Make a scene: Review

MAKE A SCENE (2011, EBGB RECORDS)

Three albums, four years of recording and delays, and five singles later, Sophie Ellis-Bextor has returned with one of the most anticipated albums of the year - "Make a scene"; collaborating with the cream of pop-dance producers including voted #1 DJ of the world Armin Van Buuren, chart toppers Calvin Harris and Freemasons, that incredibly talented Joe Mount of Metronomy and God himself - Richard X. Of course, there are a few regulars here - Greg Kurstin, Liam Howe of Sneaker Pimps and Dimitri Tikovoi; and a surprise collaboration with Fred Ball... So does this make the album a generic and manufactured one - NO!

The album opens with a bang (literally - "bang, bang, it’s a hold up"). Revolution, the album opener, has Sophie attempting a monotone delivery for the second time in her career (check the middle-8 from "Making Music", Shoot from the Hip). The chorus is simple, repetitive and arresting; the "army" hook is catchy. Cathy Dennis, who worked with Sophie on her last top 10 hit Catch You (which was also a Denis/Kurstin collaboration), co-wrote the song - and in fact, came up with the self-referencing line in the song (the line in the bridge - "face to face its murder on the dancefloor"). Revolution is highly energetic and frenetic, but is very short. It feels like the song is in a hurry to be done and introduce what seems to be Sophie's best album yet. (9/10)

All those cymbal crashes in Revolution lead to this big crash in the very beginning of track two. Bittersweet is a song produced by Freemasons and Biffco. The song was Sophie's second single off the album, but failed to set the charts on fire. Nonetheless, it received an overwhelmingly good response from her fan-base and went on to become the Song of the Day on PopJustice. It even kept Sophie on top of the PJ Almighty for what seemed like an eternity. Bittersweet is enthralling - with flawless production sampling bits from "Fade to Grey" by Visage and "Blue Monday" by New Order; the song even draws influences from "You Spin Me Around (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive. Sophie effortlessly mews over the production. The meandering melody in the chorus, the cut-up vocals in the middle-8, the whispering bits and that incredible close to the chorus (the heavenly "oh-oh-oh-so here I am" bit) - all these make Bittersweet the ultimate pop/dance song that most solo female acts would kill for. To sum up, the song is a modern classic. (10/10)

Off And On, the planned-to be-sixth single off the album, is the first of the two songs with no lyrical contribution by La Bex. Originally written and demo-ed for Roisin Murphy's 2007 album, 'Overpowered', the song was handed over to Sophie to promote the then-planned Greatest Hits compilation. Fortunately, recording sessions proved fruitful and now we have the 4th album instead. Off And On is a commercial electro-pop number, which has been edited since its original premiere on Sophie's MySpace several years ago. Could this be the first top ten single from the album - I sincerely hope so, but only commercial radio can give this song the exposure it deserves. (9/10)

Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) was also made to promote the GH compilation. The original demo is significantly different from the final mix that was released as a mutual single by Freemasons and Sophie back in 2009. The song charted just outside the top 10, but stands as the highest charted single from the album (in the UK) and has become one of her most popular songs since Murder on the Dancefloor. Described as electro-dance monster, the song will have you moving along to the loud synths and the big beats. This song, along with Bittersweet, proves that the Bex Monster and Freemasons are a match made in pop heaven. The Freemasons have always had brilliant and glittery production on their songs; their two songs on this album are no different. Their production brings out the emotion and drama in Sophie's voice - something that is absent in your regular commercial dance songs (yes Guetta, I'm talking about you) (9.5/10)

Not Giving Up On Love, the fourth single off the album, is a trance song, with a simple piano loop, great synths, some live drums thrown in here and there and, of course, Sophie's ever-so lush vocals. Miss E.B. is no stranger to melancholic melodies - what some fans consider her forte. The song is a collaboration with Armin Van Buuren, who is the voted #1 DJ of the world. The song was a big success in several countries across Europe but had no impact on the UK Charts. Vocal trance is a new field for Sophie, and I look forward to more trance DJ-collaborations in the future. The full length club edit is so much better than the hurriedly edited radio version, but you simply cannot have a 6+ minute trance track in the middle a pop album - still, it is worth listening to. (10/10)

The next song, Can't Fight This Feeling, is a collaboration with upcoming French DJ Junior Caldera. This is his biggest success across Europe, and in fact the song got a lot of attention from Sophie's fanbase in Russia and some other countries across Europe. On my first listen, both track 5 and 6 stuck out like a sore thumb. The song isn't bad at all. It is very commercial sounding, very 2009-10. Its weird because her songs almost never sound 'current'. Its very hit or miss really. I liked the song a lot when it was released as a single before Bittersweet, but the shine has worn off now. Sophie has recently written another track with Junior Caldera. Lets hope that song sees the light of the day in some form. (7/10)

If I have to sum up the next song in one word, I would only say "heavenly". Starlight, produced by Richard X *screams* is straight out of the 80's. Starlight is released as the 5th (overall) single from the album, the 4th in the UK. You can watch the video, directed by her father, Robin Bextor, right here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDlkxDu06OU

The song has a melancholic feeling, and is slightly ethereal and lush. This is definitely one of the best songs on the album. I'd love for Sophie to work with Richard X *screams* again. Starlight is positioned in the perfect place - and feels refreshing to listen to after 6 dance songs that play back-to-back! You don't know what heaven feels like until you have heard this song. Everything from the slick production and the poetic lyrics to the lush vocals are perfect. One thing that will really grab your attention is the almost-Madonna-esque middle-8; "We are one". (10/10)

Sophie performed Under Your Touch last year on the Album Charts Show and I was really looking forward to listening to the studio version of the song. It is produced by long time collaborator Liam Howe of the Sneaker pimps. The song begins with eeire strings, which brings to mind Madonna's "Sorry". The song has a very busy production, with loads of sounds building up as the song progresses. Sophie sounds fantastic. The mechanised vocals in the song were a nice surprise. It might sound slightly filler-ish on the first listen, but after a couple of listens, the song grows on you, and you tend to put this into a long list of songs that should be singles. (8.5/10)

The title track, Make A Scene, is unlike anything that she has ever done before. The song begins with some clunky notes and a strange beat, and soon builds into this really bouncy jam. The chorus is phenomenal and has Sophie screaming "come on now" as she makes a scene. The almost spoken verses, the saxophone, the really weird drum sequence that sounds a little off-track in the first few seconds, Sophie screaming in some places - in theory this will seem like one of the worst ideas ever. But it all comes together so well - everything feels so disjoint, but at the same time, its all very 'together'. One must give sufficient credit to Joseph Mount, of Metronomy, who helped co-write and co-produce this song. You can definitely hear some 'Nights Out' influences in this song. You might even say that this song sounds like something off Roisin Murphy's 'Ruby Blue' album, crossed with production by Basement Jaxx (now that is a collaboration that should happen!). I'd love to see more Sophie-Metronomy songs in the future.(10/10)

Magic is the second of the two Richard X *screams* songs on the album. The song is, as the title suggests, magical. It begins with simple "ooh ooh"s and builds up into this 80's influenced, scratch that, 80's epic. A simple-but-massive chorus takes centre stage; the production really brings out the best in Sophie's voice. I'm a sucker for anything Richard X *screams*, but this has to be one of his best productions. Lyrically, the song is very poetic, much like Starlight. The middle-8 contains whispers again. Sophie brought whispers back in fashion - I'm not even sure if whispers went out of fashion, but I'd love to give Sophie credit for putting whispers on two (thats right, TWO) songs on the album. Well done Sophie. Well done Hannah. Richard X *screams*, I salute you! (10/10)

The next song is a historic moment in pop music (or so I think, don't burst my bubble). Sophie is probably the only popstar in the world to have used the word "politicise" in a song. And as a fan from PopJustice once said, she is also, probably, the only popstar in the world to have written an electro-pop number about a text stalker. Now THIS is your quirky pop song. The almost story-like lyrics describe Sophie's attitude toward her text stalker. One line in particular - "when you're lost at sea, I'm on land" - is like a slap-in-the-face-get-a-life type of situation. I love the general bitchy-ness about the song. Dial My Number is produced by Liam Howe and co-written with Hannah Robinson. The song, like the other Howe production, is very busy sounding, and quite loud. This was probably the most anticipated song on the album - and it could end up becoming a fan-favourite. (9/10)

Homewrecker is such an amazing-title for a pop song. You'd expect swearing and cursing on this song - but surprisingly, there's no swearing or cursing... or is there? The lyrics of the song are intentionally blunt, but also very witty. The “ho..ho..homewrecker” bit caught everyone by surprise. Its right there, she’s actually swearing, but its so wonderfully hidden beneath the apparent hook. Only Sophie Ellis-Bextor could swear and still sound so posh, take notes Ke$ha. The song is produced by Greg Kurstin, and has some similar production gimmics. The organ in the beginning of the song make this song seem almost-demented in some ways. Well done, Sophie, well done! (8.5/10)

Now is that point in the album when you're pretty much done with dancing and jumping around, and you just want to sit down and listen to some good pop music. And Sophie knows that. Synchronised, is the first of the two ballads on the album; the second song with no lyrical contribution by Sophie, and is truly immense. The song sounds very commercial - kinda like "If You Go"'s moody little sister. The song focuses on Sophie's vocal power, and that is, essentially, what makes this song a masterpiece. Sophie's vocals have never sounded this good and emotive. Here is solid proof against all those people who claim that Sophie cannot breathe life and emotion into a song - IN YOUR FACE, HATERS! (10/10)

Cut Straight To The Heart is the perfect close to a perfect album. The song features lyrical contribution by the infamous Ed Harcourt. Sophie sounds very vulnerable, and the general feeling and production of the song can be compared to one of her older songs from her second album - "I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want". The track has beautiful instrumentation, and also samples the drum sequence from Placebo's cover of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)", which is also, not so surprisingly, produced by Dimitri. The song might be slightly over-shadowed by the amazing-ness of its predecessor, but is no less brilliant. Sophie finishes the album in style. (10/10)

If you haven't heard this album yet, you haven't really heard what good pop music sounds like. Sophie has once again proved that she truly deserves the title "Pop Goddess". Well done.

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS:
Bittersweet
Not Giving Up On Love
Starlight
Make A Scene
Magic
Synchronised
Cut Straight To The Heart

OVERALL RATING: 9.3/10. Plus, additional 0.7 for the brilliant artwork and photographs in the album, all the effort that has gone behind getting it finally out there. A solid 10/10 effort overall!


...yes, this is exactly how I feel about the release. Its finally here, and it is flawless. Make sure you legally purchase a copy (or two) of Make a scene.

Link to online sites where you can buy the album:
iTunes UK
Amazon
7Digital

Buy the CD from here:
Amazon
HMV
Play
Tesco

Sophie And Freemasons won the Eurovision song contest.

United Kingdom has won the OGAE Song Contest 2010 with its entry "Heartbreak make me a dancer" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. This worldwide known artist managed to gain 228 points from OGAE Clubs. The runner-up is Belgium (Stromae - Alors on dance ) with 139 points and the third positioned is Spain (David Bustamante - Abrazame muy fuerte ) with 133 points.

READ MORE:
http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=9365
http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/16316

the campaign is a little messed up

I'm not very happy with how Fascination are handling Sophie right now. Someone on PopJustice once posted that there was going to be a strange release strategy for the new album. Back then nothing was revealed. First Fascination decided to include the Freemasons single on the album. Next they made Not Giving Up an Armin Vs. Sophie track. They will also release the Junior Caldera track in UK. Lets add two and two

1st single - Freemasons feat. Sophie - Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer

2nd single - Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Bittersweet

3rd single - Armin Van Buuren Vs. Sophie - Not Giving Up

4th single - Junior Caldera feat. Sophie - Can't Fight This Feeling

album released after this

No wonder they didn't let Roger Sanchez use the Sophie/Nervo track which he made for his album. Fans would be confused if it's a Sophie release for her album or if it's just a Roger Sanchez release.

If it goes this way, we can all say bye-bye to b-sides. I don't think any DJ would want to release a Sophie-only song produced by someone else on their single as a b-side. We'll just get some more boring remixes.

The whole campaign seems like a desperate act to save Sophie's career after Bittersweet's flop. Banking on the DJ's goodwill to release a single so they can get an easy hit. I mean, if all this is just to score hits, why not make a collaboration with David Guetta (as much as i hate the idea myself), cos anything with his name is a hit somewhere in the world. They should also let Roger use the track for his album and stick it at the end of Sophie's album as a bonus track or whatever. Roger is huge. Why aren't they using his name!?

If both Not Giving Up and Can't Fight This Feeling end up in the top 10 and top 20 respectively, then maybe we'll have a Sophie-only single after the album release. Maybe Starlight or Revolution or Off And On.

What are your thoughts about this?

Next Mag write up about Sophie's first performance in America

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://nextmagazine.com/nexus/scene-heard-dance-pier-sophie-ellis-bextor-says-without-gays-there-would-be-no-disco-um-duh

As the Gay Pride March wound down in the West Village, 14th Street filled with gorgeous men making their way to Pier 54 for the Dance On The Pier, the semi-official closing ceremonies of New York Pride. The marathon dance party featured sets by the Freemasons as well as "surprise" performances by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ultra Natè. “This is my first ever bit singing in the States,” said a nervous Ellis-Bextor backstage. “I’m very fortunate that I have a lot of gay fans. I owe my career to them, really." Does that mean we get a cut of the royalties? (Kidding!)

The British singer couldn't have been happier to have her New York debut during Pride. “I suppose it’s just a celebration of all the positive sides of humanity, which is a brilliant thing to be proud of," she told us. "The gay community has been responsible for so much, particularly in the arts. I’d say I’m most proud, in terms of what I do, of their contribution to the disco movement. Disco wouldn’t exist without the gay community. And without disco you wouldn’t have contemporary dance music. That’s pretty substantial!” Good thing disco isn't dead, Sophie, or we'd all lose our gay cards!

But Ellis-Bextor, who wowed the waterfront crowd with "Murder on the Dancefloor" and "Bittersweet," isn't the only one happy to have the gays around. “I think the turnout and the attitude is something to be proud of this year." said James Wiltshire of the Freemasons, the dance's official DJs. (Wiltshire and partner-in-crime Russell Small produced Ellis-Bextor tracks "Heartbreak" and "Bittersweet.") "I got got trapped in the West Village today by the parade and it’s been an amazing atmosphere. It seems that the Pride event here goes across the entire cross-section of New York. It still seemed to have an element of the original standpoint as well, which is really good. It is a semi-politic celebration...The idea of standing up against ignorance and against bigotry seemed intact."

When asked what they hoped for their Pier Dance premier, Small said it was all about smiles. “Happy faces is the goal at the end of the day,” he uttered with a grin. “People coming out smiling, having enjoyed the evening, is what we hope for.”

With a packed dance floor, Wiltshire and Small in the booth, Ellis-Bextor and Natè singings their hits, and fireworks overhead, happy faces were in no short supply.

Sophie @ NYC, Dave Cromwell's interview and more

Sophie was at NYC with the Freemasons where she performed three of her biggest hits for the gay audience. Surprisingly, they knew the songs. Sophie should definitely perform in the US again. Also, i love how she handles the stage so well. I love her movements.
Here are the videos.
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)
Murder On The Dancefloor
Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer

Here's Dial My Number (click) live from Istanbul (better quality than the youtube video)

Dave Cromwell's exclusive interview with Sophie - Read here
(thank you Dave for doing this for all SEB fans)

And an interview at Club Arena, Vladivostok at One Year Party - http://www.twitvid.com/XWLBT

new tweets

Sorry for the lack of updates guys (actually nothing much has been happening). I'm holidaying at the moment and i have limited access to the internet here, but i still tried to keep track of what's going on in Sophie world.
There are two new tweets that will get everyone really excited!
(thanks to Makke for the heads up)
1. Off to NYC next weekend to sing at Gay Pride with the fabulous Freemasons.
2. @RenzoMV Video shoot not far away now... Not giving up soon to reach your ears. Whoop whoop!

*jumps around for a little while*

Sophie's king-size aspirations

I know we don't have the 4th record in our hands yet, but is it wrong to be totally excited about her 5th record already? Ever since Sophie said that she might change her direction, i've been hoping that she embraces her indie side again. Well, she might actually do that...read along -

SOURCE:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/sophie-ellisbextors-kingsize-aspirations_1139873
Sophie Ellis-Bextor would like to work with rock group Kings of
Leon or electronic rockers Daft Punk.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor wants to work with Kings of Leon.

The 31-year-old singer would like to try a new direction with her future
material and has a number of collaborations in mind including with rockers The
Killers and electric outfit Daft Punk. She said: "I'd love to work with
someone really different like the Killers or Kings of Leon. I think it would be
good to do something really in a completely different direction. Daft Punk would
be great fun as well."

However, she's keen to make sure she doesn't alienate her fans by
taking a complete U-turn in her style. She said: "I don't know if I want to
do something that's different just for the sake of it so it might be quite a
logical step away. But still, I don't want to exclude anybody. It has to make
sense. The sort of music I make is the sort of music I listen to. It's got to be
something I have the same passion for."

The 'Bittersweet' singer also admits she is scared about becoming
irrelevant with the rise new singers like Ellie Goulding and Florence and the
Machine. She told BANG Showbiz: "I think relevance is very much the sort of
fear you have. You want to keep being relevant to what's going on. If I'm
honest, that's the biggest fear when you work in an arena like pop. It's very
much about the here and now. But I'm very happy to be doing what I do. It's nice
to be wanted."

I know i'm going to be happy. But i'm not too sure if the rest of her fans would accept it. I know theaudience is still very unpopular among majority of her fans. Frankly, i don't know why. She's an indie kid, she should do some indie, if you ask me.
Anyway, Sophie talked about her wishlist on The Album Chart Show. I hope she has Kaiser Chiefs and Pet Shop Boys in there too. I'd definitely like to see an album half filled with indie songs and the other half with her famous dance-pop songs. I'd love it if she collaborated with Scissor Sisters, Freemasons (again), Groove Armada, Pet Shop Boys and Daft Punk for the dance-pop stuff. She should work with Kaiser Chiefs, Kish Mauve, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Alex James (again) on some indie songs. Oooh... how wonderful would that be!?

Magic is on Fascination's playlist

Magic is on Fascination's official playlist. That could possibly mean that it's on Sophie's forthcoming album. So i guess we have all twelve tracks figured out then.
Thanks to Dan for the update
Amazon (and eBay) have listed Sophia Loren as the b-side to Bittersweet. But, it hasn't been officially confirmed yet.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bittersweet-Sophie-Ellis-Bextor/dp/B003ER20O0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1270223833&sr=8-1
Thanks to Fran for the update

Straight To The Heart - the tracklist

Okay, i know i've made tons of predictions, but i'm sure this time i've got it right. Richard X mentioned on Black Melody that 2 out of 3 songs of his would end up on the album. But Sophie's MySpace says "The" Richard X track. So i'm unsure about Magic. The rest of the tracks are confirmed.

Oh and whoever told me (and stupid of me to publicise without proof) that Synchronised is co-written with Sophie was wrong. PROOF!

1. Sophia Loren (Cathy Denis, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Christopher Rojas)
2. Revolution (Cathy Denis, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Greg Kurstin)
3. Not Giving Up On Love (Armin Buuren, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Nervo Sisters)
4. Bittersweet (Hannah Robinson, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Freemasons, Biffco)
5. Starlight (Hannah Robinson, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Richard X)
6. Off And On (Cathy Denis, Roisin Murphy, Calvin Harris)
7. Dial My Number (Hannah Robinson, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Liam Howe)
8. Cut Thru' The Heart (Ed Harcourt, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Dimitri)
9. Make A Scene (Metronomy, Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
10. Synchronised (Ina Wrolsden, Fred Ball)
11. I Still Believe In Magic (Hannah Robinson, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Richard X)
12. Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer (Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Biffco, Freemasons)


(this is not the official cover, don't worry. i'm just playing around with a picture i found online)

Myspace Profile Updated - loads of new info

(Guys, there's a new post before this one too. Don't forget to read that...)

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is back with album number four, after baby number two, looking and sounding better than ever; but as she once warned us – it’s a Mixed Up World, and juggling young children, with a recording career, international tours, running club nights with husband Richard and her ongoing commitment as the face of cosmetics brand Rimmel, is not without it’s challenges.

How does she manage the balancing act? “I don’t really - it’s quite chaotic, you have to just not fight it. My upbringing was similar because my mum and dad both worked in TV doing funny hours, so I suppose I’m not really designed for consistency.”

In fact the singer who reaches her ten-year anniversary in the pop game this year couldn’t be happier. “I’m having an amazing time right now. It really is the best it’s ever been. I’m still completely excited, and I think that’s vital! There’s nothing more unsexy than a jaded pop star.”

When you hear her new album you’ll understand why Sophie is quite so giddy, “I felt like the album needed to be really positive, and unabashed”, she explains, “if it’s your fourth record you don’t want to be apologetic about it. I like pomposity in pop and confidence and chutzpah.” She’s got chutzpah up to her four-storey hips. Straight To The Heart is a plugged-in pulsating pop juggernaut, which will have Sophie murdering dance floors all over again.

Sophie may be the ultimate pop starlet but she’s no pop puppet – she was heavily involved with all parts of her album, co-writing much of it and working with an in-demand team of writer/producers that includes Freemasons, Greg Kurstin, Calvin Harris, Cathy Dennis, Metronomy, Richard X and Armin Van Buuren.

Freemasons, the team behind those amazing Beyoncé remixes (and much more besides) have two songs on the record. The first, Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) was not just a massive success on home soil but went on to become one of her biggest successes on the continent, particularly Russia where it reached number two in the chart. “I did 8 trips to Moscow last year and I’ve even picked up a bit of Russian too - menya zovut Sofiya… my name is Sophie” she says to prove she’s not fibbing.

The second Freemasons song is her forthcoming single Bittersweet, which is out 25 April. A compelling, emotive epic with dramatic wooshes, tick-tocking drum machines and cold eighties synth, Bittersweet is the euphoric, guaranteed pop moment of the spring.

The song Greg Kurstin (Ke$ha, Kylie and Lily Allen) wrote with Sophie and Cathy Dennis is Revolution: and with it’s gritty bass, crunching beats and ear splitting squeals it is a veritable pop uprising that demonstrates the sophisticated madam’s unladylike penchant for tunes that compel you to get ur sweat on. “The Richard X track”, Sophie says tantalisingly, “is like Borderline era Madonna.” Then there’s the much talked of Calvin Harris song Off & On which sounds like it could easily replicate the dizzee success the lanky Scot has become accustomed to.

Since her last album Trip The Light Fantastic in 2007 Sophie hasn’t just been holed up in the studio creating the pop soundtrack to 2010 she’s been on the road, both on her own and supporting born again boy band Take That on their mega sell out Beautiful World tour. “That was brilliant,” she beams, “they’re such lovely guys and they really looked after me. They threw great parties and we were often staying in the same hotel so we’d all hang out.” Sophie was as much of a fan of the boys onstage as off, and could be regularly found in the wings singing along: “I would have loved to have run on for the Lulu part of Relight My Fire but they actually had a bloke sing it.”

Sophie emerged ten years ago with rare poise amidst the most memorable chart scuffle since Brit pop. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) with Italian producer Spiller, her debut solo release (after splitting with rock band theaudience) has recently been awarded the astonishing accolade of ‘the decade’s most played track on radio.’ “That’s so cool, I’m really proud of that. I thought it would have been something like Can’t Get you Out of My Head.”

Since those early beginnings Sophie has stuck with her record label Polydor/Fascination and they’ve stuck by her, something rare in an industry where everyone from Kylie, Janet and Mariah have at one time been ‘let go’. She has lived through the mid-late noughties mire of landfill Indie and come out the other side lipstick (Coral Queen is a current fave) barely smudged.

On the subject of lippy, Ms E-B always gave good face, so it was no surprise she was chosen along with Kate Moss as the face of Rimmel cosmetics in 2008, and she has just renewed her contract. “They sponsored my tour years back, so there was already a seed there, plus I genuinely like what they do.” She’s not kidding either, Sophie is make-up obsessed, “I’ve still got make-up I had when I was 16, which I’m probably not supposed to do - I love it.”

Isn’t she daunted following in the footsteps of the world’s most famous super model? “I can’t deny that the first day on set for the Rimmel ads I was very conscious of the fact Kate Moss is a modern icon. I just focused on the thought that I was adding to it, rather than carrying on from where she left off, because I’m not daft, I know that’s not happening.

Sophie the entrepreneur expanded her repertoire in 2008 with successful Soho club night Modern Love. She ran the club and DJed with husband Richard Jones (guitarist with indie band The Feeling) in a tag-team playfully dubbed ‘Me and Mr Jones’. “DJing got me back into being really excited about music,” she says, galloping off ten words a second, “wanting to hear old and new stuff really loud and seeing if it filled the dancefloor.” Amazingly Sophie and Richard were also responsible for some serious carnage. “About a year ago we did a set at Imperial College,” recalls Sophie. “We were playing stuff like 9-5, and David Bowie and Prince, moving into Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx, but when we played Rage Against The Machine they went crazy and nearly knocked down all the security barriers. The promoter told us it was the most lairy reaction they’d ever had to DJs.”

This time spent DJing certainly had an effect on Straight To The Heart. Nearly every song on it is a stiletto snapping dance floor demon. “I think there are two songs that are slower,” Sophie says wracking her brain, “but I’d start writing something and think, ‘oh I like these chords, shall we do a ballad? Nah four to the floor!’”

“I do what I do and I really enjoy it”, says Sophie, “In the past I’ve tried out different things, but I always come back to the stuff I do best, which is electro pop, and it’s also what I really enjoy. Sometimes you can’t fight it. There’s plenty of time for me to do…whatever it is you’re supposed to do when you get old.”

SOURCE: myspace.com/sophieellisbextor

Bittersweet - The review

Put together Blue Monday '88 (by New Order), Strangelove (by Depeche Mode), Sweet Dreams (by Eurythmics), One Word (by Kelly Osbourne) and The One (by Kylie Minogue), mix those with Sophie's bittersweet vocals and what you get is...well..."Bittersweet"

Bittersweet, which is first single from her fourth album recently titled Straight To The Heart, is produced by the Freemasons & Biffco and co written with them and Hannah Robinson. The nearly-9-minutes long orgasmic mix by the Freemasons, which leaked a couple of days ago, boasted of the Eurythmics meets Depeche Mode "oh-holy-shit-mother-of-all-riffs" all through the mix, with hints of New Order on drum snares. Everyone raved about how good the mix was and how it blew them away, but little did they know that there was more to come... The Radio Edit of the song which recently hit youtube surpasses the Freemasons Extended Mix in almost every way possible. Almost, yes.

The arresting riff, which got a usual clubber to go "oh fuck hell yeah" at it's premiere, is safely hidden under the verses of the Radio Edit? Why they chose to overshadow that is a mystery to me. But the Radio Edit is far more beefy - in that it has lots of lush strings and synth, and layers of sounds that completely make up for the lack of the riff. But wait, there's more. The 80's style disco anthem, drawing influences from some of the recent hits by K. Minogue and K. Osbourne, oozes elegance and melody in a gentle yet strong manner. The lyrics and the delivery are perfect, as usual, with Sophie experimenting her part-silk-cushion-part-scorched-lizard vocals - elongated words, high pitched "ooohs", meandering melody, whispers (oh my god!)...and just when you think you have heard it all, the feline siren comes back mewing "so here i am". DigitalSpy rightly calls this moment as three seconds of pure pop loveliness. Indeed!

If you haven't already wet your pants, then try this, but i warn you - you may get insanely addicted!
Bittersweet (Radio Edit) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WvGElFmZYI
Bittersweet (Freemasons Extended Mix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiOqkkv8tT4
Bittersweet (Jodie Harsh Remix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT_O6c-EDDE

Sophierazzi gives a thumbs up to the Freemasons and Biffco, and salutes Sophie, the rightful pop Goddess.
Bittersweet (Radio Edit)- 10(0000)/10
Bittersweet (Freemasons Extended Mix) - 9.9999999/10
Bittersweet (Jodie Harsh Mix) - 7/10

P.S. - People, please don't forget she also has a single with Junior Caldera which is out; the video will premeire soon. Keep your eyes peeled. Love, Kx.

Bittermasons vs. Sophierazzi (The Perfect Mix Edit)

That 4 minute 18 second edit of the remix that's almost everywhere on the internet is just garbage. The bits weren't cut and placed at the right places. And something after the second chorus didn't feel right. The 16th second in the song was just terrible.

So, here you go - BITTERMASONS VS. SOPHIERAZZI (THE PERFECT MIX EDIT)

I've worked on a whole new beginning for the song, it's very similar to Heartbreak's (Radio Edit) beginning. I've used a bass sample from the song in reverse and played it intermittently. And the end is something that you wouldn't expect. I won't spoil the surprise

Hope you like it.

A teaser picture from the video for Bittersweet

1. It isn't a very clear picture, but that dress looks just alright. I was hoping for something very chic.
2. Seems like she's going with the long hair again.
3. And my god is that a trampoline? This video is going to be a shocker - hula hooping, trampoline etc.,
Looking forward to the video!

Also to clear out the confusion about the radio edit. The radio edit hasn't leaked. Everyone who are judging Bittersweet by the Freemasons Remix Edit should stop doing so. I doubt if the Freemasons Remix Edit is an official edit in the first place. It's very rough and it seems more like a the work of a fan.




The video and the song will be on TV and radio soon, so please be patient. Enjoy the Freemasons and Jodie Harsh Mix for now.

And just so you don't forget, this is what the Can't Fight This Feeling video is going to look like. The picture to your right is Junior Caldera with Sophie on a couch. That dress she's wearing here in the Can't Fight This Feeling video is probably far better than the one she is wearing for Bittersweet. Or maybe its just the quality of the picture...

Digital Spy gave Sophie a really good review

The new Sophie Ellis-Bextor single landed in our inbox this morning and since then, according to iTunes play count, we've listened to it precisely 16 times. We always pick pleasure over pain, so you can take that as a testament to the track's quality.

It's called 'Bittersweet' and it's a co-production between Biff Stannard, who previously worked with Soph on 'New York City Lights', and the Freemasons, with whom she hooked up last year for 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)'. The latter's the Bextor track with which 'Bittersweet' shares the most DNA, though the pair are more second cousins who see each other at Christmas and significant family birthdays than brother and sister.

Right, time for the nitty-gritty. 'Bittersweet' is a big spangly club banger with a pleasing whiff of the '80s to it and a chorus that's both uplifting and wistful. "I know I shouldn't go but something makes me crave the heat, your love is bittersweet," she sings on that chorus, "The fire in your touch I always find so hard to beat, your love is bittersweet..." After both "bittersweets" there are extra snippets of Sophie vocal buried just beneath the surface of the mix - "woah-woah-woah, so here I am" - and each one is three seconds of pure pop loveliness.

Time for a final thought? Oh go on then. Well, this is a cracking comeback single from an artist we've long been a fan of here at DS and always enjoy pestering at awards shows. It's not out until May, and God (scratch that), GaGa knows what's going to happen between now and then, but, if you ask us, Mademoiselle E-B's given herself every chance of bagging an eighth top ten hit with this one.

Freemasons' Bittersweet Mix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u973qJgNE5k
Listen to Bittersweet (Freemasons Mix) here. The song sounds absolutely fantastic. But i imagine the album version will be a little more upbeat! Will post the lyrics later.
Right now i'm moving to the beat. "your looooooove is biiiiittersweeeeet"
Thanks to Danael Hornby, Charlie and Fabien J for the heads-up!

Your love's bittersweet (so here i am)
Your loooooooooveeeeee....

(that oh-my-god-this-synth-is-amazing thing)

How can i deny the feeling?
Can't you defuse the lights that spark?
Don't think i'll hold out too much longer

The lines are blurred and they're dividing
I desire light, i desire dark
Your influence is getting stronger

Despite my mind, my body is still curious
So won't you show me all there is to know?

I know i shouldn't go
But something makes me crave the heat
Your love is bittersweet (so here i am)
The fire in your touch
I always find so hard to beat
Your love is bittersweet (so here i am)

(oh holy crap the most amazing synth ever)

No substitute for real pleasure
You feed the need that lies in me
I've lost all sense to this devotion

One touch and there's a rush of electricity
So won't you show me all there is to know

I know i shouldn't go
But something makes me crave the heat
Your love is bittersweet (so here i am)
The fire in your touch
I always find so hard to beat
Your love is bittersweet (so here i am)

(salvation: the drum snare-fill)
(the orgasmic synth again!)

Your loooooooove etc.,

One touch and there's a rush of electricity
So won't you show me all there is to know?
Anytime you call my name

So.. erm.. to sum up

All the information that we have received till now:

1. Sophie recorded with a billion producers (again). We know of 25-30 song titles through ASCAP. But only 12 are going to land up on the album (according to Sophie), which she recently named "Make A Scene". If we pray hard enough and if God is a generous fellow, then we may get two bonus tracks and a load of b-sides. The release strategy, as of now, is two singles followed by the album. And if my memory doesn't fail me, Sophie mentioned sometime in the past that there would be 3 singles from this album.

2. Bittersweet which is scheduled to be the FIRST single from the album is a monstermotherfucker of a track. The Bex-monster will be filming the video for it shortly, and it will hit the radio after that. The CD single will be released on the 2nd of May. We're still unsure what they're going to do with Heartbreak. The video for Bittersweet will be shot in London, with Chris Sweeny again (the same guy who did that goegeous video Heartbreak). A live recording of the Freemasons mix of Bittersweet is available on youtube, thanks to a generous PopJustice reader.

3. The danciest song on the album is a track about a stalker (big surprise!) who irritates Sophie over the phone. ASCAP registers a song-title called "Dial My Number" (with Liam Howe) which, i suppose is the track we're talking about. There was a title called "Hang Up" which came from an inside source, which is most probably just a big rumour. As are the other titles - Still Mixed Up and Carnival.

4. There was a demo CD in circulation in the Fascination office which included these tracks - Synchronised, Starlight, Dial My Number, Off & On, Heartbreak, Under Your Touch and Sophia Loren. Some, if not all, of these tracks might end up on the album. Synchronised was added to Fascination's office playlist back when the song title was just discovered. Calvin Harris had hinted once that he was working on a new mix for "Off & On". We're not sure if there is going to be a new mix of the song, or if his other song "Calling It Love" will end up on the album instead. Sophie performed Starlight at the iTunes festival. The track is produced by Richard X, who has also contributed another song called "Magic". Richard X seems to think that Magic will end up on Sophie's album, thats what i gather from BlackMelody. Richard X, along with Hannah Robinson contributed another song called "Immune To Love", which might not end up on the album.

5. There is a song called "Revolution" which a music journalist (JP) posted on the offical SEB forums. In his words. "'Revolution' has to be a single, I cannot write in words how much I love this track".

6. Sophie had mentioned Ed Harcourt a couple of times in the past. Ed collaborated with Sophie and Dimitri, contributing 3 songs, according to ASCAP. Sophie also said on a radio interview that she worked with Betty Boo for the album, but no song title has popped up, yet, crediting Betty Boo.

7. Sophie has worked with the famous Armin Van Buuren on a very trance-y song called "Not Giving Up On Love" which is penned with the Nervo sisters. The Nervo sisters contributed another song called "We Got A Chance", according to ASCAP. Sophie recently confirmed the Armin track to be a part of the album.

8. "Sophia Loren", a track produced by Christopher Rojas and co-written with Cathy Dennis was initially planned to be the lead single of the album last January, when Sophie was still pregnant with Kit. The song was featured on a Rimmel advert which is now being played in the US as well. The chorus of the song can be heard on the advert, and a 2 minute snippet of the song can be heard on the making of ad. Christopher Rojas contributed another song called "Lose Myself" according to ASCAP.

9. Sophie's official website announced that Sophie was going to work with Greg Kurstin (again) and Andreas Kleerup on new songs. So far, no songtitles have popped up anywhere crediting them. Sophie has worked with Kurstin in the past on her hit single "Catch You".

10. Sophie has worked with some of the biggest names in the pop industry. Here are the list of collaborators - Freemasons, Calvin Harris, Richard X, Joe (Metronomy), Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps), Biffco, Dimitri, Hannah Robinson, Armin Van Buuren, Christopher Rojas, Jim Elliott (Kish Mauve), Fred Ball, Greg Kurstin, Andreas Kleerup, Johnny Douglas, Cathy Dennis, Ina Wrolsden, Miriam and Olivia Nervo, Ed Harcourt, Betty Boo and more (that whole Bloodshy & Avant thing is, most probably, just a rumour).

11. This is a thorough list of songs recorded for the album. We're not sure which ones are going to make it to the final cut - Cut Through The Heart, Don't Let Me Go, Sleepwalking, Love Deluxe, For Love, Not Giving Up On Love, Calling It Love, Dial My Number, Give Into Love, Magic, Bittersweet, Lose Myself, My Priority, Off & On, Only For This Moment, Sophia Loren, Sorry Now, Starlight, Supersexy, Synchronised, Scene, Under Your Touch, Whispers On The Street, Wicked Game, Immune To Love, We Got A Chance, Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer, Easier Said Than Done, Get Right, Hype, Kitten On The Keys, Revolution.

Bittersweet - Freemasons Mix - LIVE AUDIO!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2RFmfIUQkY
ohmyfuckinggoshthisrockssophieisgoingtoscoreahitwiththis!

Thanks to a very generous contributor on PopJustice, we now know what the Freemasons mix of Bittersweet sounds like...

Enjoy fellas...and dames.

HELLO! mag interview, Fascination's tweet, Bloodshy & Avant, release date and more

Fascination recently tweeted this:

"The Freemasons remixes of the new Sophie single - Bitter Sweet - are beyond brilliant! Release date is April 26."

So the good news is that we have a release date. Sophie is filming the video on the 17th of this month. Maybe the song hits the radio after that, followed by the video premiere in March.

Also, a recent article on Music Fascination confirms a list of collaborators for this album, and Bloodshy & Avant are in it too! Excited? - Read here

Thanks to Eden for the heads-up.

And, HELLO! magazine caught up with Sophie at New Orleans.

It's a city famous for food and music, so it's no wonder singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor looks at home when HELLO! catches up with her in New Orleans. "My family, good music and really good food are what's important to me", says the 30-year-old pop star, who lives in London with her bassist husband Richard Jones of the band The Feeling and their songs Sonny, five and Kit, nearly one. Having shot to fame a decade ago when she sang on the dance classic Groovejet, Sophie's first three albums were hits around the world while her fourth - as yet untitled - is due out soon, as she enjoys the Big Easy, Sophie talks hangovers, hauntings and happiness.

So, Sophie, what do you make of New Orleans?

It's an incredible city! Southern Comfort flew me out here and the atmosphere's just amazing. There's music everywhere; as we were taking these photos, some old boys just started dancing in the street outside. It's supposedly the most haunted place in America and you can definitely feel it in the air. We took a ghost tour, but fortunately we didn't come face to face with any unnerving otherworldliness. It was fun though.

Thanks to Sophie-Online for the pictures.

(Sophie is the brand ambassador for Southern Comfort)

Do you get out much back home in London?

Absolutely! My husband and I are both musicians, so we're pretty nocturnal creatures and we do spend a lot of time out and about once the kids are tucked up in bed. We both DJ too, so we definitely inhabit this whole other world once the children are in bed.

What's your tipple?

If it's just a quiet drink after work I like white wine, but if it's more of a party night you can't beat mojito to get you revved up.

Do you ever overindulge?

Very rarely. I'm a bit obsessed with keeping in control and I don't like getting hangovers, so I'm quite a responsible drinker. Even people who've known me for years, way before I had kids, haven't seen me get too out of it.

What's your favourite bar snack?

I like those little green chilli peppers, eaten whole and fried, with a bit of salt and edamame, with an ice-cold beer.

Your songs were born prematurely after you developed pre-eclampsia and Kit spent the first five weeks of his life in hospital. How is he now?

He's lovely and healthy and happy and it's all fine now. Having two kinds means life's a bit more chaotic but it's where we always hoped to find ourselves.

Are you planning any more?

I like the idea of more, but for the time being, I'm just focusing on work and the new album. I've been working with a lot of different dance DJs including Calvin Harris and the Freemasons, so it's definitely the most "dancey" album I've ever made.

Was it more of a creative challenge, producing a new album with such a young baby in tow?

It's actually been all right. Making music doesn't really feel like a day job and in fact the new song I've done with the Freemasons was written at home while I was looking after Kit, in between feeds, so it was quite a relaxed process.

Are the boys demonstrating any musical inclinations yet?

Kit is just responding like most babies do, I guess, but Sonny is pretty into music. He loves dancing around and he's already talking about being a drummer and is partial to a bit of Metallica.

You turned 30 last April. How does it feel to kiss goodbye to your twenties?

So far, I've found getting older to be a good thing, as you feel more settled in your skin. I certainly wouldn't want to go back and be 18 again.

Have you still got a passion for fashion?

Of course. I've got two kids but I'm not dead. People always assume that when you have babies, you suddenly don't want to get dressed up anymore, but I'm still a popstar.

So who are your biggest style inspirations?

I still look back to when I was little; things like Mary Poppins and the girls in Grease, 1950s fashions, tailoring and bright make-up. Same as always - I'm a creature of habit!

the hype continues...Bittersweet

I'm going to copy-paste a post i found on PopJustice. I got a little excited, jumped around a little bit, but i'm going to keep calm until i hear a snippet of the song.

Hi All, OK, just got a VERY reliable tweet from someone very much in the know... The single has indeed been chosen and a pre-lim date was set for early April'10.... HOWEVER!!!! A certain Ellis-Bextor has only gone and dropped one mother-****** of a killer track to record exec that the commercial music scene is raving about.... 'Bittersweet'.... again ft Freemasons Record exec's (and prob Camp Kylie is the truth is told) do not want a re-run of Ellis -vs- whoever. Plans are now underway to either push the release forward (making my tweeter very much busier, which was the subject of our chat) .... or at worst the album is pushed right back till the end of summer, in which case will the current vibe/trend of the new material be over??? 'Bittersweet' is already being predicted to be the unforgetable song of the '10's (i.e 2010 - 2020... maybe the CGYOOMH for this new decade). Just though I'd share..... ....And this is VERY reliable, be sure of that!

Oh and BiffCo tweeted:

"Blasting Freemasons Remix of Sophies 'Bittersweet'. It's Heartbreaks bigger louder Brother!" and "Your Love is Bittersweet"

and then she tweeted.....

"the new single's about when you can't resist something that you know is bad for you. a guilty pleasure. like watching celebrity big brother."
Lol. I find the comparison quite hilarious. So it's a song about guilty pleasures. I'm glad its not another heartbreak on the dancefloor.

"out early april, heading to radio early february"
oh. I was hoping for January, but i'm still quite excited. February is not far away.

"the new single is called Bittersweet. it's written with those lovely Freemason's again (and lovely biff and lovely hannah too.)"
Freemasons/Biff/Hannah/Sophie. Wow. Its like nothing can go wrong. But i suspect this was more of a Fascination move. Heartbreak did well and stayed for a long time, so why not use the same formula and spice it up. Oh well, i'm still on board. I hope it is as "massive" as Fascination deemed it to be. *fingers crossed*