Songs in the Key of Life with Nadine O'Regan

"Ireland takes its literary culture for granted sometimes. Compared to other places, it's still a good place."   The author Kevin Barry -- who was our guest on Sunday's show -- has contributed enormously to Irish culture over the past few years, with novels including Beatlebone and City of Bohane, and now his play Autumn Royal, which begins a nationwide run in Ireland this week.    Listen back to the show by clicking the play button on the right hand side of the screen and tell us what you think of his song choices by tweeting @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.    Kevin Barry's Playlist    1. Portishead 'Sour Times'  2. Nick Drake 'River Man'  3. Donna Summer 'State of Independence'  4. Young Fathers 'In My View'  5. Tempations 'Just My Imagination' 6. The Breeders 'Oh!'  7. Max Romeo 'I Chase the Devil'  8. Fat Larry's Band 'Zoom'  9. Rusangano Family 'Soul Food'  10. Velvet Underground 'All Tomorrow's Parties' 11. Nick Cave 'Rings of Saturn' 

"The only time I ever feel totally alive is when I'm on stage. I love singing. Singing is my saviour."   When Christy Dignam of chart-topping Irish band Aslan came in to the show on Sunday, he was extremely candid about the troubles he's had in life: he talked about his cancer diagnosis, his battles with drug addiction, and the hard process of facing up to his own mortality. Through it all, he said, singing has been his release: his way to feel happiness.    It was no surprise, then, to discover that Christy had curated such a brilliant playlist for the show on Sunday, with classics from Tom Waits, Phil Lynott and Jeff Buckley all on the playlist. "Jeff Buckley is a master," he said. "Any young singer that wants to get into singing should listen to Jeff Buckley."   Aslan are celebrating 30 years since the release of their debut album Feel No Shame -- and they play two gigs in Dublin's Iveagh Gardens in July. Listen back to the show by clicking the play button on the top right of the screen and let us know what you think of the playlist by dropping us a line on Twitter: @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.      Christy Dignam's Playlist    1. Aslan 'This Is'  2. Phil Lynott 'Old Town'  3. David Bowie 'Life on Mars'  4. Jeff Buckley 'Lover, You Should've Come Over' 5. Gilbert O'Sullivan 'Alone Again (Naturally)'  6. Christy Dignam and Pat Fitzpatrick 'Rock 'n' Roll Suicide'  7. Tom Waits 'Christmas card from a Hooker in Minneapolis'  8. Frank Sinatra 'My Way'  9. Radiohead 'Creep' 10. Caruso 'Nessun Dorma' 

It was a pleasure to welcome Nialler9 -- aka Niall Byrne -- to the programme recently.    The Irish blogger, promoter, band manager and music supervisor is one of the most influential people in Irish music -- there are many Irish bands who have got their start through being featured on his website.    Nialler is also a well-known DJ -- he's cofounder of Lumo, the club night which takes place regularly in Dublin -- and he'll be playing most of the Irish festivals this summer. Ahead of the festival season, we asked him to pick out some of his favourite tracks for us, but also to select some artists who will feature as part of the festivals line-up.    We didn't get a chance to play all of his songs on the show -- and more's the pity -- but here's the full playlist that he dreamed up for below, and you can check out the podcast by clicking the play button on the top right of the screen. Let us know what you think of his choices by tweeting @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.       Nialler9's Songlist:   1. Beastie Boys 'Root Down'  2. Steely Dan 'Reeling in the Years'  3. The Flamingos 'I Only Have Eyes for You' 4. Raejavikaedaetur 'Haepid' 5. Bicep 'Aura'  6. Kojaque 'White Noise'  7. Le Boom 'Coma'  8. Yaeji 'Raingurl'  9. La Bionda 'Wanna Be Your Lover'  10. Super Furry Animals 'Herman Loves Pauline' 11. Broken Social Scene '7/4 Shoreline'  12 Andereson Paak 'Am I Wrong?'  13. Hot Chip 'Dancing in the Dark'  14. Alela Diane 'To Be Still' 15. Little Dragon 'Paris'  16 J. Dilla 'Nothing Like This'  17. Kendal Johannson 'Blue Moon' 

"I've always thought sexuality is an important part of pop music. Anodyne pop music doesn't appeal to me. I like something that grabs you."  Brett Anderson doesn't mince his words when it comes to the art of making pop music. When the Suede frontman arrived onto Songs in the Key of Life recently, he was more than happy to talk about what he loves in music, as well as reflect on Suede's illustrious legacy -- the band are celebrating 25 years since the release of their debut eponymous album, and he has also just published his first memoir, the beautifully written Coal Black Mornings, which tracks back over his early days.  "In the early days, your ideas outstrip your ability," Breff said on the show. "But then we met [Suede guitarist] Bernard Butler and he really could play. He was leaping around the fretboard." Suede have gone through line-up changes and break-ups over the years, but the band have been back together since 2010 and are currently mixing a new album for release. Until the new music makes it into the world, however, there's Brett's book and the rerelease of Suede's debut to immerse yourself in -- and, of course, his song list, a collection of tracks which reflect his influences.   Listen back to the show in full by clicking the play button top right and tell us what you think by tweeting @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.    Brett Anderson's Playlist   Suede 'Animal Nitrate'  Sex Pistols 'Holidays in the Sun'  Felt 'Primitive Painters'  Pet Shop Boys 'Rent'  Suede 'The Next Life'  Joni Mitchell 'Both Sides Now'  Rachmaninov 'Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini Variation 18' Bob Dylan 'North Country Blues' David Bowie - 'Warszawa' Interpol 'NYC'

"It's a weird job, being a travelling musician. There's a lot of time with nothing happening, then there's thousands of people in front of you, then you walk off stage and there's no people again. It's a bizarre existence and, coming from a small town, we were people orientated. We talk to people. We don't box ourselves into a showbiz bubble. So I relate to musicians like the Eagles and Tom Petty, because they talk about real life and situations."    That's Kelly Jones from the Stereophonics, revealing his reasons for kicking off Songs in the Key of Life with Tom Petty's track Free Fallin', one of several classic tracks Kelly and his bandmate Richard picked out to play over their hour on the programme   The chart-topping Welsh band -- famous for tunes including Dakota, Having a Nice Day and Mr Writer -- were in Dublin to play the 3Arena, which is where I caught up with them backstage. They have a new album out, but as well as talking about their new music, they were just as happy to chat about the early days, their time supporting bands like the Manic Street Preachers and what it felt like to go on the road with major artists including the late David Bowie and the Rolling Stones.    Listen back to their take on Songs in the Key of Life by clicking the play button top right and let me know what you think by tweeting @songsinthekey or @nadineoregan.      Kelly and Richard's Playlist:   1. Stereophonics 'Dakota' 2. Tom Petty 'Free Fallin'' (Kelly's choice) 3. Cream 'White Room' (Richard's choice) 4. Elvis 'Suspicious Minds' (Kelly's choice) 5. Massive Attack 'Teardop' (Richard's choice) 6. Rolling Stones 'Let it Bleed'  7. Stereophonics 'Taken a Tumble' 8. David Bowie 'Life on Mars' (Kelly's choice)

"It's a weird job, being a travelling musician. There's a lot of time with nothing happening, then there's thousands of people in front of you, then you walk off stage and there's no people again. It's a bizarre existence and, coming from a small town, we were people orientated. We talk to people. We don't box ourselves into a showbiz bubble. So I relate to musicians like the Eagles and Tom Petty, because they talk about real life and situations."    That's Kelly Jones from the Stereophonics, revealing his reasons for kicking off Songs in the Key of Life with Tom Petty's track Free Fallin', one of several classic tracks Kelly and his bandmate Richard picked out to play over their hour on the programme   The chart-topping Welsh band -- famous for tunes including Dakota, Having a Nice Day and Mr Writer -- were in Dublin to play the 3Arena, which is where I caught up with them backstage. They have a new album out, but as well as talking about their new music, they were just as happy to chat about the early days, their time supporting bands like the Manic Street Preachers and what it felt like to go on the road with major artists including the late David Bowie and the Rolling Stones.    Listen back to their take on Songs in the Key of Life by clicking the play button top right and let me know what you think by tweeting @songsinthekey or @nadineoregan.      Kelly and Richard's Playlist:   1. Stereophonics 'Dakota' 2. Tom Petty 'Free Fallin'' (Kelly's choice) 3. Cream 'White Room' (Richard's choice) 4. Elvis 'Suspicious Minds' (Kelly's choice) 5. Massive Attack 'Teardop' (Richard's choice) 6. Rolling Stones 'Let it Bleed'  7. Stereophonics 'Taken a Tumble' 8. David Bowie 'Life on Mars' (Kelly's choice)

That's Andy Bell recollecting his early days working with Vince Clarke, after he found out that he had won the audition to join a new band formed by Vince, a founding member of Depeche Mode and member of Yazoo. The year was 1985 and the band was Erasure. Andy felt like he'd won the lottery in those early months, and -- when he came into studio for Songs in the Key of Life -- he gave us the impression that to a large extent, he still does.    Erasure have sold over 25 million albums in their long career, and released hits including A Little Respect, Love to Hate You and Sometimes. They're back with a new album -- a classical reinterpretation of their record World Be Gone which is called World Beyond -- and they recently played the Olympia theatre in Dublin, having had to postpone their gigs there in January when Andy fell ill. Thankfully all better now, Andy arrived into Songs in the Key of Life in excellent form -- and picked some amazing tunes to play on the show, from artists such as Blondie, Madonna and Kate Bush.    Of Kate Bush he said simply that he loved her. "When we went around to her house, I couldn't believe that she was a real person," Andy added. "She's always given me goosebumps." Andy loves Bush's songwriting and her approach to singing. When singing a song, he says, "you want to give an emotional experience each time. I want people to have as much joy from the song as they did when they first heard it."   Listen back to the interview in full by clicking the play button on the top right of the screen and let us know what you think by tweeting @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.    Andy Bell's playlist:   1. Erasure 'A Little Respect'  2. Madonna 'Vogue'  3. Blondie 'Denis'  4. The Human League 'The Sound of the Crowd'  5. The Ronettes 'Walking in the Rain'  6. Erasure 'Be Careful What You Wish For'  7. Kate Bush 'Wow' 8. Rihanna 'Only Girl in the World'  9. Japan 'Quiet Life' 10. Joni Mitchell 'For the Roses' 

It's been a tumultuous few months for Niall Walton of Walton's Music.    The managing director of the iconic music shop in Dublin came into the spotlight recently when the news emerged that -- due to rising rents in the city -- Walton's Music would no longer be able to occupy its much-loved spot in Dublin on South Great George's Street. Musicians and music fans posted messages of condolence and sheet music on the shop front, lamenting the changes, which had particular resonance given the long history of the shop: Walton's Music was set up in Dublin by Niall's grandfather back in 1922.    Music has always been a major presence in the Walton family. As Niall told us on the Patrick's weekend programme, music was part and parcel of his early childhood. "We played hide and seek behind the pianos," he recalled. "It's part of your blood."   When Niall took over as managing director, he quickly discovered that -- for all the glitter and glamour attached to the music industry -- owning a music shop is tougher than it looks. "It's a hard business because people perceive it to be very glamorous. But it's not a huge money-making business. Margins are relatively small. Most people in music aren't there for the money, because it's not there."   Still, there are amazing moments to be had -- notably when director John Carney filmed a crucial scene from his 2007 film Once in the shop. When the Once soundtrack song Falling Slowly was nominated for an Oscar, that scene was recreated for a television audience of millions from the stage. Eventually, so many tourists came into the shop to play 'Falling Slowly' on the piano that Walton's employees put up a sign banning the track. "There was a newspaper heading saying, 'Walton's employee bans song in shop,'" Niall laughed.    Listen back to the interview by hitting the play button top right -- and let us know what you think by tweeting @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.      Niall Walton's Playlist:   1. The Waterboys 'Fisherman's Blues'  2. The Pogues 'Dirty Old Town'  3. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova 'Falling Slowly'  4. Pink Floyd 'Wish You Were Here'  5. Neil Young 'Heart of Gold'  6. Paul Brady 'The Island'  7. Luke Kelly 'Raglan Road'  8. Eric Clapton 'Layla'  9. John Martyn 'Sweet Little Mystery'  10. The Pretenders 'Back in the Chain Gang' 

It’s true to say that I was joined on the show by Mario Rosenstock of Today FM’s Gift Grub fame recently. But it feels more honest to add that I was also joined by the likes of Brian Cowen, Daniel O’Donnell and Michael D Higgins too -- because Mario seems to be able to summon them all up as if by magic. A remarkable mimic, Mario -- brought up in Waterford -- is also a keen music fan, and he had a ton of songs ready to play. Shortening the list was no easy job, but some songs -- such as The Who’s ‘Who Are You?’ -- felt particularly important to spin. “That was the theme tune to my TV show on RTE for a while,” Mario said. “It was emblematic of me turning up as different characters all the time. But the other reason is that I just like The Who. I think their sound is surprisingly modern, given that it’s so old. I love their unpredictability, their madness, and the fact that something so old can sound so fresh.” It was a pleasure to have Mario on the show -- and good timing, too, because his new stage show is just about to kick off. He will be touring his show In Your Face around the country from April. “I come out once every two years,” Mario said. “It’s my favourite thing to do. I love the radio and TV, but my favourite thing is live -- you can never hear people laughing on the radio.” To listen back to the show, click the play button on the top right and let us know what you think by tweeting @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey. Mario Rosenstock's Playlist 1. The Who 'Who are You?' 2. Gilbert O'Sullivan 'Alone Again (Naturally)' 3. Morrissey 'Everyday is like Sunday' 4. Al Green 'Let's Stay Together' 5. Donna Summer 'I Feel Love' 6. Aine Cahill 'Black Dahlia' 7. Abba 'Dancing Queen' 8. AC/DC 'You Shook Me All Night Long' 9. The Cure 'Lullaby' 10. Dolly Parton 'Jolene' 11. Hall and Oates 'Out of Touch' 12 Nirvana 'Come As you Are' 13. The Beatles 'Across the Universe' 14. Kate Bush 'Wuthering Heights' 15. Karen Carpenter 'Close to You' 16. Dusty Springfield 'The Look of Love' 17. Smokey Robinson 'The Tracks of My Tears' 18. U2 'Where the Streets Have No Name'  

Not many musicians can get away with having just one name as their stage monicker. Seal is one of those musicians. The Grammy Award-winning singer is world famous for tracks including Killer, Crazy and A Kiss from a Rose, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Batman Forever. He has sold more than 20 million albums -- and his most recent record is Standards, a graceful collection of classic songs reinterpreted by him for the modern age. I caught up with Seal backstage after his performance to a packed audience at Dublin's Olympia theatre recently. He was in flying form, ready to pick his favourite tunes and even sing a little unaccompanied -- which was a treat. For his song picks, he mixed and matched classic choices with more obscure tracks. A number of the songs he picked were from iconic artists such as Stevie Wonder and the late David Bowie. "I was lucky enough to be friends with David Bowie," Seal reflected, selecting the track Where Are We Now. "That song is so beautiful. It is everything that David was, if you're a fan or if you're new to him, it's so quintessential, it takes you back. It reminds me of Joni Mitchell singing Both Sides Now. It has the same poignancy."  Speaking of lost icons, Seal also talked about the late George Michael, and the time he and David Bowie watched Michael perform at the rehearsal for the Freddie Mercury tribute show. "George was someone I had a huge amount of respect for," he said. "Somebody posted something to my Facebook feed and it was the day after George Michael passed. And it was a video of what we fondly refer to as the 'Dead Fred' show. So, to be more specific, it was the Freddie Mercury tribute shortly after he died. Somebody posted the rehearsal with Queen, the surviving members and George singing Somebody to Love, and George just killing it as he does. Everyone is there from Annie Lennox, everyone. And in the back of the video, I see my idol David Bowie and this tall young black guy with dreadlocks [Seal himself] and it took me back to the time where David and I were talking and watching George Michael and we were marvelling at that performance. David just loved him. One can't help but get really emotional. It was a huge loss." To listen back to the show, click the play button on the top right side of the screen -- and to let us know what you think of Seal's choices, you can tweet @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.   Seal's Playlist:  Seal 'Crazy'  Stevie Wonder 'Living for the City'  U2 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'  George Michael 'Somebody to Love'  David Bowie 'Where Are We Now'  Big Shaq 'Man's Not Hot' Seal 'Smile'  Alpha 'Blue Autumn' 

Willy Vlautin writes stories for dark, lonely nights of the soul -- and his taste in music reflects that. When the US author and Richmond Fontaine frontman arrived in to pick the songs for the show, he admitted, with a grin, that he did try to think of cheerier numbers, but ultimately his tastes are minor-key in tone, reflecting the mood of his riveting novels, which include Northline, The Free, Don't Skip Out on Me, and the wonderful Lean on Pete, which has just been made into a movie starring Chloe Sevigny and Steve Buscemi.  Nick Cave, Bat for Lashes and The Unthanks all featured on the playlist, and Vlautin spoke about why he got into music and writing in the first place.  “John Steinbeck was like a best friend to me as a kid,” he said. “I wanted to live inside his books and I didn’t know how. I didn’t have much talent, so I never thought I could be a writer. I wasn’t from some important family and I wasn’t ever going to go to a fancy college. But I was a fan -- and then it dawned on me. Well, you have to join up. You have to plant your flag.” Vlautin writes fiction because writing gives him a kind of fulfilment. "Sometimes writing about lonely people makes you less lonely," he said. "Sometimes I write for that. Maybe my books make people feel less lonely." Listen back to the show by clicking the play button on the right -- and let us know what you think of Willy's music choices by tweeting @nadineoregan or @songsinthekey.    Willy Vlautin's Playlist  Richmond Fontaine 'Horace Hopper' Bat for Lashes 'What's a Girl to Do?' Nick Cave 'Push the Sky Away'  Craig Finn 'God in Chicago'  Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra 'Sundown, Sundown'  The Shadows 'Apache'  Neko Case 'Margaret vs. Pauline'  Bobby Vinton 'Blue Velvet'  The Unthanks 'Bird in the Blue'  Drive By Truckers 'What it Means'   

If you want a song with a story attached, there's no better man than Podge McNamee of chart-topping Irish band HamsandwicH to offer one up. When Niamh Farrell and Podge arrived in to offer up their take on Songs in the Key of Life, it seemed like every song belonging to Podge's selection had a tale attached.  Take the reason he chose Modest Mouse's Float On: "We had a house party in Drimnagh a few years ago and played Modest Mouse's 'Float On' eight times in a row. Our neighbour ran into the house and smashed the hi-fi. But. . . there were two hi-fis. The music still played." Or there's his nostalgic reasoning for picking the Pixies. "I used to go to this pub in Kells called The Chaser and sing to the Pixies' Debaser: 'I want to grow/Up to drink/In The Chaser'".   Niamh, meanwhile, picked songs of a very different variety, veering towards female artists with beautiful - sometimes doomily beautiful -- vocals, and often a tragic life, such as Karen Carpenter and Whitney Houston. "Women like Karen Carpenter and Amy Winehouse get put into a box," she said of the music industry life. "It ends up destroying them."  Hamsandwich have a gorgeous new single out called Bodies -- which you can hear on the show as well -- and they plan to finish recording their fourth album in 2018. Listen back to their show by clicking the play button above.  Let us know what you think of their selections by tweeting @songsinthekey or @nadineoregan.    Podge and Niamh's Playlist: HamsandwicH 'In Perfect Rhymes'  Modest Mouse 'Float On' (Podge) Whitney Houston 'I Have Nothing' (Niamh) Pixies 'Gigantic' (Podge) The Carpenters 'Rainy Days and Mondays' (Niamh) HamsandwicH 'Bodies'  Loah 'The Bailey' (Niamh) Chaos Chaos 'Do You Feel It' (Niamh) Mazzy Star 'Look On Down from the Bridge' (Niamh) Rollerskate Skinny 'Speed to My Side' (Podge) Pavement 'Carrot Rope' (Podge) Lambchop 'Up with People' (Podge) The National 'Sons and Daughters of the Soho Riots' (Podge) Halo Benders 'Virginia Reels around the fountain' (Podge)  

"I need to do some promo yoga," David Kitt laughs. "I need to limber up."  The Irish singer-songwriter may be famous for having released an array of beautiful albums over the past two decades  -- including The Big Romance and Small Moments -- but he's a naturally pretty shy type -- so the act of being interviewed doesn't necessarily come that easy to him. That said, David -- or Kittser, as he's better known -- was in good spirits when he arrived into studio for Songs in the Key of Life, and no wonder: he has a new EP out, and a new album on the way in March, as well as live dates coming up -- he's launching the new album at the Button Factory in Dublin on April 6th. Plus his side-project New Jackson is also doing extremely well, having been nominated for the 2017 Choice Music Prize award.  Then there's the fact that this show is all about the tunes -- and Kittser is an obsessive music fan, who regularly hits the decks in Ireland and abroad. As you'll hear, he was happy to roam between genres, playing soul, hip-hop and singer-songwriter cuts, as well as a few classics: Aretha Franklin was a magnificent closer to the show. "I end my DJ sets with Aretha a lot," he said. "It's never let me down. And songs in the key of life being the brief, this is pretty much right."   David Kitt's Playlist: 1.David Kitt 'You Know What I Wanna Know'  2. JJ Cale 'Starbound'  3. Nas 'It Ain't Hard to Tell'  4. Wham 'Nothing Looks the Same in the Light'  5. Aphex Twin 'Analogue Bubblebath'  6. Burning Spear 'Creation'  7. David Kitt 'Still Don't Know'  8. Aretha Franklin 'I Say A Little Prayer'  9. Neil Young 'Tell Me Why'  10. The Beatles 'A Day in the Life'  11. Nina Simone 'Suzanne'  12. Elizabeth Cotton 'Babe, it Ain't No Lie'

If you haven't checked out the Irish film Cardboard Gangsters yet, you should make a point of downloading it.   The story of a group of friends and drug dealers in Darndale in Dublin, the film has been nominated for five awards in the upcoming Irish Film and Television Awards, taking place on February 15th, and it deserves the success: it's a gritty, heartfelt and absorbingly tense drama, with excellent turns from all the lead players.    On Sunday, two of the lead actors from the film -- John Connors and Paul Alwright -- came into studio to pick out the music for Songs in the Key of Life. While John is well known in the industry -- he co-wrote the screenplay for Cardboard Gangsters as well as starring in it, and was also in Love/Hate -- Paul is a relative newcomer. He's better known for his work in music -- he has performed as Lethal Dialect for several years and has a new album on the way in 2018.   Both say that the arts have helped them through tough times in their own lives.   "My brother suggested doing acting because I was suicidal," John said, speaking candidly about his background as a member of the travelling community, and what it was like to grow up in Darndale in Dublin. "I had an ongoing depression and I came to a point in my life where I realised there were no options. My brother suggested acting because I spent my whole dole on the cinema. Acting was a way of expressing myself. I fell in love with it."   For Paul, the draw towards creativity was similar. "I started writing poetry probably around 13," he said. "But the first attempt I made at music, I was about 16, in Foroige in the youth centre in Blanchardstown. I was there with friends and they were recording in a new studio, and they said, 'Write a rhyme and put it on the song'. I did it and fell with love with it, with this idea that you can evoke some emotion and capture it."  Listen back to the show -- and hear their song selections -- by clicking play on the top right of the screen.    John and Paul's Playlist: 1. God Creative 'Jim Kelly'  2. Sam Cooke 'A Change is Gonna Come' (John's choice) 3. The Verve 'Lucky Man' (Paul's choice) 4.Maverick Sabre 'Come Fly Away' (Paul's choice) 5. Damien Dempsey 'Negative Vibes' (John's choice) 6. Paul Alwright 'Seeds of Doubt' (first play from Paul's forthcoming album) 7. Jennifer Rush 'Power of Love' (John's choice) 8. Shadow feat Loah 'The Scratch' (Paul's choice) 9. Kool and the Gang 'Winter Sadness' (Paul's choice) 10. Peckers Dunne 'Tinkers Lullaby' (John's choice) 11. Garth Brooks 'The Dance' (John's choice) 12. Joe McDonnell 'Eire Og' (John's choice)

Haven't heard of Jacob Banks yet? You soon will. For our final show of January, 2018 we wanted to dedicate it to a fresh young talent, and the 26-year-old UK soul singer has been causing a stir of late, with a track on the new Fifty Shades soundtrack, a place on the Longitude 2018 line-up, and a recently inked deal with Interscope, the label that's home to Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga. Jacob is set to release his debut album in June, but in the meantime his singles, including Unknown (to you) and Chainsmoking, have been grabbing serious attention, and no wonder; he's got a voice like velvet. When Jacob arrived in to do the show, he had a brilliant playlist lined up, including tracks from artists including Al Green, Frank Ocean and James Blake. "I was in university when the James Blake album came out," he said. "From finding James Blake, I found people like Bon Iver, Imogen Heap. My friend sent me Limit to Your Love on Facebook. It blew my mind." Born in Nigeria, Jacob moved to Birmingham at 13, but now lives in London. Most of the time, though, he's on tour -- so he has to send his two cats to stay with his brothers. He makes sure he catches up with them on his downtime, though. "I Facetime my cats. We stay in touch," he said, with a smile. We like a man who has his priorities straight. . . Jacob's playlist  Jacob Banks 'Unknown (to you)' Al Green 'Let's Stay Together'  James Blake 'Limit to Your Love'  Amy Winehouse 'Just Friends'  Arctic Monkeys 'Do I Wanna Know'  Jacob Banks 'Chainsmoking'  Frank Ocean 'Godspeed'  Louis Armstrong 'La Vie en Rose'  D'Angelo 'Send it On'  John Mayer 'Slow Dancing in Burning Room'  Coldplay 'Fix You'  Alabama Shakes 'This Feeling'