Angel St

"Angel St" (pronounced Angel Street) is the thirteenth single by British band M People, released on 16 March 1998. "Angel St" is the third and final single from M People's 1997 album Fresco. The song was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge. The song peaked at number eight on UK Singles Chart.

Background

Last single Fantasy Island despite its nine-week sojourn in the sales chart Top 75, peaked and stalled at number 33 even with above average radio airplay, Never Mind Love the mid-temp soulful third track on the album was rumoured to be the third single release, but a more typical sounding single was chosen in the form of seventh track and Fresco live favourite Angel St. A brand new mix was created by Chris Lord-Alge for the single with lighter sounding synths to support the resounding M People virtues of believing in yourself, respecting yourself but with a leaning towards greater independence.

Special mention must be given to the Later with Jools Holland Special filmed at BBC TV Centre in February 1998 and features the full M People band, helped out with a 10 piece Gospel Choir including regular backing singers, Lynieve Austin, Paul Johnson, and Sarah Brown, a 12-piece String Section as well as Mr Jools Holland himself on piano during the performance of Angel Street itself and later on Don't look any further. They performed some all-time classic M People songs, a couple of lovely acoustic arrangements and one very special cover of Gladys Knight's 'Baby Don't Change Your Mind'. In the UK, it was screened on BBC2 twice over the Easter Holidays, at 11.30pm on Good Friday and repeated at 6pm on Easter Monday. The Video and DVD of the performance were later sold on general release.

Mạ people

The Ma (Vietnamese: Người Mạ) are a Mon–Khmer-speaking people in Vietnam (population 33,338 in 1999). They are concentrated mostly in the Lâm Đồng Province of the country.

Culture

The Ma language comes under the Mon-Khmer Group. The Ma have a rich oral traditions, and their culture is a tapestry of folklore. Myths, parables, and legends are an integral part of this ethnic group.

Traditional attire

The Ma are also known for their traditional colorful attire. Ma women wear skirts that reach well below their knees. The men customarily wear loincloth.

References

M People

M People are an English dance music band which formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.

Career

Formation

Pickering had been a member of Factory Records dance act Quando Quango, but became more noted as one of the original DJs at The Haçienda. Paul Heard was a member of acid jazz band, Ace of Clubs and Shovell had previously been in the collective Natural Life. The original plan had been to have a roster of different singers for different songs but having been spotted by Pickering and Heard, Heather Small became the distinctive vocalist of the group. She had been in the English Soul band Hot House, which had released a number of critically acclaimed records without scoring any major success.

Northern Soul and breakthrough

Their first release came in the form of "Colour My Life", a limited white label pressing which got them some recognition, but it was the first official single "How Can I Love You More?" that gave them their first Top 30 hit and a following in and around the Manchester club scene, where Pickering was still DJ-ing. Their first album, Northern Soul, provided other singles, including a full release of "Colour My Life", "Someday" and "Excited", followed by a re-release and repackaging of the album.