R.Kelly’s Back Making Music

AFTER three long years since his last album, R.Kelly is back with his new album, Black Panties.

This album has 17 tracks on the deluxe version and features superstars Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, 2 Chainz, Future, Juicy J and more.

The 46-year-old offers something different with each track, but it all fits together into one flowing masterpiece.  His vocal range is amazing and he isn’t afraid to flaunt his talent in each song.

There is so much passion with he sings and even though the lyrics aren’t romantic or personal, the melody of every song is so catchy.

This album has a sound that really fits into the music industry at the moment, but his style is very unique. It is fresh and each track is unpredictable.

R.Kelly's new album Black Panties

It is certainly an album that offers something different with every track. There is a mixture of R&B, Soul, Pop and Ballads and his voice suits each one of these music styles.

He is that much of a superstar he has brought out a new sound from Kelly Rowland in the All the Way track. She sings in falsetto which she rarely sings in and it really compliments R.Kelly’s voice. Rather than having someone feature just to give the song more credibility, all of the features on this album have an equal amount to sing so it is more like a duet. This is very rare to come across.

This album is very chilled out. It’s great to listen to for background music. It would have been nice to have one or two songs that have a little more bass and a faster tempo, but I guess R.Kelly is known for his slower tempo R&B songs. Despite that, it is certainly a must buy at £10.99 for the deluxe edition.

Preview it on iTunes here: 

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/black-panties-deluxe-version/id742663988

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Amy Poole

Leona Lewis Gets Christmassy

LEONA LEWIS’ voice is pretty much perfect and her album Christmas, With Love, a cover album of Christmas tracks, puts the original singers of these songs to shame.

This album has all the Christmas classics, including Winter Wonderland, Silent Night and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.

She sings each one beautifully and this album is very festive. She has a wide vocal range and great control over her voice. She’s really pleasant to listen to because she doesn’t over-do her singing.

Each track is very similar to the original to make this album great for all ages.

Her young voice has really brought the old classics to life, but it would have been nice to have heard something different from these tracks. It feels like she has brought out this album for no real purpose. She hasn’t been around for a long time, so it could be a way to get back into the public eye and singing Christmas songs is an easy way of doing this.

Although this album isn’t a disappointment for Christmas addicts, it is disappointing for music lovers. There are so many artists who have brought out a Christmas cover album, so this one doesn’t really offer anything different. If Leona had have played around with the melodies and gave each song a unique sound, it would have been a more satisfying buy.

This album is similar to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, which was on sale nearly ten years ago. Sorry Leona, but Mariah did it better. Not because she is a better singer, because they both have tremendous talent, but because when Mariah’s album was released, it was different to any other singers who sang the songs.

Listen to a preview of Christmas, With Love here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXAyf0FUk7U

To purchase Christmas, With Love, visit iTunes here: 

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/christmas-with-love/id731437243

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Amy Poole

Leona's new Christmas album,
taken from http://www.rickey.org/leona-lewis-christmas-love-mp3-album-sampler/

Review: 18th century Chester physician display

THE WORK of a pioneering 18^th century Chester physician was displayed at Cheshire Records Office this weekend as part of a nationwide celebration of historical figures in healthcare.

Cheshire Records Office. Photo: Liam Cookson

A recreation of Dr John Haygarth’s work was on display in conjunction with the national Explore Your Archive day on Saturday November 16.

A medical chest filled with copies of Haygarth’s original journals, patient records and photographs was on a special display for one day only. Although a very small display, the cabinet has drawers that can be opened and explored, and the contents rifled through.

Particularly striking and poignant are the patient records, which list if a patient 'recovered', 'died', or is 'incurable'. The recreation of Haygarth’s patient books showed a decrease of patients dying and notable increase in recoveries as his career progressed.

The display was well organised and held many photographs and other visual aids which made the subject much more interesting. A real snapshot into the life of the physician was successfully presented, and the ability to physically interact with everything on show made the display much more fun.

But why did the Records Office choose Haygarth as their subject? Paul Newman, of Cheshire Records Office said: “Using the general theme of ‘health’ it was obvious we should display Haygarth’s work.”

The Explore Your Archive campaign was a successful nationwide event, which encouraged local residents to visit their local archives and record offices to discover the history of the city they live in.

Haygarth’s innovative ideas were ground breaking at the time and were used first hand in Chester Infirmary, where he was a part of the staff.

His straightforward beliefs, such as regularly changing bed sheets and opening windows to let in fresh air helped countless patients recover from their diseases.

The physician’s work most notably helped Chester stay Typhus free for over 36 years whilst he was stationed at Chester Infirmary.

The inaugural Haygarth Lecture, an annual talk on important health issues was hosted in memorial of the doctor took place on Monday November 18 at the University of Chester.

If any readers are interested in this subject, the University of Chester's Faculty of Health and Social Care museum at the Riverside campus is a year-round display of medical curiosities, mostly taken from Chester Infirmary.

Sandiway's Round Tower rebuild: still awaiting a decision

AROUND 10.30pm on November 14 a Red Corsa veered into and destroyed a 200 year old Cheshire landmark.

The remains of the tower being removed. Photo: Michael Howroyd

Within the few seconds of the crash, the tower was damaged severely. The following morning, Cheshire West and Chester Council decided to take apart the whole structure.

The driver of the car, who was said to be a 50-year-old woman, was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. Although an unfortunate incident, no one was seriously hurt.

The tower, beloved by the residents of Sandiway and the surrounding Cheshire area, was built in the 1800s, and has a local newsletter named after it. Far from being a building of great historical significance or use, the grade II listed monument is well known has nonetheless become a topic of heated debate.

In a bid to aid public safety, the remainder of the tower was totally deconstructed after the accident by the council and the sandstone bricks put in storage. The morning after the incident, the council posted this tweet:

@Go_CheshireWest Our teams are already planning reconstruction of the tower on the A556 and we always pursue costs from drivers' insurance companies.

Soon after, anger and disappointment spread throughout the surrounding area. Immediately, members of the public came forward through social media and tried to make their voice heard:  “the Round Tower should be rebuilt.”

The council have been discussing the options of rebuilding, and plan to submit an application in February 2014. The public want answers now.

Countless tweets and posts later, an ambitious Facebook group was created: ‘Rebuild the Round Tower’. It gleaned over 1,000 participants in under 24 hours, and now it’s set to break the 2,000 mark. This group represents a fraction of the public as a whole.

Offline, the public have been showing their support for the cause. Owner of Beeston Reclamation Yard, John Newton, has offered a supply of his own sandstone bricks in order for the tower to be reconstructed as quickly as possible.

Is this a decision that Cheshire West and Chester council can even make? English Heritage have been contacted and are currently in discussions with the council on what the best plan of action will be.

And yet, no ultimate decision can be made yet. A public forum meeting is to be held on Monday 16^th of December, which is sure to reflect the anxieties and wishes of the social media campaign, and through them, the general public. Hopefully their voice will be heard: “the Round Tower should be rebuilt”. And quick.

Best Accounts to Follow on Twitter in the Run-up to Christmas

[caption id="attachment_1204" align="alignnone" width="300"] [http://webdesignfan.com][/caption]In the anticipating run up to Christmas what better way to get into the festive spirit than to follow an array of Twitter accounts to make your timeline Christmas crazy!

Here are some of the best festive accounts to follow at this time of year:

@ ChristmasCount – This account is perfect fun for the Christmas season and is sure to bring some festive cheer whilst your scrolling through your usual timeline. Its bio reads: “Twitter's Christmas Countdown! Follow us for Christmas updates, trivia, announcements and holiday fun all year!

Example:

https://twitter.com/ChristmasCount/status/410575140549062656

 

@SantaBanter_ - This one’s for the adults. A comedic and hilarious Santa parody that combines crude humour with Christmas countdown tweets.

Example:

https://twitter.com/SantaBanter_/status/410455765896687616

 

@ Buddy_Teh_Elf – This is a wonderful account filled with humorous quotes from the movie ‘Elf’. The bio of this account reads: “SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM! I'm Buddy The Elf, Christmas is my favourite!

Example:

https://twitter.com/Buddy_Teh_Elf/status/410263832540364801

 

All of these account combine humour with all the fun of the run up to Christmas day and are a great way to keep you smiling as you scroll through your timeline on Twitter.

Christleton celebrates local resident's 100th birthday party in style

The village of Christleton celebrated Janette Shaw's 100th birthday yesterday afternoon with a large group of local guests and old friends in Waverton at the Evangelical Fellowship centre.

The party began with a warm-hearted speech on ‘meeting the great mile stone’, which gave everyone a true reflection on all of the evolvements in science, technology and transport which Janette has seen throughout her lifetime.

Janette’s history began when she was born in Manchester on the rather special date of the 11th day of the 12th month of the 13th year and a century later has been lucky enough to celebrate this day again.

In her early life Janette worked as a typist for the civil service during the Second World War. A few years after the war she met her husband, Police Officer, Jack Shaw who she moved around Cheshire with until they decided to settle in the village of Christleton in the year 1969 and start a family.

Until recently Janette was one of the talented six ladies who made tapestries in the Women’s Institution. She says, “I have always been a fond knitter and when I was younger I was a dress maker”. An event Janette still enjoys taking part in are the local quizzes and where she is still sharper than most of the younger ones there.

Keeping up appearances is something Janette takes great pride of, as she enjoys wearing a spot of makeup and even wore a stylish pastel pink river island shirt for the birthday party.

The event was organised by volunteers from the Waverton Day Care Centre where Janette has been a member of since 2009 who did a brilliant job with deocations and refreshments.

Today, Janette and her loved ones are looking forwards to receiving her telegram from the Queen at her second party this afternoon.

[caption id="attachment_1201" align="alignleft" width="225"] Janette Shaw, at her 100th Birthday. Image by Rebecca Jones [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1202" align="alignnone" width="300"] Friends and family of Janette. Image by Rebecca Jones[/caption]

Movember madness

IN November 2003, Australian friends went a whole month without shaving their moustaches to raise money for charity.

Now, ten years later, Movember has become a recognised part of the calender with 1.1 million people registering as 'Mo's.' Supporting over 560 men's health charities the annual event has raised £94 million and now takes place in 21 countries.

The main focus in the past few years has been men's mental health charities but money raised also goes towards prostate and testicular cancer charities.

Adam Garone, Movember co-founder and CEO said: "Whilst the quantum funds is truly impressive, what is equally important are the conversations and awareness about men's health."

There are hundreds of different forms of mental illness that effect both men and women, but, in the UK young males have higher levels of suicide than any other social group. Jonathan Phillips, 21, suffers from mild

[caption id="attachment_1192" align="alignright" width="168"] Movember is a light hearted way to raise money for an excellent cause.[/caption]

depression and raises money every year for the cause, he said: "I do Movemeber every year with three other friends. It's important for people to realise that mental illness can effect anyone and sufferers might be unaware they have it or be too embarrassed to go a get help." He added: "Its a great light hearted way to raise money and awareness for a serious cause but also to help remove the stigma attached to mental heath issues."

Chester joined in the fundraising this year once again with those young and old from schools to offices and nightclubs donning either a real or drawn on beard to promote the cause.

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