Carleen Anderson: Nervous Breakdown + Let It Last + Maybe I'm Amazed + Woman In Me

Singer/songwriter/keyboardist Carleen Anderson was born and raised in the US, but relocated to the UK in 1990, the same year she joined acid jazz band The Young Disciples on lead vocals and keys. She sang backing vocals on Paul Weller's first solo album in 1992 and has recorded with him several times since. In 1999/2000 she toured and sang lead with The Brand New Heavies, and has also recorded and/or performed with Bryan Ferry, Jocelyn Brown, Omar, Lewis Taylor, Johnny Cash, Chrissie Hynde, Paul McCartney, Guru, Dr. John and Nigel Kennedy. Over the years she has released several solo projects, and will be revisiting her 1990's catalogue at Ronnie Scott's in London this weekend - wish I could be there for that!

On November 14, 2010 Carleen posted some wise words on her website - it's one of the best statements on life/songwriting/performing I've come across:

"It has been a difficult, challenging year. Although writing music is a refuge I am certainly grateful for, it brings the weight of painful revelations up from the depths of repression, with all the scars and circumstance that accompanies it. I have learned though, however impossible the situation, there is a song to sing, and therein stays a merciful blessing."

Other interesting facts about Carleen:

- Her mother is Vicki Anderson, best known for singing in the James Brown Revue.
- Her step-father was Bobby Byrd, original founder of The Famous Flames.
- Her Godfather was James Brown.
- She studied classical music and jazz at USC in Los Angeles in the early 1980s.
- She is the head of the vocal music department at the Brighton (UK) Institute for Modern Music.

http://www.carleenanderson.net/

www.myspace.com/carleenanderson

www.facebook.com/pages/Carleen-Anderson-Official-Artist-Page/177571747414


The beautiful, simple but highly effective videos accompany four as-good-as-new songs from her solo projects in the 1990s - all of them showcase her stellar and very versatile voice.

"Nervous Breakdown" and "Let It Last": both from 1994.
"Maybe I'm Amazed" and "Woman In Me": both from 1998.

2 Favorite Movies: Before Sunrise + The Graduate

Two movies I never get tired of watching:

"Before Sunrise" (1995), set in Vienna, directed by Richard Linklater, starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. Original, intelligent, talky, insanely romantic, and makes great use of the locations.

[NOTE: Linklater's 2004 sequel "Before Sunset", set in Paris, is just as good and also stars Delpy and Hawke.]



"The Graduate" (1967) directed by Mike Nichols, starring Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross and Anne Bancroft with Simon & Garfunkel's perfect soundtrack is a classic that will never be topped. Ever.

James Vincent McMorrow: This Old Dark Machine + If I Had A Boat + Follow You Down To The Red Oak Tree

As I listened to Irish singer/songwriter James Vincent McMorrow's tracks from his beautiful debut full-length album "In the Early Morning" I was instantly reminded of two other sublime vocalists/singer/songwriters: Mozez (formerly of Zero 7) and Jeff Buckley - I hear the same soulful, effortless quality in the voice as well as haunting songs with strong melodies/lyrics.

"Early In The Morning" was released today in the US on Vagrant. In March McMorrow will be performing at SXSW in Austin, Texas and at Canadian Music Fest in Toronto in between February/March shows in the UK and a few in Paris - hopefully he'll do a US tour later in the year.

www.jamesvmcmorrow.com

www.facebook.com/jamesvincentmcmorrow

Joan As Police Woman: The Magic

Joan As Police Woman aka Joan Wasser has a new album out entitled "The Deep Field".

The video for the stellar track "The Magic" is one of the strangest I've seen so far - but the good kind of strange!

NOTE: Wasser, now 40, and Jeff Buckley were in a long term relationship from 1994 until his death in 1997, and she was interviewed by author David Browne for his excellent 2001 Jeff Buckley/Tim Buckley biography "Dream Brother".

www.joanaspolicewoman.com

www.myspace.com/joanaspolicewoman

www.facebook.com/joanaspolicewoman

The Rumour Said Fire: Sentimentally Falling

The sound and vibe of the gorgeous track "Sentimentally Falling" from Danish folk-rock band The Rumour Said Fire is sure to take you on a back-to-the-future wild ride from Copenhagen anno 2011 to Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles circa late 1960s-early 1970s when former and future members of the The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were hanging out with Joni Mitchell.

www.myspace.com/therumoursaidfire

www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rumour-Said-Fire/27089158111

Nabiha: Deep Sleep

21 year-old Nabiha Bensouda was born and raised in Denmark, but also has family roots in Gambia, Mali and Morocco. Growing up, she listened to her mother's Malian lullabies as well as to rock, pop, reggae, soul, R&B, electronica, and disco.

Nabiha's debut album "Cracks" was released in Denmark in 2010 - she co-wrote all of the songs on the album together with London-based Swedish producer/writer Carl Ryden who also produced the album.

Her very strong, classic soul voice is put to highly effective use on tracks that can easily compete with songs by similar artists in the US and the UK and even outshine them.


www.myspace.com/nabihamusic


www.facebook.com/nabihamusic

ALO: Roses & Clover

Just got an email from the hardworking staff at still-going-strong indie record store Fingerprints who are in the challenging process of moving from their longtime location in Belmont Shore to a much larger space on 4th @ Linden in downtown LB (formerly the Lyon art store which has moved across the street)

Opening date should be just around February 1 and they already have several in-store performances lined up: Brooklyn based art/performance collective Men on Thursday Feb. 3 at 7 pm, LB singer/songwriter Korey Dane's CD release party happens on Saturday Feb. 5 at 7 pm, ALO aka Animal Liberation Orchestra has an acoustic show on Saturday Feb. 12, and G. Love will do an acoustic show on Tuesday February 22.

UPDATE, February 1:
Fingerprints is now open for business at their new location: 420 East 4th Street @ Linden.

Please take note of Fingerprints' policy for most in-store shows:

"We are opening the guest list, with qualifying pre-order, starting now. If there's still space available when we're closer, we'll open the list first come, first served. If you'd like to pre-order over the phone, please call us at 562.433.4996".

ALO's 2007 track "Roses and Clover" still smells fresh today - take a whiff below.

www.facebook.com/animalliberationorchestra

http://www.alomusic.com/