American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat’s has teamed up with fellow American musician, Sheryl Crow for her latest single. The duet, “I’ll Be Here” is an uplifting song written about 13 years ago and intended for anyone to sing to whoever they love, including themselves. Caillat’s latest album, “Along The Way,” was released earlier this week.
“I’ll Be Here” by Colbie Caillat & Sheryl Crow is new this week on RadiJohan.
Dutch quartet “Racoon” scored one of the biggest hits in Dutch chart history with their 2005 ballad “Love You More.” The band started life in 1997 as an acoustic duo consisting of singer Bart van der Weide and guitarist Dennis Huige. The following year they were joined by Paul Bukkens on drums and Stefan De Kroon on bass making “Racoon” complete. Their self-released debut single, “It’s An Ice Cream Day” got them noticed in the industry and, after performing at the Noorderslag Festival, they received an offer of a recording contract from Sony.
Racoon have scored a number of hit albums and singles in their native “Netherlands” over the last 25 years and a brand new album is now on the horizon. Their new single, “Nickel For Goodbye,” which serves as an appetizer, is new this week on RadiJohan.
On 11 October 1962 The Beatles made their debut on the UK charts with the single “Love Me Do.” John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote it in 1958 when John was 17 and Paul was 16. They made time for songwriting by skipping school. They had written songs before, but “Love Me Do” was the first one they liked enough to record. The song peaked at number 17.
In 1964 it was released in the United States where it became a number one hit. It also topped the Australian and New Zealand charts. Re-released in 1982 as part of EMI’s Beatles 20th anniversary, “Love Me Do” re-entered the UK charts and peaked at number 4.
The Beatles came very close to releasing another song as their first single. At their September 4 recording session their Manager, George Martin decided their first single should be a song called “How Do You Do It?” which was written by someone else. The Beatles were not happy but did some lackluster takes of the song before they were allowed to record “Love Me Do.” Eventually, Martin changed his mind and went with “Love Me Do.” “How Do You Do It?” became a hit for Gerry & the Pacemakers in 1964.
Grant Haua started playing guitar when he was 13 years old.
“My younger brother had got one for Christmas the year before and I noticed he was already starting to get admiring glances from the girls at our school, I said to myself “dam I need to learn the guitar too.“
Haua has been playing guitar ever since. His first solo album “Knucklehead,” released in 2010, got good reviews and opened a few doors for him. He ended up meeting percussionist Michael Barker (Neil Finn, John Butler Trio) and formed “Swamp Thing,” writing music and touring regularly for the next 8 years.
In January 2019, after touring Australia and New Zealand extensively, he decided to continue solo to focus on the music he really enjoys, “soul music.” In 2021 his 2nd solo album, “Awa Blues” presented him with the opportunity to tour in Europe and getting a gig on the iconic German Music TV show “Rockpalast.” New Zealand artists rarely break through in Europe due to the country’s isolated location. The artists that do break through are almost always of exceptional quality. Grant Haua was firmly added to that list after the release of “Awa Blues.”
His new album “Mana Blues” is out now. It is different from previous releases in that it is electric rather than acoustic and deals with serious topics that, Haua says, he usually steers clear of. The album’s fist single, “Embers,” is new this week on RadiJohan.
| TW | LW | Artist | Title |
| 10 | 6 | The Rolling Stones | Angry |
| 9 | 2 | Gatling Gun | Dangerous Life |
| 8 | New | Robert Jon & The Wreck | Into The Light |
| 7 | New | Brothers Osborne | Nobody’s Nobody |
| 6 | New | Anastacia & Peter Maffay | Just You |
| 5 | 5 | Michael Thompson Band | Just What It Takes |
| 4 | 3 | Soen ft. Elisa | Hollowed |
| 3 | 4 | Extreme | Other Side of The Rainbow |
| 2 | 2 | Streetlight | Words For Mending Hearts |
| 1 | 1 | Rick Springfield | She Walks With The Angels |
Watch this week’s Top 10 by clicking the play button below.
As well as being a member of several other bands, English musician Steven Wilson is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree. He is also a solo artist, having released seven solo albums since his solo debut “Insurgentes” in 2008. The Seventh of these is “The Harmony Codex” which was released last week.
In a career spanning more than 30 years, Wilson has made music prolifically and earned critical acclaim. His honours include six nominations for Grammy Awards: twice with Porcupine Tree, once with his collaborative band “Storm Corrosion” and three times as a solo artist. In 2017 The Daily Telegraph described him as “a resolutely independent artist” and “probably the most successful British artist you’ve never heard of”.
Steven Wilson’s “What Life Brings” from “The Harmony Codex” is new this week on RadiJohan.
“Eclipse,” a Swedish hard rock band from Stockholm formed in 1999 has consistently produced melodic hard rock for the masses. Their 10th studio album, “Megalomanium” is out now and includes eleven fresh, energetic, up-tempo sing-along rockers with some of those melodic hooks for which they have become known.
With a bombastic wall-to-wall chorus, the single “Anthem” by “Eclipse” is new this week on RadiJohan.
This week in 1984 David Bowie scored his sixth UK number 1 album with “Tonight.” However, reception by critics was poor, with most finding a lack of creativity. Bowie himself would later call “Tonight” not one of his stronger efforts. The album featured the singles, Tonight,” “Loving The Alien” and the top 10 hit “Blue Jean.”
American Blues Rockers “Ghost Hounds” released their debut album “Roses Are Black” in 2019. It generated millions of streams and received acclaim from, among others, Billboard and American Songwriter. Ghost Hounds are a modern day rock band that plays blues inspired rock in such a way that proves the genre is not only alive but thriving for the next generation of rock fans.
The fourth Ghost Hounds album, “First Last Time,” was released at the end of July. Their single “Make it Shake” is new this week on RadiJohan.
Vega are an English rock band, named after the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, formed in 2009 who have recently released their eighth album, “Battlelines,” a highly infectious and energetic album that may even be a little more hard-hitting than their previous albums.
Vega wear their musical influences on their sleeves. Whether it’s the classic Bon Jovi sound from the late 80s and 90s or that of Def Leppard, the Birmingham based quintet certainly knows how to create melodic rock with a hard edge that’s very catchy at the same time!
“Heroes and Zeros” is the opening track from “Battlelines” and is new this week on RadiJohan.