Little scraps of paper abound in my Shedio, where I work all
day with only the radio for company. Scrawled words on
torn off corners, hurriedly written, barely legible in magenta or turquoise or
2H pencil or whatever’s closest to hand. All sorts of apparently random words and
names. Maybe they look like coded messages
to a stranger’s eyes, yet to be deciphered, but once revealed they will disclose a dangerous secret.
I mean, a note I made just last week scribbled in purple
diagonally across a ripped sheet reads:
Mancini
Shotgun
Hmmm....
Of course, I'm just being a fantasist, this is nothing as intriguing as a secret code, but for
me it does point to something exciting.My
frantically scribbled notes (I'm very analogue!) are all aides memoires for songs I hear which make
my ears prick up (I’m sure they actually do, like a cat’s, if only you could see
them).Songs that make me stop what I’m
doing, artists who definitely warrant further investigation.
A little further investigation reveals that the artist in question here, Iraina Mancini, is
a singer, actor, radio host, model and DJ, born into a musical family – her father
is Warren Peace, a childhood friend of David Bowie, who also co-wrote songs with the great man and
provided backing vocals for him. Oh, imagine having a dad like that!
Iraina has already written her first solo album, but sadly there’s not a lot to hear from her
out there just yet, however ‘Shotgun’ is her latest single release and I really hope it stops as
many other people in their tracks as it did me the other day...I think it’s gorgeous - sultry, darkly sensual
and cinematic.
It probably comes as no surprise on listening to this to read that Iraina’s musical
inspirations include French ‘60s cinema and Ye-Ye, Northern Soul, Serge Gainsbourg, and
psychedelia... (right up my street!)
