Hello, my lovelies. I'm writing this blog entry from a cozy little corner at Starbucks in Maida Vale which is located in the bosom of northern London. There are many songs being written in various studios throughout the capital this week. The journey to and from each session has been accompanied by one song which makes it's debut at #2 on the UK singles chart today.
The gloriously anthemic "Heaven" from Emeli Sandé has crashed the consumer consciousness in Great Britain and filled the airwaves with gospel voices set to a funky drummer beat. Yes, we have firmly revisited the sound of the 90s, ladies and gents. And it appears Emeli's producers have listened to copious amounts of "Blue Lines", the genre defining, trip hop, debut from Bristol's finest, Massive Attack.
But first, let's have a look at the video which was just lensed for "Heaven".
The twenty year cycle of nostalgia is in full effect for the 90s. Gritty street scenes, ashen faces, wandering homeless men and lost children. For a visual and sonic comparison, let's check out "Unfinished Sympathy", the track that launched the Massive Attack phenomenon. Pay particular attention the the string lines.
Of course, the two songs don't sound the same, but Emeli definitely captured some of the vibe. Big things are tipped for her. We will keep a watchful on this rising diva.
I listened and thought 'Unfinished Sympathy with Funky Drummer sped up'... lo and behold!
ReplyDeleteI like this. It's my third new 'young people dance music genre' funky drummer track of the year.
So weird Vinny! I friend of mine in Sweden posted 'Heaven' on my FB wall and said: "def Massive Attack influence. What do you think?" I say absolutely and it's heavenly ; )
ReplyDeleteAnd me too. But then Unfinished Sympathy is only like my most favourite song EVER.
ReplyDeleteAmazing track! So nice to hear her without some BORING Sauf London Rapper interfering as well!
ReplyDeleteCan't get enough of the track, even if every time I try to play it on a blog I get the "not available in your region" message.
ReplyDeleteGreat track!!
ReplyDeleteI also liked the very apt title of this blog entry, as a nice transition from the Erasure blog post ;-)
Was that intentional?