Brighton-based photographer and film-maker Steve Glashier (who has previously created music promos for the likes of Fatboy Slim, Juliette and the Licks and The Rakes), the video was shot entirely with a Canon 5D mkII (for those photography buffs amongst you).

You can also see Alice’s stunning cover of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ on Canal + TV here

Alice embarks on a short UK tour (once she returns from the European tour of course) during November. Check out her MySpace for details.

And as if that weren’t enough, Mr Scruff’s remix of Alice’s Got the Hunger? (available on the Pot Of Gold Remixes album) will be iTunes Single of the Week from 10th November. Let Us Be Loving and Got the Hunger? (Mr Scruff Remix) will both be available on iTunes to download for FREE, and you can still download the other remixes from the album for just 79p each.

Two more singing UK imports: V V Brown and Alice Russell. Alice Russell’s new video from Pot of Gold doesn’t exactly live up to the perfectly tailored US standards of a music video (and consequently has soul), and V V Brown’s video, on the other hand, looks like it was made for exactly that. But now I really want tights with my name written down the legs.

Bonus Downloads:

The Heavy – “Short Change Hero” via URB

Wayna- “Billyclub ft Wale” Remix via Okayplayer

Oddisee- Odd Autumn EP via Oddisee

Jukebox Melange mix (Part 1 | Part 2) via Aurgasm

Hot on the heels of my Best Of British post yesterday, Alice Russell has dropped the video for the next single off of her Pot Of Gold album, ‘Let There Be Lovin’. The video is simple, fun and colourful, with a slight retro vibe which suits the song perfectly.

If your a fan of Ms. Russell don’t forget that her 2CD Pot Of Gold: Remixes album dropped a few days ago. I have my copy, go get yours!

As any fan of independant or non-mainstream music will know, there are certain artists who should be household names/worldwide superstars, yet for some reason remain relatively unknown to the masses. The perfect example of this phenomenon is UK soul singer Alice Russell. With a total of 4 critically acclaimed albums under her belt, and some very high profile collaborations it is uncomprehensible to those in the know why she isn’t storming the charts and selling huge amounts of records.

Alice discovered her joy of singing, as many an artist does, whilst participating in local church choirs. Her choir singing, along with an affection for classic soul artists such as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin set the seed for what was to become a very successful independent career. Her first big break came when she was asked to perform on tracks by latin/house/soul band Bah Samba and then she came to the attention of Will Holland and began collaborations with both Quantic and his Quantic Soul Orchestra. Fast forward a few years and the talented songstress was releasing her first album, 2004’s Under The Munka Moon, on the Brighton-based Tru-Thoughts label. The album was a collection of collaborations, singles and remixes with established artists such as Quantic and Nature Boy.

Her association with the Tru-Thoughts label continued and a year later she released her first studio album, and my personal favourite,  My Favourite Letters. The album was co-written and produced by labelmate and friend TM Juke, who would go on to accompany Alice on tours of the UK, Europe and Australia. The album featured soul/funk classics such as ‘A Fly In The Hand’, ‘Humankind’ and personal highlight ‘Munkaroo’ and further cemented Alice’s reputation as one of the best and most promising independent UK artists to emerge in a very long time.

Whilst continually touring around the world Alice released her third album, and last on the Tru-Thoughts label, Under The Munka Moon II (2006). Much the same as her first album, it featured a host of remixes, collaborations and cover versions, including a cover of The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ and a remix of fan favourite ‘Hurry On Now’. During this time Alice and TM Juke continued to write and record in the studio and Alice still managed to find time to collaborate with other like-mindedartists and Tru-Thoughts labelmates.

Her most recent work is 2008’s Pot Of Gold. Again the album is a collaborative effort with TM Juke (and the rest of her band) and features a host of new material plus a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ and another version of ‘Hurry On Now’. Unlike her previous 3 releases this album was not released through the Tru-Thoughts label but rather the the independent Sparkle Street label. Next up for Alice is the release of her highly anticipated Pot Of Gold: Remixes album (released on Oct 5th) and several live dates around the UK and Europe, which I already have my ticket for!

LINKS:

Ofiicial Site

Myspace

YouTube

Kimberley Nichole is a name I’ve been familiar with for quite a while thanks to Tha Connoisseur over at SoulAfrodisiac.

Last week she performed a show in NYC alongside the Jaspects and Soul:UK favourite, Brittany Bosco. As part of her show she covered the White Stripe’s ‘Seven Nation Army’ (made famous to many soul fans by Alice Russell). I’m a fan of the original as well as Alice’s version, however I can safely say that this is the best live version of the track I have heard.

Kimberely recently released her debut album, The Yellow Brick Journey, which is available direct from her website (and is now top of my ‘wish-list’), and you can check out more performances on her YouTube channel.

As a bonus check out her cover of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ below, coincidentally this track was also covered by Alice Russell on Pot Of Gold.

Soft Toy Emergency: We just love these guys! They’re now signed to All Around The World Records and release a new version of Critical in late October. They made a huge impression at Reading and Leeds festivals playing on The BBC Introducing stage, blowing everyone away.

Following these performances, BBC Radio 1’s Grimmy and Huw Stephens both played a live track from Soft Toy Emergency’s set on their shows. No other artist from The BBC Introducing stage enjoyed this privilege! TV-wise, Critical has now also been added to the full playlist at Box TV, Chartshow Channel and NME Radar.

Honey Ryder’s new single is the title track from their debut album, Rising Up. It’s been given a new radio mix and some remixes that are making their presence felt in the dance charts.

Cosmo Jarvis: We think this guy is a genius! His debut album has just come in to the office. It’s called Humasyouhitch Sonofabitch and we know it’s going to be huge. He’s just supported Muse and has some London dates coming up.

The My Albatross single is going down exceptionally well at UK radio and we’re really pleased with how it’s been received. An Xfm Razor Cuts session will be broadcast on 13 September to coincide with the release of their new single.

Saving Aimee’s great new single, Fresh Since 88, is due out on 11 October and has a stunning video from the guys who worked on Guy Richies’ Rocknrolla. It’s been added to Kerrang TV, Chart show, Scuzz, Stars and The Box already. Saving Aimee’s album, We’re The Good Guys, is released on 26 October.

Alice Russell is a brand new signing to the Ask Me roster and we’re over the moon to be working with her. She’s playing KOKO in London on 1 October and releases her Pot Of Gold album remixes on 5 October. We guarantee you’ll be hearing lots more about Alice over the coming weeks!

This footage is a little rough, but gives a good idea of how Alice Russell ripped it up at this year’s Big Chill Festival.
Pot of Gold Remixes coming soon!

Coming soon... Big Chill 2009 cover versions mix

The first of the regular cover version mixes after the summer break will be themed around The Big Chill festival.

It was a bit of a different festival experience for me this year as we took our 1 year old daughter along but it was as enjoyable as ever.  My highlights included Max Romeo’s memorable sunday afternoon set, Dennis Bovell’s Dub Band, Amadou and Mariam, Alice Russell and Craig Charles’ saturday lunchtime DJ set.

Norman Jay’s sunday lunchtime set (and yes, the sun was shining)  started with a great cover version I hope to include in the mix.  Basement Jaxx had mixed reviews from elsewhere but I thought they were great.  Full of energy and perfect for the Friday night headliner slot to set the tone for the weekend.

I’ll post the 60-minute mix next sunday morning (fortnightly sundays as usual) but by way of a sneak preview expect a few cover versions played at the festival as well as a couple from previous years.  I’ll post previews of tracks featured over the next couple of days.

In the mean time, add your comments below to suggest any covers you heard during the festival season.

What can I say … another great album from the Tru Thoughts camp (who are going to be all over my year end lists!).

Nathaniel Pearn (aka Natural Self aka Keno-1) combines hip-hop beats, brass-band soul, elements of funk and even a bit of dub-step on My Heart Beats Like  A Drum, his 3rd release under his Natural Self pseudonym. The majority of the tracks on the album are laid back instrumentals, including the latin flavour of ‘Days Get Brighter’ and the slightly ethereal feel of ‘Even Planets Get Lonely’, however the album really gains momentum when vocals are thrown in the mix. Nathaniel himself lends his voice to stand-out track ‘Every Day’ and he calls on the vocal talents of Elodie Rama (vocalist of French hip-hop group Hocus Pocus) to add her beautiful voice to three tracks including my favourite cut on the album, ‘Midnight Sun’.

The combination of Nathaniel and Elodie is definitely a winning one, and it would have been nice to see her appear on a couple more tracks. Nathaniel has a very good track record of producing amazing songs when he pairs himself with a talented lady (he has worked with both Alice Russell and Andreya Triana) so it’s a shame he hasn’t used this to it’s full advantage here, however the album is still a stand-out in what has been a very good year in terms of new music.

Check out the Broken Keys remix of Natural Self & Andreya Triana’s ‘The Rising’ after the break.

 Release date:

7th December 09 (Free Download)

The latest offering from soul-siren Alice Russell, layers her now trademark vocal style with a rich and varied production style. Alice cites Jill Scott, Chaka Khan and Eva Cassidy among her inspiration, and this single demonstrates this with effortlessly cool jazz vibes making way for an uptempo soul explosion – with a sprinkling of rock energy thrown in (just for good measure). Let Us Be Loving is bound to appeal to Alice’s fans, but will also no doubt catch the attention of those on the look out for something undoubtedly cool and undeniably different. Check out the single now by clicking on the Soundcloud below. 

Alice has very kindly agreed to make Let Us Be Loving available as a free download! What’s more, Mr Scruff’s remix of Dreamer will also be available for free.

 Release date:

5th October 09

Alice’s big soul voice is matched in scale by an enviable soul pedigree as she names Roy Ayres, The Roots, Massive Attack, Femi Kuti, Lonnie Liston Smith, De La Soul, Quantic and The Quantic Soul Orchestra among her collaborators past and present. Pot of Gold Remixes boasts the likes of Mr Scruff and DJ Vadim reworking  tracks from her acclaimed debut album. She’s been garnering some excellent reviews of late, not least in this month’s Blues and Soul Magazine. You can also check out alicerussell.com for more information and for her upcoming UK tour dates!

Thursday’s concert performed by Alice Russell at Koko was simply amazing. Though I normally go to a couple of gigs every month, this has definitely  been one of the bests of the year.

Alice has a beautiful soul singer voice, and the band that plays with her is stunning. It was an almost two hours gig in one of the most magic venues in London. The Koko theatre, has this kind of essence that a singer like Alice is looking forward to transmit. Kinda burlesque, cabaret, and this French environment from the end of the 19th Century.

They performed loads of songs and played tribute to some artists such as Gnarls Barkley, Beyonce, The White Stripes and -of course they couldn’t miss him- Michael Jackson.

People who attended the concert definitely had a great time. Everybody enjoyed themselves and danced without stopping at anytime.

Wax Poetics is a bi-monthly music magazine dedicated to vintage and contemporary jazz, funk, soul, Latin, hip-hop, reggae, blues, and R&B… It’s also a record label, apparel store, download site, book publisher, and a weekly radio show on New York City’s East Village Radio hosted by the magazine’s staff. There’s even a Japanese version of the site.

You may wonder why I’m telling you all this…

Well it was through my weekly trawl that I found this free soul mix from one of my favourite artists of the last couple of years, Lanu.

As Tru Thoughts Records celebrates it’s 10th Anniversary in 2009 head to www.waxpoetics.com to check an exclusive Lanu selection of mellow soul cuts culled from the Tru Thoughts catalogue. Featuring music from Alice Russell, Nostalgia 77, The Bamboos, Kylie Auldist, The Quantic Soul Orchestra & more!

Click here to stream / Right click save as to download

Lanu is a New Zealand born, Melbourne-based producer, signed to Tru Thoughts, whose 2007 album ‘This Is My Home‘ I still play regularly, and who has worked with the likes of Jazzanova, Masters At Work, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Bembe Segue, Guru, Alice Russell, Opolopo and Quantic… All of whom, you may have noticed, are also favourites of mine. More recently, he produced Kylie Auldist’s album ‘Made Of Stone‘, which was released in August, and is currently touring with Kylie and his ‘Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ project in the UK and Europe.

Check out the mix, and bookmark these links to keep up to date…

http://www.lanu.com.au/
http://www.myspace.com/lanumusic
http://www.kylieauldist.com/
http://www.myspace.com/kylieauldistmusic
http://www.tru-thoughts.co.uk/