HEIDI & THE STUNNING ALBUM THAT IS AUDIO BALLERINA

"A state of rapture leads the way..."

Listening to this album I am rendered speechless. This came out last year and I am completely enamored by its autocratic ability to be amazing. Heidi is Danish and was involved in their version of X Factor. Don't hold this against her. She is no Alexander Burke. Thankfully. The Danes do their reality T.v popstars like no other (See Martin the winner of Danish X Factor for instance). Heidi is in a completely different ball game. She retraces the beautifully soft moments of recently the departed legend that is Blossom Dearie and bridges the worlds of electronica and soft pop without ever sounding trite or bothersome.

Audio Ballerina is a journey in music that would appease and appeal lovers of Cole Porter, Dusty Springfield, Kish Muave and Goldfrapp alike. She's a hard one to describe or pin down. Thankfully though this hasn't meant she's too obscure or leftfield for those all important charts as both single and album went top 5 in her native Denmark. At times, she retraces glamour of Shirley Bassey and Eartha Kitt while at others she swaggers out music that is more Olivia Newton-John flipping through Carole Kings back-catalogue. There are also moments where she sounds like Christina Aguilera mixed in with Kylie (see Sometimes for example). In this, her voice is distinct, universal and breath-taking.


This album is interesting. Produced by Kasper Winding and Thomas Blachman, the first four songs (Sometimes, Switch, Encore, Sweet) recalls shimmering glamour of the 1930s drenched in the disco dust of the 1970's. Take Encore (written by Kaspar Winding and Hannah Robinson) for example. It is direct lovechild of Kylie's Slow and Can't Get You Out Of My Head. Lover's of Steve Andersons amazing track Breathe on Me (by Britney) will also love this song. Encore is the kind of song that Kylie's X really desired. It encapsulates Heidi's album: pop with a very classy finish to proceedings. Each song reads like a historical time machine recalling the greats of Burt Bacharach, Aretha, Donna Summer and Shirley Bassey. Encore could easily be the sexiest James Bond song that never was. These songs drop out of the speaker like beautiful pearls sonic beauty. Switch pours out into the atmosphere like a ray of sunshine on a bitterly cold day. Its 3 minutes of one big smile. Indeed it recalls the joy of Monty Pythons Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life even down to the whistle in the back.


The song All Gone twinkles and shimmers like a classic Christmas song of a dark hinterland while Safe And Sound (co-written with the amazing Karen Poole) dramatically produces severe strings of sort that we last heard on Siobhan Donaghy's last offering. Actually, Heidi sounds a lot like Siobhan. The two are like twin sisters in crime. Heidi's voice however is more jazztastic than Siobhan. Indeed, I could imagine Heidi performing at the legendary Ronnie Scots. Forever Yours is a syncopated electro-blue love song that dabbles and bobbles in-between trip hop (see Massive Attack) and Kylie's hybrid sound she constructed with Brothers In Rhythm (namely Love Takes Over Me) back in her Deconstruction days.

For sure, this album is incredibly retro. At moments it refers back to a time of civil rights, smoking on airplanes and the beauty of the hippy power generation. Innovator reflects this historical aspect of the album with its Motown backing vocals, Elton John-esq harmonies and the brilliant use of great instruments such as the electronic organ. One feels this is the type of music that Marcia Brady would have created if only she'd launched a singing career and smoked a bit of pot.


On the song How Can I, Heidi taps into her inner soul diva and absolutely pulls it off. Each song on Audio Ballerina is a dance tour de force of its own. Intricately shaped like a painting, Heidi provides portrait of a the world around her “where the flowers grow" and she "jumps on a dream train to watch her soul”. This album is Sweet and hopefully not the last. Lovers of one of the finest recordings by a female artist, Dusty in Memphis, will fall head over heels with this album. Its quality stuff, wrapped up and ready for your inhalation. Just remember in breathe it all and don't let a bit escape into the ether.......

Sounds like: the future, the past, Shirley Bassey, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue, Dusty, Petula, Little Boots, Cole Porter, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, The Doors, The Carpenters, Miss Mash and Everything But the Girl.

...Surrender to Audio Ballerina..
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SOMEWHERE OVER THE DISCO RAINBOW WAY UP HIGH!-THE BRILLIANCE OF MECO

There are 20th century greats of music and Meco is one of pop giants that must be recognized as one of the finest individuals who ever graced planet pop. Hyperbole. I know. According to researchers January is known as the month when people get depressed and I am missing my babe who is busily studying in Spain. Its also my birthday on thursday so I thought I needed a double dose of something shimmering with poptastic beauty. Yes yes, this time can be known as the traditional month when many are down which is why I had to do this post.

So who is Meco!? Well, born Dominico Monardo he is most famous for imprinting a disco beat over the theme to Star Wars but for me its all about his amazing out of print re-working of The Wizard Of Oz. This musical is already camp as tits. But Meco thrusts a mirrorball over the yellow brick road thus creating perhaps the campest, most happiest product ever put to music. Believe me, take Kylie's So Now Goodbye, Your Disco Needs You, Disco Down, Love Boat, nearly everything by Donna Summer, Barry Manilow and Gloria Gaynor and put them into one entire record. You get Meco's amazing The Wizard of Oz. Sadly compared to his work on the Star Wars themetune there isn't much online in the way of music snippets but I highly recommend you watch this great clip:

History hasn't been kind to disco. Often insulted and described as poptrash. Known as the bottom of the bottom of the barrel and ritually burnt in arena's across America! Never receives radio play now and never given the respect it deserves. There is this however. Meco's amazing The Wizard Of Oz is out of this world. It transcends. It is a fine piece of artistry. I studied music for a few years (nothing fancy just AS level and clarinet on mondays). I don't know much but I can tell when something is complicated and rich. Meco's work is not lazy or run of the mill. It is disco but it is beyond chintz. It is not tacky. It is pure magestry. It is not ironic. It is wonderfully creative.


Released in 1978, it included amazing multi-layered melodies from the classic Garland movie simply re-done with synths, keyboards and the all important samples. There are also brilliant sound excerpts like the barking dog Toto, the melting witch and lines from the movie. You've got to remember this is 1978 and there were no such thing as samples! The dog was Meco's dog and witch was girlfriend. These snippets were interplayed into the general wall of sound making sure a story was told and laugh was to be had at the same time. Furthermore, a rollercoaster ride through forms of music was also ensured. Meco was a pop pioneer and paved the way for so much what we take for granted now. He saw an old score, which was brilliant in its original state, and paid tribute to it by actually keeping hold of that magical stardust of the story and theme while also introducing wonderful disco baselines to it. There are tender moments as well as hilarious sing-a-long sections making it a true find in ones record collection.


Let me just add that Meco simply didnt introduce a disco beat. His re-working of a classic is so much more than that. It starts off with a roaring dance version of Somewhere of the Rainbow but this is nothing like many equally wonderful covers of the same song. This then merges into the cyclone and the listener is wonderfully taken into the tornado that threw Dorothy to the land of Oz. The strings kick-in and the tension rises. Toto starts barking, cows start mooing as they fly in the air and Dorothy's world is turned upside down. Slowly but surely the house is forced into a realm of the unknown and the disco bells announce the arrival into, or rather on, MunchkinLand. Then the Munchkins sing "Ding Dong the Witch Dead" and what a smile will come across ones face when they sing the chorus. I think I'll have this played at my funeral. Most certainly. Its those electronic synths with the melody of the song that make it so great. And ever so cheerful.

Again, as they rejoice in the death of the wicked witch Dorothy is sent on her way but this is interplayed with snippets of Somewhere over the Rainbow. Its a strange mash-up but it absolutely works. This evolves into "Lions, Tigers and Bears-Oh My!" which is one of the campest moments in music history. Can you imagine it? That most famous line in film history merged with a disco baseline! Pure and simple magistery.


I could go on and on about this. I really can't convey how wonderful the piece of work it is. Indeed, I might just say one thing. When the female chorus sing the "you're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, your out of the night, step into the sun, step into light" in whats otherwise known as Optimistic Voices one feels absolutely lifted. To me, it also sounds like a multitude of DJ's have somehow managed to take, or rather absorb, a few tricks and trades from this soundtrack. Optimistic Voices is very close to that legendary 1990's hit single by Mouse T Horny. The string arrangements throughout the course of the soundtrack are also rather reminiscent of recent releases by well-known Swedish schlager hits. Its all in there...



Meco was a very special individual. All the talent of a Mozart and energy of Giorgio Morodor. This re-working proves it so. The original writers of the soundtrack to the Wizard of Oz, Harold Arlen and EH Harburg, were ultimately paid the highest tribute and compliment with this amazing disco "remix" of their most famous work. The original score will always be iconic and simply adds to the overall joy and warmth which makes the disco re-working something very special indeed. This is music at its finest. It sounds so simple, fun and breezy but if you start to take it apart its actually pretty complex. Meco was a legend. A songwriting genius!