Editorial STUFF
In this unmissable issue we bring you a first class interview with hip-hop ambassador T-Pain - get the low-down on his new album whilst Pain puts the record straight on the whole auto-tune debate. X-Factor runner-up Rebecca Ferguson is truly soul inspired as she releases a superb debut album. One of the best live acts on the planet, Vintage Trouble, talk mojo. Our pearl in the shell (Magazine cover) Lianne La Havas introduces herself to the B&S masses while we shout from a high (ok our desks) that we we think she will be absolutely HUGE this year. We have iconic label boss/song writer Kenny Gamble telling us how he and Leon Huff did it the Philly way! UK Blues legend John Mayall is welcomed warmly by B&S' Simon Redley as we get our Blues coverage well and truly under way. We are ringside as Kevin Saunderson reforms legendary club collective Inner City while interviews with Mark de Clive-Lowe, Rachel Claudio and Murk also compliment our dance pages. We go live with Us3 and The Soul Immigrants, Shalamar, Charles Bradley, Beverley Knight, Omar and Electric Empire... Please do not forget to drop by to read what our experts in Blues, Motown, Jazz and Dance have to say this month as our regular columnists can be found at the left of the site... And last but by no means least - if your like what you read online, please remember that you can get A LOT more in our printed issue. Order from our site and have it delivered to your door or buy a copy at a decent retailer near you now! Cheers. Lee (Editor)B&S
Whitney Houston R.I.P. August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012
“One of the greatest singers that ever lived.†The feeling of many artists and VIPs, after hearing the shock news that Whitney Houston has been found dead on Saturday afternoon, US time, (11th Feb 2012) in a Beverley Hills hotel room...
read moreEtta James R.I.P. (January 25th 1938 - January 20th 2012)
Etta James, the undisputed Queen of female blues singers, lost her battle with Leukaemia on 20th January. The word “legend†is bandied about far too often in the music world; but it was justified for sure when speaking about Etta...
Don Cornelius R.I.P. Sep 27th 1936 – Feb 1st 2012
The global soul community was in shock with the news that mega hit TV show “Soul Train†creator and former host Don Cornelius, was found dead with a single shotgun wound to his head at his California home, apparently...
T-Pain: The Pleasure Principle
Double-Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/rapper/producer T-Pain returns with his long-awaited fourth album "rEVOLVEr" and with recent tune "5'Oclock" featuring Lily Allen does the business chart-wise, this can only mean one thing -
Rebecca Ferguson: Soulful reflections
Known nationwide for her authentically-soulful vocals, saw her finish runner-up in the 2010 series of UK TV talent show ‘The X-Factor’, singer/songwriter Rebecca Ferguson this month releases her highly-anticipated debut album Heaven
Lianne La Havas: This Years Must Havas
Some say Lianne La Havas is the next Erykah Badou. A more soulful version of Amy Winehouse perhaps. I don’t agree. She ain’t the next anybody… She is the first Lianne La Havas. A sensation, and she’s one of ours.
Vintage Trouble: Here Comes Trouble
The band’s debut CD title; “The Bomb Shelter Sessions,†seems quite apt. Their live shows are like an incendiary device, setting fire to venues they are filling across the UK... New LA hotshots Vintage Trouble are on a mission...
Gamble & Huff: That Philly feelin'
Pete Lewis meets Kenny Gamble - one half of the legendary Philadelphia songwriting/production duo Gamble & Huff, who are currently celebrating the 40th Anniversary of their equally-iconic Philadelphia International label...
Inner City: Back To The City….
Kevin ‘Reese’ Saunderson is in London to discuss his return with wife Ann and fellow singer-songwriter Paris Grey as legendary club collective Inner City. It’s a dreary, drizzling autumnal day, reminding him of 1988...
Mark de Clive-Lowe: Keeping it on de Lowe
Mark de Clive-Lowe is a renowned figure in the world of underground dance music as well as a fully accomplished jazz musician. His latest album, "Renegades" spans the divide between jazz and house music, showing how one form can be taken into..
Murk: Miami Spice
The return of Murk is impeccably timed. For Miami’s bittersweet house duo have re-entered the club just as it finds its feet with the kind of smart, dark dancefloor music with which they first made their name over 20 years ago...
Ken Lewis: Producing the goods
Ken Lewis' CV is a rich tapestry of some of the biggest artists and it just keeps on growing: Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Usher, Mary J. Blige are the tip of a massive iceberg of work...
James Morrison: De Montfort Hall, Leicester 6/2/12
He has Stevie’s innate phrasing in his blood stream. He has Otis Redding’s sweetness. He has that throaty rasp from Terence Trent D’arby. He has the rockin’ Lenny Kravitz side of things pinned down. He is a solid soul ma
Gil Scott-Heron: The Last Holiday - A Memoir (Canongate Books)
The late Gil Scott-Heron was a complex and troubled man. His posthumous memoirs are not for the faint hearted. At times a gut-wrenching read, and perhaps a real insight into his fractious and fragile state of mind...
