OLLY’S TOT OF POPS...
In association with
DUA LIPA: RADICAL OPTIMISM
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FOUR years after groundbreaking previous release Future Nostalgia and following on from last year’s success with Dance
The Night from the
Barbie soundtrack, pop superstar Dua
Lipa is here with her long-awaited third studio album.
Departing the electro pop sound of the predecessor, Radical Optimism incorporates dance and disco, as well as elements of
LEMON TWIGS: A DREAM IS ALL WE KNOW
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LAST year’s Everything
Harmony
LP was a pessimistic but perfectly gorgeous collection of retro pop, but on the followup brothers
Michael and Brian D’Addario appear to be a lot happier with life.
The Long Islanders are
KINGS OF LEON: CAN WE PLEASE HAVE FUN
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THE ninth instalment of Kings of Leon’s discography has a vintage twist, leaning back into original sounds fans fell in love with in the early 2000s.
The album is experimental enough to create something psychedelia, thanks to co-production from Kevin Parker (Tame Impala).
These Walls features an eerie sound, French Exit ironically sounds like Spanish music matched with an irregular drum beat while Falling Forever showcases Lipa’s prolonged and strained vocal abilities,
Lipa has it all. The image. The moves. The personality. The voice. Dua Lipa is an artist of a generation.
9/10
still hidden back in time between the late 60s and early 70s.
The bands of that era, and others who have worshipped at that altar, come to mind on tracks like Sweet Vibration and My Golden Years (Beatles, Big Star, Jellyfish). In The Eyes of the Girl is Brian Wilson-like in its simplicity. different and fresh, without straying too far from what the band do best.
At the hands of a new producer, Kid Harpoon, the band appear to have a revival ahead of them, with radio-ready singles Mustang and Nothing To Do, which you’ll want to shout along to in the car with the windows down.
7/10 8/10
OLLY Murs has not slowed down much since we first saw him belt his heart out on The X Factor back in 2009.
Over the last 15 years, he has released seven hit albums and toured worldwide. But he may be about to embark on his busiest period yet as he will have to juggle touring alongside Take That with his latest venture – fatherhood.
“I’ve always dreamt I’d be a dad one day and having a little baby in my arms that is part of me, it’s quite a crazy thing”, said Olly (39), who will be supporting Take That at shows in Dublin, Cork and Belfast next month.
The singer announced the birth of his first child with wife Amelia in April, a daughter they have named Madison.
Ahead of her arrival, Murs tells me he is feeling “every emotion you could possibly imagine”.
“Excited, petrified, scared, happy, just can’t believe it, shocked, just like ‘Wow is this really happening’,” he rolls off.
“I think for women it’s a real emotional journey they go through, nine months of carrying this baby and the senses, the feelings – it’s a completely different experience than what I’m feeling.
“I’m feeling like ‘Right I need to get this sorted, get that sorted.”
Murs said he has been exercising his handyman skills by constructing the baby’s cot.
In the midst of all the newborn excitement, the singer is also on the road supporting Take That on their This Life tour.
Murs admits the tour has not come quite at the right time, but he is determined to coordinate it alongside his new parenting responsibilities.
“We’re going to have to make it work like every parent does up by the country when it comes to work”, he says.
“In the future, I’ve got to continue working (but) I want to be present. Amelia wants to come back to work at some point, too, so we’ve got to figure it out. It’s a bit of a minefield.
“The most important thing is that the baby’s happy, and we get everything in place that if we are at work some days, the baby can come with me or go with Amelia. We’ve got our parents, we’ve got our family and friends around us. So we’ll make it work.”
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It may have added a lot to his plate, but when the opportunity came knocking for him to tour with Take That, Murs says he could not turn down the offer.
The singer explains the boyband – which originally consisted of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams – has been a “massive part” of his life over the years.
From his childhood days when their hits would reverberate through his house, to when his 2010 self-titled debut album was knocked down to number two in the charts as the band’s Progress record took the top spot, their lives have continued to intertwine.
Murs worked alongside Barlow when he co-presented The Xtra Factor for two series while Barlow judged the main show.
“Take That are iconic”, Murs says. “They are national treasures and they’ve had such longevity – 30 years or so in the industry.
“And the hits, and albums, and the tours they’ve done, the stadium shows – they’re just a part of my heritage.”
The singer says he aspires to reach the group’s success and longevity in his career so to tour alongside them is a “bucket list moment”.
And if any of the group fall ill? Not to worry, Murs is ready and waiting to step up to the plate, armed with their back catalogue already memorised.
Olly Murs and Take That play Virgin
Media Park, Cork on June 20, Dublin’s Malahide Castle on June 21, and Ormeau Park, Belfast on June 22.