Last month marked three years since musiclikedirt.com first stumbled into the world of musical blogging. So self congratulations to myself for keeping going that long, or alternatively self flagellation for not “getting a life” in all that time!  Either way, thanks to anyone who has ever read and especially commented on the music here, and most importantly to the musicians featured, who have been kind enough not to sue me when “featuring” the wonderful music they’ve created.
On with the March highlights…

THE CHART
Double click on any track above to listen, and click on the names below to visit.

Sitting pretty at the top is “Follow Him” taken from Example’s album of bootlegs and b-sides “What We Almost Made” (8 quid for 16 tracks here).  It features Example & Scroobius Pip comparing tales of stalker fans. Pip gets a nazi while Example goes to sign a fans dress only for her to whip out her breast:

“I stared at her tit and then froze…
she had a tattoo of my face with her nipple in the middle as my nose”.


Marc Mac from 4Hero has compiled a totally FREE 24 track Daru Spirit / Soul Hop sampler, packed with nu-soul delights.
The Fugees classic “Ready Or Not” is re-invented as a downbeat beauty, while the track below could be mistaken for the finest of Jill Scott’s work.

Daru Beats – Its On You (feat. Ketha Doree)” (MP3)
The Daru Spirit / Soul Hop Sampler is available to download from here or here.

MASTERMIX THOSE NUMBER 1 TUNES

As ever there were lots of ridiculously good mixes about last month. A bit of self publicity first, although not technically a mix, my first podcast is available to download. This version here comes with added clips from the months news, The Daily Show and lots of Elliot Spitzer jokes, enhancing or getting in the way of the music depending on your view.  Stuart James, Spank Rock, Julian Cope, Pip, Gonzales and many more feature.

MLD Radio: Podcast 01 (03/08) with a bit of politics” (MP3)

In February’s round up I had Kelpe’s new LP as one of the definate highlights (buy it here), and since then he’s been kind enough to send over his own monthly mix to share. The likes of Shuggie Otis, Porn Sword Tobacco, Fugazi, and Caribou are blended together in a wonderfully horizontal chilled out selection. Cut down the peppermint tea and Valium and relax with Kelpe instead.

Returning Your Call – Kelpe Mixtape March 2008” (MP3)

Greg Wilson seems to pop up more and more frequently on this blog of late, but what can I do if he keeps posting mixes of such brilliance. This month The Cosmic Boogie Collective are hosting three mixes from his return to DJing in 2005.
The Stylus 1 mix was recorded direct onto minidisc at the Music Box in Manchester, and it can’t be recommended highly enough. Parliament, James Brown, Eric B & Rakim, its pure 70’s/80’s nostalgia but whats wrong with a bit of that.

Visit Cosmic Boogie Collective for free mix download (plus two others)
Greg Wilson – Two Sides Of Sympathy” (MP3) – Just one killer version of The Stones

LIVE ON LATER WITH JOOLS HOLLAND

After four years of applying I finally got tickets to Later with Jools Holland last week. Unfortunately Gnarls Barkley cancelled their appearance and gig the day before for family reasons and flew back to the states.
Estelle stepped in, setting up a potentially awkward meeting with Adele who was also featuring. Here’s Estelle in the Guardian last weekend :”Adele ain’t soul. She sounds like she heard some Aretha records once, and she’s got a deeper voice – that don’t mean she’s soul“.
To be fair to Estelle she was pointing out a very valid point about how there’s never been so much “soul” on the radio but its only ever white people playing it… Ronson, Winehouse, Duffy, Adele. It wasn’t a personal attack on Adele (well not quite), but the racism of the UK record industry.
Thankfully Adele didnt bless Estelle with her cold shoulder, not did girl fights ensue (although James Taylor almost broke his neck tripping over Estelle’s cables), both were excellent on the night. Estelle with a track that pilfers from George Michael, and Adele with a heart breaking version of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love“, plus personal favourite “Hometown Glory“.

I’ve been unnecessarily sarcastic about Jools and his boogie woogie piano in the past but the guys a total pro, an amazing player, and whats more had the audience eating out of his hand… a charming man. Which is more than can be said for the worst warm up bloke in history. It was as if they’d dragged a passing cabbie in to try and get the crown going. Members of the audience looked at each other in horror as he ran through his repertoire of “cor you nervous theyll be tight sphincters in here tonight (shakes leg).. oh I think I just shat myself“… “youve got 5 minutes what can you do in that time, perhaps just have a piss or knock one off hehehe“.
Everytime Jools arrived in the nick of time and dragged the audience back from scatological hell.

As is often the case the show was stolen by the unheralded act, in this case The Neil Cowley Trio, otherwise known as “the token jazz band, time to put the kettle on“.
They only played one track, but then they probably get through a piano per song on the basis of the pounding given to the thing during “His Nibs”. On the strength of this performance i’ll be buying the album, and Im viewers across the country will be doing the same (if they weren’t in the kitchen at the time).

Neil Cowley Trio – His Nibs (Live on Later with Jools Holland)” (MP3)
Neil Cowley Trio Myspace

BBC iplayer: Watch the live 30 minute Later..Live” here (until 8th April) – worth it for Adele’s brilliant take on Bob Dylan with Jools on piano.
The full 60 minute programme is available here for the next six days (featuring Neil Cowley Trio, Adele, Estelle, James Taylor, Black Kids and me in the background).

.