Sultry New York singer Rebecca Angel recently graduated from Ithica College with a degree in voice and now she’s just issued her debut EP called What We Had. The album was produced by renowned jazz keyboardist Jason Miles, who’s worked with Miles Davis, Whitney Houston and many others. She’s also collaborated with this project with her dad, trumpet player Dennis Angel.
Rebecca talks about finding a style all her own, and giving an electronic twist to the soul classic, “Stand By Me.”
Marshall Crenshaw first gained notoriety with his 1982 debut album which featured the MTV hit “Someday Someway.” A few years back, he came up with a unique way to deliver music to his fans – he set up a subscription service where, beginning in early 2013, he delivered six EP’s over the course of two years on both vinyl and digital downloads. Each EP had a formula – one new song, one cover song, and one reworked cover of an old Crenshaw composition, plus a bonus track.
Well, he completed that project, and now he’s decided to put the best of the series in an album form – hence #392 The EP Collection. We talk to Crenshaw about his thoughts on completing this project, why he decided to cover the Carpenters, and how under-appreciated Bobby Fuller’s music is.
Canadian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ben Wilkins is back with his sophomore album, All From Hello. Still intact is his keen sense for melodic hooks and lush arranging. But, this time around, Wilkins has steered things in a definite soulful direction. He’s released the new disc on his own Midnight Train Records, which even includes a guest vocal from former Pointer Sister, Bonnie Pointer. We discuss the writing and recording process, along with Wilkins’ decision to relocate to the States, and why you really should hear his music on CD and not mp3’s.
Marshall Crenshaw released his debut album right at the peak of New Wave’s popularity in 1982, when the world was embracing silly haircuts and synthesizers. Full of melodic hooks, it recalled a time when rock was a little more straight-forward, and featured the hit single “Someday Someway.” Crenshaw has parlayed that success into a career that’s lasted over 30 years, with many twists and turns along the way. His latest endeavor is perhaps his boldest yet – a series of vinyl EPs, via a subscription service, which Crenshaw plans to release over the next two years, all funded by his fans through a successful Kickstarter program. We chat with Crenshaw about why he prefers singles over albums, and how he feels about his first album 30 years later.