Andrew Small, a well respected drummer and musician who has played live with the likes of Kylie Minouge and IL Divo, however Andrew is now making his own music, and taking it out into the world.
Blessing us with brand new album ‘What happens now’, a blend of session musicians for every nook and cranny, making this out to be a momentous project. This full length album is a treat for any musicians musicians, with elements of jazz, funk, soul and R&B, this album is guaranteed not to disappoint.
The formidable forces that join together to make ultra talented group Crack Of Dawn.
Their recent release ‘Spotlight‘, is a culmination of brand new songs and re-recordings of some of the old classics. With leading track ‘Spotlight‘, the supporting tracks such as ‘Somebody’s Watching You’and ‘Boobie Ruby’, this brand new release is assured to be a great instalment into the Crack Of Dawn Back Catalogue.
This will all come from the brains that managed to be the first black group to be signed by a major record label, as they were discovered by Otis Redding’s producers. Along side this, having the achievement of outselling Earth, Wind and Fire.
Guitarist Carl Harvey, Rupert Harvey, Alexis Baro; keyboardist Bela Hayman; drummer Carl Otway, bassist Charles Sinclair all mixed with the soulful voice of Michael Dunston are all set for the musical journey ahead.
Set to play WOMAD this year, multi-award winning Afro-pop songstress Wiyaala has come a long way since her humble background growing up in the small Ghanaian village of Funsi.
The last few years have seen Wiyaala rise from rags to riches. Now on the cusp of becoming a worldwide star, the singer hopes to inspire others by spreading her message of love and peace, whilst also raising awareness of the injustices still taking place to this day in third-world countries all over the world.
Her new self-titled album Wiyaala has already received nationwide success in Ghana. She now hopes to establish a global audience.
Stream the single ‘Peace’ from the album here on Soundcloud:
The record is a selection of vibrant Afro-pop anthems sung largely in Sissala, but with a poppy catchiness inspired by Western Culture.
As the singer explains: ‘My album is the product of my environment as a young girl growing up in a West African Village at a time when the influences of Western TV and video first impacted on the African villager …You are hearing my African heritage fusing with the sounds and techniques of western production.’
Wiyaala rose to recognition after coming first place in a 2012 Vodafone Icons reality show as part of the group Black n Peach, a year earlier emerging as the second runner-up in Ghana’s Stars of the Future talent show. She has become famous despite little radio airplay, rejecting the music industry’s ruthless commercialist side and becoming famous as a result of her live performances and what she stands for. Grace Jones, Tina Turner and Angelique Kidjo are artists that she is sometimes compared to.
Often referred to as the ‘Young Lioness of Africa’, she has become renowned for her activism, working to abolish child marriage and abuse in her home continent as well as campaigning for women’s right to education – freedoms that we take for granted here in the Western world.
Her fierce ideals are a result of her impoverished upbringing and being a first-hand witness to social injustice. ‘At school, I have seen young teenage girls pulled out of the classroom to be married off. The next time you see them they are pregnant and selling pepper in the market… When I was small, we were often hungry. Sometimes we would catch a mouse, roast it and share it amongst 3 or 4 children.’
She is currently working on projects with The Ministry of Gender and Child Protection and UNICEF in Ghana.
‘Watch Yourself’ is a grooving triumph, encouraging people to work for what they believe in despite what others think of their talents. It’s a positive message in a world that’s all too negative sometimes, and you can hear it for yourself here: https://soundcloud.com/court-royal-1/watchyourself-mastered-mp3cutnet
With the single due on May 29th, the next couple of months are set to be very busy for Court Royal. May 24th sees them play a hugely anticipated show at Goodison Park, the home of Everton Football Club, while in August they will take to the stage as part of the bill at the prestigious Strawberry Fields Festival. And, with an upcoming album already in the bag, it’s unlikely things will quieten down for Court Royal anytime soon.
It all feeds perfectly into the band’s main aim – to bring FUNK back to the UK music scene in 2015. And with previous single ‘Can’t Get Enough’ fast tracked onto the BBC Introducing playlist on the same night as it was uploaded, that target doesn’t feel like an impossible one.
Aside from the music, Court Royal also have something of a unique boast – how many bands can say that two of their members work for the emergency services? Juggling high pressure work like that with creating top class music can’t be easy, but in the case of Court Royal, it is all taken in stride.
Keep an eye on Court Royal in 2015 – ‘Watch Yourself’ is unleashed on May 29th.
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