Marcy Levy is a legend. Throughout the 70s and 80s, she put in some seriously hard yards as a session vocalist and touring singer, working with Eric Clapton, Bee Gees, Alice Cooper, Belinda Carlisle and many others. Clapton’s mellow blues ‘Better Make It Through Today’ aside, Marcy’s contributions to the guitarist’s 1975 album ‘There’s One In Every Crowd’ are the record’s highlight, and on recordings from the 1977 tour for ‘Slowhand’, she and second guitarist George Terry can be heard doing some seriously heavy lifting as the heart of the best band EC ever had. In the late 80s, Levy became famous as Marcella Detroit, one half of sophisticated pop duo Shakespears Sister; her unmistakable vocal gymnastics turned ‘You’re History’ from a good pop track into a great one, and she will be forever associated with their 1991 mega-hit ‘Stay’. Never one to be stuck in a musical rut, Marcella’s career powered forth and in the mid 90s, her second solo album, 1994’s ‘Jewel’ was a massive success.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #56
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. For lovers of great indie rock, there’s a real treat; for those who like the folkier end of the indie scale, there’s something almost as strong. We’ve got electronica, we’ve got something a little gothy, and even something with a death metal core. Stylistically speaking, this week, the gloves are well and truly off…
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THE LOST WEEKEND BAND – One Hell Of A Time EP
According to The Lost Weekend Band’s history, the band came together after a man calling himself “Hardcore Dave” had a change of heart. As his name more than implies, Dave began his musical career fronting punk bands. He played at the legendary CBGB’s; he supported the hardcore legends Agnostic Front. …But he then took a liking to the sounds of outlaw country, and his career took off in a different direction.
Check out ‘Death of A Society Girl’ by Perry Blake
Perry Blake’s ‘Death of A Society Girl’ originally came out back in 2022, but the single is being promoted again as the flagship album of the same name. Moochin’ About Records clearly know they’re in possession of something interesting, but also seem aware that the track won’t be for everyone, hence the long promo cycle. This is the kind of song that needs time to grow.
ISSA – Another World
Ever since her breakthrough on the melodic rock scene in 2010 with ‘Sign of Angels’, Scandinavian vocalist Issa Oversveen has been one of Frontiers’ Records most bankable – and prolific – artists. Delivering the equivalent of a new album pretty much every two years, she’s kept herself in the spotlight, gained a lot of positive press from online sources, and become something of a fan favourite. Even 2023’s ‘Lights of Japan’ – her weakest album to date, due to a rather hard production sound – was home to a few great AOR tracks, and over the years, her voice has clearly held up very well.