BEEHIVE CANDY

The second September edition is all over the place in a positive sort of way. Loads of different styles and moods from both new and established artists and we start with someone with real style and class. Grammy nominated Sylvia Bennett , (and we quote) the timeless smooth jazz and pop vocalist sings of love with a warmth, clarity and spirit that is enveloping and tender, showcasing the depth of her skill, talent and experience. She's sung with Lionel Hampton and she's sung for presidents - all with a singular style and intimacy that is hers and hers alone. Quoting some more however it's all pretty much 'on the nail' - 'Sylvia Bennett's big break came in the 1980's, when legendary vibraphonist (and National Arts Award Winner) Lionel Hampton took Sylvia under his wing and made her the first female singer to record with him in thirty years. She recounts, “Lionel validated me as a performer and inspired me to be the best singer I can be. He made me re...

Keeping the emphasis on rock with a capital R for a little bit longer this is Lita Ford live at the Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, California, USA back in 1992. After The Runaways split in 1979, Lita began a solo career. Her first album Out for Blood as well as the title single were released in 1983 and had no luck on the charts. The next effort, 1984's Dancin' on the Edge  achieved moderate success. It included the single "Fire In My Heart" which reached the Top 10 in several countries. The next single "Gotta Let Go" was one of Ford's biggest hits. It reached Number One on the Mainstream Rock charts. Lita Ford toured extensively and made several guest appearances on TV shows for the next four years, but had no releases; a follow-up to Dancin' On The Edge, titled The Bride Wore Black, was abandoned and never released because Ford did not like the production of the album and this upset the head of her record label, leading to Lita switching f...

We think it only fair to admit that Beehive Candy has been a little gentle just lately with our selection of live concert material.  Well to help rectify this situation who better than the multi talented and highly energised legend that is Nina Hagen . This is Nina live in concert at Rockpalast in Bonn, Germany back on the 28th August 1999. The gig consists of a number of her original songs of which some are sung in English and some covers of well known English language songs that are sung in German. All of which provides some incredible twists and turns. As I do not speak German at all (except to say please and thank you badly) I can only guess of what is being said between numbers however whatever the language one cannot mistake high energy, passion and an element of the surreal. If you are not familiar with Nina Hagen but love any of the genres described below you will I think find this introduction a fascinating experience, if you are then this is a must have (yes we do s...

Well we are a little slow of the mark this month bringing you a selection of new music, so thats our current excuse for rushing headlong through eight great new selections of music that really do take us in different directions. We start very gently with a track from 'Under The Sodium Lights' which is Drew Sullivan’s Slow Dancing Society latest ambient epic. We are told that "The album feels like a distillation of the three stunning releases that preceded it – and as such is Sullivan’s finest work to date. The delicate interplay between focused melodic details and blurred washes of sound draws the listener into a hypnotic state, where the waking world and the world of sleep cascade in and out of balance". Or to put it another way it's a great selection of music that fans of ambient and mood music should love and a wider selection of people should also check out! Under The Sodium Lights sees its official release on 30 September 2010 through Australian label ...

This is a selection of songs performed for Austin City Limits by Robert Earl Keen , at the Austin City Limits Studios, Austin, Texas, USA. None of these songs were included on the official release 'Live In Austin' which is from a 2001 concert recording. Robert Earl Keen first performed on Austin City Limits in 1988 as part of the Texas Showcase which included four other artists. This selection also includes sets recorded in 1994 and 1997. Trying to place Robert in one music genre is difficult, hence the various descriptions below, he can move from one style to another in a seamless manner. The musicians that work with him are part of the trick and his own down to earth style makes listening a joy. Songs like 'Road Goes On Forever' remind me of both Bob Dylan, and Emmylou Harris in terms of delivery and arrangement however he stamps his own style completely on each song. If Robert Earl Keen is new to you and you only half like anything 'Americana' then chec...

This is Pat Benatar recorded live at Portland Coliseum, Portland, Oregon, USA back on March 31st, 1986. There is a pupose for featuring this excellent concert at this time. In June this year (2010) Pat Benatar's memoir, Between a Heart and a Rock Place was released. The book touches on her battles with her record company Chrysalis, and the difficulties her career caused in her personal life. Those nice people at Harper Collins Publishers kindly sent Beehive Candy a review copy, however it arrived a month or so after the books release by which time a reasonable amount of reviews and publicity had already happened, and the impact we were likely to have was probably close to zero. However I do like a good read, and it's been a while since I read a biography or memoir so I decided to enjoy the book. One thing this memoir is most definately not, is a sex and drugs and rock'n'roll epic. Rather it is a book firmly placed in reality and covers many of the outrageous ...

No let up in great new music coming our way, here's the third and final 2010FM edition for August, that in our increasingly 'trade mark style' we will now gallop through.  We are advised that featured track ‘Winter Weeds’ "contains all the ingredients that make Liam Singer ’s music so utterly beautiful and unique. With its striking minimalism and melancholic romanticism, the track swoons and sways. Singer’s piano and vocal interweave with the heavenly backing vocals of Boxharp’s Wendy Allen, all topped off with Scott Solter’s masterful production". The track is a taster of Liam Singers forthcoming album, Dislocatia. "Full of fantastical song-stories, the album carries the listener skyward like a clockwork cloud. In Liam Singer's music, the prosaic and the magical are two sides of the same dusty coin. Dislocatia is out through Hidden Shoal on October 5th". This is a gorgeous gentle start to this 2010FM edition, we look forward to hearing more from...

This is The Move with a mixture of BBC sessions music recorded from 1967 to 1970. Not to be confused with the official 1998 release (The Move - The BBC Sessions - Strange Fruit UK records) , this material is different and in fairness of lower quality. Whilst we do not know for certain, the probabilty is a good portion of this BBC material was recorded 'off air' from BBC Radio One, that at the time was on AM. Some clearly is studio master, and even the 'AM' element conjours up memories of listening to 1960's 'medium wave' radio stations. It is therefore reasonable to speculate that the originals of this material never made it to BBC transcription disc, or the record label had more than enough material for the 1998 (single CD) album release. Whatever the case this remains another fine 'time capsule' from one of Englands finest and most consistent bands of the 1960's. Source: BBC Radio and TV-Byen Sound Quality: Highly list...

We are struggling to keep up with all the new music coming our way again at the moment, so this is another batch of what we really like right now, with more planned to follow soon. For speed, where we think it's appropriate we have shamelessly copied and pasted from the accompanying publicity material. New York's maestro of shadowy lounge tinged pop Rich Bennett is back with a follow up to his stunning 2008 album Music for Underwater Supermarkets. Influenced by the classic exotica of Martin Denny, the aching folk-pop of Fleet Foxes, and the conceptual sweep of The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle, Bennett's latest work On Holiday  is brimming with subtly dark, breezy melodies and the buoyant vocals of both Bennett and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Pronsky. From the gorgeous "ride on top a pop cloud" single ‘Misty Valley’ to the delicious minor key melancholy of  ‘Night Part 2’, On Holiday is as intoxicating as it is playful. The album is out now through A...