SHAZAM

Wretch 32 Feat Etta Bond – Forgiveness

Following on from the overwhelming success of the chart-topping, ‘Don’t Go’, Wretch 32 came by the Shazam studio for an exclusive performance of ‘Forgiveness’ the fourth cut to be taken from his debut album ‘Black And White’.

In what can be seen as one of the biggest music success stories of the year, 26 year old Wretch 32 (aka Jermaine Scott) has come a long way from the times when he sold mixtapes in and around his estate in Tottenham to get by. After being earmarked as the artist to watch out for in 2011 by everyone from the BBC, NME, Q magazine and MTV through to Tinie Tempah and Professor Green, and notching up an impressive list of fans such as Adele, Nicki Minaj and Liam Gallagher, ‘The Metaphor Man’ (as he is referred to by the grime glitterati) has lived up to the hype.

In addition to delivering a top 5 smash with debut single ‘Traktor’, a no. 2 anthem ‘Unorthodox’ (featuring Example) and no 1 hit with ‘Don’t Go’, and a top 5 critically acclaimed album with ‘Black And White’, Wretch 32 has stolen the show at festivals over the summer (from Glastonbury to Wireless and V Festival), performed on Later With Jools Holland, been appointed an official Adidas ambassador for their Olympics 2012 campaign, and been nominated for 4 MOBO awards and a Q award.

‘Forgiveness’ is produced by Labrinth and features vocals by upcoming singer Etta Bond. One of the most candid and emotive cuts from the album ‘Forgiveness’ sees Wretch reflects on the dichotomy he faces whilst chasing his dream to get ahead in music: “Excuse me, my friend, I think I might have hit my head. Excuse me, my friend, I can’t remember who I am, cos I’m holding on, trying to be somebody, but it won’t be long until I need somebody…”

Watch the exclusive Shazam Session below

Forgiveness is available on iTunes & Amazon

You can follow Wretch 32 on Twitter here

Rebecca Ferguson- Nothing’s Real But Love

Rebecca Ferguson came by the Shazam studio for an exclusive performance of ‘Nothing’s Real But Love’ from her brand new album ‘Heaven’. The album does not pander to fashion; it’s not a hybrid of every current hip music genre, shaken around a bit and mixed into an amorphous lump. This is soul; raw emotion pours out of every fibre of every note making her pop rivals sound predictable and ordinary.

Created over the last 11 months, the album is highly accomplished and timeless piece of work. From the sweet pared back piano led ‘Teach Me How To Be Loved’ to the 100 miles a minute ‘Backtrack’ with its fierce drum beats, to the big band sound of ‘Fairytale’, Rebecca’s voice soars effortlessly. And if ‘Shoulder To Shoulder’ doesn’t make you cry then there must be androids amongst us.

On her single ‘Nothing’s Real But Love’ Rebecca states “No money, no car, can beat love” as what’s really important in life.

Incredibly humble, but with an eye trained firmly on the future, her potential is vast. She comments “I am very proud of this album. It wasn’t easy to write and I poured that much of myself into it that if people don’t like it, it’ll be hard; but I’ll take that on the chin. As long as people can say ‘I believed what she was saying, that’s the ultimate.”

Watch the exclusive Shazam Session below.

 

 

You can follow Rebecca Ferguson on Twitter
Get ‘Nothing’s Real But Love’ from iTunes & Pre-order Heaven from Amazon

Fancy winning a signed copy of Rebecca Ferguson’s debut album ‘Heaven’? Click here to stand a chance by answering the set question.

Loick Essien – Me Without You

Loick Essien is back with ‘Me Without You’, The follow up single to his debut smash ‘How We Roll’. Loick was in our studio and explained ‘Me Without You’ by saying “There’s nothing worse than ending a relationship with someone you don’t want to break up with. This song is about trying to rebuild your life when it feels like you can’t go on without them. Everyone has felt like that at some point and it’s something we can all relate to”. Watch the exclusive shazam session above

‘Me Without You is Now’ available from iTunes & Amazon You can follow Loick Essien on Twitter

Katherine Jenkins Shazam Session

Katherine Jenkins came by the Shazam studio for an exclusive  performance of  ‘Black Is  The Colour’ & ‘Your Silhouette’ from her  brand new album ’Daydream’.  Released on Warner Music UK,  her latest collection of tracks sees Katherine return to her musical roots.

Her most personal album to date, it draws together music and songs she loves from across classical, traditional, folk and pop that have inspired her over the course of her life.

Stand out tracks on the album include the stunning Shanks produced ‘Break It To My Heart’, a deeply moving interpretation of the Celtic classic ‘Black Is The Colour’, ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from Les Misérables performed in French, a brand new composition of ‘Ave Maria’ and Katherine’s stirring tribute to servicing men and women through the ages ‘A Flower Tells A Story’.

See below for the exclusive Shazam Sessions Videos Of both ’Black Is The Colour’ & ‘Your Silhouette’.

Daydream is now available from iTunes & Amazon, and you can follow Katherine Jenkins On Twitter.

Liam Bailey – It’s Not The Same

‘It’s Not The Same’ is the new EP and title track from rising UK musician Liam Bailey. Liam’s music has a classic soul feel with a contemporary twist, which is enriched by his distinctive and stunning vocal.

Originally from a suburb of Nottingham, Liam Bailey draws musical influence from the likes of Michael Jackson, R Kelly and Oasis and appeared as a guest vocal on the Chase & Status hit ‘Blind Faith’. Having recently coming off support tours with Plan B and Jessie J Liam is on the road promoting his new EP.

We were lucky enough to have Liam come into the Shazam studio to give us a beautiful performance of ‘It’s Not The Same’.

For more information on Liam Bailey and to purchase his music please visit his website.

Black Stone Cherry – White Trash Millionare

A couple of months ago Kentucky based Black Stone Cherry came in to the Shazam office to give us a fabulous raw acoustic performance of their single ‘White Trash Millionaire’. Blending roots and modern hard rock Black Stone Cherry’s sound redefines southern rock for a modern audience.

Their new album ‘Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’ peaked at #1 on the UK Rock Album Chart and the band had a quick chat with us about the album and what’s coming up next for them.

Do you have a personal favourite track from the album?
One of my personal favourites’ is ‘Killing Floor’. It’s heave and we wrote it with John5 (Rob Zombie’s guitarist). Second favourite is ‘Won’t Let Go’

In what ways do you find ‘Between the Devil…’ an extension of the previous two albums?
It’s a little bit of both albums combined – but mostly a new level for the band as far as songwriting.

You guys have been together for years now, with the same line up, how do you all get along?
We’re brothers. We love like brothers, fights like brothers etc. But we’re best friends.

Do you prefer playing live shows or recording as a band?
Both are different. We obviously love playing live and feeling the energy of a crowd. When we’re in the studio, we’re in a different mode.

What does the next year have in store for BSC?
Lots of touring!

Here at Shazam we are all about music discovery, what are you listening to at the minute?
Different stuff. Elvis, country music, roots. I listen to a lot of different genres.

If you could have one song from history to claim as your own, what would you chose?
Dang, that’s hard. Probably Sweet Emotion or Stairway to Heaven!

Black Stone Cherry’s album ‘Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’ is available now through Roadrunner Record and you can find more on the band by visiting their website.

Interview by Hazel Savage

Eliza Carthy – Revolution

Folk musician Eliza Carthy has built herself an admirable and diverse fifteen year career, having twice been nominated for the Mercury Prize, regularly co-presenting shows on BBC Radio, playing Glastonbury and performing and recording with an array of artists including, Paul Weller, Nick Cave, Patrick Wolf and Rufus and Martha Wainwright.

Eliza has released her new studio album ‘Neptune’ through her own label, Hem Hem Records and came in to the Shazam studio to deliver a beautifully impressive performance of the single ‘Revolution’.

To find out more on Eliza Carthy, please visit her website.

Hanson – Give A Little

While in London for a sold-out five night concert series, pop/rock band, Hanson took some time out to come into our Shazam Studio and give us a stripped back and fun performance of their latest single ‘Give A Little’.

Since 1997, the band have released five studio albums, toured excessively, set up their own label and focused on cultivating a relationship with their loyal fanbase.

With album sales in excess of 15 million, Hanson have recently released their critically acclaimed album ‘Shout It Out’. Debuting at #2 on the US Billboard independent charts, the album is a collection of songs that pays homage to the music that inspired them when they were starting out.

For more information on Hanson and to purchase their latest album, please visit their website.

Nerina Pallot – Put Your Hands Up

Platinum-selling, BRIT & Ivor Novello Award nominated singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot recently released her anticipated new album ‘Year Of The Wolf’.

Nerina popped into our Shazam Studios to give us a gorgeous and heartfelt acoustic performance of the lead single ‘Put Your Hands Up’.

Nerina is best known for her radio hit in 2006 ‘Everybody’s Gone To War’ from the album ‘Fires’ and more recently for her songwriting credits for the likes of Kylie Minogue and Diana Vickers.

For more information on Nerina and to purchase her album, please visit her website

The Submarines – Shoelaces

Last month we had the pleasure of the delightful folk-pop duo, The Submarines, popping by the Shazam studio. The duo (John Draonetti & Blake Hazard) came in to give us a wonderful and stripped back performance of their single ‘Shoelaces’, taken from their latest album ‘Love Notes/Letter Bombs’.

‘Love Notes/Letter Bombs’ is the anticipated follow up to their 2008 release ‘Honeysuckle Weeks’ which featured the track ‘You, Me & Bourgeoisie’ which was used on Apple iPhone’s 3G television ad campaign.

For more on The Submarines and to purchase their music, please visit their website.