Look at the sun, stare in the mirror...

It's not me, it's her!
If I mentioned an artist who, to be fair, has lived much of the last two years in the lime-light of tabloid newspapers you might think that I was referring to Amy Winehouse but I'm not.
I'm referring to one who has comedy in her blood and the presence of mind, given that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and that flattery is little better, to turn the tables to her advantage. The double double-entendre of the title, which is a lyric, is a case in point.
While rather updated for the 21st century it is a trait that harks back to the heyday of British comedy film. If she were to wander into a 'Carry On' comedy, in a retro-inspired dress of the kind she favours anyway, and then tackle the character that Sid James happened to be playing at the time with some leading questions...

It's Not Me, It's You is released in the UK on February 9, 2009.

In a recession everyone needs a bit of old-fashioned smuttiness, innuendo and the feeling that everything bad is actually someone else's fault and, while politically correct for purists it is not, neither is it generally offensive (although sometimes rather lyrically graphic).

Added: February 6, 2009
For those of you on the far side, who are lucky enough to be at the Bowery Ballroom on February 10, enjoy...


It is unlikely to be timeless but few albums are and given the here-and-now it is essential listening. It is not the first album of this name to appear on this blog so here is a link to the previous one:
http://rpgreenhalgh.blogspot.com/2008/05/its-not-me-its-you.html

Remixes, covers and coincidences...

The last year or two have thrown up a selection of cover versions and remixes, and some of them have been as successful as they seemed unlikely. The cover of The Zutons' 'Valerie', produced by Mark Ronson with Amy Winehouse on vocals, is probably the best known in the UK. Others turn up in less obvious places, b-sides and also in live sets. You can find such things such as The Manic Street Preachers covering Rihanna's 'Umbrella' (live) and also Lily Allen singing Keane's 'Everything's Changing' - it is the b-side to the 7" of 'Littlest Things'. The CD single had a new song 'U Killed It' as the (so called) flip-side!
'Littlest Things' fits well here too - it was largely written by Santi White, who has worked in major-label A&R, as a producer and also as a freelance songwriter. Now better known as Santogold she sings her new, often rather challenging, songs herself...

Santogold - Santogold (Warners, 2008)

The TV contest coincidence is this:
Earlier this year Duffy hit the big time in the UK with her début album Rockferry. She had however made a couple of fleeting appearances before. The first was as the runner up in Waw Ffactor 2003, the Welsh language version of Pop Idol. The next was a CD single, Aimée Duffy in 2004, which you can still buy new.

In 2005 she sung vocals on two tracks on the album See You In The Morning, the third album from Manchester based dance-pop act Mint Royale and this is where the coincidence factor plays. Another track from this album looks odds-on to be the UK #1 single this week. It is a cover/remix of 'Singing In The Rain' that was originally used in a VW Golf advert in 2005! That it has suddenly shot to prominence some three years later is due the fact that the winner of Britain's Got Talent, break-dancer George Sampson, used it as the backing for his final performance!
This will be a very good example of just how the weekly singles charts in even the countries of Western Europe can be incredibly different, which is not even a remotely unusual event.

New Year 2008

Yesterday I somehow lost heart with 2007 at the very last moment but that is not to say it, in any way, was a year to forget. It certainly wasn't and I would like to think that 2008 could be even better, if not for the major labels. The next big things are fairly easy to predict and the single Chasing Pavements by Adele Adkins from Brixton is almost certain to be the first of them but here, and just for starters, are two others and while the first pretty much does 21st century pop and the second 21st century folk that is not something to be held against either of them.

• The Ting Tings
• Laura Marling

Amy Winehouse, meanwhile, has serious competition in making her third album despite the new contributions by Mark Ronson. The second album by Lily Allen is likely to be important too and Ronson is likely to work on both these and also has on Adkins début. Pop will, for all its curious beauty and as I suggested yesterday, probably make a significant return in 2008 but everything live will remain at the forefront: only live performance makes money these days and so, in 2008 as in 2007, things look rather lean for the major labels.
The third in my list is American singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder, of One Republic, and were his only mention to date the writing of Bleeding Heart for Leona Lewis then that alone should be enough to ensure that he gets a major award in 2008 - the truth is that, very likely, he won't have to rely on that. Apologize, written by Tedder and co-produced with Timbaland, has done neither of them any harm.
Then there is another huge issue looming because in 2008 downloading, whether legal or otherwise, quite simply won't go away. The majors might wish it would but in fact it will become an issue more pressing than ever before and, while once again largely self-inflicted, DRM should ensure that it does.

More from America...

Lily Allen has had her US 'O-1 working visa' revoked by US Immigration authorities, apparently because of a contretemps with a press photographer in London earlier this year, as a result of which she was not charged with an offence let alone convicted. It should all be sorted out in time for her to attend the MTV awards in September.

This photo, taken from Reuters.com today, surprised me more than any other however...

Say "hi" to the new, and remarkably dark-skinned, Lily Allen!

Glorious Glastonbury!

I tried to go to Glastonbury but didn't get a ticket.
So here I am writing from home, a mere ten miles away (as the crow flies), as the action is coming to an end on Sunday evening. Yes it has rained a lot but for the most part the performances have taken place as planned and the crowd had been good humoured despite the rain and the ensuing mud. If you don't like mud, no showers and very dubious toilets then all I can suggest is don't go to festivals and actually go 'wild camping' instead - no mud if you chose a good spot, in fact no anything unless you have your iPod, but that is not however what a festival is about...

Making the most of it on Saturday!

Mud surfing... a London 2012 Olympic sport?

One new feature was 'The Park Stage', brainchild of Emily Eavis, which suffered a last minute setback when the opening artist, MIA, was ill and unable to perform the inaugural set. Into the breach stepped one of the major names of 2006/7, who was performing on the Pyramid Stage later, performing an impromptu 6-track acoustic set.

Lily Allen covers Blondie's Heart of Glass acoustically...

Surprising cover versions are all the rage these days and many of them are very successful. In her performance this evening Dame Shirley Bassey did not perform the 'Bond Theme' Diamonds Are Forever. The Arctic Monkeys however did the honours by covering it on their headline act on Friday evening! That said Bassey did cover The Doors Light My Fire and also Pink's Get The Party Started, a song that she originally covered for a Marks & Spencer advertising campaign!

When Lily Allen appeared again, as billed on the Pyramid Stage, she had new tricks in store - Lynval Golding joined her on stage for a cover of Blank Expression then she introduced Terry Hall on stage and two original members of early 1980 ska legends The Specials played together on stage for the first time in 22 years and they all performed the 1979 hit single Gangsters.

... and again, electro-backed, on the Pyramid Stage.