100 Greatest Musicals album Out Now!

Just a quick note to let you know that the "100 Greatest Musicals" album on which I feature singing "All I Ask of You" with performer Gaynor Ellen is out now in all major music shops and online. You can download the songs off the album individually at Amazon.

It's a great album and features some amazing performers like Lesley Garrett, Dave Willetts etc.
And with 6 CDs is a bargain :)

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let... wait... that's enough!

Wow, it's been a crammed couple of months. Fun but majorly crammed. And to top it all of, I've been sick with the flu. Got it quite bad this time. I'm actually out the other side now and feeling so much better than I did (spare you the details), but could really have done without it!

Busy-ness and illness got me well behind on letting you all know that there is now a New 2nd Edition of my Christmas album "His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful" available. This time with SIX extra recordings! This will now replace the first edition on my site and is available for download on Amazon too.

Well, I have always adored the snow, but our little spell of freak Arctic weather conditions here in the UK at the moment have certainly caused a little bother!
It was the United Voice Choir's Christmas concert this last Saturday and it was touch and go as to whether it would even go ahead. The snow was BAD here!!
We did go ahead (reduced choir, reduced audience, no sound guy, no lighting guy etc - good job I have such a game and supportive family to fill the gaps), but it was FABULOUS :)

(Better images to follow - this one kindly taken on
Christine Wright's mobile:)


The choir excelled themselves and put on a fantastically festive musical evening. It was a wonderful start the Christmas and well worth the struggle to get it up and running.
I was so proud of everyone and also so proud of those who were unable to get out of their housing estates, but understood that "the show must go on!"

Well deserved Happy Christmas for all! :)

A catch up on recent events...

Been a bit absent blog-wise of late. You know that feeling... when you're so busy with things and your mind is so full that you feel like you've already told everyone all about it... but haven't?!

Guess I owe you a few blog updates!

Well...

Had a great time going down to London (Angel Studios) to record "All I Ask of You" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" for the upcoming release of the "100 Greatest Musicals" album.

The journey on the train was pretty uneventful (which is always good), except for the fact that more people than usual seemed to have coughs and colds... not the greatest thing when already paranoid as to whether your going to have a voice or not when you get there!

I did make a brief trip to the loo to check if my voice was still working... but contrary to the article about the recording in The Stage newspaper, I didn't spend the whole journey singing in the toilets!! :)

The weather was particularly nasty that day and my heart sank when I came out of Angel Tube Station to see it absolutely pouring down... and me... a complete man, forgetting his brolly!

Well, I wasn't toooooo wet when I got to the studio, but boy was I glad to be inside and dry out :)

It was so much fun walking into the studio and meeting the people there, who were all really nice. Producer James Fitzpatrick was the man in charge. Also there, were Rick Clark (Media Manager of Silva Screen Records) and David Kaplan of Pure Solo.

I loved the fact that we got stuck straight into things and was really pleased that it sounded good when they played it back for me to listen without mixing it yet. Except for a brief moment of emptying loose change out of my pockets and removing my watch to try and remedy some clicking noises, it all went very smoothly!

It was lovely meeting Lalayn Baluch of The Stage and Times Newspapers and having a surprise visit from Helena Blackman of BBC's "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" who came to give her support and was lovely. All in all a crackin' day! :)

You can actually preview a clip on Amazon mp3 downloads at the moment, but it will be available as mp3 download and on CD on Oct 18th... Hmmmm.... my brother's birthday... Haha! Guess who's getting it as a gift!

Will post links here and on my site when it's all available.

In the studio with Producer James Fitzpatrick:

Big cheesy grin from me... (hearing the recording back for

the first time on their ultra-fab studio monitor speakers):

Of course you have to listen with your eyes closed!

Being interviewed for The Stage by Lalayn Baluch:

With Helena Blackman:

Me and Helena again with Rick Clark of Silva Screen Records

(Left of the two fellas) and David Kaplan of Pure Solo (Right):

"Sweet Is the Work" receives special recognition!

I'm very excited that on the first year of entering, my very own version of "Sweet Is the Work" was awarded 'Special Recognition' in the Annual Church Music Submission 2010. Yay!

Some of you will remember that this song made it's debut on my last album "How Can I Keep From Singing?" and I'm really thrilled that it received a special recognition, as the submission receives entries from all over the world! Cool huh?!

You can click (here) to see the list of all the 2010 entries.

You can hear a recording of "Sweet Is the Work" on the "Listen" page of my website (top player) and on the "Shop" page underneath the picture of the "How Can I Keep From Singing?" album, or you can download the sheet music free of charge on my "Sheet Music" page (all at www.jamesloynes.com)

Guess it's time to get back to writing then :)

Thanks so much for your continued support everyone!

Woohoo!...

Just a quick blog post to say thank you so much to all those who voted for me and showed their support during The Stage/Pure Solo - "Mad About Musicals" competition... which I...

**drum roll**... WON! Yay!

I'm really thrilled. The prize is to feature as a vocalist on Silva Screen's "100 Greatest Musicals" album along side stars of the theatre, such as Dave Willetts and Lesley Garrett!

Entrants had to record a vocal for one of three song choices and post it to their "puresolo.com" profile so that members of the public could vote and give however many "hearts" they thought the recording deserved. I chose to sing the "Raoul" part for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera.

The first stage of the competition was determined by public votes alone and then the top ten were judged by a panel including Helena Blackman (BBC's "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?"), Rick Clark (Manager of new Media and Music Production at Silva Screen Records) and The Stage Newspaper's assistant editor Scott Matthewman.

Runner up in second place was Melissa Cavanagh, singing "Over The Rainbow" - Wonderful company as she has a fantastic voice. You can hear her singing a brilliant version of "On My Own" from Les Miserables on her YouTube channel (click here).

It's very cool to have been chosen as winner from a long list, to record with such well known and respected performers and I can't wait to find out what song they have in store for me!

Thank you again for your votes everyone, I'm so very grateful!

Wish me luck :)

PS - I have recently recorded some songs from musicals, which can be found on my YouTube channel or for MP3 Download at my website (www.jamesloynes.com/music)

Happy Father's Day!

Looks like my latest blog posts are on a theme!

Well, it's Father's Day this weekend and I wanted to make a brief post to tribute my own Father. I honestly couldn't ask for a more supportive and generous Dad, who would do or give anything to see that his children have all they stand in need of to be happy and successful.

But not only has he always been so generous, he has always made his love for the Saviour so clear and as my brothers, sister and I grew up, we always knew how important Jesus Christ is to my Dad.

Recently I had the great honour to be the first to perform composer Sally DeFord's new song (a tribute to Father's) "I Knew My Father Knew" - A song which explains that of all the great treasures we can pass on to our children, the most wonderful is that of faith and a testimony of our Saviour Jesus Christ, a thing that will become more precious (and useful) as time goes on.

Thank you Dad and all other Dad's who understand that to grow closer to our children we need to grow closer to the Lord.

Happy Father's Day! I hope your day is as special as you are to your loved ones.

Many thanks to YouTube user 'ElsieBird68' for providing this video for "I Knew My Father Knew"

Happy Mother's Day! (Majorly late!)...

Here's an extremely late Mother's Day treat...

A while back, I stumbled upon a song, which I think has real charm. The song was originally intended to be used in Disney's movie, 'Aladdin," but was ultimately cut due to changes in the storyline.

In the song, Aladdin sings to his Mother of how one day he will make her proud.

I love this song, because I think it sums up how most of us feel towards our parents and how really, when it comes down to it, we all want to make them proud of us (whether we'd like to admit it or not!)

Bless my Mum, when she heard this recording, she called up to say that she hoped I knew she was proud of me. I know it without a doubt and I'm so grateful for it. We must all remember to tell each other how much we love each other and how proud we are of each other... never assume that someone knows how much you appreciate them... sometimes we just need to hear it.

Thanks Mum (and Dad) for being proud of me.

Here's to all you other special Mum's (or Mom's) depending on which side of the pond you reside! Hope you are treated to the luxuries a Mum deserves :)

Here's to the hero...

It's been a sad few weeks. My wife's Dad (Jim) passed away. What a wonderful character. Full of fun and seldom a judgmental thing to say about anyone... even those in his life who had clearly wronged him.  It was a real shock to us all, because although Jim definitely had some early signs of dementia (something which only served to enhance his playfulness), there were no signs of health problems. It was sudden though, and I guess if there was such a thing as a good way to go, this would be it. Clean shaven and showered just before, and napping in the chair. Always a gentleman, even until the end.

We'll certainly miss Jim Hindley, a definite community hero, who poured much of his time into charity work and the rest of it into making people feel good about themselves.

Each person that passes leaves a gap... but when a real character like Jim passes away, it feels like life will be a little bit more boring for a bit... time I guess, to start getting busy!

We love you Jim.

See you soon.

James never waits!...

I really can't wait to go see Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical "Love Never Dies" (a sequel to his international sensation "The Phantom of the Opera")

I usually prefer to be surprised when it come to birthdays, but I just had to ask my wife Francesca to get me tickets so we could make sure there were any to get!

I'm sure it'll be a great show from what I've seen and one particular song (the Phantom's main ballad for this show) really got me. "Til I Hear You Sing" is a song which tells us of the Phantom's longing to see Christine again and to hear her sing (of course!)

It's a beautiful song and I just couldn't resist recording it. Play the video below or visit my YouTube Channel. Hope you enjoy!

How can I keep from Smiling!

Last month had a little surprise for me!... On 28th February, mine and Sally DeFord's arrangement of "How Can I Keep From Singing?" (the title track of my latest CD), was performed by a 300-voice choir at the tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah!

It really is a beautiful hymn, which I hadn't heard until Sally introduced me to it. I was so pleased that our arrangement was chosen for the event, I only wish aeroplane tickets weren't so bloomin' expensive, otherwise I'd have loved to have seen them perform it... Here's hoping they recorded it and send us a copy! 

Keep checking back at www.jamesloynes.com  &  www.defordmusic.com for more new songs and arrangements.

Time Management

Well it's been a couple of months since my last blog entry and a busy couple months at that. Between performing, recording, the choir, church responsibilities and DIY jobs around the home (amongst other things), I've certainly had my plate full! It's funny how when I have so much to do, I find it hard to get started on anything! In fact I enjoy my singing so much that I could wander around the house aimlessly all day and sing 'til I'm hoarse and get nothing done!

A word to the wise... "To Do" lists are all well and good, but when absolutely everything in your life that needs doing ends up on the same list, you can guarantee it's gonna be a horribly long one that you won't want to even start. Make separate lists for each area of your life, so you don't just focus on one thing and get nothing else done in any other area. Works a treat for me, I'm getting so much more done in a day! Can't you just tell I'm a bit excited about my lists?!

In fact, if you're anything like me and struggle to manage your time sometimes, you might find an article I read in the Natwest bank free magazine quite helpful. It's fairly long, but well worth a read I think!:

GET MORE DONE

Always put off important tasks until the last minute? Perhaps you never get to the end of your "to-do" list? "There's one problem with to-do lists," says life coach and time-management guru Mark Forster, "they don't work." His theory is that you end up with a long list of things to do and pick the easy things, while the difficult tasks remain unfinished, which simply breeds a sense of failure. His time-rotation method means you put concentrated effort into everything, so you get lots more done.

Time rotation

This is also a way to break down your inner resistance to a task you can't get started on, whether it's your tax return or sitting down to write that novel.

You learn by practice, so grab a pen and write down a three-item will-do list for today. It works better with a timer - a kitchen timer is ideal but your watch will do.

Choose the thing you dread the most and call it Task A, the others are B and C. Next to each, write 5, 10, 15, 20. These refer to the minutes you'll spend on each task, working in strict rotation. Start with five minutes on Task A. You don't want to do it, but you can do anything for five minutes. Set your timer and get suck in. When the time is up, stop! Cross out figure 5 next to Task A and move on to Task B, then Task C. Keep moving in rotation, working on each task for 10, 15, 20 minutes. If you finish one task you can add another or just concentrate on the unfinished tasks.

Staying focused

You may find you're happy to return to a task you previously dreaded. Why? Once you've got started, you'll want to get back to it. It's the same as when you get more done in the two days before a holiday than you would usually achieve in two weeks. Building deadlines into your day means you stay really focussed - you don't have very long, so you become more productive.

Once you've got started, 

you'll want to get back to it

This method can be adapted to help you complete tasks you usually avoid because you don't have time. You could work in 30-minute blocks and make one of them exercising. Or, if your finances need reviewing, one five-minute task could be calling your local [bank] branch to make an appointment for Personal Review.

The rotation means you don't question whether you have time - you just get on with it because it's next on your list.

This has really helped me. Hope you can benefit from it! Though one bit of extra advice I'd give is to not just put, for example Task A - DIY... Task B - Gardening etc... but to have a little think about what specific things need doing in those areas before you start, otherwise you'll waste time sat there trying to come up with specifics 

:) 

It Felt like Christmas to me!

Christmas has flown by this year. Mind you, it always seems to. I know I'm a big kid but I always miss it when it's gone and all the decorations come down and only highlight how boringly drab your living room was before! Anyway, it comes round every year and I mustn't wish the days away, since there's always so much to get done in a year.

Even though Christmas went by quickly it's been really lovely. One particular event really helped to create the festive spirit... United Voice's concert "It Feels Like Christmas!" 

Well it really did feel like Christmas. My choir, United Voice North West took the the stage at the Temperance Institute Ballroom again, this time with a seasonal repertoir, including many UK Christmas number one hits and some of our favourite traditional songs.

They put on a great show and I know from feedback that the audience had a fab time. The evening had a great mixture of good music and laughter and the choir and soloists were on top form.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Sefton were in attendance again after enjoying our summer showcase so much and we even had them joining in with the daft actions we had the audience doing for "The Christmas Alphabet" song!

A great time was had by all and it really gave our Christmas a magical start... oh and most important of all... my stained glass windows turned out great. (Thanks for your help Dad!)

Really proud of everyone. Thanks for all who helped make the event a big success!

My lovely Mother in law with the President of the Southport and District Temperance Society and the Mayor and Mayoress of Sefton:

The Ensemble sings "I Have a Dream" - 

Take note of the brill stained glass window! :)

Bit blurry, but here Kermit the Frog makes an appearance, as we sing "It Feels Like Christmas" from the Muppet Christmas Carol:

Lots of fun as we even get the Mayor and Mayoress doing actions for "The Christmas Alphabet!" Think this was "S" for "Santa" :)

Jim (Fran's Dad) has always wanted the Temperance's windows like Harrods'. This year he got his wish!

Out of sync, but well worth a mention...

Back in September, our good friends Dennis and Sally DeFord, from Colorado, came over to the UK for a vacation. I was so much fun for Francesca and I to be able to take some time off ourselves and join Sally and Dennis as they explored some great places on our lovely island, which we definitely take for granted.

It's funny how you notice and appreciate everything around you so much more when you have guests to show around.

below are a few nice pictures we took along the way, but click (here) to read Sally's blog entry. She has managed to nicely and concisely capture the main highlights of the visit. (I would ramble on for hours!)

There was one particular highlight that I must mention though. I was so glad that we were able to organise a musical fireside while Sally was over. (For those who don't know what that is, it doesn't involve a fire at all, it just means a gathering where there is some sort of inspirational presentation. I guess back in the day, the pioneers would have sat around a fire, so there ya go!)

The fireside took place at the Stake Centre over in Chorley and the place was chock-full of people. It was a lovely evening. Sally shared inspirational stories and background on some of her music, with performances by the Chorely Stake choir and myself.

It really was a very moving presentation, especially with the audience being so eager to join in with the songs they were involved in. One particular moment that I won't forget in a hurry though, was when I sat back down after a song, with what I thought was only my lyric sheet and left Sally with no notes and a perplexed look. I of course, rather than quietly handing the notes back, broke the awkward silence with "oh, sorry luv. Here ya go!"... trust me!... She's such a good sport!

It was a real pleasure to sing beautiful songs like "Whole Again,"   "I Have Not Seen, Yet I Believe," "If the Savior Stood Beside Me," and "For Me Alone" live and be accompanied by the composer herself.


The very grand Bath Abbey:

Roman Baths. This was very cool... can't beat a bit of geothermal heat!

The very impressive Circus and Crescent below it.

It so difficult to show how impressive they are on camera:

The amazingly untouched quaint village in Castle Combe:

Had to have a photo of this. A resident of Castle Combe, selling cakes outside their house, 

with a little sign saying "please just post payment through the door"

I love it! Why can't things be like this everywhere. So glad some people still trust their neighbours :)

Fireside Sunday,Sep 13th 2009