Lopez Blogs

RyanDan ~ Debut:

Ok, it is official. I am as ridiculously obsessed with RyanDan as I was when G4 first came out. Sure it’s an acquired taste, and RyanDan seem slightly more serious than G4, but they both have that gorgeous knack of mixing operatic musical stylings with pop sensibilities and providing gorgeous harmonies. The debut album is exactly what you would expect it to be. The single Like The Sun is a gloriously uplifting love song full of swooning piano, crashing orchestration, lush choirs and RyanDan’s distinctive voices complementing each other perfectly. The big score here is (second single if they have any smarts about them) the Steve Anderson song High. It’s basically Confide In Me part II sung by guys. It’s not quite pop, but it’s a powerful song and has a rather lovely appeal about it. And if you like musicals, you will just get the vapours over a powerful yet surprisingly restrained version of Bring Him Home (Les Mis) where they show they are just as competent with broadway classics as they are with blending their popera style. Not too sure about their way over the top take on Wind Beneath My Wings, but there is enough in here to keep moms and me happy for many months, even if the final track Tears Of An Angel does take on a new poignancy and sadness after the tragic death of their niece. One for when you just want to relax and let something beautiful wash all over you...

Potential singles: Like The Sun, High, Bring Him Home, The Face

Puppini Sisters ~ The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo:

OK, more acquired taste for y’all. Before Christina rouged her knees and rolled her stockings down trying to prove that she was helping out the war movement and could boogie woogie with the best of them, the Pupps were providing soldiers with a much more interesting lip service with their doo-wop take on a range of classic pop songs. Ruby Woo continues that sound and evolves it somewhat. Gorgeous lead off single Spooky has a definite jazz vibe running through it with a persistant drum snare bouncing off the girls beautiful harmonies. Beyonce cover Crazy in Love has never sounded so lucid and joyous (and that’s saying something!) and even adds a touch of guitar to the pupps sound. Old Cape Cod is presented a stunningly beautiful torch song ballad that is the perfect entrance to summer, should we ever have one again and almost makes you want to be a child again and have that freedom of just running around a sandy beach with candy floss. Could It Be Magic is transformed into a languid lazy bluesy tune, while Walk Like An Egyptian takes on a whole new lease of life (with this version vying for most perfect cover of this song this year with The Feeling). It’s difficult to pin how they will have singles chart success with this, but as an album act and live performers they are a pure treat to the ears...

Potential singles: Spooky, Walk Like An Egyptian, Crazy In Love, Old Cape Cod

BWO ~ Fabricator:

When i first started getting into BWO (and I mean really getting into) in late 2004 thanks to their gorgeous song Open Door, I was very excited about the possibilities this meant for the pop world. Sadly this never transpired and while the second album was a thrilling treat, it was pretty much a retread of the first. So is the third much different? Not really, but there is still enough to recommend in there to make it a worthwhile purchase. The quality of the singles are well documented ~ Save Your Pride and Rhythm Drives Me Crazy are this years 16 Tons of Hardware/Chariots of Fire (delete as applicable) while Let It Rain grows more morose and beautiful with each listen. Next single Destiny of Love is a pretty ballad – more We Could Be Heroes than Gone or Open Door. And if you are bored of the ballads, you can get it in a rather funky uptempo pop version. There are other potential singles here though such as abba-esque opening track Last Flight To SanFrancisco, which is pretty much the most pumping thing on the album and whirls you into a world of disco, poppers and lube where you cannot emerge unscathed. Paradise on Mars is another lovely ballad and really, the rest is padded out with much of the same. It’s not that it’s not good, it’s just that it’s been done before. However, when it’s done well, it’s all still rather poptastic, even if one does begin to stifle a yawn by the end of the disc...