Sunday Tele 31 DEC 06 "Have a rockin' 2007"
Dec 31, 2006 2:20:29 GMT 10
Post by shimmery on Dec 31, 2006 2:20:29 GMT 10
Have a rockin' 2007
By Peter Holmes
December 31, 2006
Article from: The Sunday Telegraph
INSIDER'S music experts have done their research, kept their ears to the ground and consulted the crystal ball for what you will be rocking to in 2007.
CDs:
After a six-month delay, sultry jazz-pop singer Norah Jones will release her third album, Not Too Late, early in 2007. Recorded by Jones and her co-writer and bass player, Lee Alexander, in their home studio, it's described by Alexander as "a little different'' and "more personal''.
The delay is a result of Jones acting alongside Jude Law, Tim Roth and Natalie Portman in the film My Blueberry Nights, which is also due for release next year.
Delta Goodrem is slated to record and release the follow-up to 2004's Mistaken Identity next year, following writing sessions in New York and Los Angeles. Although Goodrem's fan base remains ever loyal, there's pressure on her as her US career falters. Perhaps, like Kylie, she will ditch plans to conquer the home of the brave and focus on Asia and Europe.
Grinspoon spent the first part of this month putting the final touches to their next album, with singer Phil Jamieson describing the recording experience as an "emotional roller-coaster''.
Five years after the release of Diorama, arguably their best album, Silverchair will return in 2007 with Young Modern. An autumn release is likely.
In a sharp marketing manoeuvre, SonyBMG is double-dipping with talent-quest victor Damien Leith. His CD/DVD The Winner's Journey is already four times platinum (280,000 copies ordered by retailers), while his debut album proper, due for release early in 2007, will likely do similar business. Ker-ching!
Powderfinger will relocate soon to California to record their next album with producer Rob Schnapf. In a message on the Powderfinger website, guitarist Darren Middleton said the band were excited about their demos and the challenge of relocating to record.
Others with albums scheduled for release in 2007 include Britney Spears, Sum 41, Harry Connick Jr, Missy Higgins, Linkin Park, Radiohead, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Joss Stone, The Shins, Bright Eyes, Neil Finn and an all-star group including Blur's Damon Albarn and The Clash's Paul Simonon.
An album of various artists paying tribute to Kev Carmody will be issued in mid-February.
Concerts:
This year was frantic concert-wise, but don't plan on catching your breath in 2007. The wallet-thinning schedule includes concerts and/or festival appearances featuring Boyz II Men, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Weird Al Yankovic, Roger Waters, Tool, Snow Patrol, Lou Reed, Evanescence, Ben Harper, Modest Mouse, Gomez, Westlife, Tim Finn, The Pretenders, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Damien Rice, Burt Bacharach, The Killers, Violent Femmes and The Pixies.
Are you broke yet? Want some more?
Okay then, how about Tony Joe White, Sandi Thom, Pink, Red Hot Chili Peppers, NO FX, the Dave Matthews Band, Bonnie Raitt, Beastie Boys, The Twilight Singers, Yo La Tengo, Dropkick Murphys, Hoobastank, Muse, Luka Bloom, Scissor Sisters, Deftones and Ziggy Marley?
Oh, and don't forget My Chemical Romance.
Issues:
In October, EMI music boss Alain Levy upset many who feed at the music-industry trough by claiming: "The CD as it is right now is dead.'' This may come as news to the thousands of acts around the world planning to release discs.
In fact, Levy was noting the gradual shift towards digital downloading. He was warning bands and record companies that, for physical CDs to remain relevant, they needed to contain value-added elements such as bonus tracks, videos, interviews or live footage.
While the business side of music grapples with falling sales and an unpredictable future, performers just keep on banging out CDs. Every week, between 50 and 80 new releases land on the Insider music desk from the big four companies (Universal, EMI, Warner, SonyBMG) and a raft of indie labels.
The home-studio revolution has enabled many bands with a digital eight-or 16-track recorder to put out an album, many containing a friendship-stretching 15 or 16 tracks posing as value for money. But more albums jostling for space in a contracting market can only end up in disappointment for the most of the acts.
Meanwhile, scalping will continue festering like a fat, juicy carbuncle until it is either outlawed and driven underground, or someone devises a foolproof, low-hassle ticketing system.
Finally, if the past few weeks have been anything to go by, expect to see sniffer dogs at plenty of concerts and festivals throughout summer. In the name of fairness, how about the police take a few sniffer dogs to the opera or the theatre on a Saturday night?
You never know what they might find!
