these are the things, the things we lost in the fire.

things have got a bit much again.

four evening shifts a week/severe lack of social interaction/crippled body/anything else. not coping. need change.

playlist.

on my listening-to-over-and-over list atm:

"Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary" - Rihanna [this song may change your life a bit.]
"Dark In My Imagination" - ofVerona
"The Golden Age" (full album) - Woodkid
"Save Me" - Bo Bruce

nostalgic music hour: Sugababes circa Angels With Dirty Faces/Three

I'm not sure why, but recently I've been getting back into music from my childhood, such as the once-brilliant Sugababes. "Angels With Dirty Faces" and "Three" were two fantastic albums back then and remain fantastic to this day. There's a lot to be said for pop music of a certain era - it wasn't all a cheese-fest!

My personal highlights - AWDF:
"Blue"
"More Than a Million Miles"
"Just Don't Need This"

My personal highlights - Three:
"Whatever Makes You Happy"
"Situation's Heavy"
"Million Different Ways"
"We Could Have It All"

Back then, Sugababes were angsty without being try-hard, full of soul, with tracks of pure gold, littered with oriental sounds, plenty of bass and lush harmonies. In my opinion, the blend of Mutya, Kiesha and Heidi's vocals was really stunning, each bringing their own unique sound. With a team of brilliant writers, the result was quality pop music, worlds away from the 'bubblegum', meaningless sounds of their rivals. I've thought for a long time now how disappointing it was to watch their disintegration into bland, 'sexy' pop. "Taller In More Ways" probably marked a step in the wrong direction, although there were still touches of genius ("2 Hearts", "Gotta Be You", "Bruised"). Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what the reunited "MKS" bring to the table. With a bit of luck, something harking back to their original brilliance.

if there's any justice in the world.

The media has been bowling me over recently. Last week came my battle with the most irksome tabloid of all, the Daily Mail. Or rather, the hothouse that is the Daily Mail Online. I'm the first to admit to shamelessly browsing the right hand column of the page quite regularly; the renowned 'Femail' section consisting of, you guessed it, hundreds of pieces of female-based celebrity gossip. This is something which I don't take too seriously, more for my own sordid entertainment when I'm feeling down on my luck; a picture of Britney Spears in unflattering trousers is just the ticket. But let me be clear: I don't in any way wish to condone the kind of crap they come out with. Perhaps unsurprisingly, worse than the appallingly-written stories and attitudes conveyed by the 'writers' themselves is the abhorrent species of folk that take time to comment on these articles. For the Daily Mail allows anyone and everyone to write a comment underneath almost all their online articles, supposedly 'moderated' before posting. I can only imagine that this moderation consists of merely checking that there are no 'swear words' in a comment, as there is very little else that fails to slip through the net as far as I can see.

What I witnessed last week was nothing short of bullying targeted at my favourite artist and friend Bo Bruce. A crude article to start with, reporting on a so-called 'wardrobe malfunction' of hers, which, thanks to the bitter low-lifes who commented on it, turned into a full scale attack on everything about her. Perilous insults were thrown at her via the comment box - 'she's on drugs', 'she's anorexic', 'she's ugly' to name but a few. Call me biased and over defensive, but I was completely gobsmacked that people were taking their time to sit behind a computer and fearlessly insult someone they know nothing about. To make matters worse, the outfit in question was worn for a charity event - rendering the whole debacle completely and utterly disrespectful not just to Bo, but to the charity. Bo has, extremely bravely, battled through a life of turmoil to come out the other side and prepare to launch her dream career, at last. How anyone can sit there and say such disgusting things about someone like her is beyond me. I only hope that these trolls eventually find a way to deal with their issues in a more effective way than anonymously bullying others over the internet.

Amen.

Miles and miles to go: before I sleep.

As a handful of you who read this blog will know, I have a small obsession. That obsession is with the enigmatic rising star, and former contestant of The Voice UK, Bo Bruce. Pictured above is her behind the scenes of the video shoot for her new single, "Save Me", due for release on April 29th, the same day as her much-awaited first LP, "Before I Sleep".

Bo has a small, but growing, following, all of whom eagerly await what the future holds for such a talented individual. As the clock ticks towards her big release, Bo has stepped on-board the promotional train to get her music heard, just as she deserves. Having listened to the previews of every track on iTunes, it is obvious to all what a magical record we are being blessed with. It makes a refreshing change to hear such honesty in popular music, but that is, of course, what Bo does best. Personal highlights of "Before I Sleep" include "Echoes", "Lightkeeper" and "The Hands I Hold", but every single track has a touch of magic.

Perhaps I'm biased, but Bo has a sparkle that is difficult to ignore. It's in the way she presents herself; her magnetic personality and stage presence, the clothes on her back and, of course, that spine-tingling voice of hers. Not only this but, having met her myself, I can testify as to just how lovely she is as a human being. I can only pray that Bo receives the attention and praise she so desperately deserves; that the rest of the world sees what we see.

"Before I Sleep" can be pre-ordered via iTunes or, for a signed copy or exclusive VIP package go here: http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/mercury-records/bo-bruce/icat/bobruce/?__utma=215265419.1934788158.1361871358.1361991813.1362826818.5&__utmb=215265419.2.10.1362826818&__utmc=215265419&__utmx=-&__utmz=215265419.1361871358.1.1.utmcsr=t.co|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/Gr5Ch4ybyd&__utmv=-&__utmk=91758297