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LEILA ADU

LEILA ADU Radio

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FEATURED SONG
Martian Raft
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Martian Raft
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Released: Jan 1, 2011
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General Info

  • Genre: Alternative / Melodramatic Popular Song / Post punk

    Location London/ Wellington/ Rome/Atlanta/New York, New York, Un

    Profile Views: 65431

    Last Login: 10/13/2011

    Member Since 2/15/2006

    Website leiladu.com

    Record Label Little Red Hen + Tracce/Rai Trade + Frizz Records

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    NEWS NEW ALBUM /// Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker /// IN STORES JAN 18, 2011 - DARK JOAN, The solo album recorded and mixed in Chicago with the legendary Steve Albini (PJ Harvey, Joanna Newsome, Nirvana) is OUT NOW in the UK on Frizz Records (NZ distro - bordermusic.com) _ “Leila Adu’s music is cryptic, edgy, oscillating between serious commentary and flippant experimentation.” — Sheffield Telegraph - “Leila Adu is a rebel-inspirer. And not in the way that calls for the raising of fists, or the hurling of sharp word-blades. Her defiance is decided. Explorative.” – Purple Magazine.. "Her voice is extraordinaryboth tender and terrifying" -Sunday Star Times — Dark Joan, the music video for LEILA ADU’s latest album by the same title was filmed in Rome by director by Stephen Bain (NZ) starring Leila Adu and a cast of a cardboard girl army is out February 2010..... ABOUT LEILA ADU Dubbed “Spooky Adu” by Steve Albini (Nirvana, Joanna Newsom, PJ Harvey producer) who recorded her latest solo album, Dark Joan. “Leila Adu takes you on an aural journey that most progressive rock albums could only attempt” (URB ALT Online).. Raised in New Zealand of Ghanaian descent, Adu has produced three acclaimed albums, written for and sung with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, toured extensively and had radio play in the UK, mainland Europe, the US, Australasia, Russia and the Far East. In 2010 she was voted one of Bold As Love’s TEN SISTAS WHO ROCKED THE DECADE and Time Out CRITIC’S CHOICE for her latest gig with London trio LEILA ADU & THE DON’T’s with punk/improv legends John Edwards & Steve Noble (Neneh Cherry’s Rip Rig & Panic) Little Richard’s naughty niece reinstates the piano as the original rock ‘n’ roll instrument with a contemporary twist. “Leila Adu’s music is, cryptic, edgy, oscillating between serious commentary and flippant experimentation” — Sheffield Telegraph. With a voice like hot treacle on broken glass, whether singing of love or social change, fans consistently return to LEILA ADU concerts to be “taken away to a parallel dimension of music and thought.” PREVIOUS ALBUMS CHERRY PIE (2005) Produced by David Long (winner of Producer of the Year Award 2001 and sound designer on Lord of the Rings) with some of New Zealands top musicians "Curiously compelling . . . Centred on her percussive piano playing and an astonishing voice theres little I can compare it to" -National Radio. "If you havent already aquainted yourself with Adu, go do it." ****1/2-Dominion Post DIG A HOLE (2003) Leila's debut album received rave reviews both in New Zealand and Australia from the media and audiences alike. The 'I'm Calling' single and video clip played on both student and National Radio stations and on NZ Televsion. "She has a hypnotic voice, moderately spiced, sprinkled in firewater. Some call it sultry, and it is, but its also heavy and soothing and gets under your skin in the most welcoming way."-Beat Magazine

  • Members

    NEW YORK.. Andrew Weeks (electric bass, )Federico Ughi (drums) LONDON .. songs and improvs = with Steve Noble (drums), John Edwards (double bass), Hannah Marshall (cello), Steve Beresford (piano/electronics)..... ROME .. electroset with Daniele de Santis (drums).. NEW ZEALAND .. albums/tours with David Long (guitar), Jeffrey Henderson (sax) & Tom Callwood (bass), Ricky Gooch (drums) Chris O'Connor (drums), Nick Gaffaney (drums), Rick Cranson (drums), Francesca Mountfort (cello), Chris Palmer (guitar), Lucien Johson (sax) and Nick Van Dyk (tuba)

  • Influences

    Howlin' Wolf, Bessie Smith, Indonesian Gamelan, Claude Debussey, Dimitri Shostakovich, Slint, PJ Harvey, Stravinsky, Galena Ustvolskaya, Mark Rothko, Tartovsky, Einsturzende Neubauten, Primo Levi, Ingmar Bergmann, YOU

  • Sounds Like

    Reviewers have compared Leila Adu to: Nina Simone, Bjork, Ute Lempe, PJ Harvey, Stereolab, Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell, Astrud Gilberto, Fiona Apple, Nico....[(i.e. basically any female artist, who is equally uncategorisable, that a reviewer can think of at the time) Actually, Mark Braby finally compared her to a man, Tim Buckley, which she was rather chuffed about.]

Stream

  1. LEILA ADU

    Found this in the inbox today — I guest on piano and vox for a couple of trax 'Lippizanas Live in Auckland and Seoul' http://t.co/Bq48ZqVQ

  2. LEILA ADU

    Today I ate some eggs and grits my housemate made #breakfastmemoirs

  3. LEILA ADU

    Last Pianos Residency show tonight! https://t.co/FSeUMQY3

  4. LEILA ADU

    Futurospective: Song of the Day No. 6 from the Electronic Foundry - Past and Present Electronic Works http://t.co/kNVjZLU1

  5. LEILA ADU

    Hittin the NY City for our show tonight at Pianos, NYC 8pm - stoked! http://t.co/mHXMHjUb

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Discography

NEW ALBUM ||| ODE TO THE UNKNOWN FACTORY WORKER ||| Out Now!!! Licensed by Tracce/Rai Trade, Distribution Italy - www.goodfellas.it and UK www.cargo.co.uk

DARK JOAN (2009) The solo album recorded and mixed in Chicago with the legendary Steve Albini (PJ Harvey, Joanna Newsome, Nirvana) is OUT NOW in the UK on Frizz Records (UK CD/vinyl distribution www.frizzrecords.com / NZ distribution www.bordermusic.co.nz
“Within seven tracks, Leila Adu takes you on an aural journey that most progressive rock albums could only attempt to do. I see this album as a future classic” — Review by John M. Ellison IV
“Her resplendent soprano delivery of the line “A love that never dies” during this passage of “Wolfmen” ties her to the wonderful vocal legacies of Josephine Baker, Arooh Lemeen, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and Roy Orbison.” — URB ALT Online



CHERRY PIE (2005) Produced by David Long (winner of Producer of the Year Award 2001 and sound designer on Lord of the Rings) with some of New Zealands top musicians.
"Curiously compelling . . . Centred on her percussive piano playing and an astonishing voice theres little I can compare it to" -National Radio.
"If you havent already aquainted yourself with Adu, go do it." ****1/2-Dominion Post



DIG A HOLE (2003) Leila's debut album received rave reviews both in New Zealand and Australia from the media and audiences alike. The 'I'm Calling' single and video clip played on both student and National Radio stations and on NZ Televsion. "She has a hypnotic voice, moderately spiced, sprinkled in firewater. Some call it sultry, and it is, but its also heavy and soothing and gets under your skin in the most welcoming way."-Beat Magazine

Bio

“Leila Adu’s music is cryptic, edgy, oscillating between serious commentary and flippant experimentation.” — Sheffield Telegraph


“Leila Adu is a rebel-inspirer. And not in the way that calls for the raising of fists, or the hurling of sharp word-blades. Her defiance is decided. Explorative.” – Purple Magazine.


"Her voice is extraordinaryboth tender and terrifying" -Sunday Star Times


Dubbed “Spooky Adu” by Steve Albini (Nirvana, Joanna Newsom, PJ Harvey producer) who recorded her latest solo album, Dark Joan. “Leila Adu takes you on an aural journey that most progressive rock albums could only attempt” (URB ALT Online).


Raised in New Zealand of Ghanaian descent, Adu has produced three acclaimed albums, written for and sung with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, toured extensively and had radio play in the UK, mainland Europe, the US, Australasia, Russia and the Far East. In 2010 she was voted one of Bold As Love’s TEN SISTAS WHO ROCKED THE DECADE and Time Out CRITIC’S CHOICE for her latest gig with London trio LEILA ADU & THE DON’T’s with punk/improv legends John Edwards & Steve Noble (Neneh Cherry’s Rip Rig & Panic)


Little Richard’s naughty niece reinstates the piano as the original rock ‘n’ roll instrument with a contemporary twist. “Leila Adu’s music is, cryptic, edgy, oscillating between serious commentary and flippant experimentation” — Sheffield Telegraph. With a voice like hot treacle on broken glass, whether singing of love or social change, fans consistently return to LEILA ADU concerts to be “taken away to a parallel dimension of music and thought.”

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