INSTEP Magzine

1. 'Baya Baya'
Safri Duo
Mix African tribal beats with trance and electronica and the outcome is what 'Baya Baya' is all about. Essentially an instrumental – the only words that come in are "Ba-ba-baya, ba-ba-ba-ya-baya, baya" – this track from Safri Duo has a pulsating beat that boasts of simplicity with drums taking center stage. A hypnotic and slightly trippy musical creation, 'Baya Baya' is signature style of Safri Duo. This Danish percussion duo, comprising of Uffe Savery and Morten Friis came into being in 1977. In their initial years, they started off as classical music enthusiasts and released several albums. But it was in 1999 when Safri Duo tasted international success with the single 'The Bongo Song' and now they enjoy massive popularity world. 'The Bongo Song' won them heavy airtime on MTV Europe and their single went onto become a huge hit all over Europe. Interesting enough, the name Safri originates from the first letters of their respective surnames. 'Baya Baya' is off their 2002 album Episode II after which, Safri Duo went on to release three more albums. Reportedly, they are back in the studios with another album in the making but till then groove to the drum beat of 'Baya Baya'. It is really a gorgeous piece of music.

2. 'Not Ready To Make Nice'
Dixie Chicks
'Not Ready To Make Nice' is a song from three-time Grammy winning country band, Dixie chicks. Off their seventh album, this song, which released in 2006, came in the wake of a political controversy. It was the band's answer after a ban was put on them by the Bush government when vocalist Natalie Maines criticized George Bush while performing in a concert in London in 2003.

'Not Ready To Make Nice' is written by all three members of the band and is essentially a reflection of their sentiments on freedom of speech. According to Natalie, the idea was to let the song have a universal interpretation, but they apparently couldn't resist talking about death threats that they received. As the lyrics go, "And how in the world/ Can the words that I said/ Send somebody so over the edge/ That they write me a letter/Saying I better shut up and sing/ Or my live will be over." If one doesn't know about the controversy, it is hard to tell which way it is targeted. The chicks did not play safe when they could. They made a song about how they were treated after they said something anti-Bush and showed their fans a different side of their music.


3. 'Plush' Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (STP) was a popular Grammy Award-winning American rock band in the 1990s and early 2000s, consisting of Scott Weiland (vocals), brothers Robert (bass guitar, vocals) and Dean De Leo (guitar), and Eric Kretz (drums, percussion). STP's five albums have sold over 17 million copies in the United States alone. The band had fifteen top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts, including six number one singles, and one number one album on the pop charts, namely 1994's Purple. STP won the 1994 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for their song 'Plush'. 'Plush' is a song which is instantly recognizable by its opening chords, and is considered one of the band's biggest hits. The song's chord structure was inspired by DeLeo's love of Ragtime music, and its lyrics were loosely based on a newspaper article Weiland had read about a girl who had been found dead in an area outside of Seattle. Weiland has also said that the songs lyrics are a metaphor for a failed relationship. It's dark, and its grunge, 'Plush' is a must download.

4. 'China Girl' David Bowie 'China Girl' is a song which was co-written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie during their years in Berlin, for Iggy Pop's album The Idiot. However it was not popularized until it was released by David Bowie on the album Let's Dance. An edit of David Bowie's 1983 version was also released as a single. Under the auspices of Nile Rodgers, the song was given a much more commercial sheen than the sinister Iggy Pop version. It continues the theme established in the video for 'Let's Dance'. The song was again edited for single release, but attracted more attention for its striking video. The UK single release reached number two in the charts, and the US release number 10. The song was a regular for Bowie's live shows for the rest of the 1980s and resurfaced again from 1999. 'China Girl' is a great number and has a very fun, vintage, and David Bowie feel to it.

5. 'My Cherie Amour' Stevie Wonder 'My Cherie Amour' is a 1969 soul classic by Motown singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded in 1966, but not released (it was subsequently remixed for release in 1969). Co-written by the singer, Henry Cosby, and Sylvia Moy, the song was an autobiographical account by Wonder about a woman he was fascinated with while in school at the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, Michigan. The song was written called 'Oh My Marcia' but Moy told Stevie to change the name from Marcia to Cherie Amour. The song became a number four hit on both the Billboard pop and R&B singles charts in 1969. The song is covered by fellow Motown act The Jackson 5. 'My Cherie Amour' is played on the 'Miss Dior Cherie' commercial starring Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough. This song has become a number six hit of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues' Top 10 Hits. A version was covered by New Zealand singer Tim Armstrong in 2006. This Stevie Wonder number truly is a wonderful, soulful track!