Every weekday between 1 and 5pm we play tracks from our #spotlightartist. They’re an artist with a body of work which has stood the test of time. We’ll play the hits – but also some deep cuts. Listen ad-free through New Zealand via @tunein at https://goo.gl/VL6m3NS
The new film Bohemian Rhapsody is already the highest grossing music biographical film ever. Undoubtedly the performances and production of the film play a part, but we would say this is largely a reflection of their continued popularity. 36 million monthly listeners on Spotify can’t be wrong, and a recent analysis of their sales and streaming popularity shows they are top tier, well ahead of bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and U2. We look forward to revisiting the hits, some deep cuts and live versions this week.
This album doesn’t seem exactly new – a bit like Rita Ora’s recent album, in the streaming age albums seem more like roundup compilations of recent singles. Some of these have been around a while – “I Miss You” featuring Julia Michaels has been around since October last year for example. That said, the classically trained musicians have kept producing consistently great pop. With 22 collaborators in tow we’ll enjoy some familiar and new tracks this week. “Baby” with Marina & The Diamonds and “Mama” with Ellie Goulding are particular standouts among the new material.
GRAACE – SOS
Anne-Marie – Perfect to Me
Billie Eilish – come out and play
Norah Jones – Wintertime
With a name that must frustrate spell-checkers everywhere, Lynyrd Skynyrd have achieved recognition for bringing “Southern Rock” to the forefront in the early 1970s. Their hard rocking image was backed by the songwriting talents of leader Ronnie Van Zant. They formed in high school, their name being a mockery of teacher Leonard Skinner (who didn’t like long hair). They played live for a few years without much success before they were spotted by producer Al Kooper who produced their first album Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. “Free Bird” off that album was a big success. Dedicated to Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers (who had died in a motorbike crash in 1971) the song became legendary through radio airplay. Their second album (Second Helping, 1974) went multi-platinum and featured the 70s standard “Sweet Home Alabama”.
Rita Ora’s new album has been greeted with universal acclaim. Six years in the making (due to legal disputes with her label) a lot of the album feels familiar. This is a function of the streaming age, with singles being dropped over time. We’ve been listening to the late Avicii with Rita on “Lonely Together” and “For You” from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack for a fair while now but there are plenty of new treats here. NME described it accurately as “a confident pop gem that stands tall on its own”. We look forward to it this week.
Hozier – Movement
Mumford & Sons – Beloved
Lennon Stella – Fortress
Rita Ora – Velvet Rope
Lastlings – Deja Vu
The Fleet Foxes are an ‘indie folk’ band from Seattle, USA. Their first big impression was with their 2008 EP Sun Giant. Since then they’ve gained a great reputation building a body of beautiful melodic folk. To celebrate the recent release of their box set First Collection 2006-2009 we’ll be enjoying great music from across their musical career.