Single Review: 'Rolling in the deep' by Adele

At the beginning she was 'Chasing Pavements' and had a 'Hometown Glory', but now, she has decided to Roll deeper and deeper.

She was Leona Lewis' classmate and probably once was a Spice Girls fan, but the new year brought Adele into the UK charts again with 'Rolling in the Deep', that for some reason has a familiar but contemporary sound.

Nostalgic but catchy and stylish, 'Rolling in the Deep', lead single of her new album '21', shows a more sentimental side from the londoner who was the first ever singer to receive The Critics Choice Award at the Brits in 2008.

With her new single, acclaimed Adele keeps showing her success by keeping a more up-beating with the help of her best friend: her unique combination of contemporary jazz, blues, roots, pop and even some country?!

It has been no more than a week and her album is already clinging to top the charts and probably the single will make it to the number one if Bruno Mars 'Grenade' slip off to the the second position where Adele has been for the past two weeks.

And I reckon this is just the beginning for her re-emerging success...

The Streets: redefining the future of urban music

It is undeniable, Urban Music it's the nation's favourite at the moment.

Hip/hop, Rap and R&B are massive at the moment and the charts are 'over-flooded' by its presence...Jessie J, Bruno Mars, Diddy, Willow, Tinie Tempah, Rihanna...the list can continue.

Amongst of all them, The Streets is trying to gain presence again with his new album Computers and Blues, which is an example of a more futuristic urban sound.

It's been almost a decade since Mike Skinner AKA The Streets hit the charts with Has it come to this? and now in 2011 with his fifth album studio, Skinner is aiming to cling on to the top of the charts again.

Computers and Blues reflects what the music in the future might sound, specially urban and electronic music and also shows a Skinner playing along with the all time beloved music, jazz and blues that blends with Rap, Hip-Hop, Garage, Electronic and a witty range of sounds and backing vocals.

The first single Going through hell, just released at the beginning of february, is an example of an innovative and catchy electro-urban song which features Rob Harvey from the alternatives' Leeds based The Music.

Skinner's new single might be the return to the UK charts since, Heaven for the Weather, from his fourth studio album Everything is Borrowed in 2008.

The Streets is planning to take the album on tour around the UK in february and march.

The delightful imagination of Emma

Winner of 'Must be the Music' releases solo album

For her, everything is simple, the feeling is natural so all she needs to do is pick up a guitar and set words to the music she is singing using that 'folky' voice and inspiring her fans with deep meaningful lyrics.

Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, Emma's Gillespie AKA as Emma's Imagination has just released her first solo album 'Stand Still' which shows how powerful, talented and passionate a singer can be coming from ordinary people.

In September 2010, she won Sky One's Music Show 'Must be the Music' not only by conquering judges, Dizzee Rascal, Jamie Cullum and Sharleen Spiteri but also by becoming the favourite of more than 10 thousands fans all over the country who voted for her to win the show.

Now, just after 4 months of this, Emma's Imagination has become a reality for the british music industry with innovative and touching songs, some of them melancholic, others more cheerful and upbeat and a performance that probably will remind us of Dido, Amy Macdonald or even the female version of Damien Rice.

Despite all of this there is one thing to remain: the talent, the music is there, it is alive in each of the 10 compositions that 'Stand Still' collects, a deep and musical journey through all sorts of emotions and feelings.

The album includes two covers, 'Drive' by Bic Runga and 'Falling slowly' from the film 'Once' that won best song a couple of years ago at the Academy Awards and it was produced by the acclaimed Martin Terefe -who once took James Morrison and K.T. Tunstall to success.

It also includes, the melancholic 'Focus' and the upbeat 'This Day' both compositions that she previously sang in the competition and that already crashed in the top ten UK charts last year.

Emma's favourite topics are love, relationships, the joy of life... she remind us the view that a 27 year old girl has about love and life.

The is not better place to listen to Emma's Imagination that in a place where you feel more comfortable, might be your own room, a cosy living room and why not? with someone special.

As Emma would say, her songs are delicate and might come from a very deep and special place that only she knows: her imagination.

Grammy 2011 nominations

Lady Antebellum, Eminem and Lady Gaga lead the nominations

Country music and Hip-Hop/Rap seem to be the strong genres for the 2011 Grammy Awards as artists like Lady Antebellum and Eminem are leading the top categories of the competition.

Unlike last, year when pop/rock was the main link between the nominees -

eg. Adele, Coldplay and Jason Mraz- this year RnB and Country seem to be most popular genre in the 2011 Grammy Awards.

This year the american sensation Lady Antebellum, which blends contemporary country and pop, has been the most nominated act, including , record, album and song of the year with 'Need you now', who has topped the american charts since its release in 2010.

Along with them, the american rapper Eminem -featuring Rihanna in most of his nominated songs- has been nominated in at least 5 categories, including record, song and album of the year.

The contentious Lady Gaga and Kate Perry also leads the nominations with Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Performance.

The Arcade Fire, Muse and Kings of Leon are the top acts in the Alternative/Rock categories, the three of them with the chance of taking home a Grammy.

For New Breakthrough category, which Adele won the previous year, Justin Bieber, Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons seem to be the most likely acts to get the award.

Country singer, Miranda Lambert, has also been nominated for top categories thanks to the album Revolution and the single 'The house that built me".

The ceremony will be taking place on the 13th of february and will include performances by ustin Bieber, B.o.B, Lady Antebellum, and Bruno Mars.

For the whole list of nominees click on http://www.grammy.com/nominees

Nominees for Record of the Year

B.O.B feat. Bruno Mars 'Nothing on you'

Eminem feat Rihanna 'Love the way you lie'

Cee Lo 'Forget you'

Jay Z feat. Alicia Keys 'Empire State of Mind'

Lady Antebellum 'Need you now'

I Am Love review

At the end, is all about Love

It is not the first time that happens to me, but this time was special, different, captivating.

I decided to watch the foreign film 'I Am Love', my attention was caught by only looking at the ad in the tube stations in London and also the trailer online was kinda interesting.

A few days later as I was watching the movie and listening to its music, my interest for getting not only the movie but the soundtrack started to grow and grow...then the last 10 minutes of the movie I was almost shivering, feeling the goose bumps all over my body and the orchestra playing a song called 'Harmonielehre Part III. Meister Eckhart and Quackie' was the last bit I needed to want the movie and the soundtrack in my personal collection.

Now Im in my room listening to the soundtrack and I can stop saying how marvelous it is, how powerful and touching is each of the compositions by the american composer John Adams, who also has a strong background in classical compositions and conducting orchestras and symphonies.

More than 60 minutes of music in just nine songs is all you need to feel the movie passing by in your mind as you listen to each song. Most of the compositions are original from Adams, although there are some excerpts taken from classic time operas.

Each composition fits perfectly in each of the movie scenes and the main character, played by Academy Award Nominee, Tilda Swinton. In fact, I believe every song, describes what Swinton feels and plays in the film.

But the most outstanding achievement is that different orchestras and symphonies from all over the world, such as the San Francisco Symphony and the Orchestra of the Opera de Lyon, contributed to the soundtrack, released in june 2010.

No wonder this movie has been nominated for Best Foreign Movie for the Golden Globe Awards and the upcoming BAFTA.

And I think at the end is all about love, love for passion, for music and sounds: a great combination of a great story, stunning perfomances and a delightful score...this is I Am Love.

Review: Lullaby by Jewel

The american composer fills with an angelical voice and the subtle sounds of her guitar each song of the album

Who would have thought that Traditional Lullabies for kids will be the secret to create an album?

For Jewel, the formula absolutely worked out and the result is Lullaby, which despite of being released in may 2009 it has become a classic now.

With well-produced arrangements by Jason "Turtle" Freese and the use of a broad variety of instruments such as the accordion, triangle and the Mellotron, the 10 original Jewel's compositions plus 5 classic tracks give the album a touch of the traditional country music.

As you listen to the album you will discover the magic of the lyrics of each song and you will definitely just let it go by the subtle sounds of Jewel's voice.

The album includes the all-time classics Somewhere over the rainbow, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Brahms' Lullaby.

It has been now 15 years of the beginning of the Alaska born, Jewel, who started her career as a ballad singer with the chart topping hit You were meant for me.

Few years later she went into pop and released catchy songs like Intuition and Standing Still, but for the past 3, 4 years her direction in music has pointed to country music.

Lullaby can be listened by all ages and surely anyone can discover the touching power of the talented Jewel, three times nominee for the Grammy Awards.

Why should I listen to Opera?

Amazing voices+Beautiful Orchestra+Harmonic Lyrics

Opera...everytime you just listen someone talking about to this kind of music might sounds boring and not really appealing to your ears.

You might think, what is the point of listening to a bunch of people singing out load with this high tone voices and many times singing in foreign language or lyrics that you just might not understand.

But believe there is something deeper beyond this external and shallow point of view. I can say that there is something magic in this music genre.

First of all, I have to say I'm not a very huge fan or the biggest fan of this music, but every now and then I love to sit down and play randomly some opera songs I have or even some records and albums I got from Sarah Brightman, Il Divo, Josh Groban or Filippa Giordano.

And then, all of a sudden, the magic I was talking earlier comes...

As I said, I sit down or lay on my bed and started listening to these amazing voices, because this is a fact: all of the opera singers from any place of the world have an outstanding and powerful voice but only not because is an inner talent but also because they have acquired and practice for years the special technique of singing opera, which as far as I know it requires time, time, time and patience.

Then behind these extraordinary voices you got a beautiful orchestra playing behind, a complete ensemble of instruments from the family of the strings -violin, cello, harp-, woodwinds -flutes, oboes and clarinets-, percussion -drums, cymbals, triangle, tambourine and triangle- and sometimes the keyboards and even a big choir supporting the main interpreter.

In addition, you have these harmonic lyrics about a wide variety of topics and feelings, from love stories, tales about someone or someplace or even just about ordinary experiences in life.

Sometimes most of the lyrics are in Italian, but this is because this genre started back in this country in the 16th century, so many songs are written in this language, but nowadays a lot of current and popular artists have translated and sing these songs in english.

So, apart from these three facts I mentioned Opera music usually awakes in me a lot of inner feelings and emotions that makes me think deeply about life, love or any subject, that inspire me to write things in my diary. But also, this music makes me appreciate more the rest of the music forms and realize that sometimes opera music (and also classical music) is the roots and basis of any other genre.

This is my conclusion of why I listen to this music...have you found your own reason? You should try.

And talking about trying new stuff, I will share with you some of my favourite opera songs and artists, which to be honest, are a more modern type of opera performers, because well you must know that some of the most traditional opera singers include Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Maria Callas and Enrico Caruso.

And I respect them because they were the basis and roots of this genre but I tend to listen to something more contemporary.

Sarah Brightman - Nessun dorma

Jeanette Macari - La petenera

Filippa Giordano - Habanera

Opera Babes - Beyond Imagination

Il Divo - Regresa a mi

Even nowadays, current and popular artists or Dj's have used Opera music and classic singers or themes to create new records, here are a few examples.

Mark Brown feat. Sarah Cracknell (former lead singer of St. Etienne) - The journey continues

Chicane - Saltwater

Enigma - Modern Crusaders