Blake Lewis' Dream Come True

December 05, 2007

American Idol alum Blake Lewis doesn’t like reality television. In fact, he admits that he doesn't watch a lot of television at all. The singer gladly makes one exception though. He is a huge fan of Bravo's Project Runway and watched all three past seasons. "It is probably the only show I've really watched in the last couple of years," he tells Arjan Writes in an interview for OutZone TV.

He even ran into last season's Project Runway winner Jeffrey Sabelia during the American Idol auditions in Hollywood. "Jeffrey walked outside by the Orpheum Theatre where I was waiting for one of the last auditions. I was like 'Yo dude, I wanted you to win! Congratulations!' He looked me up and down, and he gave me a rock sign. Very cool."

It has been a whirlwind year for the singer from Bothell, WA who made it all the way to the finals of the most recent season of American Idol. Jordin Sparks ended up taking home the big pize, but that didn't bother Lewis who emerged as the fun and funky singer with his signature beatboxing.

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Duran Duran Gets Their Sexy Back

November 26, 2007

Duran Duran defined the music and aesthetic of the 1980s with their synthy pop-rock, immaculate sense of fashion and larger-than-life videos. Now, more than 25 years after they first hit the international pop scene, Duran Duran returns with a new album that once again perfectly blends both style and substance.

Their new record, titled “Red Carpet Massacre,” features a contemporary, fresh new sound that was engineering with the help of experienced hitmakers like Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nate "Danja" Hills.

Timbaland in particular was essential in bringing new life to Duran Duran. On songs like "Falling Down," "Skin Divers" and "Nite Runner," he applied his big beat production style to Duran Duran's stylish brand of pop rock to serve up a futuristic, hip hop infused new sound that is both hit-worthy and still possess Duran Duran's signature sense of cool and class.

"He's like Tom Ford coming into Gucci," bassist John Taylor explains in a candid interview with Arjan for OutZoneTV.com.

"We had a thing, we had a brand - Duran Duran. Everybody loves Duran Duran. But how do you get across to young people? How can you be something more than just 'we love you guys, we love your hits from the '80s' and whatever. You gotta let somebody in sometimes and let them just what they call in fashion 'refresh the brand.' Take the qualities that you're known for and give it a fucking shake up you know. [Timbaland] is not afraid of doing that."

“Red Carpet Massacre” follows 2004’s much-anticipated reunion CD “Astronaut” that featured all of the group’s original members. Even though the record didn't match the success of their glory days of the '80s and early '90s, Taylor refuses to call the record a disappointment.

He explains that even though the project lacked "confidence and focus," it did give the group the opportunity to get reacquainted.

"[With 'Astronaut'] we were just trying to get back together. We were trying to recreate some kind of magic that we once had," Taylor says. "With ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ we just had to leave the past behind and just go blindly into the present. We made a record that we are just really excited about on a whole number of levels."

Work on this new album started immediately after their last world tour finished. Record label execs liked the collection of new songs they came up with, but suggested the help of an outside producer on one or two songs. “They started throwing names at us,” Taylor remembers. “The only guy we really liked was Timbaland."

It took the group about four months to get studio time booked with him in New York. The producer had a full agenda following his success with Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. As soon as Justin Timberlake got word of the collaboration he wanted to be a part of it as well. "That was such a crazy, fucking week in Manhattan," Taylor laughs.

Guitar player Andy Taylor missed the studio session and eventually ended up leaving the group. "By the end of the week, we got new Timbaland-produced songs and we didn’t have a guitar player anymore," Taylor says. "But what we had was a new sound. Over the next few weeks we decided to just dump the album that we had and start afresh with this new sonic architecture and continue as a quartet with a very on point production style."

The group continued working with Timbaland protégé Nate Hills. "He came to London and he worked with us for several weeks. And then we went back into the studio with Justin Timberlake at the very end, after he heard all the songs we had. He said 'I want to do another song with you, an 'Ordinary World' type ballad.' So we went back into the studio and cut one more song."

"The challenge for us was not to let it go too far. It had to be Timbaland meets Duran Duran, not Timbaland meets Simon Le Bon. Because for the most part hip-hop producers are really only used to working with a singer. So it took us quite a few days to sorta say 'No, no, no. We play our own bass.' (...) There were big adjustments we had to make, but we figured it out."

The group has always had a large contingency of gay fans, which is not surprising to Taylor. “We took our image seriously. It was not a macho presentation. It was a presentation that had its roots in glamour. And there was an ambiguity to it I suppose. The sound and the look and the subject matter all made it sort of appealing to a gay audience. It was certainly not threatening. We have an audience that a gay man or woman is going to feel comfortable in."

Duran Duran
Red Carpet Massacre
Epic Records
Available now

Celine Dion: "Taking Chances" ... Sorta

November 13, 2007

Kathy Griffin wasn’t joking when she talked about the Celine Dion megastore in Las Vegas during one of her stand up shows. Last week, I visited the store that is located right on Caesars Palace's glittery casino floor. I was amazed by all the clutter and stuff that was inspired by the Canadian singer, from earrings to photo frames and from fleece hoodies to play cards. Celine is serious business.

This year, Dion is celebrating the final year of her impressive five-year residency in Las Vegas that formally comes to an end on December 15. Las Vegas has proven to be a fitting home for Dion. Both are over the top, slightly tacky and love to entertain the masses.

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Back In The Zone: Britney's New Album

November 02, 2007

The last two years haven't been exactly rosy for Britney Spears.

Not only did she turn from "Miss American Dream" into a single mother of two, but she is also in the middle of a fierce child custody battle, faces persistent rumors about substance abuse and deals with critics that go as far as to question her sanity. And if that wasn't enough, all of Spears' drama is captured by the prying lenses of paparazzi photographers who have made profitable careers out of documenting her every move.

But despite her trials and tribulations, the fallen pop princess has found time to work on her much-anticipated new album, titled "Blackout," which landed in stores earlier this week.

"Blackout" is the entertainer’s fifth studio album that follows 2003's smash "In The Zone." Spears teamed up with a group of crafty writers and producers who infused her music with fresh urban-pop stylings and even some electronic ingredients that, dare I say, are unexpectedly cutting-edge for a mainstream pop record.

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Dangerous Muse: Every Day is Halloween

October 25, 2007

Dangerous Muse is one of the most exciting new electro-pop bands to look out for over the next few months. Mike Furey (vocals) and Tom Napack (keys) have been working diligently on their long-awaited, full-length debut album that is scheduled to hit (download) stores in 2008.

Earlier this month, the duo got into the spirit of the season and released "Every Day Is Halloween" on their MySpace page. The track is another accomplished slice of throbbing electro that features Furey's enigmatic vocals and Napack's crafty synth production.

Dangerous Muse hit the spotlight in a major way in 2006 when they graced the coveted cover of The Advocate's annual music issue. "Sexuality isn't a label anymore. You don't think of people as gay or straight or bi," argued Napack in the article that went along with. Furey agreed and added, "There's no such thing as 'out' anymore." Their own take on sexuality created a stir among some bloggers who thought that the comments where just a way to disguise their true selves.

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Polka Dot Princesses

October 17, 2007

The Pipettes bring a whole new type of girl power to the pop scene.

Wearing matching polka dot outfits, this spunky British girl trio of RiotBecki, Rosay and Gwenno took the U.K. by storm last year with their critically-acclaimed debut album "We Are The Pipettes" and their head-turning performances with Amy Winehouse and Sleater Kinney. Earlier this month, the group released their CD stateside and they will embark on a U.S. tour to showcase their happy-go-lucky tunes to new American fans.

The Pipette's retro-inspired music is best describes as Happy Days meets The Supremes meets Joan Jett. It is delicious '60s throwback pop with a rebellious attitude that fits the times that we live in now. That distinct mix of authentic melodies wrapped around contemporary lyrics makes The Pipettes' music timeless.

Their approach to music-making is simple. "We don't understand why novelty can't mean longevity," says Riotbecki in a press release."One of the purposes of the Pipettes is to be able to have countless one hit wonders, to have every song a hit single."

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Annie Lennox: The Arjan Interview

October 08, 2007

Annie Lennox is a woman with many different talents and interests.

Not only is she a legendary singer, songwriter and a pop icon, she is also a mother, an Oscar winner, a humanitarian and a concerned citizen of the world. On her much-anticipated new album "Songs Of Mass Destruction," she shares her concern about the state of our planet and her worries about social injustice with listeners. But no mistake about it. This is by no means a sad record. Lennox swings out, hoping and praying, using her soulful music to send out a message of compassion and equality.

You collaborated on this album with Glenn Ballard who is mostly known from his work with Alanis Morissette. What was it like to work with him?
It was a very enjoyable, creative experience. I really got on very well with Glenn, and it was fantastic every day that we worked together. It was just tremendous fun and very inspiring for both of us.

How do you approach the songwriting process. How do your songs come about?
I don't know how any of my songs come about. It is really hard to say. I work very intuitively. I usually make a start on piano and I find something that is really interesting for me, or maybe I have a keyboard and I have an interesting sound and I just start with one line and I just go on to create the song, whatever comes. There's no formula for it except that I just have to make a start.

The song "Colored Bedspread" is for me personally a stand out track with its electro-pop feel. It reminds me of a vintage Eurythmics tune.
Well, I love electro music. The Eurythmics were fairly eclectic and a lot of our influences were very diverse [coming from] a broad palette of influences. I love electro music, I think it is very exciting. There is still so many aspects and styles of music that I want to record and explore. If you listen to the album, you will hear that each song has its own particular style and many different reference points.

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