New Song On Sunday

 

A major heatwave has been spreading across southern Germany for several days and 37 degrees is expected today. It looks like summer has arrived in full force. As every year, the newspapers try to present us with the ultimate summer hit, but these songs usually don't appeal to my taste.

My suggestion would be the new song by RAYE, a London-based R&B/soul singer and songwriter who has been on my radar for a while, but I haven't found the time to feature her here yet. Together with Mark Ronson, a British producer, she has now released a song that is convincing in its nonchalance and laid-back soul. The subtle use of horns allows RAYE's wonderful voice to shine.

The first few notes immediately make you think of Amy Winehouse in her prime, but that's probably down to Mark Ronson, who produced Amy back then. Nevertheless, it's a soul-pop classic from this year.

Stay Away

More than 10 years ago Amy Winehouse went to Brooklyn to record her famous album Back To Black. In these days Charles Bradley worked in the small studio as a housekeeper, repairing everything that have to be done. At the age of 62 he released his first album No Time For Dreaming in 2011. In his younger days his sister took him to a gig to the Apollo Theater to see James Brown perform. From this time he was infected by the old soul music and it took almost 50 years to release his first record. I heard a few songs from him during the last years and they all were very soulful but they weren't burn in my brain. A few days back I got the news that a new record was release after he died by cancer last year. Listening to his songs on Black Velvet  I can hear what great artist he was. He brought me back to the real soul singers of the 60's and 70's. Many soul singers tried to cover rock and folk songs but I never heard better versions of songs by Nirvana and Neil Young in this style and ask myself what bright career he could have when he released this song 50 years ago.

40 Records in 40 Years (33/40 - 2006)

First I must rectify something: my sister-in-law does not have married 2004 in Hawaii - their wedding was this year. In this respect I must apologise that apparently my memory does not seem to function for the past years, nevertheless, any more so. But the rest of the details were right. For me it was impossible to go to Hawaii as well this year. We have merged with another bank this year and in my position I got no holidays for the wedding. Anyway I remember that we didn't traveled far away this year. We spent a few weeks at the seaside in northern Germany. I haven't been there for ages and Christiane has never been there. As we used to travel to South East Asia we felt also well at the rough climate at the sea. It was great to walk along causeway feeling the wind in our hairs. This year we went for some weekend trips with a couple of friends as well. In February we went out for skiing and in autumn we went for a boat excursion on the Swabian Sea. Both times we had a lot of fun with them all. In this year the FIFA World Championship took place in Germany. The mood before and after the plays was simply magnificent. For example: the game between France and the Netherlands took place in Stuttgart. The whole city was filled with supporters of each team. Even four hours before the game started the main place was filled with thousands of supporters singing their fan songs. It was so funny to see the Dutch supporters salute to the garbage disposal (just because their dresses are as orange as the supporters dresses). That Germany lost the semi-final against Italy was sad but after all satisfactory.

A year of remarkable records:

• The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams: Perfect combination of funk, indie pop, electronic and house
• Jan Delay - Mercedes Dance: German singer Jan Delay turned from reggae into funk
• The Long Blondes - Someone to Drive You Home: The smash hits of this summer
• Donald Fagen - Morph, the Cat: Still good after all the years
• Ben Harper - Both Sides Of The Gun: A lot of great songs again on this record
• Willard Grand Conspiracy - Let it roll: Alternative country/Americana at its best
• Lily Allen - Alright, Still: Wonderful pop songs at all
• Amy Winehouse - Back To Black: She got great with this record
• Tom Waits - Orphans; Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards: Even his outtakes are better than something else

And again: some songs we listened to this year:

Some movies that came in the cinemas in 2006:

• Babel: Little things can have influence on the everyone
• The Departed: One more good movie about the good and the bad
• Little Miss Sunshine: Funny road movie for the family
• The Last King of Scottland: Remarkable movie about things happened this way
• The Queen: Brilliant
• The Devil Wears Prada: Another movie for the family again
• The Illusionist: Great story with a fantastic finish
• V for Vendetta: Another comic brought to the cinema
• Volver: Spanish ladies power
• Pan's Labyrinth: Pictures between dream and cruel reality in Spanish civil war

Some things that happened this year as well:

An Egyptian passenger ferry sinks in the Red Sea - more than 1000 people die // Italy wins the FIFA World Cup against France in Germany // Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death by hanging by a Iraqi Special Tribunal // Another Lebanon War because Israeli troops invade Lebanon in response to Hezbollah kidnapping 2 Israeli soldiers and killing 3. Hezbollah declares open war against Israel 2 days later 

For a long time above all a voice has not enchanted me any more so. "The Greatest" earns this title. Quiet, melancholy and touching songs and a magic voice which has pulled me immediately in her spell. Almost floating and hypnotically Chan Marshall's song seems to me. Any more completely as economically does not arrange as on former albums, here her songs have mostly wonderfully been played in in small occupation. 
I was hypnotised from the outset as by this miraculous music and the incredibly intensive voice. Every song is reduced only to the essentials and is interpreted at the same time astonishingly completely. Painfully nice songs and melancholy positive songs flow into each other. No second too much and of course too briefly. This album should be absent in no record cupboard. Even a friend who hears otherwise almost only electronic music was completely enchanted immediately by the album. To emphasise single titles makes no sense - listen to them in a row!

Cat Power - The Greatest
Cat Power - Lived in Bars
Cat Power - Living Proof
Cat Power - Willie
Cat Power - Love & Communication

I Heard Love Is Blind

Another lazy Sunday and nothing to do than hang around. Since we will not plan special I probably bring my laptop up to date, and store some data on my external hard drive. My mobile phone makes trouble as well and I will probably come not fail to reset the device to factory defaults. With this setting, all data and apps stored on the phone lost. So I'll know what I will do the next hours. By the way the weather is like in spring and I think of all you people in Great Britain who can't get rid of heavy rain and storms.

Have a good time, friends

Amy Winehouse - I heard love is blind