原声大碟 -《女人们》(The Women)[MP3]

Lucy Schwartz is a singer/songwriter with an “old soul” that belies her young age of eighteen. Although her influences are varied, the result is a truly original and timeless musical voice. She just released a CD of original songs titled "Winter in June". Lucy has been performing with her band at L.A. area clubs and this summer she also played the Palo Alto Music & Film Festival, Central Park's Harlem Meer Music Festival and opened for Guggenheim Grotto at the Canal Room in NYC.

This fall brings the release of the film, "The Women" which features two new songs Lucy wrote for the opening scene and the closing scene of the movie! It has an entirely female, star-studded cast including Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, Annette Bening, Bette Midler, Debra Messing and is directed by Diane English. The soundtrack will also highlight all women artists such as KT Tunstall and introduces Lucy Schwartz performing her new songs "Beautiful" and "Count on Me".

Lucy is the 2007 WINNER of the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) in the teen category for her song "I Don't Know a Thing". She was voted favorite artist in the October 2007 BMI podcast featuring Los Angeles songwriters. This year, Lucy’s songs have been featured on the TV series, "Reaper" and "Cashmere Mafia". Her singing can also be heard on various TV shows including re-runs of the Emmy award winning series, Arrested Development. Now it can be told, the sultry chanteuse of “Mr. F” on Arrested Development is, in truth, the voice of Lucy.

Lucy has been listed on KGRL's list of the most influential CD's of 2007. Click here to read more!

当今全英最具异质魅力的，无疑非Goldfrapp莫属。2003年她们推出第二张专辑《Black Cherry》，当时从首张大作《Felt Mountain》的角度来看Goldfrapp变了，她们变得刺激、变得挑衅、变得性感、变得Deep Down& Dirty，唯独不变的是Goldfrapp每回出现总还是惊艳四座。并且会挑上她们歌曲收录的单位从众多弛放沙发与《天籁美声2》这类合辑变成任天堂掌上游戏 Game Boy Advance与可口可乐的电视广告。

难得的是如此艳且不俗、舞而不摇的美学全然不假外人之手( 还跨刀为Depeche Mode制作混音)，使得Goldfrapp更形聚焦的魅力直追Kylie Minogue，从此她们的地位自小众追随晋升为万众期待，2005年的新专辑《Supernature》大受瞩目，尽管风格上延续着对时下复古 Electro世代的回应，大有挑战Debbie Harry性感定义的声腔带领着高压电流窜动的兴奋感与大片弦乐撑腰的优雅感如是多层次并存，无一不令Goldfrapp在时尚浮华的节拍氛围里显得格外唯美华丽且带劲。

来自jazz厂牌Blue Note的小魔女系列声音——The Bird and the Bee。这个名字是美国的一种儿童游戏，想必从音乐中也听出来那种返朴归真的状态吧。一男一女组合kurstin（"蜂"）和inara（"鸟"）07年的专辑，风格游走在Indie和jazz之间，迥然风格的擦边与碰撞引出了inara george这个声线亮丽的小女人。除此之外电子音色的大量介入，带来的是无穷尽的时尚元素，好似浮在了作品上的一层亮粉。随意的编曲，随意的歌词，事情都在顺其自然的中不停转动。声音在不同领域间跳来跳去，黯然而精怪。专辑又好像隐藏有什么杀机一般，入耳的旋律让人又爱又不敢陷得太深。可以说是非常值得一听的新生经典大碟。

JESSIE BAYLIN “It's a collection of a bunch of moments in my life,” Jessie Baylin says of her Verve Forecast debut Firesight. "I'm just trying to be as honest as I can, and hopefully people will connect with the songs and recognize moments of their own life in them."

Firesight makes good on the critical praise and grass-roots fan support that’s already been heaped upon the 24-year-old artist. The album offers a vibrant, soulful showcase for her talents as both an uncommonly insightful songwriter and a deeply expressive, effortlessly charismatic vocalist.

Recorded in the artist's recently adopted hometown of Nashville with noted producer Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Rogue Wave), Firesight features contributions from some of Nashville's most respected rock players, and songwriting collaborations with such notable co-writers as Whiskeytown member Mike Daly and Grammy-winning songwriter/performer Jesse Harris, L.A. troubadour Zack Hexum and the Rembrandts' Danny Wilde.

All-star support notwithstanding, it's Baylin's lyrically incisive, melodically intoxicating compositions and bracing performances that make Firesight such a revelation. Such tunes as "Leave Your Mark," "Lonely Heaven," "Not A Day More" and "See How I Run" boast a level of emotional insight that's rare in such a young artist.

Although Firesight shows her to be a natural songwriter and performer, Jessie Baylin’s road to a musical career has been an unconventional one. She gained her initial performing experience during early childhood, singing for customers at the Fire Sight Inn, the New Jersey restaurant/jazz bar that her parents owned. It was there that she developed her lifelong affinity for music, as well as gaining some early insights into human nature by observing the establishment’s colorful clientele.

“That’s why I wanted Firesight to be the title of the record,” Baylin explains. “It’s where I come from, and it’s who I am.”

As a child, Baylin felt a deep connection with the honesty and intensity of such classic jazz and pop divas as Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, whose influence would later inform her own singing. She also demonstrated an early penchant for introspection and self-examination, writing poetry and keeping personal journals while still in elementary school.

Shortly after graduating from high school, Baylin demonstrated her iconoclastic spirit by deciding to leave her family and friends behind to move to Los Angeles. “I was really comfortable at home with my family,” she explains, “and I really needed to get uncomfortable and take a big risk. It was nuts, but I just felt as though it was something that I needed to do. L.A. was completely alien to me. I didn’t know anyone when I moved there, and I didn't make any friends there for about a year."

It was after arriving in L.A. that Baylin stumbled upon her gift for songwriting. “A friend came to visit from New York,” she recalls, “and he brought his little baby Taylor guitar. We were sitting around singing some of our favorite songs, and then he started playing this melody and I picked up my journal and I knew the words that needed to go with that music. I started singing them and it all just connected. That was the first song I wrote.

“I knew right away that this was what I was meant to be doing,” she continues. “I had been searching for my purpose, and it smacked me in the face. It was scary, because I didn't know anyone in the music business. But I knew that it was what I was supposed to do, so I just went with it."

After an extended period honing her budding songwriting skills in solitude, Baylin recruited a band and booked her first show at the L.A. club the Mint. Almost immediately, she developed a local buzz and an enthusiastic following. “When I started playing out in L.A. and finding myself as an artist, it was the first time in my life that I actually felt like me,” she says. “I could walk into a place and feel like all of me was there.”

She soon became a fixture at the Hotel Café, emerging as a pillar of a vibrant grass-roots scene of young singer/songwriters. Before long, she was receiving offers of record deals, but passed on them because she didn't feel she was ready yet.

"The Hotel Café was a really amazing scene,” Baylin states, “and it's great that it sprung up in L.A. yet had very little to do with the music business. Everyone was being offered record deals and turning them down. We were just trying to figure out a way we could just have it be our own thing.”

In 2007, a co-writing session with songwriter/producer/recording artist Jesse Harris (best-known for his Grammy-winning work with Norah Jones) organically grew into a recording project that became Baylin's first album, You, which received a low-key independent release. In addition to demonstrating her evolving songwriting and performing abilities, the project also saw Baylin recording with such legendary veteran musicians as Jim Keltner, Van Dyke Parks and Leland Sklar.

Baylin continued to win new fans on national tours with James Morrison, Brett Dennen and Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan. She was also a featured performer on the 2006 Hotel Café tour and its 2008 sequel, alongside such Hotel Café alumni as Cary Brothers, Ingrid Michaelson and Greg Laswell.

With Firesight establishing her as one of the year's most exciting new creative forces, Jessie Baylin is eager to share her songs with rapidly expanding fan base.

“Listening to this record still sends a chill up my back,” she says, adding, “I think that most artists struggle with fear and insecurity, and I certainly do, but I’ve never felt more confident and comfortable on stage than when I’m playing the songs on Firesight. It just feels so good and so right; I just fall into it, and I’m in the moment and it’s beautiful.”

AMERICANA BLUES ROCKER RUBY JAMES TEAMS UP WITH THE MCCORMICK FOUNDATION TO HELP VICTIMS OF HURRICANE IKE;
75% OF DOWNLOADS OF HER SONG “DESERT ROSE” FROM HER WEBSITE WWW.RUBYJAMES.COM WILL GO TO THE FOUNDATION

Los Angeles, CA: RUBY JAMES has teamed up with the McCormick Foundation to help victims of Hurricane Ike by donating 75% of the proceeds of her song “Desert Rose” which are downloaded exclusively from her website (www.rubyjames.com) to the Foundation’s Hurricane Ike Disaster Relief Campaign. This promotion will run now through October 31, 2008.

“Texas has become a very special place for me over the last few years…it has become one of my homes,” RUBY says. “South Texas was such a big inspiration to the creation of my album Desert Rose… it just seems natural to connect the title track with the relief efforts, and this is one small way I can give back to the place that has inspired me so much in its time of need.”

RUBY continues, “I decided to contact and work with the McCormick Foundation because they are matching donations at 50 cents on the dollar, up to the first $2 million raised. They quickly get the money into the hands of non-profit organizations that are on the front lines helping the people that need. The sooner this money is received, the sooner they can start to rebuild their lives.”

About RUBY JAMES:

RUBY JAMES just released her debut CD, also titled Desert Rose. Her song “Everything Good Goes Away” is featured in Diane English’s upcoming film “The Women,” starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Debra Messing, and also on its soundtrack. Desert Rose, produced by John Avila (Oingo Boingo, Reel Big Fish), blends RUBY’s gutsy brand of sweet grit and sultry style with a timeless return to the roots of music. Inspired by such an eclectic mix of artists as Stevie Nicks, Chrissy Hynde, Sheryl Crowe, U2 and the Black Crowes, RUBY infuses her songs with her rustic soulful voice, taking the listener along on her musical journey.

About the McCormick Foundation:

The McCormick Foundation has teamed up with the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Tribune, Cleveland Cavaliers, Colorado Rockies, CW11 New York (WPIX-TV), Denver Newspaper Agency, Fox 61 Hartford (WTIC-TV), KTLA-TV Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, North County Times, WGN Radio 720 AM, and WGN-TV Chicago to raise money for victims of Hurricane Ike, which battered the Texas coast and worked its way across the state.

The Hurricane Ike Disaster Relief Campaign will support nonprofit agencies providing disaster response and recovery efforts to those hardest hit by Hurricane Ike. The McCormick Foundation will match the first $2 million raised at 50 cents on the dollar. All administrative costs will be paid by the Foundation and its partners, allowing 100 percent of all funds raised, plus the match, to be granted directly to nonprofit organizations helping those most affected by the storm.

The McCormick Foundation has conducted disaster relief campaigns for 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, southern California wildfires, and, most recently, the 2008 Midwest flooding. The Foundation has a structure in place to ensure quick relief, which is vital after disaster situations. The McCormick Foundation’s Hurricane Katrina relief effort in 2005 raised more than $2 million in just four days, which was matched at 50 percent by the Foundation. In total, the Foundation and its partners raised more than $9.4 million from nearly 47,000 donors. Funds raised assisted agencies like the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and America’s Second Harvest.

Feist本名Leslie Feist，她于1976年出生在加拿大的一个宁静小城卡尔加利，自幼喜欢音乐，后来她便用自己的姓氏Feist给自己取了这样一个艺名。起初先是在高中，她和几个同样喜欢摇滚乐的朋友组建了一支朋克乐队——Placebo，有意思的是这和现在英国十分走红的那支朋克乐队有着相同的名字。后来Feist 率领她的乐队在当地一系列的摇滚比赛中取得了优胜，小有名气的他们后来成为了The Ramones在加拿大演出的开场乐队。也就是在这个时候，Feist选择了音乐作为毕生的事业，她开始艰苦而毫无希望可言的生活，在之后的五年中，Feist开始在加拿大的各个地方演出，也正是这个时候，她结交了很多著名的音乐人士。可是正当Feist准备有更进一步的发展之时，她的嗓子却音乐莫名的疾病不能发声了，面对这个打击Feist几乎放弃了她的音乐人生涯。后来她四处寻医，终于在多伦多找到了一位医生并治好了她的病，于是她决定离开家乡卡尔加利并搬来多伦多开始全新的生活。
在多伦多Feist租来的小小的寝室中，她开始利用一台破旧的四轨机为自己录音，而此时她所演绎的音乐已经有了很多的改变。一把吉他，还有简单的歌声，这就是来自Feist的新尝试，做一个民谣歌手，她开始学会在低处生活。

后来Feist加入了当地的By Divine Right乐队并且开始逐渐被更多的人知道，她和乐队为加拿大老牌摇滚乐队The Tragically Hip做北美巡演嘉宾。在1999年她录制了第一张属于自己的专辑——《Monarch (Lay Down Your Jeweled Head)》，清新的民谣歌曲，仿佛重获新生。2000年，她帮助Peaches制作了专辑《Teaches of Peaches》；两年之后她又加入了By Divine Right的后身乐团——后摇滚风格的Broken Social Scene，并且凭借专辑《You Forgot It in People》一鸣惊人。获得了2002年所评选的[Alternative Album of the Year in 2003]。。。

1954年12月25日，Annie Lennox出生于苏格兰的阿伯丁。她父母在Annie三岁的时候，就已发现她身上不凡的音乐潜力。日后的Annie Lennox顺理成章的进入英国伦敦皇家音乐学院学习，主修长笛。但由于家庭原因，Annie未能完成学业。其后他在白天做各种各样的工作，而晚上出去演唱。在70年代末期，Annie透过一个朋友认识了吉他手Dave Stewart。很快Dave就邀请Annie加入自己所组的the Tourists乐队。在the Tourists乐队合作期间，Annie Lennox和Dave Stewart坠入了爱河。1980年，两人离开The tourists，组建了Eurythmics，乐队在整个80年代红遍欧美乐坛，并在1986年获得第29届格莱美最佳摇滚乐队奖。
　
1991年，随着Annie的生育，Eurythmics乐队便悄无声息的解散了。之后Annie便忙于自己独奏专辑的发行。1992年5月，Annie 第一张个人LP唱片《Diva》正式发行，同年被著名的《滚石》杂志评为最佳女歌手，并凭借《Diva》获格莱美最佳长篇音乐录像带奖。1995年3 月，Annie的第二张唱片《Medusa》发行，同年凭借《No More "I Love You's》获第38届格莱美最佳流行女歌手奖。1999年，Annie Lennox和Dave Stewart再次以Eurythmics乐队成员的身份出席了全英音乐奖颁奖典礼，并被授予了终身成就奖，以表彰他们多年来对英国音乐所做出的巨大贡献。
　　
2003年6月，已经年近50岁的Annie Lennox推出了个人的最新录音室专辑《Bare》，本张专辑也是她在离开Eurythmics乐队之后所发行的第三张个人专辑。专辑中的所有歌曲均为Annie Lennox自己创作。

KT Tunstall，去年Mercury Prize的黑马，一个继Norah Jones、Dido后，让英国各大传媒杂志给予四颗星盛赞的好声音。

祖母是中国人、身上流有东方血液的KT Tunstall，出生于苏格兰古镇圣安德鲁St.Andrew。对于自己被领养的出身背景，KT Tunstall却以积极的人生态度来面对：“我很小的时候就常想像自己若被不同的人领养，便会有百万种不同生活方式的可能性，这样的出身背景凭添了我无穷的想像力，也更增添我生活的神秘色彩。”因为养父母时常离家，KT Tunstall的童年就在上山下海的奔波日子里度过，而她与音乐的第一次接触，却是来自哥哥房间常常播放的金属摇滚乐。

对于自己首张专辑的录制，KT Tunstall选在威尔特郡森林里的小型录音间，KT Tunstall说：“能尽情畅快地从山坡上唱到山坡下，在这么自然的环境下录音是再好也不过了，这真是个可以令人解放的世外桃源。”而谈到整张专辑的创作，KT Tunstall则做了很妙的比喻：“歌里面描述的多半是日常生活的琐事、就好比我平日与人对话一般的平实，若夸张一点的说，就彷佛是外星人远到地球采取人类的情感样本，并将之串连予以整理纪录一般。”

KT的音乐深受经典创作歌手如瑞奇里琼斯、卡洛金、佛利伍麦克合唱团的影响，集以上众歌手的特质于一身而发展成发音清晰、接近人心、令人流连忘返、适合派对过后听的浓厚自我风格。英国权威Q杂志和众多媒体皆将KT视为2005年乐坛最值得注意的女性唱作人、The Observer形容她「仿若Joni Mitchell和Bjork综合体，踩着轻妙的步伐游走在Grunge和流行曲调之间」，其它评论人对KT新专辑中清新摇滚曲风却散发爵士独有的摇摆与随兴也纷纷背书推荐。

来自瑞典的一个独立团，女主唱是曾经和 Koop 合作的那个日本女声 Yukimi Nagano。很迷幻的调子。第一首歌就相当好听，主唱的声音很有力度，混合了民谣的味道，听完感觉被带入了迷幻的世界。配乐和声都做的很好，感觉和主唱的声音相得益彰。
不过整张专辑听完以后，我个人开始担心是不是所有人接受这种音乐。因为过于慵懒的曲调有的人会觉得很舒服，相反有的人会觉得死气沉沉。（转）

Mark Isham（马克 艾沙姆）是当代着名的爵士乐手和作曲家，早期作品「Blue Sun」被Downbeat杂志评选为史上百大爵士名盘之一，1988年以《摩登时代》(The Moderns)荣获洛杉矶影评人学会年度最佳电影音乐奖，1995年又以朱迪�福斯特主演的《大地的女儿》获金球奖提名，1999年缅怀传奇大师的爵士专辑「Miles Remembered: The Silent Way Project」入选伦敦时报年度最佳爵士专辑，2003年获邀为化妆品牌Revlon的广告音乐创作，着手混音Cole Porter、Ella Fitzgerald等爵士名曲。

Mark Isham的风格多变，作品涵盖了许多不同的形式，从剧情类电影《Crash》到悬疑类的《Twisted》，动作类的《Rules of Engagement》、《Blade》、《Miracle》，还有IMAX电影《Galapagos》。在为《Eight Below》配乐时，Mark Isham动用了大型交响乐团，以铜管为主的音乐振奋人心。之所以推荐“Oventure”是因为它包含了Isham精心制作的Main Theme，后者贯穿影片配乐始终，使用了多种铜管类乐器，诸如小号、长号等，充满英雄气概的音乐鼓舞人心、催人向上。Mark Isham用这首“Oventure”将我们一下子带到冰天雪地的南极冰封大陆，演绎出一首残酷大自然中的生命之歌。

2006年的奥斯卡最佳影片《撞车》（Crash）的配乐也出自Mark Isham之手。