UNITED KINGDOM: Dance diva Roisin Murphy returns with decidely more commercial sound for second solo album "Overpowered"

Never one to do things by halves, Roisin Murphy decided to call upon friends in high places for a new look and new sound for album number two. "Overpowered" sees an evolution of the Irish-born singer, away from the experimental, avant-garde sound of her 2005 debut album "Ruby Blue" and smaller label, to signing with music giant EMI Records. The result is a definitive disco pop sound that is more commercially-viable and will keep record executives at the major music label reaping profits. "I could never have made this record on a smaller label. It was expensive. I went all over the world and worked with top notch people. I probably wasn't ready either to take that much responsibility because when you work with just one other person which is what I did with Moloko and how I did the first album, you go into it with a more experimental view and you're sort of letting it happen, let the record develop. With this we have to have to be more responsible," said Murphy. The music video to her title track sees Murphy sporting a frock by Gareth Pugh, the current "bad boy of British fashion" -- a black and silver puffed jacket with matching mini skirt and geometric hat. The quirky look summarises her love of left-field, an unconventionally disco diva. "Overpowered", with its catchy hook and foot-tapping dance beats, is an instant classic. The singer said the album's new sound was achieved by pulling in some of the world's best music makers, instead of relying on the skills of one music producer. "It was a conscious decision to make it a disco record. And I followed that through to the end, as far as I could take it. I worked in a pop way. Lots and lots of producers, lots and lots of writers, different mixers. Took tracks through to different stages. Wrote far too many songs and finished writing my songs and ended up with a very strong record," the singer told Reuters Television. Murphy's daredevil onstage antics has made her an electrifying live performer. She once climbed into a piano and played it from the inside. But on Saturday (October 26), her overenthusiastic performance landed her in the hospital. A spokesman said she lost "a lot of blood" and had severe concussion after she hit her head on a chair on stage in Moscow. The spokesman added her vision was unaffected and she was "recovering well". He added that Murphy, 34, had been ordered to rest for seven days, affecting her European tour dates. She is as passionate about fashion as she is about music, frequently seen sporting numbers by cult fashion labels like Viktor and Rolf. The 34-year-old chanteuse recently teamed up with Gucci at "Fashion Rocks". This unique fashion sense was noticed by hip-hop impresario Kanye West, who called the singer after seeing her 2005 music video for "Sow Into You". The rapper-producer surprised him by learning she had styled the video herself and West is now working with her boyfriend for artistic direction of his live show. "My style is a little bit, you know it depends on my mood. When I dress in the daytime I'm quite boyish, quite mod, and in the evening I like to be very glamourous or on stage very big big outfits to make statements," she said. "I don't subscribe to saying everybody has to be like that but personally I love to play with clothes and I'm trying to amplify something that's true rather with clothes than portray anything or mask something with a lie." "Overpowered" has been released to critical acclaim and British music industry watchers spredict commercial success. The album with its current single "Let Me Know" is out now.

ITN Source | October 31, 2007

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