Beth Rowley, Little Dreamer

Soul singers. WHITE soul singers. You can't turn around these days without knocking over a couple. But whereas the Adele's and Duffy's spring from the stage school axis, Beth Rowley comes to us with at least a certain amount of dues-paying done. Born to missionary parents in Lima, she's weathered the Bristol music scene, studied under Carleen Anderson and, most importantly, as a schoolgirl provided backing vocals for Ronan Keating and Enrique Inglesias and that must surely count as about five years-worth of toil in any currency. But joking aside, has Beth really got what it takes to lift herself up above the (very large) crowd?

Firstly, one thing she does have going for her is the the way she handles the gospel blues vein that runs through tracks like Only One Cloud and Almost Persuaded. This girl was born to testify. On Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground she makes the guesting Duke Special sound like an utter wimp. However on You Never Called Me Tonight she can't really manage much more than 'slightly peeved', instead of the anguish that such a song needs.

But it seeems harsh to berate someone so young for not being bitter and twisted enough. The real trouble lies, as it so often does, with the production. Too often this album plays it safe, being to scared to alienate any toast-munching Wogan listeners and lacking real punch. A track like So Sublime is so lightweight, floating so close to the danger area marked 'Eva Cassidy', that it virtually floats off the CD.

Yet, the bulk of the material - a poppy blues jazz amalgam - is actually fine, being mostly co-written by Ben (son of Roy) Castle; placing her in a more mainstream Jamie Cullum mould. And she handles covers extremely well. Her take on Nobody's Fault But Mine is affecting, though perhaps her reggae version of Dylan's I Shall Be Released is a little too happy for the song's sentiments.

From all reports Rowley can really get down to the nitty gritty on stage, but it doesn't come through enough on this album making it a missed opportunity, but not a hopeless cause. We surely haven't heard the last of Beth Rowley.

Hilton helps hurt Oompa Loompa performer

Hilton helps hurt Oompa Loompa performer

Paris Hilton rushed to the aid of a performer dressed in an Oompa Loompa costume after he was injured in a point bang.
According to People magazine, the socialite was in the Cameo night club in Miami on Saturday when the incident took shoes.
Members of the herd reportedly rushed the phase, knocking over performer Old World robin Robert Emmet Sherwood, whose leg was injured as outcome of the brush.
Lawyer Microphone Heller, wHO was also at the event, said: "Paris stayed back at the event when she heard that he was injured, to make surely he was okay."
"She was very concerned with his health. She didn't leave until she knew that he was oK," he said.
Another reference said: "Yes, Genus Paris Hilton stayed with him until an ambulance came to take care of him... Paris was great, she was there until he was turned over to the medical examination technicians."
Hilton is reportedly friends with Robert Emmet Sherwood, wHO is awaiting a kidney transplant. The reality television star and her sister Nicky documentation the performer's introduction to assistance his process.

Model Bruni marries French president

Model Bruni marries French president

Former international model Carla Bruni married French people president Nicolas Sarkozy on Sat in Paris.
The match walked devour the aisle at the presidential Elysee Palace, less than triad months after they reportedly first met.
In a short statement, the couple said that they "were married... in the bearing of their families in the strictest privateness."
The official world Health Organization had performed the ceremonial occasion, Francois Lebel, city manager of Paris' eighth arrondissement said, "The bride wore white; she was ravishing, as usual and the ostler wasn't badly either."
53-years-old Sarkozy married Bruni, 13 years his junior, in the presence of 20 close family and friends, Lebel said.
He called the ceremony "a moment of fellowship intimacy for the young newlyweds, of great simplicity and apparently a lot of affection 'tween the spouses."
"I wished them a lot of happiness," he said.
At a word conference in January, Sarkozy revealed that the family relationship was "serious" and hinted that wedding plans were in the works.
However he refused to let on the date for a wedding, expression but that France power acquire around the wedding once they had already taken place.