Worth Another Listen - Prefab Sprout

I was such a fan of Prefab Sprout way back when, and was snagged by the pure pop magic they made. When Love Breaks Down came out in 1985, and I was so there and bought the Steve McQueen album. It was produced by Thomas Dolby, featured earlier on the blog. I have to admit, however, that I lost track of the band in the early 90s, and assumed they were history. In writing this post, I discovered they released music in the 2000s, and are working on some new stuff.



The following is The King of Rock 'N Roll, from the 1988 album, From Langley Park to Memphis.



The 'unofficial' web home for Prefab Sprout can be found here. Their MySpace page can be found here.

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New Music - Mika

Mika, the floppy-haired singer who rose to fame in 2007 behind the success of the wonderful single Grace Kelly, is about to release his second full-length studio CD, We Are Golden, in September. So, they have released a video for the first single, also called We Are Golden. In the video, the singer bounds around his room in boxers, singing along with his track.

The singer was born in Beirut, Lebanon, after I had completed college and made the move to NYC, making me feel very old. OK, so he is just 25, soon to be 26. But he is adorable and fun, although somewhat reticent to speak of his own sexuality, preferring not to be labeled and instead to focus on his work. That said, he has not shied away from employing gay themes in his music.

He has certainly enjoyed success on both sides of the Atlantic, and is a talented man. He has amazing use of his falsetto, and plays with it willingly. For pure pop fun, Mika is hard to beat.

Mika grace kelly
Uploaded by BopiZ230. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

For more on Mika, click to find his bright and imaginative website.

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Great Music - Storm Lee

Storm Lee is an accomplished singer/songwriter, painter, actor and author. He has a strong voice that doesn't quit, and can carry the song to the end without seeming to break a sweat. His CD, Soulfillapopkilla, is an 11-song effort that is mix of electro/pop/dance songs. Bold and brash, he stepped into the recording booth and delivered.

The Scottish-born Storm has been on his own since he was 16, living in Paris and moved to NYC at 17. He put out the video for I Came Here to Dance this year. He also has a video for the song 1985, which can be seen here.

You can find more information about Storm Lee at his website. His CD is available on iTunes and CD Baby.

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Great Music - Duffy

I am exceedingly fond of the particular retro-feel to Welsh singer/songwriter Duffy. The single Mercy was played time and time again, yet I never soured on it, like so many other songs. She released her first CD, Rockferry, last year, and won the 2009 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal album.

While I love Mercy, the songs Stepping Stone, Rockferry and Warwick Avenue are just amazing. Listening to Rockferry reminds me of Dusty Springfield, while looking at her kinda reminds me of Bridget Bardot. The following is a performance of Stepping Stone from The Jools Holland show.

That clip is followed by an acoustic version of Mercyher best known song. I just love her voice.



Find out more about Duffy on her website.

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Great Music - Robert German

Robert German is unique, gifted, and a tad on the eccentric side. His Siren's of Brooklyn CD is quirky, cool, and most likely ahead of it's time. He is a smart and talented writer, and an excellent singer. He is definitely an out man, singing of his feeling, both emotional and physical. Open Wide, Walking Song, Well Formed Man, Lemon Scented, Sirens of Brooklyn, and Marlboro Man are my favorites from the CD. Yes, there are a few more, but I didn't want to type in the entire list from the CD and look silly... Oh, I really like Mr Carpentier and Unplug.

You can find out more about Robert and his music at his website or his MySpace page. His music can be found on iTunes and CD Baby. It is well worth the cost to have the Sirens of Brooklyn CD in your collection.

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New Music - Toby Madigan

Just this week I discovered a new artist of whom I am pretty fond. Toby Madigan is a hot little number, and doesn't seem to have any issues letting his fans see it. He is an out performer, and was arrested at a No On Prop8 rally in California.

According to the website, Toby splits his time between West Hollywood and NYC. He has released his first indie offering, Left Brain/Right Brain. Chatroom Romance is now starting to get some play on LOGO, although I am also fond of Somebody. I have DL'ed the CD, which you can do directly from his website. I like it very much, especially Somebody (I Can Talk To), The Rest of Me,One Last Time, and Something Was Missing. It is a strong first effort, moving from the fun Chatroom Romance to some serious tales of love. Toby is at his best when speaking from his heart, as some of his more politically charged lyrics come out a bit stilted, which is not usually the case in his lyrics. It is a wonderful first effort, and I look forward to hearing more as he matures as an artist. On YouTube, there is also an interesting acoustic version of Madonna's Like A Prayer, singing with the star of High School Musical Tour, Arielle Jacobs.

You can find out more about Toby at his website.

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Great Music - Tarkan - Come Closer

OK, I have to say this right away, Tarkan could be the sexiest man alive. I accidentally ran across a video - singing in his native Turkish -and I was mesmerized. His beauty, his dance, and his easy sexuality, it all just made me melt. But I also liked the music - the Middle Eastern flavor appealed to me. I did my research, and discovered he had an English language CD out there, couldn't find it at first, but then bought it at Amazon.

The CD, Come Closer, was mainly a pop/dance selection, but with some great stuff on it. It permanently lives on my hard drive and my iPod. All 15 tracks are worth listening to, with extra-special points going to Just Like That, Start The Fire, Bounce, Shikidim and If Only You Knew.

I don't know if this was ever released in the US, since the copy I purchased had an Import sticker on it, but have to believe if it ever crossed my path, I would remember. I have read that he is the number one singer in Turkey [although it might not still be the case - what do I know?] and that he has been plagued by rumors about his sexuality for most of his career - although it ultimately didn't hurt as much as one might suspect in an Islamic culture. But he says he is str8, as did his girlfriend, so I am willing to take him at his word. But it won't stop me from looking at him, that is for sure.

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Great Music - Jason & deMarco

Jason (the blond) & deMarco (dark curly hair)

Jason & deMarco are about as precious as you can get. And I mean that in a nice way. They are out singers, who started out in the Christian music scene that was not particularly welcoming to their gayness. They have made the move to a secular sound and style, both maintain a strong Christian faith, having no problem reconciling it with their relationship. They sing pure pop, something I can truly enjoy.



Together they have put out a couple of CDs, and play several Pride Fests each year. They tour to support their music, and have appeared in the documentary We're All Angels. Their latest CD, Safe, shows real growth as artists, playing more with rhythms and harmonies than before. They cover the U2 song One, with a nice use of percussion instrumentation, as well as several original songs, many of which they have cowritten. This includes the song This is Love, sung live below at a show in Toronto.



You can find out more about them at their website, and their MySpace page, which has several songs.

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New Music - Paolo Nutini - Candy

It is now looking like my computer will not return from its vacation until Thursday evening, so I continue my little posts just to prove my run of bad luck with electronics doesn't have me beat.



Recently I purchased the latest from Paolo Nutini, the Scottish singer/songwriter whose first hit single, New Shoes, really doesn't resemble the outstanding stuff on his latest release, Sunny Side Up. The floppy-haired boy looks like he is ready to give bouncy pop, but instead delivers some great music. The following video is from the first single on the CD, Candy.



To find out more about Paolo, click here.

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Worth Another Listen - Duncan Sheik

Back in the old days, Duncan Sheik was a hot guy, singing some cool pop songs. I loved his stuff, and thought he was adorable. In later years, he filled out a bit, and became kinda bearish, which is really hot! And besides getting sexier, Duncan also wrote the music for the Tony Award winning musical, Spring Awakening. But first, there was Barely Breathing.

Then, there was Spring Awakening. I saw this on Broadway, and it was one of the most incredible shows I have ever seen. It is on tour now - if it comes to a city near you, go!

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Worth Another Listen - Howard Jones

Well, I might be doing some quicker hits for a day or so - the power control on my iMac went down for the count, and it is currently in the shop. So, I will have to blog from work, and I don't usually have the time for the long blogs. So, for my first one, I bring you Howard Jones and Things Can Only Get Better - and they certainly will once my 'puter comes home. I loved Howard Jones, and saw him live many times during the 80s. And if you are making fun of the hair, you obviously don't have to worry about pictures of yourself from the 80s surfacing. Notice I ain't making fun...

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Great Music - Anthony Callea

I have been a massive Anthony Callea fan since his 2004 appearance on Australian Idol. My friend Rickey, who runs the American Idol megasite Rickey.Org, pointed me to a YouTube video of a young man singing the classical/pop song, The Prayer, and have been hooked since. For reasons that will always escape my itty, bitty mind, Anthony finished second, despite having the voice of an angel. To this day, listening to Anthony sing that song as well as a few others can still give me goosebumps.



The eponymous first CD was released in the spring of 2004, and it took me a while to get it, finding the import from Australia can be interesting here in Delaware. But I got it, and loved it. The first single, The Prayer, became the highest selling single in Australian musical history. But before they could pigeonhole Anthony into the Andreas Bocelli, he also had some great pop tunes, like Hurt So Bad, with a sweet Spanish sound, and Rain, a beautiful mid-tempo number.



In 2006, Anthony released A New Chapter, which went more in the pop vein than before. The single Addicted To You is a rocking pop tune, and Live For Love a great power ballad. I loved this CD even more, and was shocked it sold less than the first.



Anthony is currently working on a new CD, but has been keeping busy working as well. He worked in the Australian production of Wicked: The Broadway Musical, and following his starring role of Mark in Rent: The Musical. He has also had countless concerts, including opening for Celine Dion [I will forgive him for this] when she was in Australia.



In his personal life, he came out as rumors of his sexuality spread in the Australian press, but maintained a dignity all along. For the past year and a half, he has been seeing Tim Campbell, an Australian actor/singer, who had starred in a leading primetime soap and had costarred with Anthony in Rent. They have performed together and separately, both remaining gainfully employed while also having a fairly public relationship.



The first CD is available on iTunes, although the second is not but can be purchased on Amazon. I have been tempted to buy the live DVD, but have not been able to find a NTSC copy. I don't know if I will ever get the chance to see him perform live, but would love to [please, Anthony, if you are listening, make it to the states sometime]. That aside, if you like what you hear, buy it and you won't regret it for a moment. For more information about Anthony, you can check his website, or him on Twitter, where he can be most amusing.

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