FOR THE RECORD: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Live @ The Etihad Stadium, Manchester (25/5/16)

5/5

A River Runs Through It.

Christmas came early for Boss fans this Wednesday as Bruce Springsteen unwrapped one of his signature three and a half hour shows with the E Street Band at the Etihad Stadium during his European tours leg of England. Opening in Manchester City football clubs epic stadium with his classic 'Atlantic City', the man who once opened a Hard Rock Calling set in Great Britain's capital with The Clash's 'London Calling' didn't give in to changing the start of this 'Nebraska' classic to the name of this North West town. Nor did he change his own E Street version of the vintage Christmas tune 'Santa' Claus Is Coming To Town' to 'Manchester'. And why should he have? We are only five months into the year! Well if you're a Springsteen aficinado you will know by now if you have a request at one of these Titanic long sets you better write it on a cardboard placard in your best marker. And the Kellogg factory town of Manchester is the only place you'd see the name of a Boss best on the back of a box of Fruit N Fibre. Damn it why didn't I have a Sharpie for 'Lift Me Up'? But then again he did give us some of that falsetto...and more when he saw a man in the crowd, sporting red and white and a Kenny Rogers beard. What was that under the tree?

'Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town' read the former box as Springsteen spotted the North of England's St Nick in the crowd. Situated about two hours too late to the front of the mornings standing que outside the stadium...he must have had some presents to deliver. Beckoning him up like many a fan that evening-as if you'd have to be persuaded-to sing the "you better stay good for goodness sake" baritone, much to Bruce and our bewildered amusement as he seamlessly jingled all the way through 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' like it was already on the setlist and he didn't have to check twice. "Why not? Christmas is only 272 days away" he joked with guitarist and Soprano right hand man Steve Van Zant as he gave the midweek night good tidings on what would without him have otherwise been just another misersble May day in Manchester. But Springsteen let it rain as he tore through his double decadent disc 'The River' as part of this albums tour he went through the ties that bind first track to fade out, albeit with some inspired interludes of some of his greatest hits. From the 9/11 rally cry call to the arms of hope, 'The Rising' and potentially the greatest name for a movie, 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town'...hey Boss can we have a rights discussion? As a river may aswell have been running through the precipitation soaked stadium of unrelenting downpour as Manchesters temporary E Street address was flooded with classics from the timeless 80's album. From the pop, commercial art and soul of the instant thousand foot stomper 'Hungry Heart', to the harmonica driven, monumental title track that back in the day came with a backstory just as epic and stream of consciousness flowing.

But from the 'Backstreets' to the 'Badlands' many a concert goer left this festival like performance with no need for a support act with their own grandkids by the fire story to tell for generations to come. Like the 80's throwback fashioned young lady pulled on stage a la Courtney Cox for a dance in the dark that many a fan asked for on cardboard, but this Monica got as she gave a special beaded necklace to her new friend. And boy did the Boss rock it well with his bootcut, blue collar outfit that still rolls with the sign of the times he represents from the downtrodden to the uprising. Or the young girl next to me with her family whose sign dedication read; "This is my first Brucie gig" who later on 'Brucie' plucked from the crowd to bashfully but beautifully co-sing his Smokey Robinson worthy classic 'Waitin' On A Sunny Day', as we all were in a beautiful moment that let it rain from our eyes. There was plenty of clouds in the sky that night but it was a beautiful thing. Just like all the hits delivered from Bruce and his band. The Clarence Cleamons tribute that rang out to the heavens like the sound of his saxophone always did on nights like this as he and his 'Born To Run' right hand man would take us to the concrete 'Jungleland' of Jersey. The swagger and sincerity of his nephew Jake in his place as a fully fledged resident on the feet stomping, love making road that marks E Street as his address, no stand in as the Big Mans little one joins the band. All that Springsteen and his family invited us too as they made the Etihad their home for the evening. These were the stories and moments that made this evening just so one you'll never ever forget. Not just the eagerly anticipated performances of hits like 'Born To Run', or an epic encore that is longer than most bands full sets that featured a cover of 'Shout'. You always know that the ox tougher than the rest Springsteen, the strongest and best showman in live music now the late, great Prince is tragically departed (you saw the 'Purple Rain' tribute right?) and greatest crowd interactor is always going to put on a show stopper and prove it all night. But you never know just one night you may even be a bigger part of it than you ever thought or hoped. As even a half town, club and rivalry away from being United with Manchester's Old Trafford, the Boss made City's stadium the theatre dreams are made of for a night. Because for tramps like us Bruce Springsteen was born to perform...and run like a river. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

REVIEW: BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS-CALL IT WHAT IT IS

4/5

Innocent As Charged.

Answering the call, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals are back for the first time since 2007's 'Lifeline'. Almost a decade later, 'Call It What It Is'. A reunion. A response from a call to action. Or just the album title itself. Since his black and white beautiful 'Lifeline' with those guilty victims, the man who started his career with an album with Tom Freund ('Pleasure and Pain') and has also recorded a spirited L.P. with The Blind Boys Of Alabama ('There Will Be A Light') has increased his classic catalogue of collaborative creations. There was his more rocky group Relentless7 (we are still eager for a follow up to 'White Lies For Dark Times'), his Fistful Of Mercy supergroup with Joel Arthur and Beatle son Dhani Harrison ('As I Call You Down') and even some solo work backed by Ringo Starr himself. Then came a blues Grammy nod for his 'Get Up' with legend Charlie Musselwhite...and the year before last he even recorded an album with his dear mother Ellen Harper, going back to his roots for 'My Childhood Home'. But the man with some seriously stellar solo work ('The Will To Live', 'Fight For Your Mind', 'Diamonds On The Inside' and 'Give 'Till It's Gone' amongst so many others) to go along with his great company has never had it as good as when he charged his sessions up with a couple of convicts. They largely appeared instrumentally on his definitive, double disc, most classic work to date, 'Both Sides Of The Gun' and made their own timeless record with him in 'Burn To Shine'. From the Hollywood Bowl to Mars they also ignited his live shows too. Culminating in scorching sets and even inspired covers of twisted influence from the bones of The Verve's 'The Drugs Don't Work' to a whole new soulful take on Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing' signature. Now welcomed back to a cruel world for Harper's 13th album it's only right the Innocent Criminals are asked back for their day in court for 'Call It'. It is what it is!

Critically guilty of being criminally underrated, the American singer/songwriter still on top of his classic craft and game, second only to Springsteen, heads back down a familiar road with his E Street. But this man born to gun navigates the twists and turns in both his own life and the life of the world that surrounds him, with strokes of a master artist refusing to paint by the numbers of a commercial worlds canvas. Critics are calling the new album from the man that should be platinum "unpredictable"...and it really is from one man and his band who you never saw coming back until their reunion show last year. And even then it almost looked like a one off. But you best believe they're here to stay and welcomed back like the Lebowski rugs they perform on in concert. Together they really tie everything together. You just know things are different when the opening fireball of a track is titled 'When Sex Was Dirty', but you best believe that explicitly Ben isn't aiming for the crass charts, but the hearts exclusively...and nostalgically. The recentley teased 'Pink Balloon' flies like nothing you've heard from these guys before either. Not dropping like lead, but showing that since way back when in the 'Lifeline' days of one floating at the end of a party, Ben and his boys have let nobody take the fight out of them either. Never deflated always invigorated. 'Deeper and Deeper' on the other hand is hallmark criminals classic going back through the crates and bottles to find that lightning the partnership has struck more than twice. It's beautiful. It's evocative. It's love lost haunting lyrics "longing is a ghost/when the one you love the most/no longer has you on their mind" is songwriting at its boldest and best. Just like the loves bounty of 'Bones' that goes further and further beyond the heart and soul to the marrow of what matters in dedication. It's all spelled out from the lyrics of a man who laments as much hope as he does regret. As much introspection as inspiration as he sings, "when the writing's on the wall you better read it/make your bones/when the moment comes/around you gotta seize it".

And the day does he on his latest 11th hour. The stetson wearing Dylan-esque singer/songwriter and his best outfit fashion a classic that won't be denied for a man of many styles, who admits that in this iTunes window shopping age someone looking for one genre might just miss it for another in his wide work. I mean this is the same guy that wrote 'Morning Yearning' and 'Dirty Little Lover'. But don't get alienated, this mans talent is out of this world and still so down to earth...no cliche. Want a song that will really make you think? Then listen to the lyrics of 'How Dark Is Gone'. "Would you rather wave a flag/Or wave goodbye/Would you rather flood your heart/Or dare let them see you cry/Rather fight a war or live in fear/Aren't you glad to be here". You want to be taken back to the jams of Bob Marley? Then how about 'Finding Our Way'? Want a beautiful luck of love song? Then nothing illuminates brighter than 'Shine'. Or how how the ballad of a beautiful break-up song that shows that lost love isn't always the cousin of hate? Than 'Goodbye To You' really salutes a relationship that will always be true with the marriage of lyrics like, "shattered and chained to our past/battered and too proud to ask/walked a razor's edge poisoned by degrees/create each other's voids fill each other's needs/my options are plenty/but my choices are few" in a divorce only bitter in regret. Or if all that is too much for everybody you could just 'Dance Like Fire' before we all get burnt. Because this album has it all, especially a wealth of time earned lessons learned parables like 'All That Has Grown', like artist and audience learning from each other all over again. But for a man whose catalogue of albums keeps developing like the class in session he brings to his rhyming couplets, there's much more here. The title has to go to the very track this album is named after as Harper and the criminals go back into the ring with no lifeline. But boy does he box and rock hard...and clever too. 'Like A King' the leader of the protest song who merged the stories and struggles of Martin Luther and Rodney King speaks up for "Trevon Martin, Ezel Ford, Michael Brown and so many more" for a track consciously clever like the message behind 'Like A King'. Because lets call it like it is. This is murder! And Harper kills any notion that he'll go quietly into a corrupt night that's no longer good. Like something as poetic and prophetic he'll rage and rage against the dying of the light. Plain and simple, Ben Harper tells it like it is. "They shot him in the back/now it's a crime to be black/so don't act surprised/when it gets vandalized/there's good cops/bad cops/white cops/black cops". Like The Boss when 'The Rising' was necessary we need this man for the worlds worst threat since terroisim more than ever. 'Call It What It Is'....hope in a time of fear. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

REVIEW: TANK-SEX, LOVE & PAIN II

4/5

One King.

The last T but by all means the most in his TGT supergroup with musician/actor/author Tyrese Gibson and R&B legend Ginuwine, Tank has rolled his way to the top as the LeBron James of real R&B. A real Cavalier talent, the General from Washington D.C. is the leader of the current school and doesnt look to be out of session anytime soon with his forever young sound. Even hitting his 40th birthday, showing us that maybe four decades is the new twenty. With already plenty under the hood following the salad days of his 'One Man' and 'Force Of Nature' albums, his ground broken through album 'Sex, Love & Pain' became Grammy certified thanks to classics like 'Wedding Song', 'Coldest', 'Heartbreaker' and the huge hit 'Please Dont Go'.  Since then the man who even has his own T.V. show has had even more in reserve, releasing albums at a Ghostface Killah, almost yearly rate, showing us that like the Wu Tang Clan he was nothing to F with. 'Now Or Never' showed his time was then and still to this day, before 2012's 'This Is How I Feel' furthered that feeling even to himself. Before he took the throne with T and G a year later as the 'Three Kings' of grown and sexy rhythm and blues. Only a year later again following that he came back 'Stronger' than ever and Motown moved with maybe his best record to date if 'You're My Star' or 'Hope This Makes You Love Me' has anything to sing about it. Moonlighting and burning the midnight studio oil whilst writing hits for the likes of everyone from young gun Chris Brown to Hollywood movie Walk of Fame star Jamie Foxx, Tank's even had the time to roll out a mixtape ('Diary Of A Mad Man') and special Valentines Day covers E.P. ('If You Were Mine') that was crazy to believe almost a year ago. You've got to love it!

Now how about a sequel? Because Tank is moving forward with Part 2 to the album that started all of this. 'Sex, Love Pain II' brings the love making heart and hurt back to a watered down industry thirsting for more depth. The depths this industry leader has brought again and again over the last half decade, quality album after quality album. With his last five albums Tank is giving you Spotify fiends so much material that you can just let party play like one of the greats or a soul icon and legend that he is becoming...if not already! Following his rhyme partner Tyrese's best album 'Black Rose' (which Tank classically contributed to with the previously recorded T and T collabo 'Prior To You'), Tank brings us the perfect follow up that judging from its showered black and white artwork its going to have you covered during the mid-nite hour. Its a collaborative process too. After 'Foreplay', 'Lonely' and the unreleased club hit 'Shots Fired', Chris Breezy joins Durrell Babbs, Siya and Sage The Gemini for the hash-tagged '#BDay' and its a formidable, fashion fit for this social media trending age. Just like the cool and cold as frost touch 'She Wit The Shit' "wit" Rich Homie Quan, or the heart and urban soul of 'I Love Ya' featuring Yo Gotti. Still nothing compares to these two. The Shawn Stockman nostalgia party of 'Already In Love' and the lead single 'You Dont Know' featuring fellow District Of Colombia native Wale on the rapping 16. Still like a hilarious 'Bishop Cognac' skit this singer is at his very best when Tank is being Tank on this pure powerhouse, polished produced soundtrack to digital age, midnight love and hate for your sonically charged speaker boxes. F with that!

Like his last few releases this album begins with an inspired intro that could serve as a song itself with the 'SLP2' album abbreviation. If you liked 'Sex Love & Pain', you're going to love 'Sex, Love & Pain II' too.  'F##### Wit Me' is expletively good, whilst the partner problem solving 'Relationship Goals' will have you reevaluating yours. Still the best is saved for last for a man who takes his 'Next Breath' before 'Thanking You'. 'So Cold' could be the sub zero chill inducing sequel to 'Coldest' (with his lamenting lyrical exercise of "I bailed out when I promised I was gonna save you/Man down, I didn't man up till later/Now I'm serving these apologies like a waiter/You look at me now/Needing you back, down on my knees"). Whilst 'Him, Her, Them' sets the mood right and gets everyone involved. And if you thought that was good wait until your playlist selects 'Better For You'. After 'This Is How I Feel's' 'Better Than Me' it looks like the soul soldier is feeling differently...and we're all the better for it. As Tank sings, "All she ask for; occasional roses/that romance drug; given in doses/I could hear you, but I didn't listening/I was near you, now you've gone missing/How could I not promise you perfection?/I'm gonna have to answer to my reflection" lyrically and introspectively he's barely been better. And following his outstanding original, Tank gives us a sequel more than worthy of 'Sex, Love & Pain'. In fact he given us the R&B album of 2016...even if we havent even left the first month of the year. As a matter of fact January's very own best serves a new bar for any album in any genre, lyric by lyric, bar by bar, harmony by harmony. Making for one great melody. Now how about a trilogy menage? You know the third king Tank has enough firepower for that. After all, he's already got the throne. Just watch it! TIM DAVID HARVEY.

REVIEW: LANA DEL REY: HONEYMOON

4/5

Rey Of Light.

Violence! Death! Darkness that's 'Maleficent' magnificent! Lana Del has sung about it all. This Rey of illuminating light, so bright it could burn you was born to run with mood music this magical. Nobody does it quite like Lizzy Grant in a modern, mainstream music world dominated by the female form of Taylor Swift playful pop or the bubblegum world of Katy Perry. Nobody brings the smoldering old style of generations gone and decades of decadence from the old fifties and sixties Americana and swinging champagne and cigarette clubs quite like today's "gangster" Nancy Sinatra doing things her way. Yet where's the respect? And how about that 007 theme? Because this shaken but never stirred starlet was born to be a Bond girl singing the hook of the title track. Yet, even without a license she's killing it. Once upon a dream, she's become the soundtrack queen regardless. From everything from Disney to 'The Great Gatsby'. Now at 30 and with three albums under her belt, every fan still loves the still 'Young & Beautiful' singer. Even movie star James Franco has wrote a book about her! Still, it doesn't seem like three years ago that she broke through with 'Born To Die', the title track and the big records like the youtube favorite 'Video Games', the boot-cut 'Blue Jeans', scorchingly somber 'Summertime Sadness', the light of pain 'Dark Paradise' and our new, millennial 'National Anthem'. It does however seem like a much longer time since she released her underrated but undeniable follow-up 'Ultraviolence' with the assist from the Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach. From the outstanding opener 'Cruel World' to the aviator awesome 'Shades Of Cool', coupled by two classic singles in the form of the beautiful and brilliant 'Brooklyn Baby' and the California cool 'West Coast' it's a record so timeless it feels like it's been around for an age, not merely the early months of last year. Now in a slumbering September where most people just want to sleep through 'till October 1st, Lana hits us with a ray out of the blue to begin the weekend. The woman born for the screens or scores of movies releases a new album on the day new films usually come out. But these Friday night lights come in the form of a 'Honeymoon' you just can't wait to get engaged with.

Take a Star Line tour down the California coast with this New York girl and this paradise ride will take you to places you've been before via Hollywood for her homage sound. The opening title-track 'Honeymoon' is her own haunting hallmark. Whilst the follow-up 'Music To Watch Boys To' is eye-to-eye, tongue in Andy Williams cheek as she sings "Velveteen and living single/It never felt that right to me/I know what only the girls know/Lies can buy eternity". Then with a 'Space Oddity' Bowie sampler Del Rey sings 'Terrence Loves You' and lyrical laments like "You are what you are/I don't matter to anyone/But Hollywood legends will never grow old/And all of what's hidden/Well, it will never grow cold/But I lost myself when I lost you/But I still got jazz when I've got those blues/And I lost myself when I lost you/And I still get trashed, darling, when I hear your tunes". Asking Major Tom herself if he can hear her from ground control. The lead single 'High By The Beach' is lead strong too in it's blazing beats and smoky singing that takes you to new highs and places you've never been before as she hurts over pained chords like "Boy look at you, looking at me/I know you don't understand/You could be a bad m###########/But that don't make you a man/Now you're just another one of my problems/Because you got out of hand/We won't survive/We're sinking into the sand". Like seeing the oceans tide on the wet sand morning after morning. No grain is the same. The scope is just as beautiful in it's own new, and individually refreshing way and wave. Del Rey's style and signature is just that original...even when she's paying tribute to her inspirations and muses. Just like the mood mesmerizing musician's take on revolutionary singer Nina Simone's classic 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. Many people have sampled and covered it...from John Legend to Lil' Wayne, but none quite like Lana. And nobody in today's industry who tries as hard could have the rights to sing this quite like this soul whose intentions are good. Understand?

It's all in how you feel! There are some things you just can't shield your senses from. How the futuristic form of the downtown Los Angeles skyline looks at night. How the sand of Venice Beach feels between your feet like the Pacific sun feels on your face. How a chilled bottle of your favorite beer tastes as you walk the line in the sand. Hand in hand how the perfume of the one you love smells. There's nothing quite like it...just like the sound of Lana Del Rey's voice. It's unmistakable. Nostalgic. Impossible to ignore. Hard to forget. Lord knows you've tried. 'God Knows I've Tried' is an example of that, as Lana longs for the quiet life, away from the strain of fame singing "Sometimes I wake up in the morning/To red, blue, and yellow skies/It's so crazy I could drink it like tequila sunrise/Put on that Hotel California/Dance around like I'm insane/I feel free when I see no one/And nobody knows my name", then switching out the last three bars on verse two for more raw reveals as she harmonizes her hurt with "Wear my blinders in the rain/I've got nothing much to live for/Ever since I found my fame". 'Freak' continues the strange but sublime stylings, before the retro pop of 'Art Deco' keeps the texture of her traditional sound alive. It's so haunting it could rewake the ghost of decades past. The spiritual sound continues on 'Religion' and the Italian for "saviour" 'Salvatore'. Between the grey areas there's more dark depths than the black and white of 'Ultraviolence' on  'The Blackest Day'. Yet it's not all doom and gloom, even if "murder" and "carnage" are on the menu for her thoughts of the day on '24', that conclude with the advice and idea that "If you lie down with dogs, then you'll get fleas/Be careful of the company you keep". Remember don't misunderstand, and on her 'Swan Song' she writes it all out perfectly on white "Put your white tennis shoes on and follow me/Why work so hard when you could just be free?/You got your moment now, you got your legacy/Let's leave the world for the ones who change everything/Nothing could stop the two of us/Let's just get lost, that's what we want". Dreaming of gliding above a Route 66 out of dodge surface that she works so hard for underneath, Vowing to never sing again if her lover no longer needs to work a day in their life. One last ride? Let's hope like the ideas of the last two albums being her last it's not true right now. Even if she's already given us so much already, it's clear to hear there's plenty of classics left for her timeless sound and style in a matrimony of musical marriage that is set to define the generations and time to come. The honeymoon is far from over! TIM DAVID HARVEY.

REVIEW: RYAN ADAMS-1989

4.5/5

Taylor Re-Made.

Oasis legend Noel Gallagher once said he loved Ryan Adams hauntingly beautiful version of his classic 'Wonderwall' so much so that Ryan could "have the song" as Noel himself started playing Adams acoustic, stripped down version at his own live shows. The High Flying Birds lead even believed he didn't really hear or understand his own song until the former Cardinal and Whiskeytown singer put his own unique genius and signature style stamping on it. Adding, "I think Ryan Adams is the only person who ever got that song right"! But now however Sally can wait. After working with the legendary likes of Norah Jones and Jenny Lewis (for last years stellar, Summer, suit cover vibrant 'The Voyager') it's Taylor whose about to be re-made...swiftly. The country star turned pop sensation is arguably the biggest thing in any music genre right now and had the most successful album of 2014 with '1989' and it's mega-hits 'Blank Space', 'Out Of The Woods', 'Style' and 'Bad Blood'...and it's Kendrick Lamar rap version. But this right here is more than a remix...this is arguably the most anticipated and eagerly awaited album of 2015.'1989'...Ryan's way. Even Taylor herself couldn't contain her excitement as the country star calls the country legend one of the inspirations in shaping her songwriting craft. Now to return the favor, the big, 'Welcome To New York' apple of Adams eye becomes his muse as he takes her songwriting and shapes it in his own Smiths style that will never go out of fashion.

Take two. Armed and amped up with the wood of an acoustic and the steel of a harmonica, Adams want to take this ride to the 1982 feel of Bruce Springsteen's acoustic, winter bleak driven 'Nebraska' and the closest singer/songwriter today to The Boss this fall really is giving modern music a reason to believe taking this all the way to 'Atlantic City'. Following all sorts of releases recently from his Pax Am record label singles and even '1984', along with his self-titled return that remade a name for himself, Ryan Adams with his 15th album in 2015 is remaking himself all over again and Swift's sound with his take on Taylor. The man has been giving us something good for awhile now with long player classics like 'Heartbreaker', 'Gold', 'Jacksonville City Nights', '29', 'Cardinology' and 'Ashes & Fire' to go along with his own group works and epic experimental albums like the metal of 'Orion' has just added another one to rival his best yet under his belt. Making his 40th year one of real celebration for a man whose been in this industry almost as long as Taylor Swift has been alive. One of the best singer/songwriters of all time was peddling records when the best one today was learning to walk. Now with his own take on her Polaroid picture, Adams' re-focused sound on this "eighties" classic has it's own frame with a portrayal that bears more soul. The only song that sounds remotely the same in tone and texture is the 'Welcome To New York' opening. As the man who performed his 2001 classic 'New York, New York' with the World Trace Center in the background a fortnight before the towers fell opens this album and its Big Apple introduction with the sound of the beach birds we can see on the awe inspiring artwork of this classic cover of this covers album. The song itself is the most upbeat and fast-paced this rock version of this pop album gets...but trust us that is a good thing. This one may get you charged, but the chilled introspective feel to the new pop generations biggest influence is inspired. Ryan Adams remakes Taylor Swift's biggest album beautifully for what may just be his with whats yet to come. From the brooding 'All You Had To Do Was Stay' sung with even more longing that if one day a single (for either), could reach out all the way to the pop charts, to the somber 'I Wish You Would' and sweet 'That's How You Get The Girl', Adams makes all these album tracks flow cohesively like we where back in the good old vinyl days of records playing from the minute the needles dropped to the final seconds of the last scratch. 'This Love' is arguably one of Taylor Swift's most beautiful and best hidden gems of personal and powerful songwriting, nothing can truly rival it but Adams comes as close as they come. Just like he does adding more shine to 'Clean' with a shot of whiskey in this town, all whilst taking Taylor back to her country roots with his country strong take on 'I Know Places' that could find itself at home in Nashville, just like it could on any other Jacksonville City night.

Still, it's on the singles where are singer gets stellar on the songwriting of Swift. 'Blank Space' sounds completely different as the biggest single of last year is given a clean slate with what Ryan brings to the table in slow and somber cords that turns a song about replacing lovers with a new wrote down name into a tree engraving of a man going through the motions of looking for love in all the wrong sort of different places. Don't be confused, this isn't for 'Starbucks lovers' and that was never the lyric as Adams pains through lines like "They'll tell you I'm insane" you can really feel the fire of the chorus "So it's gonna be forever/Or it's gonna go down in flames" that teenage girls everywhere are singing into their mirror, like it's the evergreen vocals of the Cash of the Man in Black. Walking the pop culture/modern music line even tighter than a taught rope, Ryan even brings darker depths of brutal beauty to the fun frolics of her lead single 'Shake It Off'. Brushing no dirt of his shoulder as he sends shivers down spines as he brings to reality lines like "I've got nothing on my brain/that's what people say". It goes further into the forest of the nature of meaningful songwriting with his re-invented vision and version on Taylor's deep 'Out Of The Woods' and her diverse, slick 'Style' that brings even more magic to the mid-night hour as (s)he begins with the singing of the line "Midnight/You come and pick me up, no headlights", more rip-roared and rocked here. Oh this album truly is something...on both sides of the coin. Re-waking Taylor's 'Wildest Dreams' from her latest single to this latest album. What started with a sneak peak of a version of one of Taylor Swift's more recent offerings from her outstanding album and lead to more tweets then your latest trend could offer has lead to something truly special and more meaningful. In resetting the tone, Adams could re-set a new one when it comes to releasing covers and different strokes on artists works. The blood running through this is a beautiful bond...nothing bad. Now in a world tour that has seen Taylor Swift bring everyone from Julia Roberts to Kobe Bryant (to present her with her very own victory banner in STAPLES in the same rafters as all those Los Angeles Lakers jerseys and banners) on stage, maybe it's time she welcomed Ryan out for some '1989' duets (or a collabo concert tour) in both styles at her next gig. Taylor Swift may currently have the best album out at the moment still making hits, but does Ryan Adams have the better version of it? That's a blank space for you to write in... TIM DAVID HARVEY.

WELCOME BACK TO ATLANTA-An Interview With Jermaine Dupri

A Round With J.D.

By TIM DAVID HARVEY

C.E.O. Producer. Rapper. D.J. Social Media Entrepreneur? Music mogul Jermaine Dupri is one of this generations most influential people in the entertainment industry. So much so the King of Atlanta is even giving New York Cities Diddy a run for his billion dollar money and enterprise. J.D's iconic record label So So Def may just be the Southern equivalent of Bad Boy Records. Yet the Don Chi Chi is his own man and the creative force has gone beyond producing just for the careers he made of his own homegrown artists like Kriss Kross, Da Brat, Jagged Edge and Bow Wow, but to superstars he helped re-make like Mariah Carey, Usher and Janet Jackson. Jermaine has also proved himself worthy of his own beats and the production of classic albums like Usher's 'Confessions' and Mariah Carey's 'Emancipation Of Mimi', releasing records like 'Life In 1472' and 'Instructions' featuring classics like 'Money 'Aint A Thing' featuring Jay-Z and 'Welcome To Atlanta' featuring Ludacris. Although these timeless tracks still spin today, Dupri is dropping the needle on all sorts of classics in the clubs, all the way to the groove of winning the award for 'Celebrity D.J. Of The Year' this past calendar. If that wasn't enough than the man who has been inspired by hip-hops best to be hip-hops best is now taking influence from the likes Of Mark Zuckerberg by creating his own, unique social media site and experience Global 14. Showcasing not just news and entertainment, but the chance for new artists to share their work and talent. With more developments and even some more music on the way it seems like 2015 is the year Jermaine Dupri takes over the world. Time for him to tell us why...

Jermaine we thank you for your time. We know you're a busy man so we'll get right to it. What's on the schedule this week?

A lot of meetings. A Revolt live taping to drop off my new video, Vegas D.J. performance on Thursday then Friday fly to Atlantic City.

You've just released 'Where You At' amongst other great songs recently. What can you tell us about this material and as a rapper do you feel in the zone again? Can we expect another album soon?

As a music creator, I'm in a great headspace. I wouldn't say I'm in my zone just yet. The music from my new album will reflect how I feel. I feel like everything I've done people always bash it, then three to four months later they do it. With that being said, I got to keep the forward motion that I've always had. There's records with artists that might not be big yet but I believe in them and all the records on this new album will be for the club.

You are also busy on the D.J. and nightclub circuit. Congratulations on winning the 'Celebrity D.J. Of The Year' award. How much does that mean to you, especially with the legacy of some of your peers?

I'm happy I won but I don't care to be called a celebrity DJ. I've been doing this before people knew who I was. It means a lot, but it would mean more to me, if more people knew my true passion for D.J.ing.

Night in and night out what tips could you give to young aspiring record spinners in keeping the crowd and the atmosphere of a club moving?

If you're playing open format, gauge the crowd. Once you get them dancing and having a good time, figure out what you did and hold on to it for as long as you can (laughs).

How does dropping a great beat in the club compare to producing one in the studio?

I would say it's about 60/40, very close. The only difference is, when I DJ they are not all my records.

Are record stores still the best place to get your hands on some precious vinyl as opposed to online?

Totally!

After bringing Bruno Mars out on New Year at the peak of his 'Uptown Funk' popularity in Vegas do you have something up your sleeve for this December 31st? It's creeping up on us.

Nah I haven't really thought about it. I guess I need to start thinking (laughs).

As a rapper, producer, CEO and D.J. you're a man of many hats but your passion project seems to be your website Global 14. What can you tell us about this movement?

I believe that kids of today are not interested in traditional news and the old ways that we got our information. So I created a destination that would speak to them in a way that they wanna listen and a home for the dream chasers. I have so much passion for this because the ideas are endless, if you can think of it, it can be done when dealing with tech.

What in your mind sets Global 14 apart from the rest of social media for its users?

Me!

Going back to music, congratulations on the Jagged Edge sequel record. How did it feel revisiting a classic with four guys from Atlanta who you've been down with since the beginning?

It was great working on that record. It felt like the days of me trying to get in the business. That's a feeling I hadn't felt in along time.

Can you share with us any other projects you're producing at the moment?

I'm in heavy with the new Usher album. I got a group coming out called "The D", the new Bow Wow album and mine 'The Love Award'.

You're beats have given new life to artists like Usher, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson among countless others, can you share with us some of your favourite experiences and relationships in music?

They all have been great experiences, each with different characteristics. I'm just grateful I could be attached to such great artists.

What sets your constant collaboraters and you're in house talent like Da Brat, Bow Wow and J.E. apart from the rest?

Our connection. I have a special connection with each artist I sign.

Who do you like in todays music industry and who inspires you?

Both Drake and The Weeknd are inspiring because it seems like they keep the first thing that comes to their mind and as a writer. I usual go through three to four ideas before I find it. They make me think I'm over thinking (laughs).

If we where to list just a handful of our favourite tracks you've produced could you share your favourite memories and experiences from these classics?

Sweetheart...

'Sweetheart' was actually Mariah's idea. So it was dope, hearing her tell me that was the song she thought we should do. That meant she put thought into my album.

Money Ain't A Thing...

'Money Ain't A Thang' was the last time I used paper to write after being in the studio with Jay-Z (laughs).

Welcome To Atlanta...

'Welcome to Atlanta' was so automatic . I got the idea for it to with Luda from a floor mat he had in his video. I told him the idea and it all just fell in place.

Hate Blood...

Hate in your blood was a perfect example of how I hear and see things in my head. Very seldom do I get all the voices I hear when I'm writing and this was the first time.

Lets Get Married and the other Remarqable Remixes'..

Honestly 'Lets Get Married' remix I give to the hands of the music God's because I still can't believe how perfect it was.

We Belong Together...

'We Belong Together' was a perfect example of when collaborators really gel.

Control Myself...

'Control Myself' I loved!! It felt like classic LL with a splash of J-Lo.

The 'Comin From Where I'm From' album with Anthony Hamilton and how it changed soul music...

I'm not really sure it changed soul music. It was a incredible album though and the first were I heard the demo and put that out. 

Confessions...

Confessions...some of my greatest work!

It must be incredible to have your name and stamp on so many hit records and classics? Can you describe?

It should be incredible but I don't feel people care, so it takes the enjoyment out of it for me. I just go from one project to the next trying to figure out how to change that mindset.

And how did it feel to perform such a historic, classic track to the ATL music scene ('Welcome To Atlanta') with Ludacris at an Atlanta Hawks game when the team was soaring from the best in the season to the playoffs?

Oh that was incredible! That's like one of the only times I felt like the city really loved that song!

How important is it for this great city of Atlanta to have some great sports teams to root for and music to rock with?

It's really important. Sports and music go together.

Going back to your first album 'Life In 1472' its a classic concept album before its time. How important is it for people to make records with specific themes?

I think it's very important for more established artists because it allows us to go elsewhere with our writing at times and the fans not be confused.

'Instructions' is an underrated classic of feel-good, summer music rap. What does this album mean to you?

Nothing! There's a lot of mistakes I made on that record.

So So Def itself is an iconic record label, from the name and logo to the classics its produced. How does it feel to have such a legendary label that's on the level of a Bad Boy or Def Jam?

Once again I don't feel like it's looked at on the same level, so I feel I have so much more work to do.

Thirty plus years in the game, not bad for the kid who danced with Whodini. When you look back at this and all that's followed what's the first thing that comes to your mind?

Belief and no fear.

What's next for Jermaine Dupri...or should we say, music?

To work harder than the young Jermaine and out do him.

Jermaine we thank you for your time and consideration. It is much appreciated. We wish you all the best and every success for the future.

REVIEW: DR. DRE-COMPTON: A SOUNDTRACK

4/5

Straight Outta Detox.

The Doctor will see you now! How long have you been waiting? Around 16 years? Behind the good doctors appointments with patients like 'The Doctors Advocate', The Game and Kendrick Lamar? We do apologise it takes a few sessions 'To Pimp A Butterfly'. Bear with us, we'll get right to you. The waiting room is full now for Andre Young. The Doctor that rarely makes house calls is about to hit every home in every town, in every country in the whole world with his new prescription. And this is just what everybody ordered. Just when you thought there was more chance of the Lakers winning again then the greatest Doc since J returning, Dre is back to look over the whole city and rewrite the Hollywood sign in the name of the town he runs. This is 'California Love' reborn. After the former N.W.A. star passed us 'The Chronic' in the 90's and then took us to the future with '2001' in 1999, with two classics the prolific producer confirmed himself as a real rapper that deserved to be in any head-to-head contest comparison for the best in the game. Peer to peer, Jay-Z and Nas, or Biggie and 2Pac. The man whose first two solo albums where coming out parties for some of today and histories biggest and most recognisable icons, Snoop Dogg and Eminem respectively is now expressing himself first and foremost on another collaborative effort including all of the significant luminaries he has worked with or on, from Xzibit all the way back to Ice Cube. Yep, that's right, the late, great Eazy-E and the rest of the N.W.A. forefathers of gangster rap are finally getting the rep respect from the modern day that they deserve. The Los Angeles Kings are about to low-ride park on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame with the new movie 'Straight Outta Compton' which even stars Ice Cube's son as his pops. All this honour and homage and Dr. Dre has the perfect soundtrack for it, just be the watcher!

'Compton'. This is the 'Detox's' detox now the doctor has confirmed this album that was almost two decades in the waiting making will only see the light of the cutting room floor, THIS is the long awaited album that everybody's been eagerly anticipating. From the epic instrumental intro of classic Dre, news report sampling, the critical state of the Compton community is offset with haunting horror like keyboards and synths that obliterate the concrete under the wheels of a 64 like only a Dre beat can. For the man that sees music this needs to be heard on his billionaire Beats headphone like movies in IMAX need to be felt...and this is no shameless headphones plug. Tune in as it all mixes perfectly into the outstanding opener 'Talk About It' and you know that with the first official track and appearance in a decade and a half, plus a penny change, the doctor and the king is back. Sounding different and fresher than ever and rapping like a young gun and not a veteran of the game. Maybe its just the whole rebirth of this Detoxing Doctor whose been in studio surgery and the lyrical weight room as well as the gym working on that Schwarzenegger, Venice Beach frame. That hilarious, classic Beats commercial with LeBron James and a heckler was wrong, Dre has been working on that album. And now everybody else had to really work on shutting the f### up! This is competition 'Genocide' like the following track and his first of many here with latest protégée Kendrick Lamar and his Floetry soul songstress one Marsha Ambrosius. The good kid from the 'M.A.A.D. City' and his mentor, prove he is the future of rap with what would be his Snoop and Marshall coming out album if he hadn't changed the game and California coast with one West Coast drive in a rented van. The 'Compton' album, is the 'Compton' track on soundboard steroids.

G-funk also makes its return like there's nothing but that signature sound in the same week as Dre's California cousin Warren G sequels his 'Regulator' classic with an epic E.P. 'It's All On Me' is California cool redefined. While 'All In A Days Work' will be a classic in less than 24 hours. Just like the midnight hour oil burning of 'Darkside/Gone', the return of X on the pimped 'Loose Cannons' and the sensational sampling of 'Issues' with an ice cold Ice Cube that's set to ignite like when these guys lit up the Los Angeles night like downtowns futuristic skyline. 'Deep Water' keeps this pure Pacific production flowing, before Doc and the Dogg reunite on 'One Shot, One Kill', were over serious snare, the rhythm and gangster of a rejuvenated and growling Doggy Dogg Snoop is sounding his sinister and serious best since these two guys where rapping about 187's because um, 'Murder Was The Case'. It's even Game time again on the growling raps of 'Just Another Day' which you can add to 'The Documentary'. But can we get more than a milk carton for the critically brilliant but criminally underrated Bishop Lamont? A Game/Eminem, Dre muscle hybrid that needs more than a feature, but an album beyond the mesmerising mixtapes and the hilarious, tongue in cheek, long awaited album names for the former, perfect protégée. 'For The Love Of Money' also cashes in on recent number one album spinner Jill Scott and all her soul as Dre looks set to knock the man that knocked her off the charts Tyrese Gibson with his last 'Black Rose' album with his own final, retiring curtain call release. Dre may have missed a trick by not making a collaborative trip to Watts for 'Compton' ( just like not adding Eve perhaps to the stunning 'Satisfaction') but one things for sure neither of these rap and R&B kings should give up, even if they are going out on the highest of Chronic highs. Doc is a beast on 'Animals' and even brings back his assistant Eminem for 'Medicine Man', although we'd love to have seen more tracks from Slim and none about something as disgusting as rape for a real talent who we know is still swinging sith his 'Southpaw' soundtrack work. Still with the journal and journeys end on 'Talking To My Diary' that's the perfect epic epilogue to this P.W.A's (producer with acclaim) album, it's still all about Dre in the conclusion of this episode. Did you forget? Everybody's celebrating...it's Dre day again! TIM DAVID HARVEY.