He may not be a household name, but I’ll bet you know his work – Gregg Alexander is a songwriter, producer and performer with a knack for crafting some of the most catchy, emotionally resonant songs of the past 25 years.

Here I delve into four notable tracks that highlight his remarkable songwriting prowess:

You Get What You Give by The New Radicals (1998)

Gregg Alexander first came to my attention with the release of You Get What You Give in 1998, performed by his band The New Radicals. This anthem of youthful defiance and optimism became a global hit, celebrated for its infectious melody and sharp, socially conscious lyrics. The song criticizes the superficiality of the celebrity culture and consumerism (remember the video in the shopping mall?) while encouraging listeners to stay true to themselves and fight for their beliefs. Its enduring popularity is a testament to Alexander’s ability to blend thought-provoking content with an unforgettable tune, making it a late-90s classic that still resonates today.

Life is a Rollercoaster by Ronan Keating (2000)

This track showcases Alexander’s versatility, shifting from alternative rock to pop with ease. This is an upbeat, feel-good song that captures the highs and lows of life and love. Whatever happens – you’ve just got to go with it! Keating’s heartfelt delivery, paired with the catchy hooks and lyrics, made the song a commercial success, solidifying Alexander’s reputation as a hitmaker capable of writing across genres. I blogged about this song before, way back in 2013.

Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor (2001)

Continuing his streak of successful collaborations, Alexander co-wrote Murder on the Dancefloor for British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor in 2001. This disco-inspired track became a dancefloor staple, praised for its infectious groove and playful lyrics. The narrative, about a woman determined to win a dance competition at any cost, showcased Alexander’s talent for storytelling within the confines of a pop song. It gained a new lease of life and reached a new audience when it featured in the 2023 film Saltburn.

The Game of Love by Santana featuring Michelle Branch (2002)

In 2002, Alexander co-wrote The Game of Love for guitar legend Carlos Santana, featuring vocals by Michelle Branch – although Alexander himself was originally due to sing it, and further versions were recorded with Tina Turner and Macy Gray before Michelle Branch was brought in. This track marked a return to rock-infused pop, blending Santana’s characteristic guitar riffs with Branch’s soulful vocals. The Game of Love is a fusion of rock and pop elements, underpinned by Alexander’s signature melodic sensibilities. The song won a Grammy, highlighting Alexander’s skill in creating music that appeals to a broad audience while maintaining artistic integrity.

As you can probably tell, I’m quite a fan. Gregg Alexander has a talent for transcending genres and creating music that resonates with diverse audiences. From the rebellious spirit of You Get What You Give to the dance-pop perfection of Murder on the Dancefloor, and the heartfelt melodies of Life is a Rollercoaster and The Game of Love, his work has appeal to almost everyone.

He may not be the most famous, but he’s surely one of the most versatile and talented songwriters of his generation.

One of my favourite jazz writers and performers (in fact, one if my favourite writers and performers of any kind), Emily Saunders, has released her latest single, Sideways.

After the three previous tracks, which I reviewed in a post a couple of months ago, Sideways is the next song from her upcoming album, to be released later this year (2024).

Emily’s wonderful Summer Days remains my go-to summer track, and I can see Sideways booking its place as the theme of spring.

It’s bright and joyful, with a message that you can still find light, love, and happiness, even when things look gloomy.

A feel-good song for spring, if ever there was one. And the video makes me smile too – we’re at the seaside again (a favourite place for Emily and for me) with an animated couple in silhouette, enjoying their surroundings and each other’s presence, as they dance, play, swim, paddleboard and more to this uplifting song.

“How we walk through our days

Rainbows rise, clouds floating in the breezes

Colours shine as the rain sparkles high

Warm love on a dark day.”

You can see that lovely video here. And there’s more info on Emily’s website.

If you’re involved in arts or entertainment, check out the services of Weltch Media here.

Acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer, and ‘queen of UK jazz-fusion’ (so says DJ and producer, Snowboy, and who am I to disagree?), the brilliant Emily Saunders is promising us a new album this year.

It’s an exciting prospect, which has prompted me to catch up on her latest releases. So here’s a look at (and listen to) the three most recent singles, which will feature on the album, from this supremely talented London-based musician.

Rugged Waves

Released last August (2023), this is a joyful, sunshiney treat, which instantly transports you to the seaside (as her wonderful Summer Days did).

Inspired by a visit to friends in Greece: sitting on the edge of a rocky cove, with waves “dipping and diving” around her, Emily wrote the bassline, grooves and lyrics on the spot, then took it home, arranging and producing the final track in her London studio.

Check out the video here.

Mashup

September’s (2023) follow-up has a much darker theme, but is equally infectious – driven along by a powerful bassline, which at times brings to mind the theme of a 1970s TV cop show. (They did have some great themes, didn’t they?)

This song highlights the plight of people around the world, who are losing their homes, livelihoods, and even their lives through the actions of others countless miles away.

Here’s the video.

All As One

The latest single (November 2023) from the upcoming album takes us back to happier territory. It’s a happy, upbeat track, celebrating people joining together in life, love, and connection. Emily explains: “All As One was inspired by heartwarming evenings of being with people dancing together – it’s about the power of music lifting us up, feeding our soul, and washing away the stresses of the day”.

As the lyrics go:

Dancing through the night

Knowing dawn is on its way

Still we fly and dance the night away

And we’re spinning til the morning light

Sunlight lifts its eyes

Rising high in the new sky

Tripping down the street we dance away

And we’re spinning til the morning light

There’s a lovely video here.

So, that brings us up to date. Now we eagerly await the next single, Sideways, due out in March (2024) and then the album itself, as well as a UK tour.

Having had the pleasure of seeing Emily live at a small Cardiff venue a few years ago, that’s certainly something to look forward to.

If you’re involved in arts or entertainment, check out the services of Weltch Media here.

The latest R&B video from my transatlantic friends and near-namesakes at True Weltch Media was recently released (or ‘dropped’ as I need to start saying).

Magic is a romantic song, featuring a trio of New Jersey artists – two of whom I’ve featured before, Jo Rivers and Mytus, along with Raq, all from the city of Camden. And, appropriately, the video dropped (there, I said it!) on Valentine’s Day 2021.

I’m very grateful to US writer and publicist Jalyn Jewel, who provided some expert insight into the song and the video production:

“The video is a representation of the real life love story of executive producer Bak and his wife Sade.  It was only right that the ladies and True Weltch Media came with the vibes.

“Dedicated to creating the perfect aesthetic for every project, True Weltch Media prepared for the shoot providing a meticulous treatment for the video. After weeks of listening to the audio of Magic, the idea of having a professional magician perform throughout the video came to mind.

“Former street magician Ran’D Shine of Philadelphia, PA greatly attributed to the mystic mood of this visual.

“With a tasteful hint of Destiny’s Child’s Girl for inspiration, the treatment was set. Already having a good rapport with singer Jo Rivers, True Weltch Media got the green light to bring this detailed vision to life.

“Whether it is wardrobe suggestions or other artistic elements, Jo Rivers is sure to contribute valuable and constructive input to the shoot. Having already built chemistry with the crew, Jo Rivers effortlessly took on her acting role as the leading lady of the video.

“From the beginning, she saw the desire that executive producer Bak had to create such an innovative project and stepped up. Her romantic counterpart, Tamal Forchion made it easy for any viewer to become invested in the storyline of the video. In the making of the song, Jo was instantly inspired to write about love once she heard the beat. She describes the sentiment as a ‘healthy love’ which often feels just like magic. 

“Having worked with the production team just two weeks prior to the Magic shoot, Mytus’ melodic vocals and presence was the perfect ingredient to this visual blend. During the recording of Magic, Mytus came in the studio while Jo was recording. She went with the flow and was able to bring into being a verse based on her own personal experience with love. With every word of the hook aligned with Mytus’ understanding of what she had encountered, her verse was custom made to fit this song.  

“The alluring lyricist and co-star Raq traveled from ATL [Atlanta, Georgia] on the day of the shoot. It inadvertently paralleled with her verse of going great distances in the past to be a catalyst for love. Her flying hundreds of miles showed her devotion to the song, shooting of the video and her fellow artists. Raq’s charisma in each scene adjoined the video, making a magical brew of love, passion and charm. Raq also wrote her verse in the studio after going off what was created by Mytus and Jo Rivers. Within a matter of seconds, Raq knew what the song meant to her. She is a true believer of success being the result of opportunity assembling with preparation. There is no exception when it comes to the law of love. 

“From their own experiences in relationships to recording of the song and visual, everything came together in good time. The making of  ‘Magic’ was intentional and well thought out. Everything from the location in Philly to the lighting and props made the visual what it is. DJ Weltch even flew a drone from Camden (which is the hometown of each artist) into the city of Philadelphia as a refined aspect of symbolism. It is those small inventive touches that make visuals more meaningful and appealing”. 

I’m not much of an Instagrammer, but it is where the cool kids hang out, so you can follow the artists mentioned here: Jo Rivers, Mytus, Raq, Tamal Forchion, True Weltch Media, Ran’D Shine. And don’t forget Jalyn Jewel herself.

The song Magic is from from the album Flowtus produced by @heymickii_ and is currently streaming on all platforms. You can watch the video here.

And if you’re involved in arts and entertainment, check out the services of Weltch Media.

Talented British jazz vocalist Sarah Moule has a new album on the way – Stormy Emotions is an uplifting collection of songs written by her husband Simon Wallace and the late, great American poet and lyricist Fran Landesman.

Sarah spent 18 years working with Simon and Fran, and with this album introduces 10 previously unrecorded songs from the vast catalogue they wrote together.

Fran and Simon wrote the title track Stormy Emotions on the day they met in 1993. Eighteen years later, on the day Fran died, aged 83, in 2011, they finished Nothing Is Mine Now, which is the opening track on this album. In all, they composed more than 300 songs together.

Born in New York in 1927, Fran Landesman’s lyrics have been sung by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Barbra Streisand. “I got lucky meeting Simon,” she once said. “That he married Sarah Moule was a bonus. She’s the jazz singer par excellence.”

This new album, Sarah’s fifth, was recorded in their studio in South East London amid all the challenges of 2020, and draws on the talents of long-time musical collaborators on various tracks: Mick Hutton and Neville Malcolm on bass, Paul Robinson and Rod Youngs on drums, Nigel Price and Charlie Cawood on guitar, and Mark Lockheart on sax and bass clarinet. Simon plays piano on all 12 tracks

It’s a super collection of songs, many of which sound like instant classics, including two designated as singles – Never That’s When and Nothing Is Mine Now. The musicianship is top-notch, as you’d expect – but what an achievement under the circumstances that the pandemic created. And Sarah’s voice is stunning – no wonder Jazz FM’s Helen Mayhew described her as “one of the best jazz singers in the country”.

Fran Landesman’s lyrics of time and love are pure poetry, and it takes a voice of Sarah Moule’s calibre to do them justice.

Stormy Emotions is available in CD format from 19th March 2021 and as a download from 3rd May. You can find more details and order the album on Sarah’s site here.

Here’s a promo video about the album, including an interview with Sarah and Simon, and for updates you can follow Sarah on Twitter or Facebook.

It’s been a while since I posted about jazz, but here’s a piece about Tubby Hayes – the modern jazz maestro from the suburbs, one about the smooth latin sounds of Michelle Pollace, and another about an album by the wonderful Zeeteah Massiah.

Involved in arts and entertainment? Check out the services of Weltch Media.

You don’t hear many conventional love songs from Essex retro rock band The 1957 Tail Fin Fiasco – so the new single Monogamy Pews is predictably not a celebration of romantic marriage.

In fact, this track from their latest album The Harvard Tango tells the story of Glynn Wolfe, also known as Scotty Wolfe, a Baptist minister from Blythe, California, who holds the record for the most monogamous marriages – 29 in all.

“His shortest marriage lasted 19 days, and his longest lasted eleven years,” the guys (as I call them) told me. And some Googling revealed more of this curious case: When he died in 1997, aged 88, his remains were expected to be cremated and the ashes due to be placed in a collective grave because nobody came forward to claim responsibility.  

His widow, Linda Essex-Wolfe, held the record for the most-often married woman, with 23 husbands. The couple were married for just under a year, but spent only a week together and lived in different states.

It’s the sort of quirky, stranger-than-fiction story that appeals to ‘the guys’ (Mal and David), whose distinction between reality and imagination often seems quite fluid.

As with previous posts about their work, I can never be quite sure what to believe, but I take this explanation of their interest in the Wolfe story with a large pinch of salt:

“We learned of Scotty’s monogamous shenanigans whilst spending a winter skiing in Aspen. Neither of us ski – We spent two weeks with the Danish royal family as a masseuse and sommelier. The lodge was owned by the eldest of Scotty’s 19 children.” 

The resulting song is a characteristically catchy piano-driven tune, with jokey lyrics from Scotty’s perspective (“a clerical man from Blythe, California”) about how “monogamy will be the death of me” and the piles of unwanted wedding presents – “boxes of toasters and monographed coasters”…

There’s a very funny video too (the guys are adept at comedy videos – they had a starring role in this one for my business Weltch Media, With a T), and if you’d like to download the song, it’s free on Bandcamp from Friday October 23rd 2020, and will also feature a new track, Take Me Dancing, My Love on the B-side. 

Despite the title, I dare say that won’t be a conventional love song either.

Here’s my post about Tail Fin’s latest album The Harvard Tango and here’s an older one from 2013 about their debut album Private Jet Flashback.

Involved in arts and entertainment? Check out the services of Weltch Media.

I’m No Barbie is the title of track 3, and it applies. Laura may have the long blonde hair and slim, gym-toned physique, but this is no collection of empty-headed pop songs. Laura graduated from Harvard, and began a career as a financial journalist, before choosing the career path of singer-songwriter.

That path was already well-signposted for her. Influenced by musical parents. she sang in school choirs, and wrote poetry before making her first album with an a cappella group in high-school.

Originally from New York, but now a confirmed Londoner, Laura’s sound is distinctly American, though she has enjoyed British chart success and airplay hits from her first two albums. And now comes her third, Don’t Ignore Me.

Labelled ‘folk-pop’, it’s perhaps more ‘country-rock’, though there are a lot of other musical genres in evidence here – perhaps partly because the album is produced by John Ryan, whose musical career began as a jazz DJ and whose production credits include work with Santana.

Laura has been compared with Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson, but she is very much her own woman – she wrote the music and lyrics for 11 of the 12 songs on the album, the only exception being the poppy Angelina Jolie.

There’s a rich variety of tracks here, from the rocky Come Take a Ride, with its sing-a-long chorus, and the equally catchy Cherry Lips, to the almost electro-pop style of Before It’s Too Late, and the danceable, lyrically simpler, I’m Going Crazy.

There are a couple of sorrowful ballads too – It Hurts, a kind of country-influenced lament, and the heartbreaking Goodbye, in which the words are at times almost spoken, rather than sung.

I confess Laura’s isn’t the kind of music I would naturally turn to (or review here) – outside my ‘Comfort Zone’, you might say. But that’s my loss – I like this album a lot, and I think its catchy tunes and smart lyrics will appeal to many others too.

I’ve reviewed some other albums recently: by Gina Carey, Erin Dickins, and Zeeteah Massiah.

And I agree. Juice will leave you wanting more. What is this? Well, it’s jazz, but it’s totally accessible, with hints of blues, soul, R&B, even reggae, without lapsing into pop. Many of the tunes will have you tapping your feet, and their infectious choruses encourage you to sing along.

From the bouncy Whatever This Is to the mellow Too Busy, and the powerful Magic Mambo, the music is far from one-dimensional, and it all ties together as a coherent collection of songs about love.

In fact, the tracks cover just about every aspect of relationships: the thrill of love (Whatever This Is, You Drive Me Crazy), lost love (When You Were Mine), the potential for love (A Tear In the Rain, Guinness and Black), and sex (Too Busy, Magic Mambo).

If you haven’t heard of Zeeteah, you’ve almost certainly heard her. She is best known in the US for her number one dance hit Slide On The Rhythm, and in the UK for chart hits Sexual Prime and This Is The Place.

And she has sung with some of the biggest names in music, including Tom Jones, Phil Collins, Robbie Williams, Kim Wilde, Leo Sayer, Barry Manilow, Johnny Hallyday, Boy George, Paul Weller and Michael Bolton.

For the past two years, she has been working with her partner, the multi-talented Paul Caplin, whose incredible CV includes being the ‘secret mastermind’ behind 1980s new wave band Haysi Fantayzee.

Caplin wrote music and lyrics for all but one of the tracks on Juice, as well as handling production and arrangements. The only exception is the final track, He Called Me Baby, a soulful cover of the Harlan Howard country classic.

While Zeeteah’s talent and personality shine through, Caplin’s contribution is hugely important too, and the album is a true product of their collaboration. The lyrics (always important to me) by Caplin really are worth listening to – and there are lots of them!

I urge you to listen for yourself, but I would single out the lyrics of Guinness and Black: It would be easy and obvious to use the word “love” here, but Caplin opts for “I like you”, capturing those early, tentative stages of a relationship. This is reinforced by imagining how things  may develop, and the poignant line “Maybe one day there’ll be more to say about us”, without the confidence to state it definitely will happen. I like that. Love it, in fact.

I’d also highlight the additional spoken dialogue which introduces Whatever This Is  – Daniel Collen and Naz Aziz, discussing what “this” is. They try to sound smart, but it comes over as amusing nonsense, so Zeeteah steps in to sing some wisdom.

“We added that just a day before mastering,” she told me. “We felt we needed something else for the track. They took less than five minutes to do the chat – absolute naturals.”

It certainly adds a fresh dimension to the opening track, although the entertaining exchange probably doesn’t help our understanding of what “this” is. But, whatever “this” is, I’m sure you’ll want more.

And, if you like this sort of thing, take a look at these older posts reviewing Brigitte Zarie’s album L’Amour, and Erin Dickins’ Sizzle and Swing.

Even the weather – the tail end of Hurricane Bertha dumped a lake-full of rain on the mid-Wales town on the final day – couldn’t dampen spirits.

Now in its third year in the capable hands of Cardiff-based media and entertainment experts, Orchard, the festival continues to provide a stunning variety of music in an equally varied range of venues – a theatre, an indoor market, a marquee, as well as the pubs and streets of the historic market town.

I only caught a few acts myself, but thoroughly enjoyed Dennis Rollins’ Velocity Trio performing on the Captain’s Walk; as well as the uniformed, jokey Imperial Kikiristan, and the glorious Gregory Porter – from the ridiculous to the sublime, one might say.

Songwriting legend Burt Bacharach opened proceedings in the festival’s largest venue, the Market Hall, and Porter closed the festival on the same stage – both to sell-out audiences of 1,000.

As I’ve mentioned before, Porter is the hottest jazz property around at the moment, and he wowed the audience with a selection of toe-tapping clap-along tunes and more poignant songs from his three albums – most self-penned, but with a few covers too. Among them, was Nat Adderley’s Work Song– and what an appropriate lyric (by Oscar Brown) “Brecon rocks out here on the chain gang.” [Or did I mis-hear?]

Orchard is now undertaking market research to determine the value of the festival to the regional economy. Surely, it must be significant, judging from the amount of food and drink consumed and the ‘no vacancies’ signs in evidence.

Musician Django Bates, who brought Loose Tubes back to Brecon 30 years on, said: “The invitation to bring Loose Tubes back is a tribute to the ethos behind Brecon Jazz which from the very beginning has been unpretentious, stylistically broad-minded, genuinely friendly, and welcoming to all.”

So true. Here’s to the 31st anniversary!

You may also be interested in Piece of Pink Pie’s review of the 2013 festival, and of this year’s Love Supreme.

Dylan Thomas 100 is a year-long celebration to mark the centenary of Wales’ greatest poet, and Brecon pays its own respects with a Dylan Thomas 100 commissioned performance by the festival’s artist-in-residence Huw Warren (pictured) of his suite entitled Do Not Go Gentle: Wales Meets Dylan Thomas, inspired by the pianist and composer’s love of Thomas’ famous poem:
Do not go gentle into that good night
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Huw said: “I was born and brought up in Dylan’s ‘lovely, ugly town’ of Swansea, so I’ve had a lifelong interest in his work and the essential musicality of his verse. This is a world premiere for the work, which I’m performing on the Chapter Stage in the sublime Brecon Cathedral with long-time collaborators Iain Ballamy, Steve Watts and Martin France. I’m dedicating the suite to the legendary Stan Tracey, who sadly passed away last year, and whose own 1965 suite, Under Milk Wood is a keynote in jazz history.”

In addition, a mobile replica of Thomas’ famous writing shed will be making an appearance in Brecon during the festival weekend on its way around Wales, allowing visitors the chance to play their part in writing a Dictionary of Dylan.

Brecon Jazz is also marking the passing of the inspirational Stan Tracey who brought Under Milk Wood to the festival, and last appeared there in 2012, with a special concert featuring his son Clark in a Quintet with Andy Cleyndert, Steve Melling, Simon Allen and Mark Armstrong in a performance of Stan Tracey’s final album The Flying Pig.

Do Not Go Gentle: Wales Meets Dylan Thomas is on the Chapter Stage at Brecon Cathedral on Saturday August 9 at 5.30pm. Huw is also involved in World Wide Wales: Wales Meets Mirabassi at the Memorial Hall, Christ College at 12.30pm on Sunday.

We previewed Brecon Jazz 2014 earlier, but if you need reminding, the line-up includes  Grammy Award winner Gregory Porter, and Brit Award nominee Laura Mvula (both recently seen at Love Supreme), as well as headliner Burt Bacharach, and a host of other acts including Loose Tubes (also celebrating their 30th anniversary), Zara McFarlane, and Troyka.

Here’s our review of Anthony Strong at last year’s Brecon Jazz, and here’s where you can get your tickets for 2014.