Schumacher, playing an instrumental number while two fetish clad females attempted to look suitably

Schumacher, playing an instrumental number while two fetish clad
females attempted to look suitably sleazy. But plastic does not a
poseur make and this pair simply came across as rather sad and out of
place as they sheepishly left the stage shortly after the arrival of
Kiria, resplendent in a figure hugging scarlet leather number it should
be said. Sorry about spending so many words on the sartorial elegance
or otherwise at this event; the truth is that the music was
unremarkable. It’s not the worst example of power pop that’s ever been
heard, but it is far from the best. On their latest single 'Sex on
Stage’ they protest that it 'is not about the music’. To misquote
President Clinton, it is about the music, stupid. The world is full of
average guitar bands searching for a break into the big time. Passion
is out of fashion. Music is mammon with thousands of spotty faced kids
eager to secure their place on the gravy train. Kiria has been looking
to reserve her seat for some time and although she has some talent (she
plays all the instruments bar the drums on the single) that train

You may well be reading this having not seen Kiria perform

You may well be reading this having not seen Kiria perform.
Unfortunately, you probably have seen her perform, if not Kiria
herself, then one of the hundreds of other average looking bottle
blonde wannabes driven to take the stage by force of ego alone. She is
a 'stacked’ woman and shamelessly uses her sexuality to mask a deficit
of talent. Nothing wrong with that, you say; other performers have been
doing that for years. That’s my point exactly. There is nothing new here

The winner of the BBC’s Any Dream

The winner of the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do treads on safe ground with
his version of the 1974 David Essex classic, Gonna Make You A Star.
Mead shot to stardom in the gruelling reality show, beating off all
comers to land the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical,
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The BBC has helped make the 26 year old a star, and his
rendition is a polished respectful nod to the original, though it lacks
Mr Essex’s cheeky chappy delivery and unique style. That said, Mead is
a West End musical star in the making, enjoying rave reviews for his
stage performances, and his first single release for Polydor owned
label, Fascination, will please his fan base.

I Don’t Like The Vibe In The VIP

Listening to the ear-shatteringly vibrant, in-your-face tones of
Electrovamp’s debut single 'I Don’t Like The Vibe In The VIP', it would
be easy to assume that the duo were tough-talking booty bass
electro-rock chicks , and you’d be right! In fact, they’re two of the
sexiest, sassiest, stunningest sisters from somewhere unpronounceable
in South Wales who just happen to have enough attitude for the entire
country!

Wilberforce 200 'A Cha' nge is Gonna Come

Wilberforce 200 'A Cha' nge is Gonna Come is the charity album created
to commemorate the bi-centenary of the abolition of the slave trade.

The
CD features performances by legendary acts such as Billy Ocean and Ruby
Turner as well as younger well known musical figures such as Roachford
and the X Factor's Maria Lawson and Voices With Soul. The album
features both new songs and classics such as 'You've Got A Friend' and
'Respect'.

The album is set for release on the 25th February
2008. All the proceeds of the album will be donated to the charities
Save the Children, Freetown Society and the Prince's Trust.

Jam were always more than Paul Weller

Now the original Jam were always more than Paul Weller and backing
musicians – Bruce Foxton was and is a superb bass player and his
stygian sound hasn’t dimmed in the passing years, Rick Buckler is a
sticksman of real power and precision and these two were the fulcrum
around which Wellers songs were created. No Foxton & Buckler =
softer and less affecting songs = no Jam. Foxton was always a jumping
jack on stage and he still is, always on the move and, with his white
shoes and drainpipe trousers, a focal point for the audience and when
the band are chucking the hits out one after the other - 'Modern
World’, 'News Of The World’, 'Eton Rifles’, 'That’s Entertainment’,
'Going Underground’ – and the crowd is pogoing and doing the 'Weller
Walk’ – shoulders back, elbows bent and fists at waist level – it is
1978 all over again.

They finally encore with 'Down in the Tube Station at Midnight’ with the whole crowd singing 'OooH Oooh Eeee’ with the band.

The
ghost of Paul Weller still manages to hang over From The Jam but they
managed to exorcise him for a good hour and a quarter last night and
The Jam were back and all was right in the world.

Reggae icon Ziggy Marley

Reggae icon Ziggy Marley releases a full-length live concert DVD on 11th February 2008.

The
Love Is My Religion DVD was taped live at Los Angeles’ Avalon Theatre
in December 2006. The most extensive worldwide tour of his career that
wrapped in December 2007, the Avalon show and the entire LIMR World
Tour was heralded as some of Marleys’ finest work ever.

Ziggy
appears in rare form throughout the DVD’s 19 tracks and nearly two
hours of live footage. With his voice and his band honed to precision
after months on the road, from the United States and abroad, the live
DVD captures the tours momentum in support of the Grammy Award-winning
album.

'Only One Cloud’ is a superb piece of N’Awlins tinged wistfulness

Her own material veers slightly more towards the jazzy side of her
talent, 'Sweet Hours’ simple piano and voice, while 'Only One Cloud’ is
a superb piece of N’Awlins tinged wistfulness. 'I Shall Be Released’
has always been an uptempo piece but here Ms Rowley makes it sound as
though she isn’t as happy with the changes promised as others have
suggested – there is an almost reggae feel to it which she carries off
well and as an interpretation of Dylan it stands well above the norm.

Throughout
the EP the production is superb; her voice is allowed to dominate
without sounding pushed and the arrangements are subtle and relaxed but
her voice is the main selling point and I have to admit to being
utterly sold..

This is a preview of her 1st album, due early in
2008 and it suggests that the first major new find of the year is
already amongst us.

Siberian indie rock – who’da thunk it?

Siberian indie rock – who’da thunk it? Actually though, it is pretty
good. Yulia plays fine jangly guitar lines and his/her brother/sister,
Dima, keeps the pace up with panache and not a little talent. They are
rounded out by Chris and Rob (Keys & Bass) and overall they are
well above the norm.

They actually live in the UK now and have been personally
selected to support Noel Gallagher (albeit in Moscow!) and Silversun
Pickups for a tour last year.

Their intense and expansive sound
has been developing a fair following over the last two years and this
EP will do nothing to harm that reputation – the music builds in layers
and there is some real commitment about the performance.

Snoop Dogg, man

Rapper SNOOP DOGG is eager to collaborate with rock icons BONO and SIR
MICK JAGGER because his hip-hop peers no longer inspire him.

The Beautiful star - real name Calvin Broadus - admits his next
album could be influenced by rock 'n' roll - and Snoop plans to call on
classic some musical legends to help him achieve an edgier sound.

The 36-year-old tells MTV.com, "I want to work with Madonna, Bono or Mick Jagger. I'm on some rock s**t, man. Snoop Dogg, man!

Only One Cloud

Her own material veers slightly more towards the jazzy side of her
talent, 'Sweet Hours’ simple piano and voice, while 'Only One Cloud’ is
a superb piece of N’Awlins tinged wistfulness. 'I Shall Be Released’
has always been an uptempo piece but here Ms Rowley makes it sound as
though she isn’t as happy with the changes promised as others have
suggested – there is an almost reggae feel to it which she carries off
well and as an interpretation of Dylan it stands well above the norm.

Throughout
the EP the production is superb; her voice is allowed to dominate
without sounding pushed and the arrangements are subtle and relaxed but
her voice is the main selling point and I have to admit to being
utterly sold..

This is a preview of her 1st album, due early in
2008 and it suggests that the first major new find of the year is
already amongst us.

Oasis have travelled to Los Angeles to mix their new album, according to reports.

At the end of 2007, it was reported that the Gallagher brothers
were in Abbey Road Studios in London working on their seventh LP.

It has now been claimed that the follow-up to 2005's "Don't Believe The Truth" has reached the final stages.

Ten developed stock markets

There is a lot of humour in the versioning and I found that the
constant switching from one set of rhythms to another – Cha-Cha-Cha to
swing to samba to dub to electronica to Cha-Cha-Cha to groove et al –
had my bum twitching like a mad thing as I was constantly changing in
mid-tune. I also found that by the middle of the album I had given up
on trying to spot the different influences and was just going with the
flow – and a very nice flow it is too!
I don’t think this will set
any new paradigms for music in the West but Lara obviously has a great
deal of potential and I have no doubt that future developments will go
on to greater things but I stress that this stands up really well in
its own right and anyone who relishes a bop should check this out
before you host any parties.

This guy is the missing Jazz Poet

He simply tells his story, without subjectivity or any moral sense and
it is a good story – a boy is born, grows up and becomes 'himself’. He
fought with his sister, wandered the streets of New York, loves movies
and the ocean and tells us all about it.

This guy is the missing
Jazz Poet who died out after the beats grew up and became folkies and
he is destined for something great.

lvis Presley’s first album

Imagine that you own a mint-condition recording of Elvis Presley’s first album.
Because you are not an Elvis Presley fan, you decide to sell it. One way to do so is
to hold an auction.
Four Elvis fans show up for your auction: John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Each
of them would like to own the album, but there is a limit to the amount that each
is willing to pay for it. Table 7-1 shows the maximum price that each of the four
possible buyers would pay. Each buyer’s maximum is called his willingness to
pay, and it measures how much that buyer values the good. Each buyer would be
eager to buy the album at a price less than his willingness to pay

Jay-Z was named the second highest earning musician in the world by US

The 38-year-old star is now reported to be on the verge of signing a
lucrative deal with computer company Apple to become head of their
hip-hop division.

Last year, Jay-Z was named the second highest
earning musician in the world by US magazine Forbes, with annual
earnings of $83 million.

His other business interests include a stake in the New Jersey Nets
basketball team.

In 2007, he sold his Rocawear clothing line for a massive $204 million.

Beyonce and Kanye West

Beyonce and Kanye West have been going head-to-head on a children's board game, it has been revealed.

The pair of music big-hitters played Connect Four against each
other on New Year's Day in Las Vegas, with the former Destiny's Child
singer coming out well on top.

Kanye says he was beaten nine
times in a row by Beyonce, when they met for the crunch meeting at
Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in the desert party town.

The rapper is
understood to have developed a fondness for the game with his entourage
while on recent European tour duties, admitting "it helped me zone out."

He continued: "But every now and then people would speak of this legendary Connect Four champion - Beyonce! I had to play her.

"So
last night at Jay's new 40/40 Club in Las Vegas she beat me nine times
in a row", said Kanye of the matches against the singer.