David Bowie - Bowie And Legend Sign Petition Against T-rex Tribute Band

Stars including DAVID BOWIE and BILL LEGEND have signed a petition against a T-REX tribute group marketing itself as the defunct Seventies band.

The impersonating band have called themselves T-Rex, with the subtitle A Celebration of Marc and Mickey, after original T-Rex stars Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn.

And now a petition to halt the band has been signed by 500 people including former T-Rex drummer Bill Legend, rocker David Bowie, and record producer Tony Visconti, who worked with Bolan in the studio.

He says, "For a bunch of old guys to go around calling themselves T-Rex is outrageous. The only link they have to the original is through one member, Paul Fenton, a second drummer with T-Rex for a short period of time.

"This sets a dangerous precedent. What's next? When Paul MCCartney dies, will a group emerge calling themselves The Beatles?"

But the band insists they created their act in a bid to honour the Get It On hitmakers.

Manager Barry Newby says, "Mickey wanted the band to continue after his death and also have T-Rex mentioned somewhere in the title.

"This band was created to perform Bolan's great songs. We never had any intention to upset anyone. We perform, in our opinion, the most dynamic T-Rex show in the world."

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Jape - Ritual

"Songwriting keeps me sane," so declared Jape, aka Richie Egan, in a recent interview with The Irish Times. "What gets me through the night, so to speak, is songwriting."
Like any set of actions or regular imposed religious event, Egan's ritual has become the pouring out of his head and heart through synth effects, guitars, weird, humorous lyrics and electronic beats. On this, his third album as Jape, he's got better at it. Much better.
While 2003's 'Cosmosphere' bore hints of an emerging talent, 2004's patchy 'The Monkeys In The Zoo Have More Fun Than Me' at least cemented the fact that Egan was capable of twisting his gift for melody around interesting dabs of guitar and electronica, often to spectacular effect. Opener 'Floating' stood a mile apart from anything else he'd previously done and pointed to a future great album in the offering.
In the intervening four years since, Egan has enjoyed mixed fortunes. 'Floating' was memorably covered by Jack White's Raconteurs outfit, bringing Egan to the attention of record labels and media in the UK. After a mini-bidding war and with 'Ritual' near completion, Egan elected to sign with V2 in early 2007. Not long after however, the label went bust and Egan's songs currently reside with independent label, Co-Op.
The intervening years has seen his songwriting improve two-fold; while he's also brought more focussed structure to his experimentation. Breaking it down, 'Ritual' is at its heart a pop record - and in the most brilliant sense of the genre; Egan tripping through the various emotions which have pushed each song out, with bags of melody and increased BPM. Throughout he takes us up and down like a great DJ might, though crucially the 'down' tracks are amongst the best on 'Ritual'.
Proceedings get underway at a measured pace with 'Christopher and Anthony', before Egan really shows off his new confidence and skill with his electronic toys on the sharp, dance-floor stomper 'I Was A Man' - 'Ritual's indie-hit in waiting. LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy will be green with envy.
'Graveyard' and 'Replays' fizz as the feast of danceable pop continues to flow, before Egan displays a different shade to his songwriting. A natural storyteller, the stripped back acoustic 'Phil Lynott' is an undoubted highlight, mixing humour and seriousness through raw, emotional thoughts as Egan reflects: "One day I will be a dead man who plays the bass from Crumlin/ Like Phil Lynott".
The simple 'At the Heart of All of This Strangeness' is arguably the album's finest moment with Egan's vocal at its emotive best as he plucks a gorgeous melody from an acoustic guitar, while pausing for added affect at pivotal moments in the song. It's a genuinely great melancholic song of loss and feeling lost.
The beats come crashing back with added attitude on the electro strut of 'Strike Me Down', before the journey comes to dream-like conclusion with the spacey 'Nothing Lasts Forever', a song about death and religious ritual, which brings the album full-circle.
Throughout there is little room for boredom on 'Ritual', Egan ensuring the listener rarely stays on one course, instead drifting down electronic side streets at varied pace. There's not a bad song here and 'Ritual' should see off all other competition to be named the Irish album of 2008. Where Egan takes Jape from here will only be interesting.
Steve Cummins

Alanis Morissette's Entanglement Tastes Good...

Flavours of Entanglement cover art


Flavours of Entanglement is the 7th studio album from Alanis Morissette and unequivocally one of her greatest. Although Alanis has stated in previous interviews regarding her first original album in 3 years that she had been writing diaries with ideas and lyrics since 2004, it has been said that she actually started writing for the album around 18 months ago, the same time she split from fianc� Ryan Reynolds. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
As reported in Billboard last December, Alanis says of the album,"Our emotions align themselves with larger symptomatic things in the world. We face a large war out there, but [the album] more closely reflects the war in peoples' living rooms... the icy silence at home, versus the big cold war." And it shows. The album can best be explained as raw, whether peaking with moments of rage and anger, or lulling at times with extreme sorrow, raw emotion reflecting the situations people go through everyday seeps through the speakers and slaps you in the face.
Opening track �Citizen of the Planet� has a spiritual, Middle Eastern melody akin to something played in meditation sessions, combined with Alanis� distinctive vocals that jut between sombre whispering and the screaming we are used to ala �You Oughta Know.� Definitely one of my favourite Alanis tracks full stop, let alone on the album.
The debut single from the album, �underneath� is about how we must change within before we can change the world- �there is no difference in what we�re doing in here, that doesn�t show up as bigger symptoms out there�. With a catchy loop, beats and chorus (and a great message too), this song is a winner in my book.
�Straightjacket� is a madonna�esque electro-synth sound with a strong bassline and some very agro lyrics. Following which is �Versions of Violence�, another heavy bass-driven beat and hauntingly powerful vocals. Think Alanis Vs Evanescence.
It�s almost as if the aggressive based songs and the calmer, ballad-esque songs are interjected all through the album, as soon as you get fired up, Alanis sings so delicately about a break up and you find yourself sobbing on the couch with a glass of wine reflecting on the mistakes of your past.
The piano-based ballad �Not As We� is an example of the above. Without a doubt one of the highlights of the album, this song sees new and old Alanis fans alike viewing her in a new light. Not only are we privy to her extensive vocal range, the passion in the performance is really effectual. Anyone who�s been through a hard break up can most certainly relate. �Torch� utilises the piano once again, as Alanis sings the song of loss once again.
Another album highlight is �Moratorium�, another electro driven, bass heavy melody with haunting vocals and a great chorus. It�s a song about taking a strike on all things relationship, which given the rest of the albums subject matter, tends to fit in.
All in all, Flavours of Entanglement is a rollercoaster of emotion and sounds and yet another perspective on the artist that keeps on getting better. Listening to the album from start to finish, you won�t know whether to get up and dance, throw your glass at the wall or cry in a corner. I guess a great artist can do that to you.
"Citizen of the Planet" � 4:22
"Underneath" � 4:10
"Straitjacket" � 3:08
"Versions of Violence" � 3:36
"Not as We" � 4:45
"In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" � 4:07
"Moratorium" � 5:35
"Torch" � 4:50
"Giggling Again for No Reason" � 3:48
"Tapes" � 4:26
"Incomplete" � 3:30

Offroad

   
Artist: Offroad

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   

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Discography:


   
 On The Road Again

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 10


   
 Make It Through

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 13

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Mareko , White Sunday 2: The Book of Mark

MAREKOWhite Sunday 2: The Book of Mark (Dawn Raid)Herald Rating: * * * *Verdict: Solid second album although more for the urban music fans among us It's all very well being one big happy family, but with his Deceptikonz mate Savage heading off to New York, you have to wonder whether Mareko might be a little miffed at his limelight being stolen just as he releases his second solo album, White Sunday 2: The Book of Mark.It's not as if Mareko has missed the boat, because White Sunday 2 is solid. But there's no song that's going to jump out and bite you on the bum like Savage's hit Swing, the three-year-old tune that got him his big bucks, worldwide record deal. Better late than never, we guess.But Mareko is a different hip-hop beast. Savage's sound is rooted more in the crunk and dirty southern US party vibe, whereas on White Sunday 2 Mareko comes across more conscious and thoughtful than his buddy, and the gentle hip-hop giant takes a predominantly soulful and laid-back approach. Them Eyes starts with a gently plucked guitar and strings and For You is more akin to Scritti Politti than Snoop Dogg, which need not be a bad thing. That's not to say he doesn't unleash a tirade or two along the way, in keeping with his battle MC roots, especially on Next Sunday where he reflects on the history of local hip-hop and how it has shaped what's happening today, and the rumbling, yet perfectly placed, "drunk as f***" line in Sin City.




And then there's the heavyweight bump and booty grind of Who! and the staunch Going Nowhere which brings out Mareko's rabble-rousing and sinister side.This time round he's also more conscious, lyrically clever and focused than on his 2003 debut (the first instalment of White Sunday). Over the top of the menacing beat to Record of the Year, where he offers cheeky advice like "Do the running man if you're feeling old school", he manages to get the Ginger Bread Man, Dr Seuss and fleet-footed R&B star Chris Brown all into one verse.But it's Mareko's sentimental and caring side, which comes through on first single Gotta Go, that is most appealing. Although you get the feeling this album is one for fans of urban music only.

Sufi

   
Artist: Sufi

   Genre(s): 
New Age
   

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Discography:


   
 Music For Harmony And Balance Cd2

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 14


   
 Music For Harmony And Balance Cd1

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 14

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Pressure shifts to SAG after AFTRA deal

Elisa

   
Artist: Elisa

   Genre(s): 
Ethnic
   Other
   Soundtrack
   Rock: Pop-Rock
   Pop: Pop-Rock
   Pop
   Rock
   

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Discography:


   
 Caterpillar

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 13


   
 Soundtrack '96-'06-Greatest Hits

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 17


   
 Alcatraz.Milano 01.05.06

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 7


   
 Lotus

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 16


   
 Then Comes the Sun

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 12


   
 Pearl Days

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 10


   
 Live @ Mtv Supersonic

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 13


   
 Elisa

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 12


   
 Asile's World

   Year: 2000   
Tracks: 16


   
 [1997] -ristampa 1998] Pipes and flowers

   Year: 1998   
Tracks: 12

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Born in 1977 outside of Monfalcone, Italy, singer Elisa Toffoli's first steps into the euphony world came through the way of dance, only it was telling that captured her spirit and brought out her natural talents. Elisa grew up with a love for music outlay hours of her childhood singing along with recordings by a wide-cut diversity of artists, such as Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitney Houston, Liza Minnelli, Otis Redding, and Madonna. Later, still non regular in her teens, Elisa went from singing with recordings to taking guitar lessons so she could accompany herself and then began written material songs. At 14 she became a member of a blues and rock'n'roll dance band called Seven Roads. The "Septenary" came from the fact that at that place were seven members. Elisa calibrated from Seven Roads into singing for cover bands to make more live and pay. When she was 16, she joined a fully grown band, the Blue Swing Orchestra.


In 1994 Elisa, with the help of a kin friend, finished her first-class honours degree demo. That demonstration made it to Sugar Records. A year later Elisa was in San Francisco, recording her starting time single for the well-known producer Corrado Rustici. The individual carries deuce tracks, "Inside A Flower" and "So Delicate So Pure." In 1997 Elisa recorded her debut uncut album, Pipes & Flowers, which went bivalent platinum. A issue of the tracks were made into euphony videos, including "A Feast for Me" and "Maze." Some of the reviews the album received compared Elisa's sour to that of Alanis Morrisette and groups care Sonic Youth. Elisa was named as one of the topper new artists for 1997 by the Italian Music Award Show. She likewise won the Premio Tenco Award in 1998 for c. H. Best debut album. In 2000 she completed her soph album, Asile's World. Elisa travels and performs with her have circle by and large, consisting of guitar player Andrea Rigonat, keyboardist Christina Rigano, drummer Carlo Bonazza, bassist Max Gelsi, and, final merely not least, Andrea Fontana as percussionist.