This is so impressive!! If you watch it with your eyes closed you would actually think it was starting to rain.
For those aching to hear the pure, lonesome tenor from the Appalachian siren of modern country, the wait isover. With her first release in three years, Patty Loveless is back with her19th CD on a new label, Saguaro Road Records, formed in June 2008 by Direct Holdings Americas Inc. Direct Holdings also markets and sells audio and video entertainment products under the Time Life brand, which it uses underlicense from Time Warner Inc.
Produced with her husband and musical soul mate, Emory Gordy Jr., and backedby a Who’s Who of Nashville A-list session players, including Harold Bradley, John Hobbs, Hargus “Pig” Robbins, Harry Stinson, Steve Gibson and Biff Watson, with background vocals by Vince Gill, Sleepless Nights features14 titles that the pair culled from a pool of nearly 500 songs. This albumof classics celebrates the many facets of heartache that make country music the diary of the common man.
“Emory and I were talking over dinner about recapturing some of these moments from my youth,” Loveless explains, “because I want to inspire and remind people of what country is made of. It takes me back especially to mybrother, Roger, and my sister, Dottie, and the music they loved.
“It’s a little bit of a history lesson, but I think once you hear the songs,the stories … you’re going to be drawn to it,” continues Loveless. “People lived a little differently then, but at the same time, there’s a lot more in common [with today] than people would think.” Hailed by People magazine as”equal parts Linda Ronstadt and Patsy Cline” when her two-million-selling Only What I Feel was released, Loveless has always believed in honoring her upbringing. Born in rural eastern Kentucky to a coal mining father who loved bluegrass, Patty followed her roots all the way to the Opry stage afterfirst catching the ear of Porter Wagoner when she was only 13. She released
her self-titled debut in 1987 and has never looked back.
A CMA Female Vocalist and Album of the Year winner, Loveless has consistently set a standard for what country music should be with platinum CDs and chart-topping songs like “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am” and “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye.” As Time magazine once noted, “Her songs catalog every sin a man can commit,every pain a woman can bear. If you turn on the radio and hear a strongheart breaking, chances are it’s the one in that plangent Loveless voice…”
“These are great Country songs”, says Direct Holdings Senior Vice President,Retail, Mike Jason, but in many ways they transcend their Country roots bytelling universal stories of love, passion and heartbreak.” “Patty’s beautifully plaintive voice and this album will speak to the Country musicpurist, the newest fan and everyone in between.”On Sleepless Nights, Loveless draws on her vocal strength and traditional sensibilities to bring her own versions of these timeless standards to life.The title track is itself a bridge between the heart-wrenching Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris duet and the original, more obscure yet hopeful Everly Brothers’ version.
That is the beauty of what Loveless has always achieved: a seamless synthesis of what was, what is and what matters. Whether it’s Webb Pierce’s cautionary “There Stands the Glass,” George Jonesregret-steeped “Color of the Blues” or Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart,”these songs are imbued with a fire that consumes the listener. And they are classics for a reason. Not just for what they say, or who wroteor recorded them, but also because of the emotional charge they carry. “I felt like I could dip into my own soul,” Loveless says of “Color of theBlues” by her dear friend George Jones. “It grabs a hold of you and won’t let go … and when you’re feeling down and out, that may be all you have to hold onto. “That’s what makes country music stand out. ‘Don’t Let Me Cross Over’ is acheatin’ line … and it was written by a woman, Penny Jay Moyer.”
In a world growing more complex, and at the same time more superficial, it takes some digging to find what’s real. It’s not always neat and tidy, butit is profound. For Loveless, that’s the essence of her role as a country music singer.
***
Sleepless Nights SONG LIST
1. WHY BABY WHY
2. THE PAIN OF LOVING YOU
3. HE THINKS I STILL CARE
4. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
5. CRAZY ARMS
6. THERE STANDS THE GLASS
7. THAT’S ALL IT TOOK
8. COLOR OF THE BLUES
9. I FORGOT MORE THAN YOU’LL EVER KNOW
10. NEXT IN LINE
11. DON’T LET ME CROSS OVER
12. PLEASE HELP ME I’M FALLING
13. THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING
14. COLD COLD HEART
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette
Just don’t get too carried away with your iPod karaoke.
Published: Tuesday, April 29
Is it just me, or is everyone plugged in these days?
“Nine out of 10 people workout with an iPod or MP3 player,” said Melanie Shernofsky, group fitness coordinator at Montreal’s Mansfield Club.
The same could be said for the many runners and walkers who are tuned in to their own playlist while cruising the streets of their neighbourhood.
Yet despite the apparent spike in music appreciation amongst the fitness crowd, exercising to music isn’t new. People were skating around roller rinks to the tunes of Buddy Holly and jumping to the beat of the Pointer Sisters in aerobics classes long before Amy Winehouse took top billing on the iPod of most gym rats.
Why is music such an integral part of the exercise experience?
“Music takes us away from the physical discomfort and the process of exercise itself,” said Jim Gavin, a clinical health psychologist from Concordia University.
Indeed most exercisers will tell you that music is a pleasant distraction during a workout. Some even go as far as saying they can exercise longer and harder when listening to music than without. And while there is a general consensus that music can make the minutes go by faster when running on a treadmill, there is little data to suggest that you can workout longer or harder while listening to your favourite tunes.
Numerous studies have evaluated the heart rate and time to exhaustion among exercisers listening and not listening to music. The majority noted no significant difference between the two. Which means exercise duration and intensity weren’t affected by music. What was affected, however, was how hard the exercisers perceived they were training while music was playing.
Study after study notes that exercisers perceive their level of exertion to be lower when music accompanies their workout compared to those who exercise in silence. Also interesting to note is that the affect is greater the harder you exercise. In other words, the tougher the workout, the more music helps you hang in there.
“Music tends to separate us from what we are physically doing and leads us further away from how we are feeling,” says Gavin.
Not all music is equal in its distraction, though - at least where exercise is concerned. A 2006 study of 128 undergraduate students noted a preference for faster, more upbeat music as the intensity of the workout increased. No surprise there. Footloose beats out James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful every time when the going gets tough. Nike’s iPod sensor combo even allows runners to program their own “power” song that can be pressed into play when the feet need a little extra incentive to keep moving.
Yet as powerful as music is, not everyone appreciates the distraction. Yet another study noted that among runners, novices were more likely than veteran runners to benefit from listening to music during their training runs. The elite runners actually found music to be an unwanted diversion, which suggests that the disconnect between mind and body is not considered beneficial for runners who use their body’s feedback to continually gauge and modify their intensity.
Of course, there are other uses for music in the exercise field. Yoga instructors often play music as a form of relaxation, helping participants to de-stress and slow down their hectic pace in tune with the mindful approach of the practice.
Group exercise instructors have long been known to count on music not just to motivate, but also to keep everyone in the class moving in synch. In fact, the addition of music to group exercise classes is what characterized the aerobics boom in the 80’s - back in the day instructors spent hours choosing the right music to motivate and the right moves.
Interestingly, with personal MP3 players now all the rage, music lovers don’t need group exercise classes to supply musical motivation. In the age of self-selection, exercisers can create their own workout playlist with their favourite tunes that can be updated at will. This means they can find all the motivation they want on their own iPod, making a solo run on the treadmill just as motivating as a group exercise class.
Shernofsky thinks that’s a good thing.
“For people who don’t like to exercise, music can be a great motivator.”
It also means that anyone with two left feet or an aversion to a Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey re-mix played at 150 beats a minute can now workout to the beat of their own drummer.
That being said, there are some rules that go along with plugging in during exercise. Don’t tune out to the extent that you aren’t aware of your surroundings. Keep alert and listen to your body and what’s going on around you. And whatever you do, limit your iPod karaoke to places where you aren’t likely to be overheard. Not everyone is a fan of Bat Out of Hell sung at full volume on a beautiful Sunday morning (don’t ask).
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2008
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24358965/wid/11915829?GT1=40006
By Jake Coyle
Mon., April. 28, 2008
NEW YORK - You’re sitting at home online and suddenly you get an irresistible urge. You absolutely have to belt out R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” and share it with the world.
You now have that ability, thanks to the new MySpace Karaoke, to be launched Tuesday by the social networking site.
MySpace Karaoke (ksolo.myspace.com) debuts nearly two years after Fox Interactive, a division of News Corp., which owns MySpace, purchased the karaoke site kSolo.com. The combination of MySpace and kSolo allows users to upload audio recordings of them singing everything from R. Kelly to Richie Valens to their profile page.
MySpace co-founder and president Tom Anderson (known by many as the friend that comes automatically with a MySpace account) said MySpace and karaoke are a natural fit.
“It is in part because music is so popular on our site,” said Anderson. “But also because karaoke is such a fun and social thing, which is what we’re about too. It’s not as much fun to go to karaoke alone, but when you do it through the Internet or on your MySpace page, then you can share it with people.”
Recordings can be prominently displayed on one’s MySpace page and receive ratings from friends (and, presumably, fans). As of Monday afternoon, the most popular song to sing was Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.”
MySpace Karaoke and kSolo — the first major karaoke site — are just two destinations of a small industry of online karaoke sites. SingShot, owned by Electronic Arts, and Bix, owned by Yahoo!, are also big names in karaoke on the Web.
And YouTube has, of course, been the largest repository of people dancing around their bedrooms and singing their favorite songs. While MySpace Karaoke doesn’t currently have a video option, Anderson says it’s in the works and that it will include a split-screen duet feature.
Users need only a microphone to sing into. MySpace Karaoke gives them the music to sing over (with vocals removed) with the lyrics scrolling across their computer screen. There are also numerous effects that users can play with to alter their recordings.
Right now, the site has between 2,000 and 3,000 songs available, all of them licensed from music publishers. The difficulty of managing those rights has been the reason for the delayed launch, Anderson said.
“It was quite difficult,” he said. “The rules and the licensing changed over time and became more complicated since MySpace is a global company. There’s different rights in different territories.”
But Anderson thinks having those rights puts MySpace at a distinct advantage.
“On MySpace, we actually filter and take down content (without licensing),” said Anderson. “At some point, YouTube is going to be forced to — or pay the rights holders because they’re breaking the law when they do that.”
As recordings have begun to pile up, there’s a wide variety of quality.
Said Anderson, “You’ll find equally horrible and equally good ones.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7329323.stm
MySpace in online music project
Networking site MySpace is to launch an online music service in partnership with three major music companies.
The new service MySpace Music is being launched with Universal Music, Sony BMG Music and Warner Music.
Users of the new service will be able to listen to music and watch music videos free of charge, while paying a fee to download music.
The website will also make money from advertising and selling merchandise like ring tones and concert tickets.
However, the exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The one major record firm excluded from the partnership was EMI.
The new music service is seen as a possible competitor to Apple iTunes Music Store, which has dominated the digital music market.
The music industry has been concerned about a lack of competition for iTunes in the digital music market.
Music firms see a new entrant in the music download market as a positive change.
“This gives a great new lease of life for the download market,” said Thomas Hesse, Sony BMG president of global digital business.
Page last updated at 17:19 GMT, Thursday, 3 April 2008 18:19 UK
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2008/03/07/artists-raid.html
Canadian musicians and songwriters are applauding an RCMP raid on a company accused of being a modern-day pirate operation and one of the biggest music bootleggers in Canadian history.
RCMP investigators raided the Winnipeg-based shop of Audiomaxxx.com on Wednesday and seized 200,000 CDs and DVDs as well as computers, label-making machines and burning towers capable of copying 11,500 discs a day.
“We’re looking at cube vans and U-Hauls worth of CD and computer equipment. It’s a lot,” RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Line Karpish said.
The material seized included recordings by big-name artists such as Nelly Furtado and Shania Twain, but also smaller artists, the RCMP said. The RCMP’s three-year investigation began after the Canadian Recording Industry Association received a flood of complaints.
Association president Graham Henderson estimated one-third of all the pirated music in Toronto may have originated from Audiomaxxx.com. The bootlegged goods were also being shipped to North and Central America, Europe and the Caribbean, according to an RCMP news release.
“The largest seizure that I can remember was about 10,000 discs seized from a commercial operation in Toronto a year ago. This was 20 times as big,” Henderson said.
Independent producers and smaller record labels, including some from the Caribbean, played a big part in pushing the industry and the police to investigate, Henderson said, because their market was being undercut by the material made in Canada.
There has been big buzz about the bust at Canadian Music Week, the country’s international music conference, taking place in Toronto this week, he added. “At all levels, I’m getting high fives.
“This was striking at the livelihoods of independents and music publishers and songwriters, as well as the Celine Dions and Sean Pauls of the world. They’re very, very pleased,” he said.
Keri Latimer, Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter with the alt-country quartet Nathan, was happy to hear an alleged pirating operation had been shut down.
But the success of such companies is a sign of the times, she said.
“Kids that are downloading music, they’re used to doing that for free,” she said. “I think it’s hard to change that sort mindset — once you’re used to doing it, you can’t see anything wrong with it.”
Winnipeg musician Steve Bell, who co-owns Signpost Music, agreed, saying he doesn’t think people value music as much as they once did.
“I think more and more music products are being devalued, and that’s really frustrating, especially for small producers, guys like me who are trying to make a living off of selling tens of thousands of CDs, not hundreds of thousands,” he said.
“Basically a company like that couldn’t survive if people weren’t wanting a lot for a little, and that kind of mentality is hurting a lot of people.”
Lindsay Gillespie, who owns a company in Toronto that manufactures CDs for independent artists and labels, said the income lost to music piracy is crucial to many of his clients.
“The amount of money that they can make at the merchandise table … can mean the difference between a hotel room and sleeping in the van, ” he said.
Charges are pending against a 31-year-old Winnipeg man, and police are investigating three other individuals.
The Audiomaxxx.com website was not working Thursday evening, and the company’s owner and his family did not return phone calls.
Under Canada’s Copyright Act, it is illegal to copy CDs and DVDs for sale, rent, distribution or public exhibition without the copyright owner’s permission. It is legal, however, to make copies of music recordings for the copier’s private use.
With files from The Canadian Press
Good news for music lovers of all types 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7250594.stm
Music ‘can aid stroke recovery’
Listening to music in the early stages after a stroke can improve a patient’s recovery, research suggests.
The researchers compared patients who listened to music for a couple of hours a day, with those who listened only to audio books, or nothing at all.
The music group showed better recovery of memory and attention skills, and a more positive general frame of mind.
Writing in journal Brain, the Finnish team who studied 60 patients said music could be a useful addition to therapy.
Lead researcher Teppo Sarkamo, from the University of Helsinki, said music could be particularly valuable for patients not yet ready for other forms of rehabilitation.
It also had the advantage of being cheap and easy-to-conduct.
Quick action
The study focused on 60 stroke patients who took part in the research as soon as possible after they had been admitted to hospital.
The aim was to offer music therapy before the changes in the brain that can take place in the aftermath of a stroke had a chance to kick in.
Most of the patients had problems with movement and with cognitive processes, such as attention and memory.
Patients in the music group were able to choose the type of music they listened to. All patients received standard stroke rehabilitation.
After three months, verbal memory improved by 60% in the music group, compared with18% in the audio book group, and 29% in the non-listeners.
Focused attention - the ability to control and perform mental operations and resolve conflicts - improved by 17% in the music group, but not at all in the other two groups.
In addition, patients in the music group were less likely to be depressed, or confused.
Mr Sarkamo said: “Other research has shown that during the first weeks and months after stroke, the patients typically spend about three-quarters of their time each day in non-therapeutic activities, mostly in their rooms, inactive and without interaction, even although this time-window is ideal for rehabilitative training from the point of view of brain plasticity.
“Our research shows for the first time that listening to music during this crucial period can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood, and it has the advantage that it is cheap and easy to organise.”
However, he admitted that further work was needed to confirm the study, and that it should not be assumed that music therapy would work all patients.
He said: “Rather than an alternative, music listening should be considered as an addition to other active forms of therapy, such as speech therapy or neuropsychological rehabilitation.”
Possible theories
The researchers said it was possible that music directly stimulated recovery in the damaged areas of the brain.
Alternatively, it might stimulate more general mechanisms related to the ability of the brain to repair and renew its neural networks after damage.
Or it might specifically act on the part of the nervous system that is implicated in feelings of pleasure, reward and memory.
Dr Isabel Lee, of The Stroke Association, welcomed the research.
However, she said: “Further research into the effect of music on stroke patients needs to be undertaken before any widespread use, as presently the mechanisms of any effect remain unclear.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7244928.stm
Music performers could see a big boost to their lifetime earnings under planned changes to music rights proposed by the European Commission.
The Commission wants to extend the copyright period for music performers from 50 years to 95 years.
British stars like Cliff Richard and Roger Daltrey have been pushing for such a move, but the UK government has resisted changing the rules.
The Commission says it will also benefit less well known musicians.
Musician’s money
The European Union’s internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy said that “copyright protection for Europe’s performers represents a moral right to control the use of their work and earn a living from their performances”.
“It is the performer who gives life to the composition and while most of us have no idea who wrote our favourite song, we can usually name the performer,” he said.
The copyright for a song or piece of music, and the money that earns, is split into two parts.
Performance and sound recording rights usually go to the singer, band, musicians and technicians.
Publishing rights, which cover the lyrics and sheet music will either be owned by the writer, or a music label.
They last for the lifetime of the writer plus 70 years.
‘No pensions’
Thursday’s proposal was highly significant for the musicians and technicians “who only receive a small share of performance income from the exploitation of recordings for a limited period of time, said Lee Gage of lawyers Harbottle & Lewis.
He added that “session performers and other non-featured musicians” would especially benefit from the changes.
The Who singer Roger Daltrey, and Sir Cliff Richard are among the artists who have spoken out against the UK government’s decision not to extend music copyright laws.
Mr Daltrey said thousands of artists had “no pensions and rely on royalties”.
Sigh…It just gets worse and worse for those who want to make a living in the music business.
EMI Confirms Up To 2,000 Job Cuts
January 15, 2008, 10:15 AM ET
Andre Paine, London
EMI confirmed today (Jan. 15) that it will cut up to 2,000 jobs worldwide in its Recorded Music division as part of a major restructuring of the company.
The new private equity owners Terra Firma say the cuts will save up to £200 million ($392.2 million) a year and will enable the group to become the world’s “world’s most innovative, artist-friendly and consumer-focused music company.” The changes include a focus on A&R and encouraging new revenue streams from digital services and corporate sponsorship.
EMI Group chairman Guy Hands is today announcing the reshaping of the company — home to Coldplay, Kylie Minogue and Norah Jones — in a series of presentations to staff, artists and managers. The group says the changes will be implemented over six months and are intended to enable it to invest more in A&R operations, in order to sign strong new artists and maximize the potential of the existing roster of acts.
In addition to the repositioning of the labels to make them completely focused on A&R, the changes also include developing a new partnership with artists “based on transparency and trust” that will help them monetize “the value of their work by opening new income streams such as enhanced digital services and corporate sponsorship arrangements.”
Other plans for the restructuring include bringing together key support activities including sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution into a single division with a unified global leadership. Hands also announced his intention to eliminate significant duplications within the group to simplify processes and reduce waste.
EMI says the changes reflect the rapidly changing nature of the music industry and the restructuring follows an “intense” three month consultation review of the business by Terra Firma, following its acquisition of EMI for £3.2 billion ($6.3 billion) last year.
The new owners were already facing an artists’ revolt even before today’s announcement, with Robbie Williams’ manager expressing concern about the direction of the company and Coldplay’s manager voicing his “confusion” at the departure of EMI U.K. Chairman and CEO Tony Wadsworth last week.
However, the company claims many of the measures being implemented have come at the suggestion of staff, artists and their managers. “We have spent a long time looking intensely at EMI and the problems faced by its Recorded Music division which, like the rest of the music industry, has been struggling to respond to the challenges posed by a digital environment,” said Hands in a statement.
He added: “we believe we have devised a new revolutionary structure for the group that will improve every area of the business. In short, it will make EMI’s music more valuable for the company and its artists alike. The changes we are announcing today will ensure that this iconic company will be creating wonderful music in a way that is profitable and sustainable.”
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003696505
“Latifah knows what she’s doing, phrasing with warmth and a touch of jovial flirtation. At least there’s one rapper who can sing.”—The New York Times
Check out Queen Latifah’s rendition of Frank Sinatra’s classic “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die” off her upcoming album Trav’lin’ Light. The album, which hits stores September 25, also features guest appearances from Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Stevie Wonder.
AUDIO: I’m Gonna Live Till I Die
http://verve.edgeboss.net/wmedia/verve/queen_latifah/audio/live_till_i_die.wax
http://verve.edgeboss.net/real/verve/queen_latifah/audio/live_till_i_die.smi
Queen Latifah’s new album Trav’lin’ Light will be released by famed jazz label Verve Records in conjunction with Flavor Unit Entertainment on September 25. Produced by three-time Grammy® winner Tommy LiPuma and by Geffen Records chairman Ron Fair, the album is the long-awaited follow-up to Latifah’s critically-acclaimed and Grammy® nominated release The Dana Owens Album (2004).
Trav’lin’ Light is Latifah’s second foray into the realm of jazz, soul, and blues. Once again, she embraces a sultry and saucy mix of fabled female vocalists who’ve inspired her. Exploring the songbooks of PeggyLee, Etta James, Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Carmen McRae, Roberta Flack, Mary Wells, Phoebe Snow, and more, Latifah adds her warm vocals and playful personality to a hand-picked mix of familiar classics and forgotten jewels.
Like its predecessor, the album features contributions by a number of stellar artists. On Trav’lin’ Light, Latifah is joined by neo-soul singers Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, piano and keyboard pioneers George Duke and Joe Sample and bass virtuoso Christian McBride. Engineered by 15-time Grammy® winner Al Schmitt, the album also features Jeff Hamilton (drums), Anthony Wilson (guitar) and John Clayton (arrangements). Furthermore, Latifah realized a lifelong dream of recording with Stevie Wonder, who contributes harmonica on one track.
LiPuma, who has worked with Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, George Benson and Barbra Streisand, produced the first six tracks on Trav’lin’ Light. Fair, who produced half of The Dana Owens Album and has lent his considerable talents to Black Eyed Peas, Christina Aguilera and Mary J. Blige, returns to produce the second half of Trav’lin’ Light. The album was recorded at the legendary Studio A at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, host to notable recordings by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee, among others.
Though Queen Latifah displayed promising glimpses of her emerging vocal ability with performances in Chicago and Living Out Loud, The Dana Owens Album cemented her reputation as an extraordinary vocal talent. With songs spanning every decade from the 1920s through the 1970s, The Dana Owens Album paid homage to those who influenced Latifah’s singing. Featuring guest appearances by Al Green and Herbie Hancock, the album opened with an interpretation of Dinah Washington’s 1949 hit “Baby Get Lost,” and included versions of songs by Nina Simone, Bill Withers and Cannonball Adderley.
This summer, opening July 20, audiences will see Latifah in the most highly anticipated film of the summer Hairspray as Motormouth Maybelle with John Travolta and Michelle Pfeifer. An acclaimed television and film actress, Grammy® Award-winning rapper and now a critically lauded singer, Queen Latifah highlighted her multitude of talents in the recent film adaptation of Chicago. As Mama Morton, she emerged as a formidable singer and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe® nomination and a SAG Award nomination. Latifah has also starred in such films as Life Support, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, the box-office hit Bringing Down the House and Living Out Loud, in which she sang the Billy Strayhorn classic “Lush Life” (produced by Mervyn Warren of Take 6).
PLAY
