Rules:
While I started my blogging year with historical nonfiction, on the music side, the first thing I listened to was Caprisongs, FKA Twigs’s mixtape released on January 14th.
Mixtapes can be hit or miss for me; after all it’s a place where experimentation with style and genre can (and often does) occur. So when they’re good they’re good. Some of my favorites have been Magdalena Bay’s Mini Mix vol. 1 & vol. 2, as well as Angel Haze’s Reservation. And Caprisongs falls right in with some of the best I’ve listened to.
When FKA Twigs releases something new, I know I’m in for a good time. With features including Pa Salieu and The Weeknd (among a handful of others), Caprisongs delivered everything I was looking for. Proceeded by two singles—Tears In The Club featuring The Weeknd and Jealousy featuring Rema—FKA Twigs’s genre-bending style and distinct vocals were front and center.
I listened to Caprisongs in one sitting, and I enjoyed every minute of it. From the splashy intro (Ride The Dragon), to the features (Honda, Tears In The Club, Papi Bones, Which Way, etc.), and to its excellent conclusion (Thank You Song). This is a mixtape I’ll be listening to again.
Rules:
Welcome to the first “I Listened To” post of 2022. Today, I’m going to delve into my thoughts about Tierra Whack’s most recent music, a series of Eps with three songs each that were released in December 2021. They’re called Rap?, Pop?, and R&B?.
Tierra Whack is one of those artists that I return to time and time again. Her music is always so creative, and her vocals are a distinctive part of what makes her work so memorable. So once I started listening to the Eps, I went through all three in one sitting.
Rap?, Pop?, and R&B? have all the characteristics—in sound and stylish vibe—of what I’ve come to expect from Whack’s music. Here though, that sound was mixed with the influence of the genre associated with the Ep titles. Some of my top favorite songs from them include: Millions, Stand Up, Body of Water, and Heaven.
All in all, in terms of music, this was a great way to start the year. And I’m excited to see what the rest of 2022 has in store.
This murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick child—but when escalating lies lead to a dead body, everyone is a suspect.
The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals for an Arthur Miller play, when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Haywood and his wife Helen, the play’s star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their fellow castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance at survival. But not everybody is convinced of the experimental treatment’s efficacy—nor of the good intentions of those involved. New actress Sam, a former NGO worker, raises doubts. But are her suspicions justified? Or does she have a history with the doctor involved? As tension grows within the community, things come to a shocking head the night of the dress rehearsal. The next day, a dead body is found, and soon, an arrest is made. In the run-up to the trial, two young lawyers sift through the material—emails, messages, letters—with a growing suspicion that a killer may still be on the loose.
A wholly modern take on the epistolary novel, The Appeal is a debut perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Lucy Foley.
A former magazine editor and award-winning journalist, Janice has written speeches and articles for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Department for International Development. In screenwriting, Janice's first feature film RETREAT was released by Sony Pictures (co-written and directed by Carl Tibbetts) which starred Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton and Jamie Bell. Janice’s stage plays have been performed at Theatre503, The White Bear, Hen & Chickens and TheatreN16. She was also one of six female playwrights selected by All The Rage Theatre for its Seize The Stage festival at Rich Mix. Her play NETHERBARD has twice been performed by Budding Rose Productions. Janice has had television scripts in development with Slim Film & TV and with Retort (part of FreemantleMedia). Her sitcom TWO LADIES was performed at the Museum of Comedy in June 2019. Janice was selected for the Triforce Creative Network year-long mentoring scheme and featured on the BBC New Talent Hotlist. She won Best New Screenplay in the 2014 British Independent Film Festival.
Janice's debut novel, THE APPEAL, published by Viper (Serpent's Tail) in January 2021.
