Music news

• G-Eazy: The Beautiful & Damned review – overwrought raps and smug self-love

  04-01-2018 23:30
  (RCA)The title of G-Eazy’s The Beautiful & Damned – a reference to F Scott Fitzgerald’s jazz age novel – may hint at intellectual depth, but the California rapper’s fourth album turns out to be an exercise in dumb self-infatuation. G-Eazy (real name Gerald Gillum) clearly understands how to handle modern rap – his slightly reedy voice is either put to the service of Macklemore-esque overwrought emoting or the voguishly staccato, densely rhymed flow of latt
  
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• Asking Alexandria: Asking Alexandria review – member-swapping metallers embrace pop

  04-01-2018 23:15
  (Sumerian) Metal bands sometimes seem to behave like Premier League clubs, swapping members at will, condemning each other then being the best of friends. So think of Asking Alexandria as like Chelsea, and singer Danny Worsnop as their José Mourinho – back at the helm after what had seemed to be a not terribly amicable departure three years ago. The York quintet are the model of an If-You-Like-This-Sort-of-Thing band – huge, monolithic sheets of sound, precision-tooled to get
  
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• Jeezy: Pressure review – hip-hop heavy-hitter keeps on with the same routine

  04-01-2018 23:00
  (YJ/Def Jam/CTE) The one-time Young Jeezy travelled the familiar path from street cocaine dealer to successful rapper, and can’t stop banging on about it. “Two hundred fifty one grams in this one plastic, now it’s Avión and champagne,” the Snowman boasts on opening track, Spyder. Now he’s 40 and it’s a well-worn routine, but he has clearly put enough kudos in the bank to call in A-list guests for this eighth album. Diddy (credited with his old name Puff
  
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• Huncho Jack: Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho review – Travis Scott and Quavo rely on production gleam

  04-01-2018 22:45
  (Quality Control Music)This collaborative album from Quavo and Travis Scott comes after a year in which the pair individually dominated rap, the former with pointillist pronouncements, the latter with warbling AutoTune melodies. But their often magnetic signature styles veer close to gimmickry here. Scott’s top line on Motorcycle Patches is a very pale imitation of his superior Butterfly Effect, and he lazily imitates Drake’s Gyalchester on Dubai Shit. Quavo’s tic of adding mon
  
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• Readers recommend: share your songs with dares

  04-01-2018 21:00
  Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 8 January Go on then, we dare you to think of a tune that fits the theme – for more on which, keep an eye on the comments.
  You have until 11pm on Monday 8 January to post your nomination and make your justification. RR contributor Gary Willis (who posts below the line as Fintan28) will select from your recommendations and produce a playlist, which will
  
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• Tony Woods Project: Hidden Fires review – folk infused with warm jazz sensibilities

  04-01-2018 20:00
  (Marquetry Records)The British multi-instrumentalist Tony Woods has made only four albums in 20 years with his folk jazz Project band, but they all fuse the communality of song with an upbeat, jazzy urgency. Moreover, Woods can shift gear between jigs and reels, free funk, Balkan dances and ambient electronics without sounding undecided, as can his long-time partners, including double bassist Andy Hamill and guitarist Mike Outram. Woods’s folk roots are immediately declared in the skipping
  
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• Sinne Eeg: Dreams review – lustrous tones and alert improv from Danish star

  04-01-2018 19:45
  (Stunt)The news that Sinne Eeg is a much-admired jazz vocalist in Denmark might not grab many front pages, but the prizewinning 40-year-old is a genuine original and her stock is growing. A singer of laidback improv alertness and coolly lustrous tonality, Eeg balances a mainstream repertoire here (four creatively recoloured Broadway standards) with six thoughtful originals, astutely partnered y pianist Jacob Christoffersen and guitarist Larry Koonse, and the bass/drums pairing of Scott Colley an
  
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• Brona McVittie: We Are the Wildlife review – beautifully embroidered folk

  04-01-2018 19:30
  (Company of Corkbots)Electronic music, used judiciously, can serve the folk song well, particularly when it’s teasing out subtler textures in the tradition, noticing the smaller stitches in its seams. This is certainly true of the work of Brona McVittie, an Irish singer and harpist who cites Tunng and French experimental artist Colleen among her inspirations. She has recently returned to her native County Down after years living in London, and this album features her own promising original
  
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• Habibi Funk 007: An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World review – pleasingly odd

  04-01-2018 19:00
  (Habibi Funk Records)
  Those drawn to world music often seek the exotic and the alien, but Jannis Stürz, the German crate-digger behind the Habibi Funk label, seems to explore the vinyl troves of the Arab world in search of the familiar. Specifically, he’s after artists who’ve tried to faithfully recreate orthodox western pop forms, but ended up putting them through a shaky fairground mirror. This 16-track compilation features some entertaining moments from the 1960s, 70s and 80s
  
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• Are The 1975 About To Drop New Music?

  04-01-2018 17:54
  Everyone's favourite indie-pop rockers are teasing their new album online...
  
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• Celebrity Big Brother 2018: Courtney Act, Jonny Mitchell And Dapper Laughs Set To Enter The House On Friday

  04-01-2018 17:50
  The RuPaul fave and Love Island's bad boy are set to enter the house as the full CBB male lineup is revealed.
  
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• Dua Lipa Teases 'IDGAF' Music Video

  04-01-2018 17:35
  'New Rules' Part II incoming...
  
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• Eminem, Dua Lipa and Camila Cabello Top Spotify's Most Popular Workout Songs List

  04-01-2018 17:20
  Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone also feature...
  
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• Lady Gaga and P!nk To Perform At GRAMMY Awards

  04-01-2018 16:48
  The ladies will be joined by Childish Gambino and Little Big Town...
  
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• Dua Lipa Is Starting Work On Her Second Album

  04-01-2018 16:40
  Are you ready for more rules? We know we are...
  
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• This Woman Has A Powerful Message For People Being Bullied Over Acne

  04-01-2018 16:32
  Hailey Wait has overcome a lot of cruel criticism to finally feel comfortable in her skin.
  
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• Kendrick Lamar Is Producing The ‘Black Panther’ Movie Soundtrack - Listen To It Now

  04-01-2018 16:14
  As if we weren’t hyped enough already for Marvel’s next blockbuster.
  
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• Celebrity Big Brother 2018: Jess Impiazzi's Hottest Selfies Ever

  04-01-2018 16:04
  The former Ex On The Beach Star's sexiest (and NSFW) snaps.
  
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• Kendrick Lamar and SZA Unite For 'All The Stars'

  04-01-2018 15:54
  The A-list pair team up for the lead single of the 'Black Panther' soundtrack...
  
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• Young Dolph, the rapper dodging death: 'I’ve been targeted since I was 17'

  04-01-2018 15:50
  Despite the ‘living hell’ of his childhood, five of his past six releases have made the Billboard chart, and the indie rapper shows no signs of easing his workload – even making videos from his hospital bed after being shot in broad daylightIn an Instagram post from November, Young Dolph, a rare indie success story in US rap, reclines on a throne. He throws his left leg over one of the chair’s golden arms. On his right arm is a custom Gucci sling with red trim. Older Inst
  
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• The First Trailer For 'Slender Man' Will Creep You Out

  04-01-2018 15:49
  The first trailer for Slender Man is scary AF...
  
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• Overwatch Teases New Hero, New Map, And More

  04-01-2018 14:57
  Here's what you need to know about all the new stuff coming to Overwatch.
  
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• Schumann Quartet review – fleetness, humour and dexterity

  04-01-2018 14:39
  Wigmore Hall, London
  The German quartet were marvellously engaging in this all-Haydn programme featuring some of the composer’s most striking works
  Originally hailing from Cologne, the Schumann Quartet consists of three brothers – violinists Erik and Ken, and cellist Mark Schumann – and the Estonian-born violist Liisa Randalu. They recently held a residency at Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt, Austria, where Haydn was the Esterházy’s kapellmeister. Four of th
  
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• Kem Cetinay Credits Liam Payne With Helping Him Through Amber Davies Split

  04-01-2018 13:59
  The pair have been in close contact since Radio 1's Teen Awards.
  
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• Shawn Mendes Opens Up About His New Album on Twitter

  04-01-2018 13:57
  It's coming sooner than you think...
  
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• Charli XCX: Pop 2 review – kick-ass hits from a parallel universe

  04-01-2018 13:15
  With adventurous ideas, noisy thrills and eclectic guests, Charli XCX shows that cheesy pop can be truly creativeCharli XCX’s second mixtape of 2017 arrived accompanied by a short explanatory note addressed to the artists’ fans – “I was so lost for a while with who I was … fuck playing the game” – and an interview in which she announced she might never bother releasing a “proper” album again. Her frustration is understandable. Over the cours
  
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• Readers recommend playlist: songs about old and new

  04-01-2018 13:00
  Reflecting changes at this time of year, our latest reader-curated playlist includes tunes from the Beatles, the Buggles and Bing CrosbyHere is this week’s playlist – songs picked by a reader from your suggestions on last week’s callout. Thanks for taking part. Read more about how our weekly series works at the end of the piece.First of all, let me wish you all a Happy new year! This week’s topic was supposed to reflect the change from old to new, but much of the material
  
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• Marnie Simpson Wants THIS Housemate To Win Celebrity Big Brother 2018

  04-01-2018 12:44
  The Geordie Shore lass has her eye on a certain "nice, sweet" contestant.
  
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• Ed Sheeran Had The Best-Selling Vinyl Album Of 2017

  04-01-2018 12:43
  There was no stopping the 'Perfect' singer last year...
  
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• This Huge A-Lister Is DESPERATE To Join The Star Wars Universe

  04-01-2018 12:17
  Can you guess the Hollywood star who wants to get up close and personal with the Porgs?
  
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• 16 Life Changing Beauty Resolutions You Might Actually Keep In 2018

  04-01-2018 11:57
  Easy peasy changes that will have big results
  
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• Harry Styles Reportedly Took His New Girlfriend Home To Meet The Family This Christmas

  04-01-2018 11:51
  The singer may or may not to be getting serious with his latest flame.
  
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• Sam Smith Opens Up About Brandon Flynn Relationship And Talks Writing 'Happy' Songs

  04-01-2018 11:48
  "I feel like I deserve to be loved back."
  
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• Beatles promoter Tony Calder dies aged 74

  04-01-2018 11:45
  The British record executive, producer and manager worked with acts including Marianne Faithfull, Black Sabbath and Fleetwood MacTony Calder, the music manager who promoted the Beatles’ debut single Love Me Do, died on 2 January at the age of 74. Related: Label of love: Immediate RecordsContinue reading...
  
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• Camila Cabello Teases Amazing New Song 'She Loves Control'

  04-01-2018 11:42
  We cannot wait to hear this in full...
  
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• Britney Spears To Announce UK Summer Tour "Very Soon"

  04-01-2018 11:23
  After a record-breaking Vegas finale, Brit is returning to Britain...
  
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• Bruno Mars and Cardi B Wow in Old School 'Finesse' Music Video

  04-01-2018 11:16
  You need to see this...
  
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• Khloe Kardashian Reveals The Adorable Name She'd Give To A Potential Son

  04-01-2018 11:06
  It's very sentimental.
  
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