Tunisian singer-songwriter Nour Harkati is a master of the Guembri, an ancient three-stringed West African instrument similar to a lute and a banjo. Now living in New York City, the surprisingly young man has put together a fantastic band to showcase his unique sound, which mixes organic bass tones of his instrument with the frenetic pulse of a modern rhythm section. It’s good stuff. You can hear for yourself at the Miniplex tonight at 7: 30 p. m. for $20. Support comes from DJ Rhi Marie. Related.
https://www.northcoastjournal.com/music/music-tonight-wednesday-nov-19/
Tag: singer-songwriter
Badfinger’s ‘No Matter What’ Didn’t Always Have That Crazy-Cool Solo
Eventually a No. 8 smash, “No Matter What” endured the kind of difficult journey that now seems sadly familiar in the Badfinger narrative. No one at the UK offices of the Beatles’ Apple Records imprint wanted to release this song, which went through several incarnations before becoming one of the very first power-pop hits.
“I listened to the tune meself recently,” stalwart Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland once told us in an exclusive Something Else! sitdown. “I like the way the band sings; it’s such a loose harmony—not perfect fifths or thirds. It’s a melody harmony. I really enjoyed that. We all had an instant sense about that, and that was something different from many bands of the day.”
Molland revealed something about the song’s memorable conclusion and how a slide solo found its way onto the final master: “We just kind of arranged it in the studio. [Late Badfinger singer-songwriter] Pete [Ham] had the song, and it was a good one. We just worked it out in a studio. Mal Evans was the producer and Geoff Emerick engineered. I think we took about an hour or two hours to do the record. We worked out those little guitar lines, and then the harmonies.”
Suddenly, a moment of last-second inspiration struck. “I originally had a different guitar solo, one that kind of slurred the strings,” Molland added. “But we were at Abbey Road mixing the song, and there was a lap steel. I got that out and started playing along with the backing track. Everybody said: ‘Why don’t we put that on there?’ That’s how it became a slide guitar solo.”
https://somethingelsereviews.com/2025/11/09/badfinger-no-matter-what-joey-molland/
Mariah Carey celebrates legacy, future and Indonesia’s ‘Lambily’
It was approximately 8:15 p.m. on Saturday. The crowd at the majestic Sentul International Convention Center (SICC) in Bogor, West Java, was already buzzing thanks to the electrifying performance of the opening act, Boyzlife.
Then, the lighting suddenly shifted. The air inside the stadium started vibrating. A grand presence soon emerged. The entire audience held their breath as the elusive chanteuse, Mariah Carey, graced the stage in a shimmering ensemble and exuded a natural charisma that reached all the way to the back row.
That exhilarating moment was merely one of many remarkable elements that made up the entirety of the concert, *Mariah Carey – The Celebration of Mimi*, organized by Color Asia Live.
When all was said and done, this landmark musical event served as a joyous celebration for both the record-breaking American singer-songwriter’s storied career and her loyal fans, collectively known as the Lambily, in Indonesia.
Split into four acts, the concert took the entire SICC down memory lane, filled with some of Carey’s greatest hits, while also simultaneously introducing what the future has in store courtesy of the legendary diva.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/culture/2025/10/09/mariah-carey-celebrates-legacy-future-and-indonesias-lambily.html