STACK NZ Aug #76

NEWS EXTRAS

After the cannibal gore-fest The Green Inferno , Eli Roth is set to tackle a very different sort on man-eater in Meg . AARADHNA IS KEEPING COOL The Kiwi singer's new album Brown Girl is all about truth and soul. T ruth & Soul is not only the name of Aaradhna’s new label, but also pretty much serves as a statement of intent to her new label, the highly respected Truth & Soul, her musical backing also has the important ring of authenticity. Recorded live in Brooklyn and Los Angeles,

WHEN IN R0ME... When first approached to play Ben- Hur, Brit actor Jack Huston balked at re-enacting Hollywood’s holy cow. T he grandson of fabled director John Huston and nephew of Angelica Huston, he grew up in reverence of WilliamWyler’s original epic. “I sort of gaped a little and was like, ‘really?’ But I read it and was so surprised with the re-imagining of this beautiful story, a story I now believe can be told and told again for different audiences,” Huston tells STACK with the weary air of a man already tired of defending his choice. “Whenever someone asks me, ‘Why would you remake something like Ben-Hur ?’ I point out that this is actually the fourth time it’s been remade. There’s always room for a modern audience where a lot of people haven’t seen its predecessor, and we have a lot more at our fingertips, technology-wise. I loved the Wyler version, and I would be the first person to say, ‘Oh, don’t do that,’ if I felt in any way it wasn’t going to hold up. But now I feel we’ve created something incredibly special.“ With his chiseled jaw, piercing blue eyes and mop of black hair, Huston even resembles a bygone matinee idol. But he believes modern audiences will also respond to this age-old story of redemption. “The ability to forgive and say sorry is beautiful,” he says. “Saying sorry works every time with my girlfriend!” Gill Pringle

when it comes to her new album. The ‘soul’ speaks for itself – like her award- winning Treble & Reverb (2012), her latest Brown Girl offers a stylish, modern take on classic R&B and funk – while the lyrical content of the record is very much drawn from her own life and experiences. The title track is a case in point, dealing in part with the racism she encountered growing up as a child of Indian and Polynesian heritage. “Yeah, it was hard, because I never felt totally accepted by either side,” she tells STACK . “The Samoans called me Indian names, the Indians called me Samoan

label boss Jeff Dynamite served as band leader and put together a core group of accomplished soul instrumentalists, including Truth & Soul co-founder Leon Michaels on bass and drummer Homer Steinweiss, who has worked with the likes of Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones. “I chose to record everything live for the feel of the music,” Aaradhna says. “Live music is like hearing music the way its supposed to be. With live [recordings] you can literally hear each instrument singing its own song, and that gives it a special, raw and natural vibe that I like. We used a mixture of both old and

EXTRAS

names; it was difficult. But that’s who I am. I love both my cultures and I’m a Kiwi – this is my home.” However Aaradhna also points out that her song Brown Girl is not just about racism; it also presses the message that the singer shouldn't be defined by the colour of her skin. “I’m many things: I’m a girl, I’m a sister, a daughter, I have brothers, I love my family and

new studios in New York and Los Angeles, but all the equipment and instruments were old vintage gear. For example, we did all the vocals through a Fairchild 660 compressor – that’s the

same one used at Abbey Road by The Beatles. The guys sourced drums from 1920s New Orleans and Nashville,

friends, all my listeners, I like horror movies… like, there is so much more,” she explains. One thing that has never been in doubt is her love of singing – she is in fine soulful form throughout the album – and thanks

stuff like that – they definitely love their vintage instruments!” John Ferguson

Brown Girl by Aaradhna

is out now.

Ben-Hur is due in cinemas on August 25.

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