Just thought I would stop by now I have had time to catch my breath.
It has been so busy, the Dep band and I were out in Kenya and Sri Lanka and we had a great time.

It was fantastic in Nairobi and the people were so hospitable everywhere we went - after a day of press conferences and promotion, we set off for the venue, and the gig was one of my favourites this year - a great reggae vibe in Nairobi.

We all wanted to stay longer and go on Safari - but, we didn't have enough time, so we have made arrangements with Rani, our promoter out there - to do that, when we return to Kenya next year.

Next it was off to Colombo in Sri Lanka - we arrived very tired - nearly 25 hours with no sleep - they greeted us with a lovely welcome, drums and flowers - but we must have looked a bit miserable as we were all half asleep.

However once we had rested, we awoke to beautiful sunshine and some of the band and I had a dip in the pool and caught a bit of much needed sun.

The gig was another good one in Colombo and once again the crowd were great and we thoroughly enjoyed the night.

We returned to the Uk and it has been non stop since we got back, writing and recording - but I am very happy with how the new tracks are coming along.

The band and I are performing in Romania on New Years Eve - it will be our second gig in Romania this year - in the summer we played to 20,000 people there and it was a great gig, so it seemed like a good way to kick off 2009 !

I hope you all entered the Christmas competition, I am looking forward to meeting whoever wins - whoever it is, will get the very first listen to some of the new album tracks - it will be good to get their feedback.

Before that though, I am heading off with the family for a Christmas break which I am really looking forward to.

Finally, after what has been a turbulent 2008 , I would just like to thank you all, for your support throughout the year, I really appreciate it and hope I will see you at the shows next year - can't wait to get on the road with the band and meet some of you in person.

Have a great Christmas and healthy and happy 2009 .

Big Love

Ali

x

Hi Everyone

The band and I just got back from Timisoara in Romania and we had a great time .

I hadn't been to Romania, for over 8 years , so Mickey and I were interested to see how the place had changed since we were last there.

We had never been to this particular part of Romania before either, as last time we played there , we were on the other side of the country .

Anyway , we met some great people and they looked after us so well , it was a really good visit all round. It was very hot , 35 degrees and we did a bit of sightseeing and really enjoyed seeing the city - it has some beautiful churches and cathedrals.

The concert itself was amazing - the crowd were fantastic - there were over 20,000 people and they sang and danced all night , then, after we came offstage , there was a massive firework display to end the night and we took a lot of pics , which we will put on the site soon.

So now we are back in the Uk and after a few days rest , I am back in the studio again - before going off to Holland at the end of the month , which we are all looking forward to.

So ..... Bye for now

Big Love

Ali

Hi there It has been a very busy couple of weeks - so thought I would drop by to let you know what has been happening recently -

Munich was amazing - it was such a great event to be a part of and we all thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend, it was also great to have Mickey with us, it was a special event and a great initiative , which I hope will grow and grow . I hope you all like the single - which we have just mixed , ready for the release on August 18th , it will be played throughout the G4A campaign , over the next 2 years and I hope it helps to raise more funds for the charity. Ladysmith Black Mambazo were fantastic and we hope to be working together again in the not too distant future - maybe in South Africa.

After we got back from Munich , I went on a brief family holiday to Lake Como in Italy - which we loved , it was truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to .

Following that , I flew to Monaco - to perform at a private gig, which was held on a yacht and we had to travel by speedboat to the middle of the ocean to get to the venue, as the yacht was sailing - that was a first and very funny.

Various artists were there, Bono was amongst the guests and Earth Wind and Fire , who had also performed at the event, they joined me onstage for my set ...they were a great bunch of guys and a lot of fun was had by all.

So having returned home , I am in and out of the studio , working on tracks for the next album and now the band and I are getting ready to go to Moscow for the next show .

Ok I'll sign off now and hopefully I will see some of you tonight in chat

Big Love

Ali

x

Hi Everyone
Sorry I haven't been able to get on the board much recently, but I have been crazily busy - writing and recording for the new album and rehearsing with the band, getting ready for the overseas tour dates which are coming up, the team will post all the gig info in a few weeks time.

It was an honour to be invited to record the official anthem for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, for the Goal 4 Africa campaign and fantastic to be performing with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The campaign is a brilliant idea, in that it uses football as a vehicle to raise awareness and funds, to build schools and improve education generally for the children in Africa - football teams all over the world will be taking part and donating money, each time a goal is scored - the whole idea will be advertised in the lead up to the event on July 12th.

So we have been getting the track ready with Ladysmith and also rehearsing the other tracks we will be performing at the event, the band and I are looking forward to it and it will be the first gig with Mickey Virtue joining us too, big up Mickey.

I am delighted with how the new album songs are shaping up and the Royal Albert Hall DVD is almost finished too, together with the documentary which will all be ready towards the end of the year.

Hope to see some of you, at the upcoming gigs , meanwhile , I will be doing another chat soon - the team will let you know the date - ( I have just about recovered from the last one ) Lol.

Big Love

Ali x