Milow - Will You Conquer Britain?

It’s weird how some artists conquer a country and others don’t. Ben Harper is a household name in France and the US yet is relatively unknown in the UK. Another example of this is Milow.

He’s a Belgian singer-songwriter who made it big in Belgium with the number one “You Don’t Know.” He then managed to conquer the rest of Europe (excluding the UK) with his Cover of “Ayo Technology” originally by Justin Timberlake and Fifty Pence..... or whatever his name is!

I reckon that “You Don’t Know” is by far the stronger track and I just love this live version played as part of the "3voor12" sessions. He has an amazing voice and his lyrics are great.... especially considering that English is his second language. Special mention too for Tom Vanstiphout who plays dobro (that metal guitar on the front of the Dire Straits album) and provides backing harmonies. Let the music do the talking.

Music I like - Eric Hutchinson

Now far be it from me to ever review albums, it isn't my place, but I can certainly share what I like! Behold...... Eric Hutchison.

I'm always on the look out for new music and sites like Last Fm facilitate this but I get a bit sick of them pushing the same artists and they also seem to think that popularity of an artist is a deciding factor in whether an artist is similar. I found this guy on Spotify and they reckon he is like Jack Johsnon but I don't really hear it. I would even venture that those that like the stripped back sound of Jack might not like the rather busier sound of Eric Hutchinson. I would say he is more comparable to Brett Dennen......

Anyway, I always know it's a good album if I like it on the first listen and this I like. It spoke to me...... it touched me deep....... errr anyway. It's really nicely produced with some busy melodic parts. The whole album is up beat which is nice and there is an ecclectic blend of influences including acoustic, reggae and soul. It's happy music!

The album is called "Sounds Like This." I think the album artwork is cracking too. So many singer-songwriters plaster their face all over the front cover or some cheesy photo of them by the sea. Give it a listen and by all means if you know of any "similar" artists please let me know.

Why Acoustic Jim?

So my musical alter ego is Acoustic Jim. By day I market a website and by night I fight (or commit depending on how you see it) musical crime. There are some people around me who have made it clear that they do not like the name "Acoustic Jim" and indeed ask me when I will change it. My answer is never!

The name came about when a compere introduced me as "Acoustic Jim." He was drunk and didn't know what he was saying but it stuck and 18 months later it is still my handle. One thing is for sure, love it or hate it, it does what it says on the tin. I play acoustic music and my name is Jim. My reasons for keeping it however, are not sentimental, but carefully considered.

Even if you hate the name you engage with it. To engage with it means it is more memorable and when marketing myself (without sounding too much like a commercial whore) making my name memorable is important. All too often I watch acts that I like and can never remeber their names because they simply use there actual and easily forgettable name. Experience has taught me that people find my surname difficult to get their head around let alone remember. Acoustic Jim on the other hand is a name which instantly sticks and often preceeds me.

Here ends today's reading!

I fear that I rarely have enough interesting material to share with the world, which has deterred me from blogging before. I also wonder whether anyone really cares however, this has not stopped many millions of bloggers around the world so I decided it shouldn't stop me. Who is this blog for? Who knows? I will let it evolve organically.