EAR CANDY
ALBUMS B IS FOR BACK! After winning over the nation as the “honest” mentor on the Aussie X Factor, Melanie B is now setting her sights on music again. Having signed on the dotted line with EMI, Scary Spice is eager to get back to the recording studio and make magic happen. It’s true that poor old Scary and Posh were the two Spice Girls whose music never quite took off in the same way that Melanie C, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton’s did, but people often forget it was Mel B’s debut single ‘I Want You Back’ that actually gave any of the Spice Girls their first taste of solo success. It will be interesting to see what direction she takes musically, so keep your eyes and ears pealed later this year. As she declares in her press release: ‘Love me or hate me, Scary Spice is back, hahahaha!!!’
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
OUT OF THE GAME I’m new to the world of Rufus. In fact, I can say with all honesty that until this album I hadn’t heard a single thing he’d done. I’d heard of him of course, just never heard him. I mean, who is he anyway? I feel like I should know him by now, but he’s a bit like that fabulous person at the party whom everyone wants some time with, but who sticks tight with his own entourage and then leaves early. Seemingly coming out of nowhere in the late 90s, this indie chanteur suddenly seemed to be the gay everyone was talking about. But the infamy didn’t translate into record sales until 2007’s Release the Stars when finally the UK took notice, and now he’s recorded with hipper-than-hip Mark Ronson, and the time has come apparently for us all to get better acquainted. Out Of the Game is a remarkable album, masterfully produced by Ronson. Quite a chilled-out acoustic pop affair, this sounds a little like if kd lang were to sing the songs of Radiohead. The songs evoke a Sunday afternoon hangover reading the papers and avoiding the cold outside. This is not music for the gym – this is for a relaxed inner-sanctum. Wainwright himself sings like a marvelous, lazy, gin-soaked angel and as a songwriter he sources the personal. It’s all snippets of vague, quirky stories, intentionally ambiguous but ultimately revealing. The final track, ‘Candles’, is a gorgeous tune inspired by the 2010 loss of his mother, and easily the highlight of a lot of good stuff. I’m glad I’ve at last been introduced to the world of Rufus. I’ll be back for more.
GARY BARLOW & THE COMMONWEALTH BAND
SING YUMMY GAY JAY A friend of mine introduced me to Jay Brannan’s music a few years ago and I have to say he’s been high on my list of priorities ever since. You might’ve seen Jay in the fabulous John Cameron Mitchell film Shortbus, or maybe you’re familiar with his folksy storytelling melodies and perfectly bow shaped lips. He’s sort of like Jewel, only gay and hot, and sincere instead of annoying. He’ll be back in Australia at the end of June for a very small tour to promote his brand new album, which is particularly good and is called Rob Me Blind. No Canberra dates unfortunately, which is a shame cos an artist like Jay Brannan is simply made for a venue like Tilley’s, but he is playing at The Standard Hotel in Sydney on Saturday 30 June. Trust me, those lips alone are worth the trip up!
GOSSIP
If you watched the recent Diamond Jubilee concert on Channel 9 then you might remember the big world choir anthem led by Gary Barlow. Chief singer/songwriter for Take That, both during and after the Robbie Williams era, Barlow is little known here but in the UK has superstar status due mostly to Take That, but also his current turn as head judge on X Factor UK. He wrote ‘Sing’ with Andrew Lloyd Webber and performs it with what can only be referred to as a diverse group of artists. Diverse might actually be an understatement. Wanting performers from throughout the Commonwealth, Barlow spent almost a year travelling the world armed with a melody, a laptop, and a set of headphones, collecting an eclectic assortment of sounds. It’s all African Youth Choirs and British Army Wives, Kenyan Slum Drummers and Scottish Bagpipers, to name just a few. The Aussie contingent is made up of Aboriginal guitarist Gurrumul and the Sydney Symphony recorded at the Opera House. But while in theory it might sound like a World Music trainwreck, the song is actually quite a beautiful piece of work that comes together very nicely indeed. This EP includes the version from the Jubilee Concert as well as Barlow’s solo version of the song, and also his fabulous cover of The Beatle’s ‘Here Comes the Sun’ which was used in a UK advertising campaign at the end of last year. Cheesy, but weirdly irresistible, this highly Brit-centric collection may not win over any staunch Republicans but it just might appeal to all those Anglophiles who liked what they saw of Gary Barlow and might perhaps be interested in hearing more. 39