Lopez Blogs

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Or anti-valentine if that is your preference. I am in a tres bon mood today for several reasons. Firstly, it is Darren and my tenth valentine's together - I got him a pair of JLS-esque boots and he got me a weekend break (which will coincide with my birthday and our 10th anniversary proper) in an idyllic little guest house in May. Hurrah. Secondly, starbucks has love themed valentine day cups. My white chocolate mocha has never tasted so ever so deliciously love filled. The secret ingredient is love (!) And finally, after a very busy indeed week, I seem to have a plethora of amazing music to titillate you with :) Bonza!

THE CATCH UP:

• Caro Emerald ~ There is something quite intoxicating and lovely about the jazzy-pop-cuban fusion of Caro's rather brilliant debut single Back It Up. It could have been a generic dance-pop thumper, but it sizzles with rhythm and a charmingly delivered vocal performance. It's vaguely reminiscent of a more experimental Lily Allen had she been soaking up the rum-drenched atmosphere rather than necking it down. Very lovely indeed and I'm waiting for the debut album Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor as I type...
• The Pipettes ~ My god, they've seemingly been away for a long time - although behind the scenes they have been going through more line up changes than the the Sugababes (see DanUK's excellent run down of what's what!) They seem to have finally got their stuff together and now two of them have moved their sound forward somewhat from the polka dot-tastic debut album. Free download of Our Love Was Saved By A Spaceman is a solid mariachi influenced disco epic with an off-kilter subect matter that is quite charming. However, first single proper Stop The Music is a lush, disco classic (reminiscent of Music Go Music) that just soars - more on that in the next Fizzypop Chronicles due early this week...
• Alex Gardner ~ His album sampler is a four song tour de force. More on the ingratiating I'm Not Mad in the aforementioned upcoming Fizzypop Chronicles, but Yesterday's News is a confident pop tune which just swishes on by and firmly into your head. The big news here is a rather lovely ballad called There Goes My Heart - delivered with an emotional resonance that belies his mere 18 years of age. For more check out Chartrigger's update on his latest antics...
• Adam Tyler ~ Lovely Adam is quite busy lately, putting together the final touches of his debut album Lullabies For Rattlesnakes. For Valentine's Day, he's put up a rather dreamy (do people still say that? They should!) clip of a duet with 15 year old Kirsten Collins called When I Was Blind. Cinematic is probably an apt description for this instant epic - I just love this type of massive power ballad that sounds both timeless and endearing in it's delivery. Kirsten has a great vocal styling and Adam tones down his frenetic pop-dance enthusiasm for a delightfully mature performance that proves he is perfectly capable of tackling different genres. Swoon.

• Man Meadow ~ How did I miss this track last year? It's utterly stock-aitken-waterman-disco-cheese-meets-Newton-tastic. Apparently a contender for last year's Polish Eurovision entry, this tune has totally brightened up the weekend. It's got that dramatic flourish production to it that reminds me somewhat of the London Boys and is a completely euro-disco type tune that gets to me every time. Plus a totally unnecessary but ultimately pleasing key change (twice!) brings the song to a euphoric ending. You'll either be horrified or completely orgasmasized but if you like this type of nipple-tingling goodness, then you'll adore this :)
• Bjorn Johan Muri ~ While I'm probably following the swedish melodifestivalen more closely this year than other years (faves so far include Ola, Erik Saade and Salem Al Fakir), Norway's competition for an entry has been pretty good too. Tragically Bjorn's excellent Yes Man song didn't win overall, but is so satisfying and brilliant upon every listen that I can't help thinking he'll succeed anyway. Apparently it was written by the team behind the amazing Ambitions by Donkeyboy, and like that song, it just continues to build until it reaches an epiphany of magnificence that makes me want to squeal. Totally wonderous. Please do follow ScandiPop and Nick AlienHits for more melodifestivalen...
• Cascada ~ Barely has she released a couple of singles from Evacuate The Dancefloor (and none as pleasing as the title track) than she's onto something new already. Such is the fickle world of pop. Pyromania isn't really going to make you go "oh hasn't Cascada been daring and different on this song, what a risk taker" but it will probably make you thrust your hips and swivel your botty on a dancefloor near you quite soon. I mean if it's don't broke, why fix it - and I quite like the bits leading into the chorus "the temperature's rising up, so hot" before she sings Pyromania -ow -ow several times :P
• Play ~ Finally, the lovely girl group Play is back with a song called Famous. I'm of mixed feelings about this. Firstly the video isn't very good at all and the song is not a patch on triumphs like I Must Not Chase The Boys and Hard Knock Life. The upside is that it's better than the Deborah Gibson song of the same name (sacrilege!) and the more you hear it the better it gets. Actually, it gets MUCH better after several listen and a few glasses of Marks & Spencers Bucks Fizz.

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Alphabeat, Hole In My Heart
20 ~ Alexandra Burke, Broken Heels
19 ~ JLS, One Shot
18 ~ Hugh Sheridan, All About Me
17 ~ Owl City, Fireflies
16 ~ Ryan Ferrada, Room 501
15 ~ Donkeyboy, Ambitions
14 ~ The Pipettes, Stop The Music (NE)
13 ~ Leona Lewis, I Got You (VID)
12 ~ Hurts, Blood Tears & Gold
11 ~ Mika, Rain
10 ~ Natalie Imbruglia, Scars
09 ~ Nerina Pallot, When Did I Become Such A Bitch
08 ~ Jason Mraz, Kicking With You
07 ~ Matt Morris, Money
06 ~ Music Go Music, Light of Love (NE)
05 ~ Marina & The Diamonds, Hollywood
04 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo
03 ~ Barenaked Ladies, You Run Away
02 ~ Boyzone, Gave It All Away
01 ~ Elouise, Fireman Of My Dreams (2 weeks)