Whitney Matheson at Pop Candy shares a Bruce Alert... The first single from his forthcoming record Magic, "Radio Nowhere" is available as a free download from iTunes, directly from Bruce, in the UK from Guardian Unlimited, and "nice Swedish girl" Cecilia at Rock Sellout informs us that Swedish newspaper Expressen is also offering the free download.


Whitney Matheson offers this assessment:

My friend Patrick swears Radio Nowhere has kind of an 867-5309 (Jenny) vibe, and he's not alone. "You hear it at the very beginning and it's hard to let go, even as the song goes elsewhere," Patrick told me. Who would've guessed The Boss would ever be likened to Tommy Tutone?

Clara at January One usually talks yarn, knitting and spinning but she loves her some Bruce and says she "just might make it through this summer yet" on news of Magic arriving on October 2.  Barbara at Layla's Classic Rock Faves says "I promise this blog has not turned into Springsteen Central, but I have posted about him a lot lately. But this is big news!"

And if news of a free download and an impending full length recording with the E-Street Band wasn't enough for you how about the announcement of an accompanying tour in the US and Europe?  Details here.  Anyone planning on joining me in the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Cali on October 26, holla!  (On a total random side note - Cleveland - the "Quicken Loans Arena" seriously?  I'm sorry).

On a related side note, Eric at Pardon My French ran has an interesting post where he tests web tools like Alexa, Google Trends and surveys on Facebook to develop some thoughts on what Springsteen's Magic Marketing Plan will and should be.

While you await the new Springsteen album allow me to suggest another artist for you to discover and savor.  Phil Roy is who I'm talking about.  I discovered him when I lived in Philadelphia and had the wonderful XPN to provide the soundtrack to my commute.  Roy is probably best known for his public radio hit "Melt."  Amazon reviewer Alyson Mead says this about the song:

The first time I heard "Melt," I wept. Full-on, clouding-up-the-shades tears, until I had to pull over or risk having an accident. Maybe it was the words, about some heartbroken guy who would do anything to get his girl back, who spent his time dreaming up increasingly amazing feats to prove his love for her, or the plaintive texture of his voice, but there I was yanking tissues and hopelessly trying to save my makeup on the 101. When it was over, KCRW dj Mike Morrison revealed the name of the song's writer, blissfully unaware that he'd just shoehorned my heart out of my chest with the simple spin of a disk. Who was this Phil Roy and why had I never heard of him?

Yvonne at Full of Earth and Dirt heard "Melt" on XPN and "felt compelled to go look up the artist and the song."  She calls hearing Roy's song "It's Alright" a "beautiful song on a beautiful day."

John Platt from The 'FUV Blog had the opportunity to secure a date on the "I'm Not Leaving the House Tour" and had dinner and a private concert at Phil Roy's home complete with "Phil’s beloved dog Travis kept an eye out for dropped morsels."  I'm so jealous that I no longer live in Philly and couldn't go.

My favorite of his recordings is his second, Issues + Options which, like his first CD Grouchyfriendly, contains "Melt."  His third CD is available for download at iTunes and emusic or you can buy an autographed CD directly from Phil Roy's website. To hear a sample of his music, check out his MySpace page with three tracks streaming including "Melt."