Vlog 023 - Cee Lo Green | Plan B | Wanda Jackson | ...

Is it time for Jools Holland to pass the torch? That was the question on our lips after slogging our way through this year's Hootenanny, the special New Year's Eve show that Jools puts together every December. Heavy on the R&B and Scottish marching band bagpipes, the two hour celebration felt very lonnnng this year, reflecting as it did, the host's taste in more "trad", safe musical material. You can view the entire line up here – we've linked to all the clips that are currently active online – and our picks for what it most worthy of your time include Wanda Jackson's catty cover of Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good", Cee Lo Green's cleaned-up-for-television version of his huge hit "Forget You", and a remarkable performance by one Ben Drew, AKA Plan B, a rapper turned soul singer turned film star, whose "Stay Too Long" was about the most explosive thing happen on the BBC stage that night. Music critics have been going on about something called Simple Pop as of late, a return to a more stripped down sound after a decade of over-produced and auto-tuned product has left many of us shouting "enough". The LA group Best Coast are frequently cited as exemplars of this back-to-basics movement, and with mainstream press mentions and the debut of their single "Boyfriend" on Jimmy Fallon last week, they just might become the genre's poster children. It's hard not to have a soft spot for power-pop heroes Cheap Trick who are still reliably cranking out the albums - their latest is number 16 - and pleasing crowds with a stage show that has changed very little since 1977, notwithstanding Robin Zander's many different image makeovers. Austin City Limits played host to the boys from Rockville Illinois (a perfect hometown name if ever there was one) on January 1st, where they performed a cover of Slade's "When The Lights Are Out" as well as the stronger track other latest disc, 'Sick Man of Europe". Finally, we bid adieu to Scottish singer songwriter Gerry Rafferty who sadly passed away on January 4th from liver ...