I woke up this morning with Eddie Floyd’s “634-5789″ soul song going around my head. Better than a hangover, that’s for sure. Last night he and a few others performed on Later with Jools Holland for the annual Hootenanny New Year’s Eve show on the BBC.

Rather than go out, which is what we were planning to do, Dave and I stayed in for New Year’s. A very kind and generous friend had given us tickets to go out to see a few bands play at the Carling Academy Oxford and we ungraciously didn’t show up. Very naughty indeed. Hopefully he’s still talking to us.

So, we settled for a couple bottles of bubbly and the TV instead. Later with Jools was pretty good. Of course, the show isn’t filmed live, which is a bit of a let down, but it’s still fun to watch.

After Jools Holland arrived to the Land of the Hootenanny via Dr. Who’s Tardis (sounds crazy, I know) “Boogie Woogie Queen” Ruby Turner opened the show with “Jumpin’ at the Jubilee” along with Jools and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Soul legend Eddie Floyd followed with “634-5789″. I used to sing that song in a band called Soul Wagon…crikey…about 15 years ago. The band was only together a couple of months, but that’s another story.

Other guest performers on the show included Kaiser Chiefs, Lulu, Madness, Duffy, Kate Nash, Kylie Minogue, Seasick Steve, Mika and Paul McCartney. Jools also spoke to a few guests in the audience like Lenny Henry, Dawn French, David Tennant, Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone, Gabby Logan and more.

Duffy performed a superb cover of the Cat Stevens song, “The First Cut Is The Deepest”. I’ve mentioned on several occasions, here on Band Weblogs, how much I like Duffy and that she’s the cat’s meow. Jools and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra accompanied Duffy, for her classy rendition of “The First Cut Is The Deepest”, which could easily be released as a single. Duffy’s been on Later with Jools two times now – sometimes she reminds me of Lulu, who Jools will often perform with, so it’s apropos that he would seem to be enamored with her.

Speaking of Lulu, she sounded great, as always, singing “Where Have All The Good Guys Gone”. It would have been good to see her sing more songs, though.

Kylie Minogue was the star of the night. For her first number, Jools reminded viewers of Kylie’s recent stint on Dr. Who before she vamped it up with “Come On Strong”. She spent the song being sultry, sitting on the piano and singing, whilst Jools played along with the band.

The other “big star of the night” was Paul McCartney. Who would have thought that one day Sir Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue would be introduced together for a duet? That they were, and they sang Paul McCartney’s “Dance Tonight”. Later, Kylie performed “2 Hearts” from her album ‘X’, with Dr. Who’s David Tennant dancing along in the audience. She also sang a jazzed up lounge version of her hit song “I Could Be So Lucky” with Jools Holland on piano.

The Duffy and Eddie Floyd “Bring It On Home To Me” duet was a treat and Mika performed “Grace Kelly”, playing the piano – as I had first heard him play the song for his debut on Later with Jools Holland about a year ago. This time he played along with the Jools Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. It’s too bad the song gets so overplayed on the radio, because I really liked it the first time I heard it. Especially the stripped down piano version.

There were many more performances throughout the night and if you missed the Hootenanny on the BBC, luckily the Later with Jools Holland website has added video footage of the complete show.

For some reason, Ruby Turner doesn’t have a section on the Hootenanny page. Hopefully they’ll add one soon. In the meantime, you can go to Ruby Turner Official Website for more information about her.

Watch Hootenanny videos from Later with Jools Holland

Later with Jools Holland BBC Website

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

With the first two albums selling over 350k copies between them, UMTV have put together another brilliant album of the best songs of the year – ‘Essential Songs 2008′, set for release in the UK on 3rd December 2007.

Now that the end of the year is in sight, it’s time to sit back and reminisce about the good times of 2007 and get ready to see in the New Year. What better way to do this than by listening to the biggest essential songs of the year?

The track list reads like a who’s who of pop royalty. From the shiny new, to the classic greats. Starting with the come back kings Take That and their massive new hit “Rule The World” (from the hit movie Stardust), moving onto the collaboration between modern day diva Amy Winehouse and superstar producer Mark Ronson with the track “Valerie”. With new blood from the Coronation Street heartthrob Richard Fleeshman, and classics from legends Oasis, The Cranberries and Paul Weller, CD 1 really does have something for everyone.

The second CD opens with the exclusive of pop prince Mika’s new track “Happy Ending” and carries on with an eclectic mix of songs from artists old and new, with girl power being added by Feist and her catchy “1234″ and Mutya Buena with “Real Girl”.

If that isn’t enough to entice you, ‘Essential Songs – 2008′ also includes tracks from some of the finest artists in the world including The Killers, Nelly Furtado, Embrace and Pop royalty Elton John.

Track List – Provisional:

CD1

Take That – Rule The World
Amy Winehouse – Valerie
Kate Nash – Foundations
Maroon 5 – Makes Me Wonder
Nelly Furtado – Say It Right
James Morrison – The Pieces Don’t Fit Any More
Richard Fleeshman – Coming Down
New Radicals – You Get What You Give
Hoobastank – The Reason
Razorlight – Somewhere Else
The Feeling – Sewn
Train – Drops Of Jupiter
Paul Weller – Changingman
Lighthouse Family – High
Cast – Walk Away
Cardigans – Erase/Rewind
Jamie Scott & The Town – When Will I See Your Face Again
Ocean Colour Scene – The Day We Caught The Train
Stereophonics – Dakota
Oasis – Stand By Me

CD2

Mika – Happy Ending
Keane – Somewhere Only We Know
Timbaland – Apologize
Paolo Nutini – New Shoes
Amy McDonald – Mr Rock & Roll
Mutya Buena – Real Girl
The Twang – Either Way
Travis – Sing
Feeder – Just The Way I’m Feeling
The Killers – Somebody Told Me
Embrace – Ashes
Gabrielle Feat. Paul Weller – Why
Nick Drake – Northern Sky
Cure – Just Heaven
Ian Brown – FEAR
Cranberries – Dreams
Dodgy – Good Enough
James – Sit Down
Aztec Camera – Somewhere In My Heart
Shed 7 – Chasing Rainbows
Elton John – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Essential Songs 2008 on amazon.co.uk

Somerset House is an 18th century Neoclassical palace and is located between The Strand and the Thames in central London. The idea of going to a live open air event in the courtyard there seems like a nice night out – especially if it’s one of those hot steamy nights in July when the best place to be is outside.

It’s great to see that Guillemots are playing. If you haven’t read the interview already, be sure to check out my interview with Guillemots drummer Greig Stewart. It was interesting to hear about Guillemots’ new studio, what Greig gets up to on a typical day on tour and other fun facts about him and the band.

The dates and bands scheduled to perform at the 2007 Summer Series at Somerset House are as follows:

12 July: Mogwai
13 July: Kasabian
14 July: Bert Jansch with Beth Orton and Bernard Butler
15 July: Guillemots
16 July: Lily Allen
17 July: Mika
18 July: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
19 July: The Roots
20 July: Amy Winehouse
21 July: Hot Chip

*Dates and acts could change. For more information go to the Somerset House Official Website

Support acts will be announced
Tickets range in price and will go on sale through Ticketmaster

Band Websites:

Mogwai
Kasabian
Bert Jansch, Beth Orton, Bernard Butler
Guillemots
Lilly Allen
Mika
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
The Roots
Amy Winehouse
Hot Chip

To learn more about Somerset House and the Summer Concert Series go to the Somerset House Official Website

By: Jenny May