Washington - I Believe You Liar

MINE

Another artist introduced to our house via the music quiz show Spicks and Specks, where Megan Washington's first appearance apparently caused her iTunes rating to go into hyperspace.  It certainly caused her EPs to make an appearance in our house, and her album was barely released before we snapped it up.

But I didn't listen to it - because I didn't have time.  What a crap reason that is.  Anyway, I was really looking forward to this review, and I wasn't disappointed.  But I was surprised, as track 4 - Underground - caused me to weep violently.  Good thing I was alone in the car, and on a relatively uncluttered stretch of road I'm very familiar with.  Essentially instructions to her family about what to do in the event of her early demise, it's simple and poetic and really deeply moving.

The rest of the album may prompt comparisons with Florence + The Machine.  Megan has a similar, breathtakingly pure, soaring vocal range, and chooses to highlight that with layers of gorgeous arrangements in many of the songs.  But I think comparing her to Florence would be a shame, because she's her own person.  And writes songs that can make me cry.  Way to go, Washington.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP get your hankie out

YOURZ

Megan Washington is one seriously talented young woman.  But more than this, she comes across as a really nice person and one who takes what she does seriously but doesn't behave like some prima donna.  Her first appearance on Spicks & Specks, as Mine mentions above, saw her perform by singing songs from an unrelated piece of text.  Quite simply, she blew everyone away.  Her second appearance only reiterated this.

We rushed out and got a couple of her EPs.  These are great but only really hinted at the depth of her talent.  Then along came I Believe You Liar, her debut album.  I haven't listened to it near enough yet to pick favourite tracks but suffice to say this is a stunning debut from a talent I expect to hear for years to come.

It would be easy to make comparisons to Florence, Lily Allen or whoever, but the fact is Megan is her own person.  But what is more pleasing than anything else is that real, honest, talented people are still getting the attention they deserve.  You just have to take your time to find them.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/meganwashington

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights

MINE

This CD breaks all my rules.  I mean, it sounds like classic 50s-60s soul, but it's been written and recorded right now.  And ordinarily I'd sniffily call this sort of music "wanna-be soul" - except it doesn't wanna be, it damn well is.

Sharon can wail like Aretha or Diana or any one of those fabulous soul divas, and that band is tight.  Plus (and I don't mean to sound like a production Nazi here, but) that production is faultless.

This music is like discovering a whole new novel by an author you love and thought you'd read everything they'd ever written.  It's a modern classic.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP and get boogying, y'all

YOURZ

Thank you, Spicks And Specks.  If it weren't for this excellent music quiz show, we wouldn't have heard about the marvellous voice of Sharon Jones and her incredile soul-funk band, The Dap-Kings.  Appearing on an episode, she blew us away with one of the challenges, to sing a song using the words of an unrelated piece of text.  She was, simply and crudely put, fucking brilliant.

In fact, we have Spicks And Specks to thank for a number of our favourite pieces of music but more of that later.  In the meantime, 100 Days, 100 Nights could easily be the soundtrack to our other viewing experience of late, that of the marvellous HBO series, Treme.  Take the hint, sucker, and get watching!

We've expressed our love of good funk and soul before and while this isn't breaking new ground, it certainly shows there is still great music being made in this genre.  You just gotta keep an eye out for it.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP and shimmy like a slinky thang, you...

For more information: http://www.daptonerecords.com/pages/stable_sharon.html