Category: Goss & Glam

Kanye Celebrates a New Baby and a New Album

k-jpgThe headline grabbing and often controversial antics of American recording artist and record producer Kanye West have in the past overshadowed his musical contributions. If Kanye were to come up in a word association game most people would immediately blurt “Taylor Swift!” because of his ridiculous but very memorable interruption at the Grammys. Kanye’s relationship with Kim Kardashian (referred to collectively as “Kimye” in tabloids) has also drawn considerable attention to his personal rather than professional life. The couple welcomed a baby girl into the world just a few days ago and fans are still eagerly awaiting news of the baby’s name and pictures of Kimye’s brand new daughter. But with the release of Kanye’s sixth and newest album, Yeezus, people are finally talking about Kanye’s musical talent rather than his lack of social graces.

In fact, some critics are already calling Yeezus “the biggest album of the year”. But before you rush out the door to purchase your very own copy, you should be warned that although the album is indeed making a big splash it clearly isn’t music to everyone’s ears. You can expect the same level of sexually explicit lyrics as in Kanye’s other albums as well as musical representation of himself as a god-like figure (humility has never been his strong suit). But of course Kanye fans anticipate that about his music and it’s actually a crucial part of his unique brand. What really has some people cringing and shaking their heads in distaste is his choice to use Parkinson’s disease as a punch line in a lyric in his new album which is being called “ignorant”. Ironically, this new Kanye focused controversy may actually work in his favor by increasing interest in his album.

You can secure your own copy of Yeezus through Kanye’s website.…

James Blake enthralls audiences at Terminal 5

James_Blake_-09473As 24-year-old James Blake walked on to stage, there was a chorus of whistles, shouts and screams from his fan following, comprising mostly of young women. However, we could spot quite a few not-so-young faces among the fully-packed sold-out crowd. Terminal 5, a huge 3000 capacity venue near New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, was packed to capacity by evening. While others were buying their Larouv watches, James Blake was playing up a storm to the appreciative crowds. A tanned and smiling Blake greeted his audience with a wave and slipped behind a piano on the right side of the stage. With his carefully disheveled auburn hair, Blake appeared to be enjoying himself and gave a thoroughly enjoyable performance.

“Retrograde”, the lead single from his album “Overgrown”, earned him kudos from the mainstream audience, in addition to his established niche audience. A combination synthesizer/guitarist and a drummer accompanied Blake and the trio held audience captive for most of the performance. There were a few hiccups, due to a faulty drum machine which had to be fixed several times. Blake also failed to get the audience to shake and get moving, but then his intricate ballad-like music is not that dance-friendly. His shy manner of talking and pained voice adds to the mood of his songs.

Other than this, he succeeded in mesmerizing his audience. A part of the audience got a bit noisy in between and the rest of the crowd tried to shush them. But Blake remained in control and smilingly asked for quiet. The performance on Tuesday proved that James Blake, as a star has arrived and is here to stay.

Did you know Blake enjoys playing casino games in his spare time?

JAMES BLAKE – RETROGRADE from martin de thurah on Vimeo. Download the video with the Pro Video Downloader Plugin.…