Sophie Ellis-Bextor's long awaited, often delayed, fourth longplayer, "Make A Scene", is about to hit the "shops" on Monday, April 18. Fans in the UK will have to wait until June 6 to get their hands on it.
Why the extended delay? This album has been bouncing around the release schedules for the better part of the last eighteen months. I'll believe it's actually coming out when I have a copy of it in my hot, little hands.
The tracklisting for "Make A Scene" features the following fourteen tracks.
1. Revolution 2. Bittersweet 3. Off & On 4. Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) 5. Not Giving Up on Love 6. Can’t Fight This Feeling 7. Starlight 8. Under Your Touch 9. Make A Scene 10. Magic 11. Dial My Number 12. Homewrecker 13. Synchronised 14. Cut Straight To The Heart
"Starlight", produced by Richard X, will be the next single from La Bex.
Finally, the video for Armin Van Buuren's new single featuring the gorgeous and glamorous Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been revealed. It's all Sophia Loren in Ibiza. And La Bex's cheekbones get top billing.
This tear stained trance number is sure to propel SEB back to the top echelon of the UK singles chart. It's the perfect soundtrack for those end of summer holiday romances. Adieu, monpetit. We shall always hold these sun kissed memories in our hearts.
Funny note. The ad tag at the end of the clip sounds so aggressive. I feel like I'm about to hear the voiceover talent break into "Monster truck madness this Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!" Whatever happened to a little subtlety?
The pop world has been waiting for the latest longplayer from pop sophisticate and cultured kitten, Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Her elpee, "Straight From The Heart", started life as a greatest hits collection with a couple of new songs. When several more songs were completed, all of them of the highest caliber, it was decided a brand new studio album would released and the hit compilation would appear on the back end of the promotional schedule for "Straight From The Heart".
First, there was the Rimmel ad campaign, the soundtrack to which was "Sophia Loren", a spiky little number which was meant to be the lead single. At the time, the album started its life with the title, "Make A Scene".
Alas, "Sophia Loren" wasn't released until 2010 when it was relegated to b-side status. Instead, the album got a name change to "Straight From The Heart" and a new single, "Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)", where La Bex received a featured credit with Freemasons, was issued as the first track. Inexplicably, it peaked at #15 on the UK singles chart in June 2009. The album was scheduled to follow and then never appeared.
Nearly a year later, with Freemasons at the production helm with Biffco, "Bittersweet" was released and peaked at #25. Again, the album was supposed to hit the "shops" a couple of weeks after the release of the single, but it was held back even though its tracklisting had been revealed.
Then, we all thought it would surely be released when it was announced La Bex would be opening for Pet Shop Boys on their summer jaunt through the UK. No single appeared. Not a mention of the album. The wicked finger of fate seemed to indicate that the album would linger longer on the label's storage shelves.
Recently, it was announced Sophie's next single would be another featured credit. This time, she'll be cuddling up close on the mic with renowned producer and DJ, Armin Van Buuren, for "Not Giving Up" which will appear on both his forthcoming album, "Mirage", and La Bex's "Straight From The Heart".
Here's a preview of the single followed by a pumped up reswizzling from Dash Berlin and a lovely acoustic rendition.
The tracklisting for "Straight To The Heart" remains relatively unchanged after nearly a year since the elpee was originally slated for release.
1. Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) 2. Bittersweet" 3. Off & On 4. Revolution 5. Starlight 6. Magic 7. Synchronised 8. Cut Straight To The Heart 9. Dial My Number 10. Homewrecker 11. Under Your Touch 12. Scene 13. Not Giving Up
On paper, it pushes all the right buttons. It's full of high octane, electro numbers with collaborations and contributions from the current crops of pop's top talent. Calvin Harris, Richard X, Cathy Dennis, Greg Kurstin, Róisín Murphy, Freemasons and Biffco all have a hand in the album.
So what's going on? Well, the current state of pop in the UK has waned from the glory days when Xenomania had the magic touch. One by one, from Mini Viva to The Saturdays, Girls Can't Catch and Paloma Faith - all acts that would've been embraced by Radio 1 in the past - have received a cold reception.
Even with "All Time Low" by The Wanted at numero uno last week and Kylie peaking at #3 with "All The Lovers", programmers at the BBC have turned their noses up at the notion of playing pop music across its majestic airwaves. Instead, it has succumbed to same problem that US radio has. Hip hop and R&B rule the day without any room for a solid slab of pop. Even someone like Enrique Iglesias gets a hit by slapping a rapper on his shitty, little, tuneless travesty of a single. The result? A hit.
However, pop music has flourished on the European continent. Acts like La Bex are receiving a much warmer welcome in territories like Germany, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, France and Spain. So, the game plan has changed. With SEB having scored a #13 hit on the singles chart in France with a featured credit on Junior Caldera's single, "Can't Fight This Feeling", all eyes are on the Continent for pop success.
Srsly. With flawless porcelain skin, angular jaw and the best cheekbones in pop, La Bex cuts a shape all her own. Her highly stylized image is more posh gay boy in the Kylie mode than it is average pop slag like Ke$ha and Katy Perry. A cut above not the cat's behind. Therein lies the problem. Reality TV, the dumbing down of entertainment and the sheer acceptance of lowest common denominator (ie. drunk girls and whipped cream titties) has left little room for a classy broad like La Bex and her sparkling pop baubles.
It's not often a b-side captures my attention. Sometimes they are clearly a throwaway in order to fill up space on a single. But some acts take great care to ensure their bonus tracks are high quality recordings. ABBA and Pet Shop Boys immediately come to mind. Many of their b-sides are worthy of a-side status.
So, it came to my surprise that Sophie Ellis-Bextor installed an amazing, non-album b-side on "Bittersweet", her recently released single. "Sophia Loren" originally began life in a commercial for Rimmel. I know. I giggled like a 12 year old, too.
Here's the original make-up advert.
Could SEB be MORE gorgeous? That angular jawline could cut glass.
Here's "Sophia Loren" in it's full b-side beauty. Camp lyrics with a zippy, synthy undercarriage. Love it!
The song was written by powerhouse pop songsmith, Cathy Dennis. You can even hear he singing the backing vocal parts throughout. This really bodes well for her forthcoming longplayer.
However, the chart position for the single might prove otherwise. "Bittersweet" debuted at #25 and then crashed out of the chart. There's sure to be murder on the dancefloor! Hardy harhar.
Lady Ellis-Bextor steps away for a brief moment and then she returns with not one but TWO new singles. "Can't Fight This Feeling" by DJ Junior Caldera with a featured credit from SEB is a pleasant, galloping, dancefloor number.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has the most flawless, porcelain skin and a very sexy, angular jawline. Let's hope her forthcoming album, "Straight To The Heart", is as appealing as she is beautiful.
The return of Sophie Ellis-Bextor to the hit parade is marked by "Bittersweet", another stellar contribution from Freemasons. The music video just surfaced. Shall we take a peek?
The track has some lovely, little "Blue Monday" bits in it. And it has a similar feeling and sound to "The One" by Kylie Minogue which was produced by Freemasons, as well. I know I'm stirring the pot when I say "The One" really should've been the lead single from Kylie's "X". A missed opportunity. Let's hope "Bittersweet" does the business for SEB.
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Sophie Ellis-Bextor's long awaited, often delayed, fourth longplayer, "Make A Scene", is about to hit the "shops" on Monday, April 18. Fans in the UK will have to wait until June 6 to get their hands on it. 
