Muusers, meet Tatiana (Okupnik).

With a stunning, full-bodied set of pipes that place her somewhere snugly in between Shirley Bassey and Amy Winehouse (thanks for the spot-on comparisons, press release!), the powerhouse Polka–who sort of resembles a Polish Amelle Berrabah–has already achieved household name status in her native Poland as the lead singer of band Blue Café, as well as in her own right as a solo artist with her 2007 debut, On My Own.

In 2010, Tatiana relocated to England in an attempt to begin expanding her fan base internationally. “It’s all very well being famous in Europe, but I have enormous respect for the culture of UK pop, and to establish myself professionally in the UK is my absolute goal,” she says.

Her quest began with the release of her debut international single “Spider Web,” penned by Tim Hutton (of Groove Armada/Mutya Buena‘s “Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control)” fame), leading up to the release of her debut international LP of the same name (Spider Web) released on May 1.

Now the singer is gearing up for the release of her second single from Spider Web: “Been A Fool,” due out on August 22. “‘Been A Fool’ is a track that’s all about emotion,” Tatiana explains in the song’s press release. “Massive beats, Shirley Bassey-esque vocals and a big vocal make this the absolute key single from the album for me.”

The song is one of the finest moments of jazz-tinged sorrow since Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”–an instant classic, from start to finish. “Please make an example of me or do you want to be alone?” howls with a chilling conviction above the song’s jazzy, tripping beat.

So what could make the song even better? Why, a remix of course!

Click here to enjoy a full stream of the Seamus Haji radio mix, courtesy of Upside Records/Sony. The remix, which will be serviced to clubs in the UK, gives the already soul-filled single some added life with an extra oomph for the dance floor.

I’m absolutely obsessed!

“Been A Fool” will be released on August 22. (iTunes)
Spider Web was released on May 1. (iTunes)

Elouise isn’t your typical pop star.

There are no synthesizers in her productions–no stomping bass lines, no electronic beats, and certainly no Auto-Tune.

Instead, the focus is all on the voice: Elouise is a throwback act, armed with a set of pipes comparable to the belters of yesteryear, including Judy Garland, Dusty Springfield, and Shirley Bassey.

Taken under Steve Anderson‘s wing (the songwriter, producer and musical director for Kylie Minogue, who also mentioned his work with Elouise months back in his interview with MuuMuse), the English singer has crafted two EPs this year: Stardust, a collection of originals, and the newly released Stardust Melodies, a collection of covers.

“Another Day” is one of the tracks from the first EP, Stardust, which was co-written along with Terry Ronald, the songwriter responsible for penning and producing the bulk of Dannii Minogue‘s flawless 2003 record, Neon Nights.

Very high drama, very emotional…think Streisand, James Bond theme style.

And from the newly released collection, Stardust Melodies, a personal favorite of the bunch: “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” which was originally written for the 1945 musical, Carousel. It’s a really gorgeous, sorrowfully sweet number that reminds me a little bit of Charlie Chaplin‘s “Smile.” And of course, the vocals are nothing short of angelic.

While I’m certainly never one to shy away from a pulsating dance beat, Elouise offers a sweetly sung breath of fresh air in a world that’s become increasingly cluttered with overly processed vocals and noisy production. (And really, who couldn’t use a good ol’ torch song from time to time?) She’s a class act old soul born in the wrong decade.

Well–either that, she’s about to inspire a whole new generation of vocalists.

Elouise is in the midst of recording her upcoming debut album, due out in 2011. To find out more about Elouise, check out her official website.

Stardust Melodies was released on November 15. (iTunes)

When she is in the moment, literally it’s like magic flying about all over the place and on stage. It simply doesn’t get any better.

Steve Anderson is a pop nerd’s goldmine.

Known today as a songwriter, a producer, and a musical director (amongst other job titles), Anderson’s career actually took off in the late ’80′s as a remixer, acting as one-half of the popular remix outfit, Brothers in Rhythm along with Dave Seaman.

Working out mixes for some of the most popular artists of the time including Cherrelle, Sister Sledge, and Loleatta Holloway, Steve Anderson quickly began carving himself a comfy niche in the pop industry. Yet one of the most important milestones in Anderson’s career came with eventual introduction in the early ’90′s with a certain Kylie Minogue.

Beginning with Minogue’s self-titled 1994 record and continuing all the way to Aphrodite, Steve Anderson has worked intimately co-writing and recording the internationally cherished diva for nearly twenty years. He’s been responsible for the arrangement and production of many of her hits (“Confide In Me,” “Did It Again”), as well as continuing to serve as the musical director of every tour she’s done since 1997′s Intimate and Live.

As time went on, Anderson soon began taking a hand at penning tracks for a variety of MuuMuse’s most celebrated acts: From Atomic Kitten to Holly Valance, to the legendary Miss Britney Spears.

Since then, the talented producer has only continued to busy himself with work. Anderson is currently in the midst of planning Minogue’s massive Aphrodite Tour as well as executive producing Christophe Willem‘s upcoming studio album. At the same time, he’s been eagerly involved in the launch of two up-and-coming acts: Elouise, a classic crooner who brings to mind yesterday’s greatest voices (Judy Garland, Dusty Springfield), and The Ultra Girls, a new girl group rooted in Spice Girls-esque pop for the sake of pop.

Needless to say, Steve Anderson is a busy man.

As a result, I was delighted when I found out that Mr. Anderson was willing to answer a heap of questions I’d prepared for him, along with several questions submitted by Muusers. A dream!

So without further ado, please read on to see the first part of the interview.

Read More…

I don’t want to tempt fate, but if that’s not a number one, I’ll eat my sofa.

As the man responsible for such songs as Diana Vickers‘ “The Boy Who Murdered Love,” The Saturdays‘ “Chasing Lights,” and Will Young‘s “Anything is Possible,” as well as some of the upcoming material from Pixie Lott and JLS, pop songwriter and producer Chris Braide has seen his fair share of glory in the UK Top 40 recently.

Two weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of speaking with the busy producer from his studio in London (which is about to be packed away and carted stateside!)

I’m quite proud of this interview–we touched upon all sorts of artists and ended up having a really in-depth discussion about the very nature of pop itself.

Read on to hear all the gossip from behind Braide’s soundboard–loads of pop nerd chatter ahead!

Click “Read More…” to view the entire interview.

Read more »

Nice idea while it lasted. BBC News is now reporting that Winehouse will no longer be up for consideration for the latest Bond Theme as previously reported. According to her producer, Mark Ronson, she’s a tad unwilling to record at the moment:

The Brit award winner told Sky News that “unless by some miracle of science it gets recorded and someone sings a vocal,” the song would not materialise.

Ronson added that their work on other new music had not been finished either.

Winehouse’s spokesman said the decision was taken because she had “other ideas” about how the song should be developed.

Too good to be true, I suppose. In our mourning, let us watch three of the finest Bond themes of all time:

A follow up on that Arctic Monkey’s post from a few days ago…it seems there’s an actual studio version floating around, which is nicely polished and wonderfully done. Go ahead and grab this proper cover.

DL: Arctic Monkeys – Diamonds are Forever (Studio Version)

Source: MuzicMatters Forums

And now for something completely different…the Artic Monkeys covering Shirley Bassey! It’s something we can all love and adore. The band covered the song during their performance at Glastonbury ’07, and now they’ve released the live recording of the song. It’s like listening to Shirley Bassey covering someone equally preposterous…I don’t know. Someone unrelated…like Pink. Hahahaha. Wait, what? Oh…never mind.

It’s quite a nice cover, really. Listen to it here!

DL(Right-click, save link as): Arctic Monkeys – Diamonds Are Forever