Lopez Blogs

I'm fully into my new year post Christmas blues funk. I get it every year. Annually you might say. This year as well as flattening my spirits, it has chosen to manifest itself physically too! I have a rash all over my hands (mmm, attractive) and my back is aching like a mother. Plus i think i'm getting a cold sore. Form an orderly queue fellas! New years was quite nice (see pic above) - not too hectic, just fun in a not too crowded bar with some friends. Of course I had Jools Holland on record and got to witness some simply stunning performances over a cup of Horlicks on new years day. Read on my pretties, read on!!

Kylie ~ Try Your Wings (Blossom Dearie cover):

You can always rely on Kylie. I'm still in love with All The Lovers and the entire Aphrodite album six months on (my top single and album of 2010), and have been completely smitten with her additional performances that have come about on her promotional stints for the album. Her cover of Hurts Wonderful Life was effortlessly elegant; her studied reading and new version of Can't Get You Out Of My Head bought new meaning and nuance to an extremely familiar tune; her festive couplet of tunes were both cheeky and warming at the same time. She's topped off the year with a completely wonderful performance of an already delightful tune by the legendary Blossom Dearie. Looking stunning on top of a grand piano, she sweetly sung a darling melody and surrounded herself with a tempered arrangement that let her vocal and the delicate tune fly. Imagine a full album of tunes done in this style! Bodes exceptionally well for the Aphrodite tour...

Rumer ~ Aretha:


Oh Rumer. How captivated I am by your deliciously smooth vocal style that evokes memories of sadly gone but not forgotten greats such as Karen Carpenter and Dusty Springfield. How magical I am finding your debut album, which is filled with timeless torch songs and emotive, evocative melodies. The Rumer sings Bacharach at Christmas EP was definitely an added treasure to tag onto something that was already totally an understated triumph. So what a way to top off the year - a mesmerising performance of the gorgeous single Aretha on Jools Holland, that showcased the gorgeous vocal totally in it's element against a sumptuous backdrop of orchestra and horn section. 2011 is going to be an amazing year for this singer and this is one album you should lock into now...

Bette Midler ~ Glory of Love:


New Years Eve 2009 was one of the best ever. Darren and I were having a marvelous little sojourn in Vegas and scored tickets to see the divine Ms M at her new years eve show which was absolutely spiffy. Fast forward a year and the taping of that very show airs on HBO on New Years Eve 2010. Utterly amazing. I'm sure you can see my ear at one point :) This means it is very likely to come out on dvd very soon. Please. Anyway, for those of you who can afford a subscription to HBO in these credit crunch times, you will know that one of the highlights was a stripped back, ukelele version of the Glory of Love. It was heartfelt, it was earnest and it was poignantly beautiful. The perfect message with which to ring a new year of hope, joy and people being kind to each other. Sniffle...

Back soon with more new music!