Polly Jean Harvey doesn't serve light food on her ninth studio album either. As with her predecessor "Let England Shake", she proves to be an extremely astute observer - in this case of grievances in the USA and in the regions affected by its foreign policy, such as Kosovo and Afghanistan. She never raises her index finger. She puts her own insights into artistic practice and leaves the interpretation to the listener.
![The unvarnished truth - With "The Hope Six Demolition Project" PJ HARVEY holds America up to the mirror](https://www.eclipsed.de/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/PJ%20Harvey%202016%20-%20CMS%20Source%20web.jpg?itok=bPxczsv9 "The unvarnished truth - With "The Hope Six Demolition Project" PJ HARVEY holds America up to the mirror")
In the 60's, 70's and 80's it was customary for musicians to take a stand on current events and choose clear words - Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and CSN stand for this tradition, but also punk rockers like The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers and reggae artists like Bob Marley. But who still sings today about global grievances? Who dares to put his finger in the wounds and also to take criticism for it? Basically nobody - except a lady from the south coast of England who likes to go on a confrontation course: Polly Jean Harvey, 46 years old and a strong, fighting woman.
The Dane Majke Voss Romme is always surprised by who she is compared to. Woman at the piano - Tori Amos is the influence, isn't he? "In fact, for example, I first heard about her from music journalists. I don't know much about her, but I like what she does." So the question arises as to which musicians are important for her. "I love the music of Stina Nordenstam, a Swedish singer and songwriter, as well as Nina Simone and PJ Harvey. As a child I also enjoyed listening to Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton and the Spice Girls. But to what extent this has influenced my creative work, I can't say."
ROBERT PLANT
The showman must go on
62 years old, nominated for the BRIT Awards - Robert Plant doesn't give the impression that he wants to hang up the microphone so quickly. On 22 January, on the verge of his two appearances in Toronto, Canada, the legendary shouter talked about how he became the musician he is today and why a Led Zeppelin reunion would give him nothing.
JOE BONAMASSA
Blues traveller
JIMI HENDRIX
Have you ever been to Electric Ladyland...?
Concerts, press and photo appointments, gruelling studio sessions, growing tensions between musicians, pressure from management - despite all these factors, a new album of the Jimi Hendrix Experience was released in the autumn of 1968: the legendary double LP "Electric Ladyland", the third and last recording of the trio. By the time it happened, Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell had come a long, stony and intoxicated way.
QUEENSRŸCHE
Back to the Front
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Chronicler of the American (Alpine) Dream
In 1988 the band Prefab Sprout made it clear in their song "Cars And Girls" that life is about more than cars and girls - an obvious side blow to Bruce Springsteen and his supposedly limited view of the world. At the end of September the new Boss album "Magic" will be released. A welcome opportunity to look back on Springsteen's career and see what the man from New Jersey is really interested in.
THE FLOWER KINGS
The Workaholics of the Prog
