LMTY: Amy Macdonald's Sophomore Album in November?

Will Amy Macdonald release her sophomore album this November? Amazon.co.uk added a new release, temporarily titled "TBC", to their store with a releasedate of November 16th. It's been two years since the release of Amy's very succesful debut album "This is the Life" so it might really be the highly anticipated second album we all are waiting for! Will be continued...

UPDATE: Amy replied this on twitter: @letmelikeit sorry to say but amazon are wrong. New stuff is under way but won't be ready until next year. So no new album this year, but definitely some new stuff next year. Can't wait!

Megan Washington

This post was supposed to on here the third of July but somehow it did not get published, so enjoy this belated feature of this talented singer-songwriter.

Megan grew up in Papua New Guinea, and moved to Brisbane when she was eleven or twelve. They lived near the sea, and she loved hanging out down by the water with friends, or at someone's house playing cd’s. She always wanted to be Judy Garland as a child and used to stay at home and watch old MGM musicals like Easter Parade, Show Boat and Can-Can, and dance around the lounge room, singing along. Once she got older, she spent a lot of time in the Fortitude Valley; the hub of live music in Brisbane. A normal Megan Washington day consists of checking emails, trawling MySpace, having breakfast and putting in a few hours at her piano. She always brings black pens along with her and does not like animal cruelty, crap housemates and people who say 'Lol' in actual conversation. Musically she finds her inspiration in artists like Rufus and his sister Martha Wainwright, Jolie Holland and Kate Miller-Heidke. Megan has previously been known as a collaborator (Paul Grabowsky) and bandmate (Ben Lee, Old Man River), but now she strikes out on her own with Washington, with a unique take on indie-rock and minimalist elegance. Her debut EP "Clementine" received a very warm reception accros the australian musical landscape in 2008, and Megan is now gearing up to release her next EP "How To Tame Lions" this September.

@ Australia
♫ Indie, Pop
♥ Clementine (mp3)
♥ One Man Band (mp3)
▸ Myspace

Sam & Ruby

Nashville-based duo Sam & Ruby are a blend of R&B, folk and pop. Their newest album The Here And The Now is due to come out in August 2009. Ruby, who was born in Ghana, has spent most of her life in Nashville. Her father, a computer scientist, was recruited by a Tennessee-based firm, and he moved his family to Nashville when she was just three. Sam formed a band in high school and, by the time he’d finished college, it was practically a career. It would still be several years before Sam & Ruby officially became a duo. Sam left Nashville for New York City to work as a solo artist, sticking it out until after the September 11th attacks. Ruby released a solo album, Smoke and Honey in the UK, which reached Top Five on the British pop charts with a song called, "Sugah." Just as Ruby should have been savoring this success, record label snafus left her high and dry in Nashville. That’s about when Sam came back into town. So they combined their complementary talents, and the track "The Here And The Now" was born, laying the foundation their partnership. A year later they were invited to play at Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans where they also decided to record an EP that would contain some of the tracks that would eventually make their way onto their debut full length. They cut, mixed and mastered everything in a one-bedroom apartment. That EP led to a publishing deal, access to better recording facilities and, finally, to a deal with Rykodisc. In between, Ruby co-wrote "Heaven’s My Home," and an early version by Sam & Ruby was featured in the Queen Latifah-starring film, The Secret Life Of Bees. Now Sam & Ruby have reclaimed this tune for their debut album, The Here and The Now.

@ Nashville, USA
♫ Folk, Pop, Soul
♥ What Do I Do Now (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website