Show notes for the 252nd Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:
Ellie & the Oscars – Dancing in the Rain
Last year Ellie & the Oscars debut on the Malta music scene with a solid release that some pundits felt could catapult them firmly into the hearts and minds of their audiences not only locally but also overseas. Now they return with this new song possibly to have another stab at the unfulfilled potential from last year. I may be reading more than there is in terms of the fortunes this group seeks but perhaps 2011 will be the year when they get noticed by a broader audience, which will certainly find their songs enjoyable.
Sounds United (Malta) – Life Goes On
I’m not a great fan of songs that seek to replicate the original formula made famous by Geldolf/Ure with Band Aid back in the 1980s. This new song in aid of Red Cross relief efforts in Japan following this year’s devastating earthquakes and tsunami, however, may prove to be an exception to my dislike of songs cobbled together quickly featuring various singers pushing a cause that someone else thought would be good to add their names to for the purpose of attracting attention to the (good) cause. Perhaps what has made this outing a little more palatable for me is the choice of singers featured for the Malta (not Maltese, mind you) version of this song: Thea Garrett, Mel Portelli from Chasing Pandora, Jotham from Scream Daisy, Matt from Red Electrick, Mike Spiteri, Eleanor Cassar, Thomas Hedley and Aaron Benjamin, among others.
Ivan Filletti – Sticks and Stones
One of Malta’s most prolific singer-songwriters in relatively unknown, even though he has been gigging for over 20 years. Filletti is known to many followers of Malta’s varied music scene and his songs have been receiving good radio airplay ever since he started recording. However, for someone who’s a marketing man by profession, it’s surprising to see that he doesn’t sell himself and his brand of music more actively. I say this mostly because I hardly saw any promotional material coming my way to inform me about his latest album from which this track was released as a single.
Freddie Portelli – We’ve Got Music
It would seem that Freddie Portelli’s thirst for good old fashioned rock ‘n roll is unquenchable. His first release for 2011 is a two-track EP, from which the song We’ve Got Music is lifted. His vocal bravado and rockabilly guitar style is unmistakable. Here is a veteran doing what he knows best and in the process delighting his thousands of fans across the world in the process.
Clandestine – She’s the One
Cover versions of Maltese songs are not very common unless they’re old-time pop hits (like Xemx from The Tramps) or Eurovision songs. The occasional exception is therefore often greeted with some relish from the sophisticated connoisseurs of the local music scene. She’s the One is a Bark Bark Disco song, which makes it quite an obscure choice for a cover, but perhaps not so much from a band that’s fronted by one who may soon become the new darling of the alternative music scene in Malta. This recording is among the first that any one has heard from the Clandestines but I have a distinct feeling that they’re poised to hit the local scene with noticeable impact quite soon.
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