Lopez Blogs

10 ~ Sugababes, Change: Will the sugababes ever end? It doesn’t really seem likely, and they will probably end up being a brand like Boney M and doing gay clubs for the next 30 years with nary an original member in site. But at the moment they are still churning out classy and addictive pop tunes, and after an initial spurt of dubiosity, i really like the now not so new girl Amelle. She seems feisty. And her vocals add a smoky edge to already beautiful sounding music. Hurrah, etc…

3 key tracks: About You Now; Change; Never Gonna Dance

09 ~ Blake Lewis, ADD: Beyond all reasonable expectations this album proved to be an immense tour de force for the sixth (!) American Idol runner up. He bought something different to the show (and not just his dress sense) and parlayed that into a very listenable set of tunes that is everything I wanted Robbie Williams’ Rudebox to be (but wasn’t). How he translates that to sales is now key, but I’m hoping for the release of some of the gorgeous electronica ballads as well as his swinging remake of Puttin On The Ritz. Giddily fun and more-ish…

3 key tracks: Gots To Get Her; End Of The World; She’s Making Me Lose It

08 ~ Shayne Ward, Breathless: Another surprise! The first time I listened to this, I thought it was incredibly mediocre and boring, much like his debut album. But then on repeated spins (do mp3s spin?) I realised it was much more than a Justin Timberlake album and more of a expression of the great type of pop that Shayne used to perform back on the X Factor. There are a number of musical styles in here and Shayne pulls them off with aplomb. Whatever that means… I think I will be listening to this lots in 2008, if that’s ok with you…

3 key tracks: If That’s OK With You; Melt The Snow; Damaged

07 ~ James Blunt, All The Lost Souls: Don’t be haters people. Hate the game not the player. Clearly I have no clue what I just said, but I really adore James’ second album. And perhaps it is best that it doesn’t have a “powerhouse” you’re beautiful type track on there, and that he came back with the quite funky 1973. There are plenty of other uptempo moments on the cd, mixed with self deprecating humour, sly observations on fame and of course, getting lots of booty. Quite charming.

3 key tracks: Gimme Some Love; Same Mistake; Carry You Home

06 ~ Mika, Life in Cartoon Motion: Packed to the gills with great music that was just infinitely catchy as it was dancey. Every song could have been a single, and indeed, most have been. It was the year that this man could no wrong, and his singles releases capitalised on his chart promise rather than establishing him as an albums only act (a la 2007’s killers and scissters singles). Time will tell if this was a fluke or a novelty, but for now I’ve enjoyed his album immensely and continue to do so…

3 key tracks: Stuck In The Middle; Lollipop; Happy Ending