Ria Ritchie: I Feel Close When You're Next to me

Younger Sister of actor Reece Ritchie (10,000 BC and Prince of Persia), Ria Ritchie is a singer songwriter hailing from the most easterly point of the UK.

Another YouTube starlet she reached over 11million views of her pop covers and then went on to have a seemingly ideal run of collaborations, writing with Plan B and creating a studio partnership with one of Pixie Lott's writers, Ruth Anne Cunningham. She then gathered the attention of Jay Z's business partner Jay Brown (who had discovered Rihanna and Ne-Yo) and was signed in 2011 to Takeover Entertainment and Jay Z's label Roc Nation.

Ria then released the anthemic single "Only One"in May of 2012 and promised an Album in February of 2013.

The song is great, her vocals are on top form, she has all the right people behind her so why haven't you heard of her yet? I can only believe its a timing and PR thing because everything about this amazingly talented singer songwriter screams chart topping hits and success. However, for some reason people haven't quite caught on... yet.

Her latest "release" on YouTube displays a stripped back acoustic rendition of "Wrong Side of Paradise" which is testament to her songwriting ability. I think we definitely have a lot more to hear from Ria Ritchie and I really do hope there is an album coming. I for one am looking forward to hearing it and hope that the BBC R1 playlist execs catch on to it to. Ria is there and just needs the exposure that will make her career fly!

https://twitter.com/ria_ritchie
http://www.youtube.com/user/riaritchie?feature=watch

Ellie Goulding: "It Will Never be the Same"

Anyone that has hung around me for longer than 5 minutes knows that I am hopelessly in love with Ellie Goulding and if I ever had the opportunity to work with musically or otherwise, I would certainly die a very happy man. Her latest single "Explosions" only deepens my love for her soft, childlike vocals and her perfect blend of folk song craft and bombastic electronica.

The video for "Explosions" does exactly what every good pop music does, it makes you want to be part of the experience. It leads you to imagine that being her would be a perfect existence and for me only deepens the dream of working with her as songwriter or producer.

The black and white nostalgic tour feel of the video brings back my own memories of being on tour with a group of musicians who inevitably turn into your best friends and then your family. Spending six months to year with the same people performing every night creates an unbreakable bond between musicians and this video captures that perfectly. Although this is definitely the "Ellie Goulding Show", the band look like they are genuinely some of her best friends and unlike a lot of popstar tour videos, this looks like the real deal.

Ellie Goulding has come a long way from her roots playing "Starry Eyed" in cool west London music venues and I think she has a lot more to give. After her first album I was unsure whether she would be able to progress her sound in an ever changing musical soundscape that is the pop industry. However, her lastest musical delivery "Halycon" demonstrates a more mature grasp of songwriting and maybe showcases a lot more of her love for folk as well as more experimental electronica sounds.

For those that have missed Ellie Goulding's existence over the last few years (not sure how you could)...

http://elliegoulding.com/
https://twitter.com/elliegoulding

Charles Bradley: Why is it so hard, to make it in America?

I was introduced to Charles Bradley a few days ago rather passionately by a friend who phoned me up one evening just to tell me Charles' life story, and what a story!

His music evokes passion, pain and the kind of love only a beaten down soul can ever feel, his voice screaming of injustice and angst and the message is clear, it's been a hard old life. No-one but Charles Bradley could tell his story in quite the same way.

Charles, who only met his mother when he was 8 ran away from home in his teens and lived on the streets, eventually picking up jobs as a chef. Hugely inspired after seeing a James Brown performance as a child he started mimicking the moves and the voice but was too afraid to do this in public. He did eventually get the courage to start performing but this was short lived as his band were drafted for the Vietnam war.

Eventually he was getting regular work as a performer with his James Brown tribute act but life was full setbacks such as nearly dying in Hospital after being given penicillin and hearing the news of his brothers murder.

It was eventually in 2002 that he was noticed by  Gabriel Roth, founder of Daptone Records and he invited to write with the house band. This led to his 2011 release "No Time For Dreaming". Since then he has been touring under the Charles Bradley moniker, injecting his own brand of soul/funk/RnB into the live scene.

For me, Charles Bradley is the epitome of race and class struggle in America. His voice comes from a place that no young singer could ever hope to reach. His live performances captured beautifully on film (and plastered all over YouTube) are the best way to really see the enigma and charm of his performances and given half the chance, I would lay in bed all day listening to his powerful, screaming voice and down to earth and sincere lyrics of hardship, pain and persistence.

Allen Stone: "The Best Effing Voice I've Ever Heard"

Allen Stone has to be one of the few people doing soul these days who's doing it right! His band are horrifically groovy, his voice is beyond incredible and he looks... well he looks but that doesn't matter when you write and sound this spectacular!

Performed and filmed live in his mum's living room Allen Stone steps up and show's us why soul and R&B is still relevant in todays musical landscape. His fierce grimaces show an intensity that is already clear in his vocal and "Unaware" doesn't stop building until the climatic ending which leaves you gagging for a cigarette or a good strong whisky.

http://www.allenstone.com/

https://twitter.com/allen_stone

Keaton Henson: I Miss the Space Between your Eyelids

This isn't exactly new news but Keaton Henson has become my latest obsession after being introduced to his music last week by Pete (other half of XS7 Music). His vocals have been compared to Jeff Buckley and writing to that of Bon Ivor and I really think he is an unappreciated gem of British songwriting.

The video to Small Hands offers only a glimpse into his obscure and reclusive world and his vocals tell a tale of many night alone with just his thoughts and possibly a few too many bottles of red wine. The bittersweetness of his music is something I think you rarely find outside of the UK and I doubt his music goes further than this small island and our soho coffee bars and backstreet art galleries.

Keaton is every bit the character he portrays, so cripplingly shy he rarely interviews in any way other than by email, where his responses are mostly drawn and his first shows were at an exhibition where he would only perform to one person at a time as they poke their head through a hole in the installation. This was music that was never meant to be heard but once it was in the public domain there was no stopping it develop a strong cult following.

http://www.keatonhenson.com/