sam smith - make it to me
after all our love for the video premiere of his latest single, sam goes and releases this album track co-written by disclosure's howard lawrence and jimmy napes just hours later! in typical sam smith style it's epic and just plain lovely. he's killing it today!
want more? check out this lovely interview with sam via the bbc:
sampha - too much
though many of us first heard this glorious song as a vocal hook in the drake song of the same name, the UK singer/songwriter has decided to release a sparse piano version to tease his debut album for 2014. it's a haunting number that you can't get out of your head easily. nice one.
want to hear the original version with drake? check it out below:
say lou lou - better in the dark
already embraced by the fashion elite, this aussie born/sweden based sister act of miranda and elektra kilbey (aka say lou lou) are making the kind of dreamy pop that got them placed on the bbc sound of 2014 list earlier this month. with strong choruses like in this song, they definitely are going to make serious waves in the coming year!
sam smith - money on my mind
not only did our boy sam get on the bbc sound of 2014 longlist, he also released a new single under his worldwide deal with capitol records and it's a fun insta-hit! currently making appearances in the US (sold out troubadour in LA over the weekend and coming to NYC for a showcase with naughty boy), it'll be a good kick off for what will be a massive 2014 for him.
lana del rey - video games (live @ later live with jools holland)
[strong first ever TV performance for internet sensation lana del rey (heck she got on jools holland yo!). though i'm not completely sold on her as a long term artist, this song is definitely a captivating debut for the girl]
after the success of plan b, the race to find a follow up vocalist/rapper seems to have landed with maverick sabre, a london based kid with interesting jazzy vocal phrasings and hip hop swagger. the presentation is intriguing and definitely on my radar as an act to watch based on the following videos below.
beverley knight - fairplay (soul II soul cover) (live @ later with jools holland)
[as usual beverley proves why she is one of the best vocalists in the UK. absolutely nailing one of the best songs off the soul II soul 'club classics vol 1' album, beverley went on jools holland last week and performed 3 songs off her upcoming 'soul UK' album. celebrating the british influences of beverley's youth, the collection features her renditions of Omar, Young Disciples, Jamiroquai and many more. i can't wait to hear the rest of the album!]
beverley knight - one more try (george michael cover) (live @ porchester hall)
[all i can say is F**K!!!!! she sings the SH*T out of this song! amazing! totally sweat inducing amazing!]
last weekend, the BBC got together with some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment to create the comic relief red nose day event. featuring spoof shorts from the various tv programs, the special guest list was very long indeed. below are a few of the highlights of the day (adele, the wanted, take that, jls and loads more!) and also if you want to donate click here
gavin & stacey - smithy saves red nose day
[george michael! justin bieber! keira knightly!]
miranda's pineapple dance studios
[jls! heather small! louis spence!]
clare maguire - the last dance
[this song is just pure DRAAAAAMA! shortlisted for BBC's sound of 2011, the young irish lass is set for big things this year just you wait!]
[after yesterdays' awesome announcement that the BBC chose jessie j as their sound of 2011 (compiled by a group of music critics, broadcasters and bloggers), i figured i'd offer up 2 sweet remixes of her current single 'do it like a dude'. jessie was already a fave of ours last year, so we're just SO happy that she's getting the boost from the tastemakers of the industry! can't wait to see her performance at the Brit awards!]
ellie goulding - lights
[i was just reminded of one of my favorite tracks from ellie's album (and now re-issue 'bright lights') while watching the new promo for BBC's xmas spot. never understood why this track was never released as a proper single cause it's pretty darn amazing... therefore my song of the week!]
and just in case you want to see the BBC promo i was talking about, here it is:
