Beats & Vibes
As the world-wide restrictions on travel fade away, live music is once again coming to the fore. Across all genres, bands are touring to promote the new albums that are flooding the market. Once again vinyl has continued its renaissance, but streaming is the way most of us get our fix of old and new tunes alike.
Mark Owen
Land of Dreams
October 2022
Land of Dreams is Take That’s Mark Owen’s first solo record in almost a decade. Mark’s distinctive vocals drive the promotional first single, You Only Want Me, which is already available. His layered vocals over upbeat instrumentation and a rousing chorus result in a punchy, singalong pop track. As part of Take That, Owen had sold over 45 million records. His last solo album, The Art Of Doing Nothing, was his highest charting solo album to date, but with the easy listening groove of Land of Dreams he could easily surpass that.
Craig David
22
September 2022
After a host of well-documented production delays, the godfather of UK Garage, Craig David, returns to titillate our ears with his trademark smooth vocals and catchy lyrics on his eighth album, 22. The recording includes the superb Mnek-assisted promotional single Who You Are. Warmly nostalgic and with a feel-good vibe and relaxed UK Garage beats, it’s already proving a summer hit.
What to Watch
Set between the traditional summer and Christmas holiday periods, in the past, new movie releases in the third quarter tended to be lacking in both volume and appeal. For 2022 however, moviegoers can rejoice as several highly anticipated blockbusters are set to light up the silver screen.
Ticket to Paradise
21 October 2022
A light-hearted comedy-romance, Ticket to Paradise focuses on Wren Butler, a recent University of Chicago graduate who accompanies her best friend Lily on a post-graduation jaunt to Bali. Within days Lily decides to get married, a sudden decision that prompts her divorced parents (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) try and stop her from repeating their mistake 25 years ago. Wren stays in Bali for the wedding and, in the process, finds love in the arms of a local doctor.
Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever
11 November 2022
As always, the plot of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been closely guarded. The trailer hints at a renewed conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis, and a suggestion of an internal struggle for power and influence. By introducing several new characters, like Namor McKenzie, also known as the Sub-Mariner, it sets the stage for one of the most emotional chapters in MCU history. Secrets aside, what we do know is that Wakanda Forever will pay fitting tribute to the late Chad Boseman, and may well be Marvel’s release of the year.
