Music News

Randy Newman has donated a song to Jack Pack.
The six-time Grammy award-winning singer and composer has allowed the swing band - who shot to fame after coming fourth on 'Britain's Got Talent' last year - to record 'Forever' and is very impressed by their version of the track.
He said: "I really like what Jack Pack did with my song, Forever. It's never been recorded before and it's one of the best recordings I've heard of one of my songs. I hope it doesn't end their career."
The quartet - who signed a record deal with Simon Cowell's Syco shortly after the contest ended - are currently working hard with producer Future Cut on their debut album, which will be released on June 29.
They tweeted last week: "Working hard or hardly working? The answer is definitely working hard!
"We're all enjoying a drink tonight after a busy week putting the finishing touches to our vocals for the album..."
And Randy isn't the only collaborator the group - comprising Martin McCaffrey, Sean Ryder Wolf, Alfie Palmer and Andrew Bourn - have worked with on the record.
They tweeted last month: "Working with a 72 piece orchestra is pretty amazing!! We can't wait for you to hear the album #JackPackAlbum (sic)"

'Forever' will be released as a single later in the year.

Muse plan to fly drone aircraft over the crowds at their upcoming concerts.
The rock band are releasing their new album 'Drones' in June and the group want to stage an air show for their fans using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in honour of the LP's title.
Speaking about their live plans in an interview with Los Angeles radio station Alt 98.7, Bellamy said: "We always like to use the modern technology in our shows, the latest video screens or light shows, lasers, whatever is out there. Drones are obviously an interesting thing to try to bring into the live show so we're going to try and do that. There's going to be some difficulty with red tape of health and safety about flying things over, but the general thing idea is that as the tour starts that we'll be using flying objects."
Bellamy has also discussed the inspiration for the record - which he has previously revealed is a "modern metaphor for what it is to lose empathy" - and says it is a "concept" album, but different to the LPs Pink Floyd made.
The frontman said: "Yeah, pretty much (it's a concept album), yeah. But it's not a strict concept in the way that Pink Floyd did it; the songs work in their own right independently, but they gel together based on the concept of drones. The vague narrative follows a kind of protagonist who goes through this journey of losing everything and sort of feeling like being brainwashed, being drawn into the military and becoming a person who feels like they've lost their soul, then eventually coming back and rediscovering it and fighting back against the systems that oppressed them - that journey takes place across the first eight songs of the album and then the ending of the album is a separate epilogue of sorts ... I'm interested in what drones represent from a technological point of view, it's a point in time where these machines are starting to emerge. It's the kind of thing where when we grew up we watched things like 'Terminator 2' and you'd see these kind of things happening in the future but we're kind of there now."
Muse's seventh studio album is released on June 8 and the band
kick off their tour - which includes a headline slot at Download festival this summer - in May.

Gary Barlow is confident Jason Orange will be at Take That's forthcoming gigs.
The 44-year-old singer quit the group last September but his former bandmate knows his friend will be in the audience when the trio hit the road later this month, though he doesn't expect him to join them on stage.
Gary said: "He wants to come to the shows, he'll definitely be there. I don't think we'll be able to get him up on stage but he'll be there."
Gary - who is now joined in the band by Mark Owen and Howard Donald - found like without Jason "very strange" at first, but he and his bandmates have now adjusted to life as a trio.
He added to MailOnline: "I think we've gotten used to it. It was very strange to start with it but it's been over six months."
And the 'Patience' hitmakers can't wait for the tour to begin so they can treat fans to an "extravaganza".
He added: "We're just so excited to hit the road. People come to a Take That show expecting an extravaganza and that's exactly what they're going to get."

Happy Mondays and Razorlight are to headline the BL9 Weekender.
The 'Step On' rockers and 'America' hitmakers will top the bill at Bury FC's Gigg Lane ground over the weekend of 13-14 June, while a host of other performers, including Diversity, James Arthur, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Farm, Peter Hook and the Light, Finley Quaye, Tinchy Stryder and Coolio will also take to the main stage at the event.
The main stage will be on the pitch at the ground, while there will also be a second stage, whose line-up has yet to be announced.
Organisers are hopeful BL9 - which is open to under 18s on the Sunday - will boost the local community.
Event organiser Andrew Brooks said: "Football clubs all over the UK offer the perfect infrastructure for a festival and, rather than being in remote villages, they are easily accessible and perfect for our needs.
"Our ambition is to work with crew and suppliers from the local area to demonstrate that Bury FC caters for music and football fans alike, creating an unmissable event."
Tickets are on sale now at www.bl9weekender.co.uk with a special Early Bird price starting at £35 per day (adults) or £60 for the whole weekend.
Line up news and more updates can be found on Twitter @BL9Weekender or on Facebook facebook.com/BL9Weekender.

Ella Henderson performed a secret gig in London last night (15.04.15).
The former X Factor' contestant was unveiled as the new face of Batiste dry shampoo's 2015 Ready For It campaign earlier this week and celebrated the launch of the collaboration with a concert and cocktail party at the Sanderson hotel.
The acoustic set included her latest single 'Mirror Man' and 'Ghost' and before performing 'Mirror Man', the 19-year-old singer revealed that the song was written about the "most selfish, most self-obsessed boy" she's ever met, though she declined to name names.
Ella admitted that she made a last minute change her set-list for the evening, due the sun coming out, as it inspired her to sing her mum's favourite song 'Rockets'.
In between songs, Ella excitedly chatted about her new collaboration with Batiste and how she plans to try something different with her hair.
The teenage star's parents and BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills were among the guests at the event, and they, along with others in attendance got to tuck into salmon and burger canapés and vanilla-infused vodka-based cocktails.
Ella admitted earlier this week Batiste is one of her go-to products.
She said: "Batiste is my number one hit; I'm either in the studio or on stage, in a car or on a plane - often with little time to get ready. I can always count on Batiste to refresh and restyle my hair in one go; I know I'll always be ready for wherever the day takes me."

Sam Smith's new album is inspired by women.
The 'Stay with Me' hitmaker already has written several songs for his second LP - the follow up to his triple Grammy-winning debut 'In the Lonely Hour' - and the female vocalists he has been listening to have had an effect on the music.
The 22-year-old singer told Australian website News.com.au: "I love it when people think I'm a woman, it's a huge compliment. All I do is listen to female voices. That means my voice has been massively influenced by who I listen to."
Sam has the "concept" for his album ready but won't rush release the record.
He explained: "I feel like I've already got the concept for the next record worked out, I've written a few songs that I'm really excited about but I don't want to release anything until it's perfect. But I'm constantly writing music."
Sam has been praised for his brutally honest lyrics on his debut and he has promised more of the same on the new LP because he wants his music to contain "messages" for listeners.
He said: "It's important to make your messages through the art, through the music. Interviews only last so long, songs and albums and videos and music last a lifetime."

Bill Ward won't rejoin Black Sabbath unless Ozzy Osbourne apologises to him.
The band's original drummer has been feuding with his one-time bandmates since 2012, when he opted out of the group's reunion over what he called an "unsignable" contract.
Black Sabbath are currently working on a new album following the success of their 2013 comeback LP '13' and sell-out tour, but Bill is adamant he won't get back with the band, unless the singer admits that some of the statements he made about him "were untrue".
Bill said: "With a sad heart, I have to say I will not participate in any musical undertakings until a righting of the wrongs spoken against me has been achieved. I must admit, I have little to no expectations of this happening, but in the order of first things first, I'm looking for an honest accountability of all of Ozzy's statements that I felt were untrue."
The offensive statement that the 66-year-old musician could be talking about is when Ozzy called him "incredibly overweight" in August 2013 and said: "I don't think he could have done the gig, to be honest ... A drummer has to be in shape. He's already had two heart attacks. I don't want to be responsible for his life."
Bill insists he's not the type of person who can "sweep the offensive stuff under the carpet" and unless he gets an apology he's finished with Black Sabbath - also comprised of Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler.
Bill added in a Facebook post: "Because I was chastised publicly, I would want him to amend publicly in his words, and not through an Ozzy representative, the nature of the wrongs. I would not want to continue on with him without this seemingly [impassable] dilemma being addressed. I don't think previously strong relationships can remain strong after dispute by just sweeping the offensive stuff under the carpet, or by saying a puny sorry, or, 'Oh, that's all over now.' It doesn't work like that for me. Righting of wrong works, and that's what I want if I'm ever going to be his friend again."

Naughty Boy is "sad" the current young generation doesn't have their own Whitney Houston or Lauryn Hill.
The 'La La La' creator is inspired by both Whitney - who died aged just 48 in 2012 - and the former Fugees star and hopes a new female singer steps up to match their music.
The post on Twitter read: "It's sad that this generation won't here a Whitney Houston or a Lauryn hill us musicians need to fix up. (sic)"
Whitney was only 22 when she had her first number one and a flurry of hits followed.
The 'I Will Always Love You' singer sold approximately 200 million records worldwide during her illustrious three-decade career .
Her voice will always be an iconic powerhouse filled with elegance. Her classics include 'Saving All My Love For You,' ''I Will Always Love You,'' and 'The Greatest Love of All'.
The rapper who featured Sam Smith on his song 'La La La' gave us our first taste of the 'Lay Me Down' singer, but he still thinks young music lovers are missing new songs from Lauryn who Sam and Naughty Boy are both inspired by.
The former 'Killing Me Softly' singer suffered from the pressures of being in the public eye while she was in her band The Fugees and she hasn't released an album of new material since her 1998 solo record 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'.
Meanwhile, Naughty Boy has been supporting Zayn Malik since the pop star quit One Direction and has been giving "friend" some advice.
The producer said: "I've been his friend. He needs one. Just because we were seen at my studio - you (don't) necessarily just make music. People seem to forget that he's under so much stress. Which is why he left the tour. There's a lot going on. People get caught up - what he has done is to be normal. Sometimes being normal is to try and sort things out with your fiancée or hang around with a friend. That is normal."

Adam Lambert had to re-evaluate why he wanted to be in the music industry before recording his new album.
The rock singer - who finished as runner-up on the eighth season of 'American Idol' - decided he needed to take a critical view of his career after releasing his 'Trespassing' album in 2012.
Adam believes this approach helped make his new LP 'the Original High' the record he wanted it to be.
In an interview in the new issue of Notion magazine - for which he was shot by photographer Darren Black - he said: "The music industry is so crazy, competitive and focused, and after the 'Trespassing' album I kind of had to stop and ask myself, 'Why am I doing this? What do I want? Who am I? What am I about?' And just re-examine at everything. I finally became more grounded about all of the fame stuff; it's not freaking me out any more."
The 'Your Entertainment' singer added: "There were certain ways in which I triumphed and certain ways in which I stumbled a little bit. Unfortunately, people were watching while I was learning."
Adam - who has received critical acclaim for his live performances with legendary band Queen - says his new perspective on his music resulted in the lyrics on his latest songs being "darker" than previous recordings.
He said: "(This album is) dance-y but bitter-sweet, and the lyrics are a little darker (than they have been, previously). I've done the more bubblegum stuff, I've done the camp stuff, and now I want to encourage people to face their s**t. I want to show them the part of me that's not all polished or (still part of) the 'pageant on TV' thing - I want it to be real, you know?"
Adam will premiere his new single 'Ghost Town' on April 21 and his album 'The Original High' will be released in the spring.