Songs Of Freedom

Keisha Buchanan announces solo gig

The former Sugababes singer – who was the band’s final original member before quitting in September of 2009 just ahead of the release of their seventh studio album Sweet 7 – will play at the launch of the Jacques Townhouse in London on July 19.

Keisha, who was swiftly replaced in Sugababes by Jade Ewen – a 2009 UK Eurovision entrant – spoke to British newspaper The Daily Star, saying that she is “a bit nervous about going solo”, although the 26-year-old is “still really excited for people to hear” her music.

Meanwhile, Sugababes have also been working on new tracks, with a fragment of latest song Freedom making an appearance in an ad for mobile firm Nokia (to watch the advert, scroll down).

Amelle Berrabah chatted with BBC Radio 2, saying that “we’re really excited” about the new recordings, but admitted that the trio “haven’t got a sound yet”.

The 27-year-old singer – who is joined by Heidi Range and Jade in the band’s current line-up – has “been asked a few times what sort of sound we’re going for, but it’s too early to decide”.

However, Amelle did say that she has “two favourite” songs from the new material, with one being “quite poppy” whereas the “other couldn’t be less poppy if we tried”.

Amelle is undoubtedly enjoying the group’s recent studio work as the trio become “really focused” as they look “forward to hopefully a great album and everyone else enjoying it”.

But she was adamant that the girls “definitely want to take our time…and keep working” before releasing material, and won’t be rushed until it’s ready and they are “100% happy with it”.

Nguyên Lê: Songs of Freedom (Act Music) | Option Magazine | Music ...

It may be a bit of a struggle to parse both this CD’s vague premise (“a tribute to those musicians who established pop culture in the ‘70s with their mythic songs”) and its head-scratching song selection (“Eleanor Rigby,” “’Black Dog,” “Mercedes Benz,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Come Together,” even “In A Gadda da Vida”). But  Vietnamese guitarist Lê comes with bona fide jazz -fusion credentials and an impressive list of releases, so he deserves our initial willing suspension of disbelief. Once heard, Songs of Freedom tasty musical surprises, thanks to the international world-music cast Lê has assembled and his imaginative, outside-the-box arrangements. Lê has been doing his crosscultural rock-jazz fusion thang for more than 15 years (he even did a Jimi Hendrix tribute some years ago), so he’s not daunted by the challenge of breathing life into overexposed, comatose classics.