EAR CANDY | [MP3] Russian Red – “I Hate You But I Love You,” “Fuerteventura”
[LISTEN]: Russian Red – “I Hate You But I Love You”
Last time I spoke with Russian Red (Lourdes Hernandez) back in the 2010, she mentioned that she was hoping to start recording the new record this year. Since then, she has played a couple of shows in the States and released “I Hate You But I Love You”–the first single off her highly anticipated sophomore record. Here debut, I Love Your Glasses, came out in 2008, so it’s been long while, and I’m incredibly excited to hear her new material.
Fuerteventura is the name of her forthcoming album, slated for release in Spring 2011 (according to her website, vinyl ships out on May 11, 2011). Below is a little preview or behind-the-scenes of the making of the album. To be honest, I had no idea what she was saying (Spanish, duh), but I watched the whole thing anyway to get a sneak peek of some of her new songs.
[LISTEN]: Russian Red – “Fuerteventura”
Russian Red just recently announced via her Facebook that you can download the second single and the album’s namesake “Fuerteventura” for the price of an email (it’s basically free) FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY over here in English or Spanish. Enjoy!
INTERVIEW | Russian Red (Lourdes Hernández)
I had the chance to have a quick Q&A session over email with the lovely Lourdes Hernández, better known under the moniker Russian Red. Hailing from Madrid, Spain, she caused quite a stir on the blogosphere in 2008 with the release of her debut album, I Love Your Glasses. With an unforgettable voice that holds even those with the shortest attention spans and quirky songs rooted in real life experiences, Russian Red should definitely be on your radar.
Read on for the interview!
EAR CANDY | Russian Red – “Love Me Tender”
And we’ve got a live one for ya!
A lot of my readers seem to love Russian Red (aka Lourdes Hernandez), so here’s a treat! The Madrid-based songbird has just released a cover/collaboration of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” via her Facebook for Sony’s commemorative 75th anniversary album for the King of Rock, Viva Elvis.
While performing with holograms of deceased music legends borders on distasteful (seriously, who does that?!), is recording a track with the deceased any more tasteful? Is it sacrilege? Regardless, this delicate re-imagining of the classic Elvis track honors and pays tribute to the original while incorporating a tinge of singer-songwriter feeling with a plucked acoustic guitar.
Call it a remix or whatever you’d like, but it’s a truly beautiful rendition of an already tender lovin’ song. Enjoy!
[MP3]: Russian Red – “Love Me Tender” (w/ Elvis Presley) [right-click, save as]
EDIT: I recently had the chance to talk to Lourdes about this “duet” in a short Q&A session.
I’M OBSESSED | Russian Red – “Loving Strangers”
Folk/Pop/Indie
@ Madrid, Spain
http://www.myspace.com/russianready
If you haven’t heard of Lourdes Hernandez aka Russian Red, it’s probably because she’s also fairly new in her hometown of Madrid, Spain. She only has one release to her name: 2008′s I Love Your Glasses. And honestly, I have no idea how I stumbled upon this gem of a singer-songwriter last year, but I’m glad I did. There’s something very distinct about her voice. If you’ve heard it once, it’s immediately recognizable. It might have to do with Hernandez’s accent or the quirky way she stretches and bends her voice. While Russian Red’s sound might not be to everyone’s liking (some mind find it a tad grating like Joanna Newsom’s voice), if she suits your tastes, you’ll love her.
I’ve been listening her new track, “Loving Strangers,” non-stop since I got my hands on it. It’s probably my favourite track of hers (I love its subtleties), and I think it’s on the soundtrack to Habitación En Roma (A Room In Rome).
[MP3]: Russian Red – “Loving Strangers” (right click, save as)
EDIT: I recently had the chance to have a quick Q&A with Russian Red. Check it out here!
*KEEP READING: Russian Red – “Loving Strangers” LYRICS (after the jump!)
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