My favorite IT girl import of the moment? HANDS DOWN - Clare Maguire. I can't get enough of this girl's voice, although if I get ONE MORE CHER COMPARISON I'm going to scream. Yes, there are similarities in tone but Clare Maguire has her own, unique vocal style. She's a total original. Maguire's second single, "The Last Dance," is set for release on February 20th, followed by the release of her debut album, Light After Dark (Polydor Records) on February 28th. Check out the absolutely STUNNING Aitken Jolly artwork for her album, which is due out in America via Universal Republic later this year.
Maguire co-wrote the majority of the album herself with Fraser T. Smith, who also served as producer (Jennifer Hudson, James Morrison, Ellie Goulding) on the album. While Maguire was used to writing alone, she found something special in her collaboration with Smith, and most songs on the album took a single day to write. Laying down the perfect vocal in one go also seems to be something Maguire has mastered, as most of the vocals were recorded in the first take. Maguire draws inspiration from the Irish music that she grew up listening to and an eclectic mix of artists spanning different genres- everyone from Sinead O'Connor and Annie Lennox to Kate Bush and Johnnny Cash. Guess what people! I don't see Cher in that list.
Clare Maguire - The Last Dance (Danny Byrd Remix) by Radar Maker
Before we get to the tracklisting for the album, I wanted to share with you another fabulous remix of Maguire's new single, "The Last Dance," this one by Danny Byrd. While not as CLUBBY as my personal fav by Kris Menace I quite like this one a lot. Check out the Chase & Status mix as well as the Kris Menace mix over HERE. Listen to Danny Byrd's mix ABOVE. Maguire's currently in the midst of a European tour so check out a full list of the dates BELOW the cut. Hoping for some more U.S. dates in addition to her appearance at the Coachella festival this April.
Tracklisting:
1. "Are You Ready? (Intro)"
2. "The Sword & The Shield"
3. "The Last Dance"
4. "Freedom"
5. "I Surrender"
6. "Bullet"
7. "The Happiest Pretenders"
8. "Sweet Lie"
9. "Break These Chains"
10. "You're Electric"
11. "Ain't Nobody"
12. "Light After Dark"
13. "This Is Not The End"
14. "Lucky" (iTunes bonus track
15. "Burn" (iTunes pre-order track)
Tour Dates:
February 11//The Borderline//London, UK
February 14//O2 Academy 3 Birmingham//Birmingham, UK
February 24//Jazz Cafe//London, UK
March 1//Ancienne Belgique//Brussels, Belgium
March 2//Oosterpoort//Groningen, Netherlands
March 3//VEGA//Copenhagen, Denmark
March 5//Berns Salonger//Stockholm, Sweden
March 6//Rockefeller//Oslo, Norway
March 8//Große Freiheit 36//Hamburg, Germany
March 9//Hugenottenhalle//Neu-Isenburg, Germany
March 11//Alter Schlachthof Dresden//Dresden, Germany
March 12//Columbiahalle//Berlin, Germany
March 13//Lucerna Music Bar//Prague, Czech Republic
March 15//Vienna Arena//Vienna, Austria
March 16//Tonhalle//Munich, Germany
March 17//Palladium//Cologne, Germany
March 25//Band On The Wall//Manchester, UK
March 26//King Tut's Wah Wah Hut/Glasgow, UK
March 28//The Sugar Club//Dublin, Ireland
March 30//The Cockpit/Leeds, UK
March 31//King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU)//London, UK
April 1//Thekla//Bristol, UK
April 3//Glee Club//Nottingham, UK
April 4//Glee Club//Nottingham, UK
April 5//O2 Academy Oxford//Oxford, UK
April 15//Coachella//Indio, CA
Check out Clare Maguire on the web: