Another ten songs you have to hear! Chris Simmons - Gold Dust 'Gold Dust' is a calm and emotive ballad with strong lyrics and a pleasing, gentle vibe that ebbs and flows. Lovely. (7/10) East Of Eli - Child's Play 'Child's Play' is a soaring electro-funk number with a great rhythm, catchy chorus and an interesting mix of production effects. Fun! (7/10) Eoin Glackin - Wear It While You Can
I managed to see Glackin live three years ago, playing this song, so it's nice to see him bringing music out. This is a bouncy, folk-tinged number with a foot-tapping beat and optimistic sunny vibe! (7/10) Galaxy Thief - For A Bad Time With shades of pop-punk and Blink 182 in their sound, 'For A Bad Time' is a simple and raw number with hints of ska and a determined drum beat. (6/10) Hebe - Limits
With an 'Oh Wonder' vibe this gentle electro-style number showcases a powerful voice over some surprisingly memorable moments. (6.5/10) Klez - Ain't Nobody's Fool
'Ain't Nobody's Fool' is a catchy, soulful little single with a strong 70s vibe that brings the funk back into the 21st Century, plus its big and bold breakdown cements my love for it. (7/10) Mary Byrne - I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself This cover of the classic Dusty Springfield song doesn't do anything remarkable or different with the production, arrangement and style but Byrne's powerful voice and the crisp modern production make for a refreshed version of the familiar song. (6.5/10) Reverend and the Makers - Auld Reekie Blues
The first of the new 'Reverend and the Makers'-sound singles I've enjoyed, this is a cool, hippy piece with a smooth, post-summer vibe. I'm still a bigger fan of their older indie vibes but this is an interesting and refreshing change in style and it works. (6/10) Steve Rodgers - Head Up High
Even better than his last single, 'Head Up High' is a warm, upbeat pop-rock song with a really optimistic vibe and a strong radio-friendly sound from its catchy chorus to its clap-along a capella ending. (6.5/10) Tally Spear - Days Like These
'Days Like These' is a gorgeous little pop-country song with a perky pace with Spear's loveable vocals complimenting the vibe perfectly, with the harmonica section adding some extra vibes to the production. Delightful. (7/10)
Steve
Rodgers, singer songwriter, has just completed recording his ‘much anticipated’
first album, due for release this year and introduces his brand new single cut
‘I WILL GROW’, both album and single were produced by Ken Nelson (Coldplay,
Snow Patrol, Paolo Nutini) mixed by Adrian Bushby (Foo Fighters, Muse). We got
the chance to speak to Steve about his brand new single.
So how would you describe ‘I
Will Grow’?
It’s
very atmospheric and I think it takes people to a place that maybe everyone’s
been. The chorus lifts you up and the verse implants in your mind, in your spirit,
and in your heart I guess. Without being hippy-dippy or pompous, I think it takes
you somewhere. Not all my songs do that, but that one happened to.
Did you have a particular
inspiration behind the song?
I
was doing a gig a couple of years ago and I knew the promoter really well and
the promoter’s wife was a life coach, so she was all about helping other people.
She’d just designed a website and after the gig she asked if I could write
something or have some music playing in the background, and I thought immediately
‘I know what I can do’ as she was talking about what she was doing in her
career. I was going to do a piano song. All that night I hadn’t touched the
piano as I played guitar. But I went home and I wrote it. I think sometimes it
helps when you’re writing to get some inspiration coming in, of what the song
is about. It just came really quickly, and I sent it the next day and asked her
‘what do you think of that?’ and she said it was great, let’s use it!
Do you think sometimes that
quick turnaround helps the creative process?
I
think so. I remember Ed Sheeran talking about the song he sings about angels.
He was invited to some place where the homeless people were in London. I think
if you see something like that it’s going to inspire something in you.
Is there a video for the
song?
Yes,
there’s a video out. It’s lots of girls in bikinis running around… no it’s not!
It was filmed up in the Surrey hills. I had a crew come down and it was full of
hip-hop guys with tattoos all over, but they felt the song and we just had a
great time; it was just about nature really and the countryside!
The song is taken from your
debut album out soon; how was that to record?
It
was great! We recorded it with Ken Nelson who did Coldplay, Paulo Nutini, Snow Patrol
and Gomez, all those greats. Me and my manager put it out there that I wasn’t
that known so I said, let’s just send my demos to the greatest producers in the
world and see what happens just for a giggle, and he was the first person we
sent it to as we love the stuff he’s done, and he was the first person to come
back – and he said ‘yes, let’s do it’. He got Adrian Bushby on board who’d
worked with the Foo Fighters and Muse, and we went up to Elevator Studios in
Liverpool for two weeks, which is a very funky place, and we had fun. We just
nailed it. It was great. We’re looking at October [for the album but] we’ve got
a couple of other singles to put out yet.
You’ve recently completed an
acoustic tour; was that fun to do?
Actually
the album is pretty live as Ken Nelson is all about sound, so there’s no
computer generated vocals or trickery. He’s just meticulous on the sound; he
gets a very live sound. The tour was great, it was a lot of fun. In the autumn
we did all the arenas supporting Bad Company and ended up in the O2. I do all
my gigs solo with an acoustic, so doing the O2 with just an acoustic was quite
a thing!
That must be quite nerve
wracking?
All
the other arenas were huge, and I was quite at home as arena tours are pretty
much the same, whereas if you do churches, pubs and blues bars they’re quite
eclectic so you have to change what you’re doing and go with the flow, as every
venue is different. But when I went to the O2 it could have swallowed up three
of those arenas; it was amazing!
You’ve had a great career so
far, but I read your first band was called the ‘Lost Sons of Davros’. Are you a
Doctor Who fan?
We
were seventeen and the initials were LSD so we thought we were clever putting
that out there, but we only had one gig!
Are you looking forward to
new dates supporting the album?
Yes,
I’m really excited to see what people think of the music and obviously I hope
it does well. We’ve got tours set up in Europe, Japan and North America and I’m
just eager to get on with it, then write the next album which is what I’m
working on now.
You’ve performed both as
support and headliner; do you have a preference?
I
prefer my own gigs as I can do a longer set and it’s very relaxed, and I do a
lot of talking to the audience and we have a laugh. But with the big arena
tours it’s another buzz; they’re all a buzz! I do prefer the intimate ones though
as I feel you connect more.
Finally do you have any
ambitions for the rest of the year?
I
want to record a few more singles with Ken and get those out, and I think just
go out and play as much as I can. I just want to work, work, work and enjoy it!
Ten more songs that you must hear! The Alibi - No Solution 'No Solution' is a hefty rock number but with enough of an ear for the radio to give it some more memorable moments to listen back to. (6/10) Ayo Beatz - Make It Right
Summer is always the time when we want to hear from ska and reggae-infused songs and this is one of those, mixed in with an urban feel. It perhaps doesn't get to the big chorus that you'd expect but is fun, clubby summer number. (6.5/10) foreverandever<3 w. Sameblod - feel smthn I'm not sure what it is about the song that I like but its quirky production values, reluctance to fit into a box and a vocalist that sounds like Justin Bieber if he was interested in what he was singing, make for a heady mix. (7/10) The Ghibertins - Breathe For Me With hints of Ronan Keating in the vocal style, this is a touching, on-point indie-soft-rock number with a strong central heart to its lyrics and a dramatic build up of strings that give it a haunting quality. (7/10) Hanson - I Was Born
Back to celebrate their 25th anniversary (!!) this is a great pop-indie comeback song with a Bryan Adams-esque soaring chorus. Quickly catchy and bouncy - love it! (7.5/10) Jonas Blue feat. William Singe - Mama
It might embrace more music cliches than I could list but it's a poppy, summery number with a catchy enough chorus and not too many club-music tropes to drown it in familiarity. Singe's vocals help lots. (6.5/10) Mike & The Mechanics - The Best Is Yet To Come
Mike and the Mechanics' comeback continues well. Though this isn't quite as great as the last song - it's pretty subdued and low-key - it has a strong enough production and chorus to keep you interested. (6.5/10) Miley Cyrus - Malibu
After the headline grabbing wrecking ball-era, 'Malibu' goes in the completely opposite direction as a mid-tempo, subdued, stripped-back indie-song that has its moments of pop amongst some quite somberly delivered moments. Something different from her. (6.5/10) Steve Rodgers - I Will Grow
'I Will Grow' is a smooth, atmospheric, dark number with hints of Richard Marx in its slow, building delivery and gentle, stripped-back, outlook. (6.5/10) Tuxedo - Thank You
I keep hearing more from Tuxedo and enjoying everything they put out. 'Thank You' is perhaps not as immediately great as the others but it's 70s-throwback Chromeo feel will put a smile on your face and get you moving. (6.5/10)
