Tag: bryan adams

#Review: Bryan Adams – So Happy It Hurts

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Bryan Adams needs no real introduction, however for anyone who doesn’t know, he is a Canadian multi-talented singer, songwriter, composer, guitarist, record producer and photographer. With 14 studio albums already behind him, 2022 sees the release of his 15th record, So Happy It Hurts. Here’s what we have to say about it…

Bryan Adams - So Happy It Hurts

For his fifteenth studio album, Bryan Adams set out to create an upbeat, feel-good rock album, and that is just what he did. From start to finish, the record is unashamedly happy…which is where the title, So Happy It Hurts, comes into play.

From it’s opening, title track, to the closing ‘These Are The Moments That Make Up My Life’, which looks at all the little nuiances in his life that mean so much to him, the album is filled with a joyous positivity.

There’s a lot to enjoy about this record however there are times where it feels like a progressive step forward in sound wouldn’t have gone amiss. Additionally, lyrically it is quite simplistic (dare I say it, even a little cringey in parts, particularly on ‘Let’s Do This’) and some more poetic licence could also have been applied.

That said, it’s a triumph in that Adams played the majority of the instruments on the album, due to recording constraints during the global Covid pandemic. Also, his voice is impeccably strong and as powerful and raspy as ever, showing off that he still has a great deal left to give.

For people looking for some euphoric escapism in the form of feel-good rock, this is certainly an album for you.

There are some great tracks throughtout the record though, including single, ‘Kick Ass’ featuring a great introduction from comedy legend, John Cleese and a truly “kick ass” and catchy guitar riff; ‘Always Have, Always Will’ feels like a classic Bryan Adams track tinted with some underlying reggae vibes that lyrically touches upon a long-lasting love that’s survived the test of time and is greatly appreciated for what it is; and ‘I Ain’t Worth Shit Without You’ is a great guitar-led track that really packs a punch.

Possibly my favourite track on the record though is the 50s-esque, rock’n’roll inspired, ‘I’ve Been Looking For You’ – I particularly love it as it stands out so brilliantly from the rest of the album and offers something different than any of the other songs.

The collection of 12 tracks celebrates being happy in what has been a terribly dark time for many, and provides an escape from reality that so many have needed.

For people looking for some euphoric escapism in the form of feel-good rock, this is certainly an album for you. It’s not necessarily breaking any boundaries sonically but it does give you the lift you need on a down day and will have you bopping along from start to finish.

Rating
3.5

‘So Happy It Hurts’ is out now and can be downloaded from iTunes – https://music.apple.com/gb/album/so-happy-it-hurts/1586975297

So Happy It Hurts on Spotify

So Happy It Hurts (Official Music Video)

Never Gonna Rain (Official Music Video)

We hope you’ve enjoyed our review! What do you think of the singer’s latest album? What would you rate it out of 5? Please leave your thoughts in a comment or via our social media.

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*EXCLUSIVE* #Review: Chicane – The Place You Can’t Remember, The Place You Can’t Forget 💭

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Chicane (aka Nick Bracegirdle) is a British musician, composer, songwriter and producer who has had a string of hits that have been massive on the Ibiza club scene, including ‘Saltwater’ (featuring vocals by Máire Brennan from Clannad), ‘Offshore’, ‘Don’t Give Up’ (featuring Bryan Adams) and ‘Stoned In Love’ (with vocals by the legendary Tom Jones). Now, 2018 sees the release of his seventh album, The Place You Can’t Remember, The Place You Can’t Forget (released through Modena Records and Armada Music); here’s what we think about it…

Chicane - The Place You Can't Remember, The Place You Can't Forget.jpg

I would go so far as to say that this might be one of Chicane‘s best albums to date; it’s diverse, eclectic and contemporary whilst not compromising on his instantly recognisable sound and style.

The album opens with the stunningly atmospheric ‘Running To The Sea’ which reverberates right through the chest, due to low rumbles and bass notes but meanwhile uses harmonic guitars, making it sound equally euphoric; it’s like the dawn of a beautiful day, but in this instance, the day is the album!

From there, 2017 single, ‘Gorecki’ (featuring vocals by Hannah Robinson), makes an album appearance; very much a classic Chicane track – mesmerising, hypnotic synth plucks, dream-like pads, echoing vocals and deeply rooted in the house genre.

Also, Tracey Ackerman makes a much anticipated return collaboration on single, ‘Serendipity’; a calm and ambient track.

Some of the other, most notable tracks, include: the instant, turn-it-up anthem, ‘A Love That’s Hard To Find’; definitely a song that provides room to breathe throughout but also includes some Daft Punk-esque vocals (from Paul Aiden) on top of a summery, deep house beat; ‘Rainbow’ keeps you in suspense all the way through with its calming vocals (provided by Tyler Lyle) and synths that teeter around the edge of something big, probably making it one of the most ambient songs on the album and two Rosalee O’Connell-sung tracks; ‘Nirvana’ – an EDM meets house affair that has some wonderful, broken falsetto vocals, with a touch of something old-school (like ATB‘s ‘9 PM (Till I Come)’ or York‘s ‘On The Beach’) and ‘I Came Here For You’ which serves up an exotic combination of cascading synths, heavy drums, rhythmic bass and dreamy vocals that sit in the centre of the mix, almost surrounded by the instrumentation.

Somehow this feels very different to some of his previous releases; it is uplifting, fresh, reinvigorating and really pushes the boundaries of what he can produce.

To be perfectly honest though, it’s incredibly hard to find something not to love about every track on the album; ‘Chord – Less Yacht’ slowly builds from a muffled, static-like intro to an angelic-sounding, deep house anthem with shimmering synths and thumping beats, ‘Judder’ sounds like the theme to an 80s fighting game (think Street Fighter) but with dramatic changes in tempo and barely audible vocal notes coursing through it, ‘Ten Deep’ sounds like the film score to a modern sci-fi movie, due to its soaring synths and bold brass sounds and ‘Fear I Must First Let You Go’ (featuring vocals by Chris James) is a positive take on looking to the future – a therapeutic song that has an almost sermon-like quality to it.

Without a doubt, The Place You Can’t Remember, The Place You Can’t Forget is still an ambient, atmospheric and deep house-filled album that is instantly recognisable as Chicane, but somehow it feels very different to some of his previous releases; it is uplifting, fresh, reinvigorating and really pushes the boundaries of what he can produce.

Lastly, I would like to make a special thanks to Nick and his manager Louis, for allowing us to be the first and only people to have had access to the full album prior to its release. It truly has been a privilege.

Rating

‘The Place You Can’t Remember, The Place You Can’t Forget’ is out now and can be downloaded from iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-place-you-cant-remember-the-place-you-cant-forget/1377444000

‘The Place You Can’t Remember, The Place You Can’t Forget’ on Spotify

Serendipity (Official Video)

A Love That’s Hard To Find (Official Audio)

We hope you’ve enjoyed our review! What do you think of this incredible musician and producer’s latest album? Do you love it as much as us? What would you rate it? Please leave your thoughts in a comment below or share your views about it via our social media.

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#MuzikSpeaks: An Interview with Chicane

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Having recently released his greatest hits album, ‘Twenty’ and performed a rare, full-band show at Concorde 2 in Brighton (check out our review), I had the real privilege of speaking to Nick Bracegirdle, aka Chicane, backstage, before the show.

During our interview, we discussed who he’d still like to work, how his newest album is progressing and what passions he has outside of music. It’s all here, in the interview video below!

I want to say a massive thanks to Nick for taking the time to chat to me and to his manager, Louis for making this interview happen. Big thanks to both of you!

I really hope you enjoy watching this interview! Please show your support for the band by sharing the link to this post on all of your social media accounts!

Chicane‘s releases are all available:

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#EventSpeaks: Chicane @ Concorde 2, Brighton – 19/05/17

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On Friday 19th May 2017, Chicane came to Brighton to perform a full-band set (which is a very rare thing!) It was an absolutely incredible night, with support from Chris Hopkins, who did an hour and a half DJ set.

Chris Hopkins (DJ Set)

One of Nick’s friends, Chris Hopkins did a great DJ set to get the evening started, playing a range of dance anthems as well as some remixes of classic songs by Prince and others; it was non-stop tune after tune.

Highlight:

  • The dedication made to Robert Miles before playing ‘Children’ was touching and had the crowd cheering and dancing along.
  • Also playing a Chicane song (not on the set list), right before he took to the stage, was a great way to get the crowd going.

Chicane

Chicane took to the stage with the recent, ambient, ascending track ’38 Weeks’, accompanied by his band (Karlos Edwards on drums and Simon Small on guitar and bass) and singer, Rosalee O’Connell. The set was then packed with his biggest hits from the past 20 years, in celebration of his recent album, Twenty. I particularly enjoyed the live performances of ‘Poppiholla (Anniversary Remix)’, ‘Fibreglasses’, ‘Don’t Give Up’, ‘Nite On Shore’ and ‘Saltwater’.

The set was diverse, mixing his more upbeat, club anthems (which had the audience going wild; jumping up and down and singing along) and the more mellow, ambient tracks; at times joined by either of the two singers (Rosalee O’Connell or Gavin Conder) accompanying and others with just the musicians; it all flowed perfectly.

It was great to hear these tracks live and the combination of Nick’s synth tracks and keys alongside live instrumentation was a really unique way to experience his music.

The performance was about an hour and a half long and people loved every second of it (myself included); we could quite happily have gone on listening, watching and dancing all night. There was genuine disappointment when it came an end but an encore led to rapturous applause before closing the show with ‘Stoned In Love’, with Gavin Condor on vocals.

If you haven’t ever seen him play with a full band, you must! I’m already itching to catch him live again!!!

Highlights:

  • The set list was crammed full of hit after hit.
  • Nick mixed the sounds to perfection and whilst the quality sounded like the studio versions, the subtle changes to the track made them unique to that performance.
  • The bass sounds were so heavy and loud, you could feel them reverberate through your chest.
  • The guitarist was incredibly talented, particularly on the track, ‘Nite On Shore’ when he showed off some impressive acoustic guitar skills.
  • The superbly powerful vocals of both singers were stunning to witness.
  • The drummer’s use of both drum kit and samples pads added a diverse edge to the performance.

All of these excellent photos are credited to Elliot McRae.
Go on, give him a follow – @EMcraePhoto

 Setlist

38 Weeks
The Bridge
One Thousand Suns*
Poppiholla (Anniversary Remix)*
Saltwater (Kryder Remix)
Hiding All The Stars
Still With Me
Fibreglasses
Carry Me Home
Don’t Give Up*
Nite On Shore
Saltwater*

Encore
Stoned In Love

* These songs can be viewed in the YouTube playlist, below.

Finally, I want to say an absolutely HUGE thanks to Louis for organising this review and backstage interview (here) and also to Chicane (Nick) for putting on such an immense evening; I loved every minute of it.

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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