Lula macht Musik, die schmeckt wie ein trockener Musikmartini (geschüttelt, nicht gerührt), wie geschaffen für eine Party mit John Steed & Emma Peel (Bela B.)
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Born sometime in the 20th Century, in a tiny village at the foot of the Alps, Lula’s preferred pastime during her formative years was to lock herself away in the seclusion of her bedroom and sing Blondie songs.
After realizing her slumbering talents would remain undiscovered forever if she remained in this beautiful but solitary part of the earth, she packed her bags and headed for the big city lights of Berlin.
She discovered many new things as the years unfolded, not least her own musical identity. And then came her first encounter with the German punk-rock icon Bela B. (drummer in one of the most famous German bands ever). His support and influence helped to reinforce her creative self-belief enormously.
One of her early songs proved so tantalizing to Bela, he suggested they re-record it together. The result was the sublimely beautiful track “Leave†which was later featured in the cult cinema film “Kaliber Deluxeâ€.
Lula was also drafted in to help with song writing duties on Bela’s ambitious and long awaited debut solo album “Bingoâ€. Amongst other pearls, they came up with the delicious duet “Hab keine Angstâ€. The two performed the song on the Rock am Ring stage as the headline act on the final day in front of 80,000 people. The album reached no.2 in the German charts.
It also came to pass that the legendary Lee Hazlewood travelled to Berlin last year to sing on a track which Bela had written especially for the great man. Around the same time Lee was also coming to the final stages of his own self-proclaimed “last ever studio albumâ€. And he was searching for a vocal partner for the song ’“Nothing“. Lee met Lula, quickly fell in love with her stunning voice, and invited her to sing on his historic final album.
The majority of songs were produced under the watchful eyes of Wayne Jackson and Olsen Involtini, who co-produced the Bingo album for Bela B. The multifaceted Wayne Jackson also appears in the role of duet partner on “Come Along With Meâ€.
An early version of the song is featured in the eagerly awaited German cinema film “Vinetaâ€. Bela B. also covered the track in German on his solo album but introduced his own wonderfully poetic lyrics calling it “Irgend Etwas Bleibtâ€.
Apart from the deeply lavish sounding “La La Laâ€, the unforgettable beat pop number “So Wunderbarâ€, and Lula’s contribution to Hazlewood’s “Nothing†which also makes an appearance on her own album, the remainder of the songs are all sung in English.
A further offering from the fruitful Lula-Bela partnership can also be found, namely the wonderfully epic “I want†which features Bela as co-vocalist.
Listening to Lula’s album is like being trapped in a luxurious hotel lift with Audrey Hepburn, Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, and Duane Eddy. The songs are luscious and effortlessly melodic, though a vague and sinister hint of strangeness never completely leaves. They make you feel rich and good, like a day on the beach sipping cocktails, and then out of nowhere they make you shiver.
Merveilleux is available on the following compilation:
(Release: 18.01.2008)
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