Emma goes under the covers with Robbie
E
mma Bunton’s fi rst album in 12 years features duets with Robbie Williams
and Will Young. The Spice Girl releases My Happy Place – a collection of
her favourite covers plus two original songs – through BMG on 12 April.
On it she reimagines the Spice Girls classic, 2 Become 1 as a duet with
Williams, while Young helps her out on Dusty Springfi eld’s I Only Want To
Be With You. Additionally, Bunton’s husband – and Damage singer – Jade Jones
also appears on You’re All I Need To Get By, made famous by Marvin Gaye and
Tammi Terrell. “The reason I called the album My Happy Place is because my happy
place is with my family, with my friends, listening to music and being in the studio,”
explained Emma. “All those things came together on this album. As you get older
you feel more confi dent because actually your priorities change, and my family have
become my focus, but this album is like the icing on the cake. Being able to write,
record and perform is defi nitely that extra sprinkle of magic.”UP
STOP ME IF YOU THINK YOU'VE
HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE
Morrissey releases a new album, California
Son, on 24 May, featuring 12 covers from
the 60s and 70s. It includes songs by, among
others, Carly Simon, Bob Dylan and Dionne
Warwick, along with Roy Orbison’s classic It’s
Over. The latter has already been given the
thumbs up by Orbison’s son, Roy Jnr: “We
love Morrissey! Morrissey’s hair, and his poetic
lyrics always reminded me of my dad. His
version of It’s Over is great.”
The Orbison track also features US vocalist
LP who added: “I soon realised when I hung
out with him and he played me all the songs he
was putting on this record that behind this wasthe heart of an audiophile and a deep fan of
his own musical heroes.”
Other guests on the album include Green
Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong on Laura
Nyro track Wedding Bell Blues, with additional
vocals from Ed Droste, Ariel Engle, Sameer
Gadhia and Lydia Night.More Goss on
the horizon
Get ready for more
documentary gold from Bros.
Fresh from the success of
inadvertently chucklesome doc,
After The Screaming Stops,
the pop twins have signed
up to make a TV show about
the making of their comeback
album. The brothers are in
the midst of signing a new
record deal and will document
recording sessions plus a series
of summer comeback shows in
the project. Matt Goss revealed
the news at the Warner BRIT
Awards after-party: “There
will be a lot of new things
happening. We are going to
fi lm us making music and some
of the shows – it’s a busy time.”
A new song should be with us
in time for the summer.
Solo step for Claire
Children were the inspiration
behind Claire Richards’ songs
for her fi rst solo album.
The Steps star entered the Top
10 with My Wildest Dreams
earlier this year and it was
motherhood that moved her to
pen songs for the fi rst time. She
told Classic Pop: “The biggest
change in my life over the past
few years is having kids so
I wanted to write a song for
them. The song Brave is about
how before I had them I was a
completely different person, and
how they make me brave.”
Claire returns to Steps to start
a new album later this year, but
in the meantime is loving life as
a solo star. “I’m fully committed
to another Steps album but I’d
got to an age where this wasn’t
even a consideration anymore.
Who starts a solo career at the
age of 40?”