One Direction // Kiss You

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*sigh* We should have known that it was too much of a good thing when we saw the softer side of the boys with their last release. Their newest offering is back to what they do best.

Kiss You automatically jumps into our mind thinking that it would be good for a montage scene in a teen film or a trailer. Don’t get us wrong, the song suits them with it’s upbeat and cheeky nature. They’re still young and this track highlights it. it’s maybe a little more American sounding and maybe that’s what they’ve been going for here.

Still no doubt it will be lapped up and have fans jumping up and down and dancing strangely round bedrooms around the country. Us on the other hand, will be sitting on the fence.

Rating: 3/5

Destiny’s Child // Nuclear

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2013 seems to be the year of the group comeback (ITV2 has the Big Reunion starting this tomorrow @ 9pm) and another group is Destiny’s Child (that’s Beyonce, Kelly Rowland & Michelle Williams in case you’d forgotten) and their comeback track comes in the form of Nuclear.

To be fair, we were expecting something with a bit more punch with the the title of the track. Instead we get a ballad that just doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t scream ‘we’re back’. It just sort of exists and feels as if it’s a little out of it’s timeline. Alright, it comes from an album of love songs but you can do love songs with punch.  Feels like a slow day in the office with this.

We don’t think it’s going to go Nuclear when it’s released. More damp squib.

Rating: 2/5

Gabrielle Aplin // Please Don’t Say You Love Me

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Download @ iTunes | Buy @ Official Store

The follow up to last Christmas John Lewis ad (cover of The Power Of Love) from Gabrielle Aplin comes in the form of Please Don’t Say You Love Me.

On first listening, we couldn’t help think Christina Perri but at the other end, this feels much more comfortable to listen to rather than that the last release. It’s an easy going track where Aplin’s vocal just seem to be light and airy over what seems a simple melody.

Lovely track but we can’t make our mind up if bring it out just before Valentine’s Day is good thing or not.

Rating: 4/5

Lindsey Stirling @ Oran Mor, Glasgow (22nd January 2013)

There always seems to be some form of musical event happening in and around the city of Glasgow all year round. And whilst January is the month of Celtic Connections in Glasgow, up in Oran Mor in the west end of the city, there was the premier performance from the violinist Lindsey Stirling.

In support was The Vibrant Sound, who broke the ice with the sold out show audience with an acoustic rendition of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme, which had the audience singing along with him. With just a laptop and a guitar he sang original song Industrial Revolution, and a solo version of Gold Digga (a song he had covered with Lindsey on Youtube). Also performed was Flight & 79 as well as new release Gravity (Gotta Fly). It's not long until the main act takes the stage.

From the moment that her two fellow band mates entered the stage, the audience went wild. Starting by playing off stage, Lindsey entered to Moon Trance. From that moment there seemed to be no stopping her. Making full use of the small stage, Lindsey would be at one side of it before twisting and turning across to the other side. Without almost stopping, she moved into her next song Spontaneous Me before finishing her opening set with Shadows.

She pauses a moment welcoming everyone to her show and announcing how pleased she is to be in Scotland and it being her first time. She also pointed out that her last name was the same as a nearby town and that she had Scottish roots (at which someone in the audience shouted 'Freedom' a la William Wallace style). From here she introduced her next song, Electric Daisy Violin.

Talking to the audience she says that she letting the boys get a break, only turning round to find them gone, a fact that the audience is already aware of (“Take 5 guys...”). She asks if there are any gamers in the room which gets a cheer and she announces that she's going to play a track that was made up from 120 layers and that the audience is free to join in with the singing. She is of course talking about the Skyrim Theme that was done with Peter Hollans. Following on from here Lindsey performs a stripped back version of her track Elements.

As the next track begin, Lindsey explains the story behind it. She tells the audience about her trip to Kenya and meeting members of a tribe. She explains that although she couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand them, the one thing they did understand was music. And why, when she recorded the next track, she changed the lyrics to 'whole new place'. The song that she is talking about is We Found Love, which during the performance, the video of the track played in the background.

Her next track is inspired by the fact that when she was younger her dad used to read her books and this was her 'geek' moment. She heads into a medley of songs from The Lord of The Rings. From here it's into another medley, this time of Michael Jackson songs (including Eat It, Billie Jean, Gotta Be Startin' Somethin' & Smooth Criminal). Following almost without a break it's into Lindsey rendition of Good Feeling.

Next it's one of her favourite tracks on her album, Zi Zi Journey. This is another track where the audience gets involved jumping up and down as well as fist punching and in some cases, head banging. Carrying this on is the dubstep track Crystallize before finishing with the track Transcendence. Of course, although she's left the stage, the crowd start chanting 'one more song'. And yes, she does come back for one more song. Donning a black eye mask, she comes back on the stage playing a Phantom of the Opera medley.

Overall, you couldn't ask for a better night. It's the first time that she has been to Europe and Glasgow was one of only two nights in the UK. For the ticket price (£12) you certainly got your money's worth as, although it didn't seem that there was a lot of tracks played, it certainly seemed longer. Lindsey commanded both the stage and the audience with confidence but yet enjoyed herself. What surprised us was that the night was sold out, something that wasn't exactly expected but shows just how much of a following that she has (either that or that Glasgow has got good taste in music!). Hopefully it won't be too long before she makes a return appearance in the Scottish city

Photos: © Vhari Lannigan

The Vibrant Sound
Official Site | Amazon | iTunes

Lindsey Stirling
Official Site | iTunes

Girls Aloud // Beautiful Cause You Love Me

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After the blender track that was Something New, the girls release the second track from their ‘anniversary’ album, Ten.

It’s a lovey dovey ballad so it’s the opposite end from their previous single. The thing with this that it’s a little too sweet to listen to for too long. It’s the sort of song that you would expect to sort of appear on a soundtrack or on the trailer of one of these girly girly romantic type films. But then, there is this heartfelt feeling that it intermixed…

While yes it’s nice that it’s not all the same sort of sound that they are releasing it’s a track that feels it’s arrived a little too late to the party.

Rating: 3/5

Leona Lewis // Lovebird

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The latest offering from Miss Lewis’s 3rd album Glass Heart is the song Lovebird.

Your lovebird’s flying away is what she sings but sadly, it’s no surprise that the Lovebird is leaving. Sadly, there is nothing here that screams Lewis and to be honest, it feels like a generic track that any old singer could have performed. It never seems to be taken anywhere and is the longer is goes, the more you just want to put the poor thing out of it’s misery.

There’s been something missing from the last couple of tracks from the album that makes us think, had the album been released when it should have, then maybe the song would come across better. We’re still waiting for something to inspire us.

Rating: 2/5

Alex Cornish // Play Your Part EP

Buy @ Official Site

When you’ve not had a release out for a while or you’ve been busy working on your next LP or even you want to entice people down to a gig, why not release a limited edition EP? In fact, why not release it then fold all your covers, stamp them with your details and add a label to the CD…and then multiply that by 500! That aside, what’s on the EP?

Well, the good thing is that it’s 4 new tracks.Easing in with a piano driven track called If I’m In Luck, the vocals at first sound a little distorted but do work with what is otherwise clear instruments. From here we’re led into Only Thing I Know, which in itself is guitar driven and brings us a familiar sound that could easily be a mash up of a number of tracks from his previous albums.

You Wanted In has a nice little bounce to it and it’s a track we could see being used in a show. Finally we come to the title track of this EP, Play Your Part. For us, it’s a track that both finished off this little selection off nicely, yet leaves you wanting just that little bit more.

You can’t really complain about this EP. For a mere £5 (plus p&p of 70p) you get 4 well produced tracks, with a bit of what you know, a little mash and still able to bring something different. And of course a handmade cardboard slipcase to house the CD in. Lovely little item to keep you tided over until the 4th album comes out….

Rating: 4/5

Katie Sutherland // Canvas

Back in March 2012 we showcased Katie Sutherland even though we had previously posted her work under the alias of Pearl & The Puppets. Well, while not quite there for a physical release, Katie released her debut album, Canvas to those who had pledged on her Pledge Music campaign as a download on Christmas Eve as a thank you. So has it been worth the wait?

Opening with the title track Canvas, we get an nice little upbeat track (that we just want to pair with Chris Townsend’s Painter’s Brush) that seems a little different from what we’ve heard before. Next we get Toughen Up which has for us a certain Buble-esque feel to to it. I’m Not Yours comes up next followed quickly by I Loved Us.

Sinners has a good beat underneath it and could have you singing along with the chorus before bringing it down for Little Diamonds. Next we have a new version of the ever popular Because I Do which in essence is simply re-arranged in a fashion. Another lovely little number in the form If I Were You which opens with a lovely piano piece and strings (imagine the opening to Steps Last Thing On My Mind) and maintains what sounds to be a simple melody line throughout

A nice bouncy tune in the form of Kisses follows before heading into the easy going You’re With Me. This leads into the upbeat, happy tune Life Is Beautiful which wouldn’t sound wrong as a soundtrack piece to a happy montage in a film. Closing the album is a slowish track I Say Yeah which finishes the album off nicely.

Overall it’s not too bad an album from the singer/songwriter. Yes there was delays to the album but it has probably been for the better. It’s not just all one sort of sound. There is a bit of everything here that people will no doubt like. We think that there are some Little Diamonds in this release. Fans should enjoy and is a perfect introductory to Katie for those who haven’t heard of before now.

Rating: 4/5

Carrie Mac // Everywhere EP

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This latest offering from the Edinburgh singer comes in the form of this 4 track EP titled Everywhere.

The tracks here are very much stripped back acoustic numbers. Opening with the title of the EP, Everywhere is a cover of the well known Fleetwood Mac number although performed at a slower tempo. Next up is a favourite amongst fans in the form of Like A Star, a song which for those who managed to get their hands on the original download of this track, will hear a difference between the two and how Carrie has grown into her voice.

Stay is the second original track on this EP and you can feel the emotion in Carrie’s voice. River is a cover of the Joni Mitchell track and is again delivered beautifully staying true to the original but at the same time, manages to make it her own.

Given that it was released just at the start of December and as such, the Christmas period, the fact that the EP is one of ballads is what probably works in this EP favour. The covers are delivered with a recognition to the originals but with her placing her own take on the tracks whilst her own tracks are full of emotion conveyed in her vocals.

A lovely little collection of tracks which fans will be enjoy and would be suggested for anyone who was just being introduced to the Edinburgh singer/songwriter.

Rating: 5/5