Discover the hottest new music this week, featuring new albums from Van Morrison and Rebecca & Fiona. We’ve also got album announcements from JLS and The Sherlocks to keep you updated on their upcoming releases. Plus, don’t miss these exciting new singles.
VAN MORRISON – NEW ARRANGEMENTS AND DUETS
Van Morrison has today released the album ‘New Arrangements and Duets’. The record is the first in what he hopes will be an ongoing series of archive albums compiled from his vast collection of unheard recordings. Listen HERE.
The new music is launched alongside the new focus track ‘The Master’s Eyes’. Originally from the 1984 album ‘A Sense of Wonder’ and rarely played live, ‘The Master’s Eyes’ is a deep cut but one that represents the remarkable depth of his rich back catalogue. It’s particularly notable as an example of how Van Morrison applies elements of gospel into his core soul and R&B sound.
Like the recent tracks ‘You’ve Got To Make It Through The World’ and ‘Choppin’ Wood’, ‘The Master’s Eyes’ is an alternate big band arrangement which was recorded in 2014.
The only duet to preview the album has been ‘Someone Like You’ with Joss Stone. It highlights further collaborations with Kurt Elling, Curtis Stigers and Willie Nelson, all of which were recorded in 2018 and 2019. The two Willie Nelson duets -‘What’s Wrong With This Picture’ and ‘Steal My Heart Away’ – also feature guitar courtesy of Lukas Nelson of Promise of the Real.
Physical copies of ‘New Arrangements and Duets’ are available HERE. It has been pressed on black double-vinyl, limited edition orange double-vinyl and CD.
REBECCA & FIONA – MEGA DANCE
The two-time Swedish Grammy Award winners Rebecca & Fiona today make a thrilling return to the dancefloor as they unveil their brand new album ‘MEGA DANCE’, out now via their own Big Romantic Music label. Listen HERE.
‘MEGA DANCE’ sees the duo delivering on their two big ambitions for the project. Firstly, they wanted to deliver a pounding, high-intensity set of explosive dance cuts that feels as if you’re right there with them in the DJ booth. They flavoured the renowned Rebecca & Fiona sound by stepping back to their first dance music loves by taking inspiration from the classic ‘90s and 2000s chart-bound, floor-filling energy of Rollergirl, Leila K, Ace of Base and Scooter.
Rebecca &Fiona launch ‘’MEGA DANCE’ alongside the new focus track ‘Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)’. It’s a simple, but devastatingly effective approach: take one of the biggest dance hits of the ‘90s and add some 2024 decadence and classic Rebecca & Fiona character to Rozalla’s famous smash hit.
THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES – BROTHER SISTER
The Brand New Heavies’ album ‘Brother Sister’ is classic: an album that defined acid jazz and took it into the mainstream with a #4 UK chart peak, assisted by an array of hits such as ‘Dream On Dreamer’, ‘Midnight At The Oasis’, ‘Back To Love’ and ‘Spend Some TIme’. Now the two-time BRIT Award nominees prove that the album remains just as timeless as essential all these years later, with today’s release of the album’s 30th Anniversary Remastered and Expanded Edition. Listen HERE.
The CD and digital formats add a range of remixes from the likes of David Morales, Roger Sanchez and Bobby D’Ambrosio, many of which now make their debut on streaming platforms after initially only being released as vinyl club promos.
After playing very select festival dates so far this year, The Brand New Heavies – now fronted by another remarkable vocal talent in the shape of Angela Ricci – will embark upon a special ‘Brother Sister 30’ tour in November during which they will play the album in full.
ALBIN LEE MELDAU – DISCOMFORTS
Albin Lee Meldau today releases ‘Discomforts’, his first English language album in more than six years. It positions him as an intriguing artist proposition. On one hand he’s a regular Top 10 chart fixture and an arena-filling artist across the Nordic countries. Yet in the UK he’s a rising star, his profile growing with each release assisted by regular Radio 2 playlists and mounting acclaim. Just as importantly, ‘Discomforts’ simmers with such a wealth of inspiration that it feels like a debut. LISTEN HERE.
What if you let all of your flaws shine through, unafraid of the judgement that might follow? On Albin Lee Meldau’s breathtaking new music album, he bares his soul to thrilling effect, regaling listeners with tales of mistakes made and lessons learned. It’s a tremendous marriage of all of his major influences, from soul to reggae, blues to alt-rock, bound together by his unmistakable voice.
THE SHERLOCKS – EVERYTHING MUST MAKE SENSE!
Has the ‘People Like You & Me’ era been the best chapter yet in The Sherlocks’ story? You’d better believe it. The album instantly became the highest charting record of their career to date when it hit #4, while fresh highlights have continued into 2024 with what the Sheffield Star described as “an electrifying homecoming” headline show in front of 7500 fans at Don Valley Bowl, a last minute main stage set at Victorious, and big European shows as guests to Keane.
But as one era closes, a new future opens up with the news that The Sherlocks will release their new album ‘Everything Must Make Sense!’ on February 21st. They launch the album alongside the new single ‘Man on the Loose’ – out now.
Whether you’re talking creatively or with a constantly packed schedule, The Sherlocks are not a band to sit still. And ‘Everything Must Make Sense!’ represents a fresh step forward for the quartet, with a set that takes their indie-rock roots as the launchpad for an accomplished new music collection that takes in driving synth-rock energy, ragged melodic rock ‘n’ roll, a moment of acoustic introspection, and big riffs and bigger beats – all delivered with their finest musicianship so far.
JLS – J15 – ANNIVERSARY EDITION
It’s hard to believe, but JLS’s self-titled debut album – one of the biggest UK pop albums of this century – is about to reach its 15th anniversary. Never ones to pass on a celebration, the JLS boys will mark the milestone by releasing ‘J15 – Anniversary Edition’ on November 8th. It’s a new music Deluxe Edition of the album which adds four previously unreleased tracks. The quartet launch the record by sharing Paul Woolford’s new ‘Beat Again 15’ remix. Listen HERE.
The album’s three singles plus ‘Close To You’ and ‘Only Tonight’ are still huge crowd-pleasers to this day, as proven when performed throughout all of their 46 UK and Ireland arena shows during their 2021 and 2023 tours.
‘J15 – Anniversary Edition’ is now available to pre-order / pre-save HERE. In addition to digital formats, it will also be released on white double-vinyl (with the original album tracklist followed by the new content on Side D) and on CD.
AR/CO + DON DIABLO – SOLAR ECLIPSE
In 2021 the psychedelic dance duo AR/CO joined up with the visionary multi-platinum artist and producer Don Diablo for their first collab with the single ‘Hot Air Balloon’. It exceeded 100 million streams and remains not only AR/CO’s most streamed track, but amongst Don Diablo’s biggest. Now the two forces – who command a shared total of 11.6 million monthly listeners at Spotify – reignite that magic with the long-awaited follow-up ‘Solar Eclipse’. Listen HERE.
‘Solar Eclipse’ represents a vibrant synthesis between the duo’s individual talents. AR/CO bring their hook-heavy, life-affirming euphoria to the mix alongside their love of futuristic desert rave imagery. Meanwhile, Don Diablo elevates their energy with his ear for insistent and innovative production with huge crossover appeal, setting up ‘Solar Eclipse’ is to make an even bigger impact.
ALISON MOYET – WHERE HIDES SLEEP
Now Alison shares a final preview of ‘Key’ ahead of next Friday’s release in the shape of the new music version of ‘Where Hides Sleep’. Listen HERE. The track emerges alongside news of a new ‘Key – Moyet Moments Edition’ digital album which is now available to pre-order / pre-save HERE. Inspired by her international #1 podcast series ‘40 Moyet Moments’, this new format adds a comprehensive track-by-track conversation between Alison, producer Sean McGhee, and podcast host Steve Coats-Dennis.
‘Where Hides Sleep’ is the opening track on the ‘Key’ album and one of the more radical interpretations in this revised set. Originally the closing song on her #1 debut album ‘Alf’, it was characterised by bright-hued, strident ‘80s production rich with layered vocal harmonies. Here it takes on a tone of quiet urgency; sparse electro-pop with a gothic undercurrent. A tonal shift particularly fitted for a song of insomnia, speaking to the desperate wait in darkness for the clock to name daylight.
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