Lopez Blogs

10 ~ Take That, Rule The World: How fitting that a track from one of the years most magical movies came from the magical career resurrection of one of my favourite 90s boybands! They managed to knock out an appropriately majestic and sweeping ballad that was both rhythmically catchy and not too sickly sweet. That they did it all togged up in marks and spencers clothes is a miracle i never thought i’d see in my lifetime…

09 ~ Sugababes, About You Now: One blog site (i forget which, i read far too many!) unfairly and inaccurately dismissed this fine slice of pop as something McFly might knock out to please their pre-teen fans. A long run at number one was well deserved for this hook filled number that took the girls in a new mature direction without losing any of their original fizz and sparkle. Shame about all Mutya’s solo tracks then…

08 ~ Shayne Ward, If That’s Ok With You: I admit I was mortified when I first heard this Peter Andre wannabe track mixed with Akon-esque vocals. But somehow, within a couple of listens it totally worked - and not only that, it got better with each listen and hooked into my brain. And! The horribly cheesy dance routine only made it even more loveable. Thank god as well for the buffed up video outtakes too that proliferated the web…

07 ~ Aly & AJ, Potential Break Up Song: I owe this one totally to Samuel’s enthusiasm. I was marginally wooed by their first album, but this little gem of a tune rocked my world in a way i never thought it would. Jangly guitar pop on a par with No Sleep Tonight, infused with some funky bassline and some faux-rawk-chik vocals from the sisters (not twins as i mistakenly assumed). And it even charted in the UK with minimal promotion! Don’t believe the naysayers who say pop is dead and is coming back. It’s always been here. You just had to look for it!

06 ~ Shine4, In Your House: And this one I owe totally to bobpopsicle and his sometimes scary obsession with girl bands. This is a corker though. Take one hidden alanis morrisette track from the ridiculously popular Jagged Little Pill, throw in some gorgeous harmonies, chuck it in the tumble dryer Annie Lennox made Why in and you have the most elegant reinterpretation of a song that i have heard in years. I vastly overplayed it and still am not bored of it. As bobsicles said to me today “If Hope had done this on the X Factor, they may have lasted another week” Indeed. Mercifully, the nation will never know…