“Think
of the freedom and fun of the
Sixties: Carnaby Street, The King’s
Road, mini skirts, David Bailey,
Twiggy, Biba, E-Type Jags, Minis,
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones,
Abbey Road... Oh, and a barefoot pop
princess called Sandie Shaw
whose welcome re-emergence into
the music world is endorsed by
her collaboration with Davidge as
a featured vocalist on the great
Riot Pictures...”
BACK IN THE SWINGING SIXTIES, a young rising star kicked off her shoes as
she left the wings for centre stage and sang barefoot to an appreciative audience,
clocking up a string of catchy songs to her name that became instant hits.
The original pop princess, Sandie Shaw worked with such seminal music artistes
as Adam Faith, Burt Bacharach and The Smiths on celebrated hits that include
Always Something There To Remind Me and Hand In Glove.
“Seductively purring
her way into the
21st Century,
Sandie Shaw brings
a freshness and
maturity to her musical
talents in a collaboration
with the remarkable
Davidge...”
The
first of a kind; she laid the foundations for early feminism and was arguably
an inspiration, paving the way for the young iconic women of today who follow
in her bare footsteps.
Now she appears here as the featured vocalist on the album Riot Pictures
with Davidge (Neil Davidge), best known for his production work on the ground-breaking
album Mezzanine and the hauntingly-beautiful single Teardrop.
The release of her back catalogue in its entirety in 2013 saw Sandie in a throwaway
line mentioning the R-word: Retirement. Taken as a literal comment by the media,
she had instead something rather different in mind. Something far more exciting.
Her plans were to lay to rest her musical past and move on from her musical
heritage to focus on a new sound, a new image and brand new material. A brave
and gifted Sandie was already working on an exciting new project created by
the legendary Neil Davidge, aka Davidge, the producer, sonic architect and co-writer
of the last three Massive Attack albums.
The composer of Microsoft's Halo 4 gaming franchise, Neil Davidge is also score
composer to many movies, including the forthcoming James Franco/Kate Hudson
movie Good People and the highly anticipated Monsters: Dark Continent
sequel that premieres in the UK on 27 February (2015) — benefiting from
an impressive lineage of musical collaborations and sonic sculpting for David
Bowie, Snoop Dog, Damon Albarn, Primal Scream and Mos Def.
Neil's 2014 debut solo album Slo Light delivers quality electronica with
distinctive beats; this much-respected, behind-the-scenes studio wizard has
been described as "a modern-day Brian Eno, from the orchestral production school
of William Orbit and Andrew Weatherall". He is, of course, responsible for some
of the most inspirational and pioneering music of the Nineties generation.
A prolific writer and producer, his unique, unparalleled depth and clarity of
production creates the enigma of tension, darkness and beauty; the musical equivalent,
it has been said, of a siren who calls sailors to their sweet doom. Poetic,
dark and irresistible.
This Autumn (2014), Neil Davidge celebrates his half-century of his association
with the music business. Enter the fabulous Sandie Shaw, music legend and favoured
child of the Sixties. Rallying to the "siren" call, she makes a powerful statement
collaborating with Davidge as a featured vocalist on one of his latest productions
— the "superbly leftfield" Riot Pictures, penned by Davidge with
lyrics by Robert Del Naja.
Perfectly demonstrating the superb maturing of her voice, Sandie's gorgeous
vocals float seductively over a sub-bass growl and a Bond-esque string arrangement
that has been described as "fresh, vibrant and sexy as hell" to appeal to the
many fans of both Davidge / Massive Attack as well as Sandie herself.
Seductively purring her way into the 21st Century, Sandie Shaw brings a freshness
and maturity to her musical talents in a collaboration with the remarkable Davidge.
Jools Holland sums it up aptly: "Sandie Shaw is one of the great icons of British
Popular Music. Her voice and charm have been the backdrop to the changing face
of music. She's a legend".
• Riot Pictures by Davidge, featuring
Sandie Shaw, is released by 7HZRecordings in the UK on 6 October 2014.
"Seductively purring her way into the 21st Century, Sandie Shaw brings a freshness
and maturity to her musical talents in a collaboration with the remarkable Davidge"
— Maggie Woods
“Think
of the freedom and fun of the