Like it like that (Universal Idol Forums)

Title: Like it like that

Rhonda - October 18, 2009 11:22 PM (GMT)

He's had success after success, but it hasn't changed Guy Sebastian, writes John Bailey.

In the years since he won the inaugural Australian Idol, Guy Sebastian has been cast in a lot of roles: Christian poster-boy, professional virgin (before his marriage), multi-platinum ARIA winner.

It's still an eyebrow-raiser, though, when he assumes a new voice for the last track on his new album: that of God. Perfection sees him playing the Good Lord himself, calling on his angels to create the ideal woman, who arrives in the form of Sebastian's wife, Julie.

The singer admits that it's an unusual move. "That's a song that I wrote for Jules on the wedding day. Sorry, I played it for her on the wedding day. I didn't write it on the day. She would have been pretty pissed off with me then."

Perfection was never really designed to be released, he says. "This is more something that's just me sharing because it's a big part of my life. It's my wedding song. We were going to keep that to ourselves and then all our families and friends wanted us to record it. It's a different kind of song to put down on a pop album."

Sebastian has never been particularly protective of his private life. But where this might come across as a potentially dangerous naivety in other less experienced artists, the 27-year-old simply seems unconcerned by the pitfalls of celebrity.

"I was on Idol. I'm not going to now turn around and become a recluse. I love my life being shared with my fans. I love that they got to see photos of my wedding, because that was a massive part of my life and I made a decision when I went on telly to share that life."

Hang on. He's famous. Isn't he supposed to be whining about how the glossy mags and a voracious public never understand the real Guy Sebastian?

"But they do to a certain extent. I've done tons of interviews and appearances and I've met heaps of people. I'm not the sort of person who has the ability to switch on and switch off. I don't switch on my Interview Guy and switch on someone different for my mates. What's the point of that?"

Has he never found himself at the pointy end of fame in the past half-decade? "Yeah, but I don't fight that. It's going to happen. People label you and of course they're going to box you in as a person. I'm still to this day known as the church kid who went on Idol. People have all sorts of preconceptions of who I am and what I represent, from my Tree life to my beliefs. They see one clip of me singing at church when I was 16 and they've suddenly boxed you."

Sebastian has done a little reinvention in recent years. In 2007 he recorded The Memphis Album, a tribute to the soul artists who were Motown's biggest rivals in the '60s and '70s. It was a personal project that blew out to reach triple-platinum status in Australia, going against all the lessons he'd been taught.

"It's something I was told when I first entered the music industry by various music sorts. They were like: 'Dude, you've got to be really careful. If you self-indulge and just do what you're into, you're going to corner your market. Soul music isn't big here.' "

But, he says, "the most comfortable I've ever felt in the studio was during The Memphis Album. And the success of that prompted me to make a record like this one. Because I realised that this isn't obscure music."

Like It Like That is a clear continuation of the sounds of Sebastian's Memphis phase - big band sounds full of strings and brass, Otis Redding-style crooning and a sunny Southern vibe throughout.

There's only one moment on the record that's jarringly 21st century. If there was an award for Voice Least Likely to Require Autotuning - the technology that corrects a singer's pitch - Sebastian would be one of the top contenders.

It's a shock, then, to hear one of the tracks opening with the distinctive robotic sound of Sebastian's high notes being squeezed through an autotuner. He defends this choice as an artistic one, rather than a pragmatic quick-fix. "I know I don't need autotune. But immediately when you put that effect on you get a more pop R&B sound.

jillz - October 20, 2009 08:55 AM (GMT)

Thanks Rhonda :wub:
This is a wonderful write-up , I just love Guy's honesty :wub:

prinia - October 21, 2009 09:41 AM (GMT)

really liked that interview.... thanks for putting it up :wub:

prinia - October 27, 2009 09:49 AM (GMT)

:) apparently it is available on bandit.fm via paypal :)

Love this next review too

QUOTE

I am setting myself a challenge. I am going to go through this entire appraisal of Guy Sebastian's latest record without using the dreaded 'I-word' once. The reason I'm doing this is because One A Day now has some 400 regular American readers, who have the unique ability of being able to judge Sebastian based on his musical merit alone, not his television background. As for you Australians, abandon your preconceptions and listen; Guy is not only a phenomenally talented musican who we have sidelined for too long, but he is also about as far away from 'that juggernaut' at the moment as you could possibly imagine.

Little brother Z has had a huge music-geek-crush on Sebastian ever since he relocated to Memphis to write an album of soul covers. D and I endured the hyperbole if only because the tunes were pleasant enough that we didn't want to claw our eyes out. However, with Like It Like That (confusing, it's the name of the album and the first single), Guy's back in the driver's seat. He wrote all the melodies, harmonies, guitar, bass, drums, keys, you name it and he's done it. He might just be our answer to Prince, except he's got some tough competition from the similarly multi-talented, jack-of-all-trades producer/drummer/singer Wally de Backer (Gotye, the Basics).

The truth of the matter is, if you were a Martian (or an American) and you didn't know who Sebastian was, chances are you'd embrace his cutting-edge neo-soul with open arms. It's the same kind of instrumentation and arranging present on Mark Ronson's last album, and look how much everybody loves him, when in reality, all he does is throw in some horns and/or Lily Allen to make bands like Kaiser Chiefs and The Zutons sound infinitely more sexy than they are on their own. (Apologies, I think the Kaiser's Ricky Wilson is a Tree god. If I don't say that, he'll knock me out next time he's down here, which is very often.) This song, 'Attention', is ####ing groovy. Guy's voice slides all over the place, but it's all controlled. Clearly 2008-9-10 is going to be the Four Tops and Temptations revival era, and Sebastian, alongside Ronson and Mayer Hawthorne is leading the pack. I especially dig the abso-freaking-lutely huge horn parts in the chorus. He would have blown his entire recording budget on that. I'm impressed.

PS: I did it. I didn't mention it once. Take that, Dicko and Marcia.

PPS: Guy recently made headlines by saying "I think the show [you know which one] misses Kyle [Sandilands]." (Story) He may just be right, this season is the most woefully boring on record and we'd welcome back Vile Sandyhands if he could inject some glorious poison into the downward spiralling show helmed only by the increasingly disinterested Mr G.

http://1songday.blogspot.com/2009/10/exclu...-attention.html

Found by Speckbella on the forum.

and of interest regarding Idol and Kyle is this download
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FPQ21GGD
courtesy of Infused - Kyle and Jackie O including Idol discussion etc.

And NOT TO BE MISSED FOR ANY GUY FANS :wub:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0FL0RMX0

WHAT a performance!! and hilarious interview

and song only
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V8T9X70P

prinia - November 12, 2009 06:51 AM (GMT)

prinia - January 5, 2010 05:08 AM (GMT)

Thanks to Adelaidefan

QUOTE

LILT has done so amazingly well. So many different achievements, but they are either scattered on this thread or on other threads on the forum. Thought I would make a list of what it has achieved so far.

œ 21 weeks in the ARIA singles chart so far, twelve of those inside the top 10, including two weeks at #1 and four weeks at #2. Already inside the top 200 best charting songs in ARIA history and still scoring points.

œ One of only three Australian artist songs to reach #1 in 2009.

œ This #1 being Guy's 4th, making him the only Australian male vocalist to achieve four #1 singles in ARIA history, and only one behind John's five in Australian music history.

œ Well over double platinum (more than 180,000 units sold so far). One of only four Aussie songs to go double platinum since early in 2005.

œ #1 played song on radio for 5 weeks.

œ #7 on the Top itunes downloads for 2009 (November to November). Highest placed Aussie.

œ #1 on the Australian Artist End of Year chart (with AOL a respectable #20)

œ #6 on the overall End Of Year Chart, with only two other Australian singles inside the Top 30.

œ Banditfm - single of the year

œ Eclipse tv - song of the year.

œ Max tv (Foxtel) Top 50 2009 - #1

œ MTV Top videos 2009 - #7

œ Austereo network Top songs of the Noughties - #31

œ Oz Music Scene Top party songs 2009 - #1

œ Rave Magazine Top 10 singles of 2009 - #4

œ Youtube most viewed Australian music videos 2009 - #2

œ Take 40 Most viewed videos 2009 - #2

ps Rhonda - I did get our tix for Brisbane show :)

prinia - April 17, 2010 10:37 AM (GMT)

Seems I never did put the photos and links for the Westfield signing here :P

Here are links to both some performances and the CROWD!!!

Massive crowd at Guy Sebastian signing http://bit.ly/9NEpJs arrives http://bit.ly/bLiOsm "Like it Like That" album http://bit.ly/38lR43

user posted image

and

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