By Geoffrey Rowlands

The Spice Girls: Mark 2. This is how some observers regard British all-girl quartet Neon Jungle. Currently enjoying their first UK top five hit with second single, Braveheart, the Spice Girls comparisons are obvious. Apart from having one fewer member, Neon Jungle’s route to chart success is almost identical.

Formed by their management company, the girls were head hunted for their look rather than any great ability to sing. Jess Plummer and Amira McCarthy were spotted while out shopping. Asami Zdrenka and Shereen Cutkelvin were at least scouted from the performance videos they posted on YouTube.

The girls, along with other hopefuls, auditioned for places in the group. The phone calls confirming their selection were received on February 10, 2013.

“It’s been an amazing year,” laughed 21-year-old Jess. “We were put together by Jayne Collins, the same lady who formed The Wanted. None of us knew each other before we did the auditions but we very quickly developed a firm friendship and now think of ourselves as sisters.”

Like The Spice Girls in their early days, Neon Jungle all live together at a house in south London. “We understand the Spice Girls comparisons,” said Shereen, 16. “We don’t really want to be compared with any other girl bands but if there has to be one then The Spice Girls is fair enough. They were edgy and different to other girl bands around at the time. It’s the same with us now.”

After assembling a catalogue of songs, the girls began their road trip to stardom by performing a concert tour around British schools. “This has become the usual start for artists who hope to appeal to teenage audiences,” revealed 17-year-old Amira. “It’s good fun singing for the kids and a great way to build a fan following. I’m sure we wouldn’t have become so successful so quickly without the schools tour.”

The video for their debut single, Trouble, was released last July. Championed by the media after performing at a new artists showcase hosted by their label, RCA Records, Trouble reached a very respectable number 12 spot on the UK chart.

“We felt a mixture of happiness and shock,” Amira admitted. “We are very different from other girl bands so we were a little surprised that people seemed to like us so much. Trouble also wasn’t really typical of our music. But you could say the same about any of our songs. We have different musical tastes and this is reflected in the variety of songs on our album.”

Despite Amira’s words, Braveheart is not too dissimilar from Trouble. More sophisticated perhaps but still electronic dance music.

“It would be crazy to put out a second single which was radically different from our first,” stated Asami, 17. “Good dance beats are the basic ingredients of our songs, certainly those we plan to release as singles. But people will be surprised by the power and depth of the songs on our album.”

Neon Jungle have already made some famous friends. Rihanna is a fan. So too is Taylor Swift who the girls met while performing at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show last November.

“That was an amazing experience for us,” Jess smiled. “The booking was only confirmed about eight hours before we had to fly to New York. The show is aired on national television across America so our performance was a great way to get noticed in the States.”

“Taylor Swift was lovely,” Shereen remarked. “She came to our dressing room and introduced herself like she was some unknown person.”

“She was so nice and normal,” Asami added. “You’d never believe she was this huge star. That’s how we want to be. We’re still in the can’t believe anyone wants our autograph mode at present but we want to remain normal and humble no matter how big we might become.”

 

Jodeci

 

Older readers may recall American R&B/new jack swing quartet Jodeci. The group consisted of two sets of brothers, Cedric and Joel Hailey (K-Ci & JoJo) along with Donald and Dalvin DeGrate (DeVante Swing and Mr Dalvin). The boys enjoyed a string of hit singles during the early to mid-1990s. They also had three hugely successful studio albums all of which topped the US R&B chart.

Apart from a largely unsuccessful guest appearance on H-Town’s Knockin’ Your Heels Off in 2011, no new material has been heard from Jodeci since their 1995 album, The Show, The After Party, The Hotel. But that will change later this year as the boys are working on a new album with hot shot producer Timbaland, who performed guest vocals on their last two LPs. For anyone unfamiliar with Jodeci’s music, much of their output is available to hear on MySpace. Their last two studio albums, plus the greatest hits LP Back To The Future: The Very Best Of Jodeci, are posted at (no www.) myspace.com/jodeciofficial/music/albums.

Their debut album, Forever My Lady, can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwS_-uNovK4&list=PL51C002C170A85BBF

 

Toto

 

They may not have been away for as long as Jodeci but it is eight years since veteran American rockers Toto released their last studio album, Falling in Between.

Fans will delight in the news that a new album is finally being recorded. According to keyboardist and founder member David Paich, it is as though the band had never taken a break. “The songs are coming together so naturally,” he remarked. “We can’t wait to share our new material. This album definitely represents our thank you to all the fans who have continually shown their love, support and patience while waiting so long.”

The band’s biggest hits came during their first few years with songs such as Hold The Line, Rosanna and Africa. More than 200 of their tracks are posted at (no www.) myspace.com/toto99/music/songs

 

Wiz Khalifa

 

Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa’s third studio album, Blacc Hollywood, will not be released until later this year. But the lead single, We Dem Boyz, has just become available.

No video has yet been made but the official audio can be accessed from www.youtube.com/user/taylorgangent/videos

Initial fan reaction can at best be described as mixed. There are some positive remarks but most comments left on the YouTube page are of a distinctly derogatory nature with many writers calling for Wiz to return to his original musical style. Check out the song for yourself and see what you think.

 

Uh Huh Her

 

Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey, collectively known as Uh Huh Her, will be releasing their third album, Future Souls, on March 25. More immediately though, lead single, Innocence, is available to hear and download for free at (no www.) soundcloud.com/nylonmag/innocence. It is an electronic dance track which is apparently typical of the songs on Future Souls. Although not previously recognisable as a dance act, Camila and Leisha had revealed their intention to explore EDM fields on the new LP. Uh Huh Her’s debut album, Common Reaction, is posted in full at www.youtube.com/watch?v=01AtcmEHs40. Their sophomore album, Nocturnes, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=smd0-eEITTY&list=PL262B9DBB4008C8C3