Elsie - Dakota (Stereophonics cover)

I've always been a fan of a good mash-up, and as far as blending an opera classic and a mainstay of British rock goes, I reckon Sunday Times' one-to-watch newcomer Elsie's take on the Stereophonics Dakota is spot on.

What's she's done is take all the raw passion and grit of the original and transpose it into a tender, heartfelt ballad - and all this to a tuneful guitar backing of Ave Maria.

So who exactly is Elsie? Well, here's a little something straight from her press release:

She loves partying on a weeknight, looking for love – and lust - AND making sure her career’s on track.

She’s predatory but romantic, sexual but not slutty, tough but vulnerable and not only expects to get all she wants in life, but knows she deserves it.

Intriguing! Truth be told, Elsie's voice speaks for herself - it's rich, warming - the perfect tonic for the cold winter evenings. Definitely a real talent to keep an eye out for.

Elsie - Dakota by ElsieMusic

The Jade Assembly - Our Town

Our Town - a big, sonorous anthem the likes of The Doves would be proud to call their own; The Jade Assembly's latest single is exactly the kind of solid rock track that restores your faith in the British indie scene. The band, made up of Foz, Andy, Matt and Smedo talk on their website about crafting songs of honesty and 'an imposing sense of belief'. And belief they have in bucket-loads - carved into the very essence of their sound is a real grit and determination (helped along a good deal by the raw, Northern accents).

The choruses  resound with a real sense of scale, a harking back to the days when Brit-rock heroes The Stereophonics and Manic Street Preachers ruled the airwaves. This is music that soars and glides above the masses, blazing a trail in their wake.

There's a line half-way through; 'We're Bolton Boys until the day we die', and it just serves to re-inforce the fact that Our Town is every inch a future soundtrack to Match of The Day; even the title full of a sense of pride and passion for one's home.

Our Town is available as a free download from the band's website - http://www.thejadeassembly.co.uk/

Candidate23 - One For You

Hailing from Runcorn on the outskirts of Liverpool and with their band name a reference to post-punk legends Joy Division, this teenage five-piece mix youthful energy with a keen sense of melody on their feisty debut single One For You.  Lead singer Will Hayes’ vocals are full of emotion; lines like “Never look back” and “Put your past away” surely striking a chord with all of us.  So often song lyrics seem cheap and disposable, a cheesy mish-mash of clichés; but here, we’re made to feel every word.   And then there’s the guitar hooks that bands twice their age would be proud of.  All the ingredients for a brilliant song are here and One For You represents a stellar beginning for the band.  They even have a fascinating link to pop royalty; drummer Jono Tringham is the cousin of Girls Aloud’s very own Nicola Roberts. Talent clearly runs in the family.

The band describe their sound as a blend between Oasis and the Stereophonics, and it’s a pretty spot-on comparison – Candidate23 carry that same boyish swagger paired with the intelligence and lyrical skill to mark them out as more than just the next bunch if indie clones.  In a world where young rock groups are ten-a-penny, Candidate23 have the skill and musicianship to lift them a cut above the rest, their songs playing loud and clear to the masses.