Lopez Blogs

There is something utterly magnificent about a duet. Often because they are based on two solo stars doing something wonderful together that isn't a sex tape. Although that can be wonderful too depending on who is in it :P And believe me, I have played several man-man celeb sex tape scenarios in my head on many a bored occasion :P But for now, I'll focus on the music and some rather brillopants duets currently doing "the rounds"...

Chanee & N'Evergreen ~ In A Moment Like This: This is Denmark's entry for Eurovision this year and all of a sudden this weekend, it hit me how blooming magnificent it is. It's not particularly groundbreaking or forward thinking, but what it lacks in innovation it more than makes up for in classic delivery, charm, harmonies and key change. Essentially, it's one part Every Breathe You Take and one part Nothing's Going To Stop Us Now (same difference version). By the time you get to the key change right through to the ending (that sounds a bit like the sound each episode of Lost makes at the end) it has suckered you right in, and you have to go back to the start and listen all over again. Well at least I do. Totally 80s big hair power ballad. Amazemont.

Leona Lewis & Jennifer Hudson ~ Love Is Your Colour: Oh. A Ballad. Excuse me while I pick myself up from the floor in total shock. It's for the Sex and the City 2 soundtrack and it works well in a 90s Disney ballad sort of way. Yet while Chanee and N'Evergreen totally rock the retro feel in a charming way, this just feels a bit dated. And that's a fine balance to pull off. Leona's voice sounds pretty decent against powerhouse Jennifer - I just wished they had done something as sassy and vixeness as the show used to be...

Maria Haukaas Storeng & Måns Zelmerlöw ~ Precious to Me: I've written about this song before, and to be honest with you all, I've just fallen more and more in love with this modern day Especially For You. I've really just taken the excuse to write about it again because there is a nice making of the video clip up now on youtube, and a nice live version (above) where of course, once again, Mans looks ever so handsome indeed. The only downside to this is that it is not from a new Mans album. Oh well, hopefully not too long to wait :)

Tomorrow! The Morning Jolt playlist!!

It turns out that Volume Six of le chronicles de pop au fizzay could actually be one of the most amazing in a while. I mean they are all quite amazing to be modestly frank with you, but next month's could be spectacular. Rumours that Kylie will be back in June, coupled with Maroon 5 being closer and closer to release make me very excited indeed. However, today I was all nippleated at the news of the Scissor Sisters return also in June. You can check out the news of this on almost any blog (though Chartrigger is always a good bet!) and listen to a new track "Invisible Light" on their website. It's a very bonza indeed track and somewhat reminiscent of a Frankie Goes To Hollywood track - a view the very wise Vinny Vero shares... Expect mucho coverage of this album when it gets released because I adored their last set...

The Essential Playlist for May 2010...

• Elouise ~ Pretender: Listening to an Elouise track is like flopping onto a perfectly formed mattress and/or man after a long day at work - it really is quite heavenly. I've espoused the virtues of this track many many times now, so I won't go on about it. Why not read Aaron's review of the EP instead?! Delightful.
• Christina Aguilera ~ Not Myself Tonight: Since I last wrote about this track, it's grown on me somewhat. Though not enough to debut in my top twenty tracks I post each week. At least I'm recalling the chorus now which is a positive step. I like Christina a lot though and am quite excited for her Bionic album...
• Mika ~ Kick Ass: It's a little bit We Are Golden part two and I am more than fine with that. This track is taken from the movie of the same name, though honestly *sshhh, gather closer* I find it a bit tittersome to imagine Mika kicking anyone's ass. Still I do find myself poncing along to the chorus as I get ready for work in the morning and that'll do me quite nicely.
• Bananarama, Every Shade of Blue 2010:It's one of my favourite 1990s Bananarama tracks and it's back! in 2010 format! Which basically means it's a bit more modern sounding, not as frantic as the original version but unmistakeably and deliciously Bananarama. Plus massive bonus points for choosing a not very obvious track to remake. Out to buy now everybody as part of the Love Don't Live Here single package!
• The Saturdays ~ Wordshaker: I, bluntly, am much better at picking singles from the half good half not very good latest Saturdays album. They should have followed Ego with One Shot (maybe JLS fans would have got confused and purchased that as well) and then released this little stomping pop gem. It's perky and upbeat and has a cracking little chorus and would actually remind people that they have an album out called Wordshaker. Sigh.
• Leona Lewis ~ Outta My Head: Inexplicably, SyCo have decided to go with the not as good Love Letter for the third single from Echo. This again is record company lunacy. They should be on the fourth single now (they missed a trick not releasing Stop Crying Your Heart Out at Christmas) and it should be the most energetic Leona single to date, Outta My Head. It's a right disco inferno in my bedroom when that comes on I tells ya - which is more than can be said for Leona when she performed it on Jimmy Kimmel (who?!)...
• Shakira ~ Gypsy (Freemasons edit): Oh my god, she looks like Marina :P I absolutely insist that you only listen to the Freemasons version of this tune. It takes a nice guitar twangle during the alluring verses and then builds it into a seductive and addictive chorus in a most pleasing and radio friendly manner. Much improved from the album version and therefore totally worthy of single status. Even if the label continue to ignore the superior Men In This Town.
• Sugababes 3.0 ~ Miss Everything: I'm still sticking to version 3.0 otherwise this time next year I'll be writing about Amelle, Jade and Josh Dubovie!! I've actually quite amused myself with that sentence. How tragique I am sometimes. Anyway, this has Sean Kingston on guest vocals/rap and isn't too shabby. It fits in quite well with their Sweet 7 sound and yet is a little bit quirky for them. And I can't abide Sean Kingston!
• Little Boots ~ Symmetry: I'm not one to give up on an album I like until I've milked it as dry as Darren on a Saturday night. Symmetry is a blindingly good duet from Little Boots' Hands album with Phil Oakley of Human League fame. It's a modern day version of any 80s song and sounds absolutely magnificent. Sometimes I wonder how epic and immense this would have been if performed by Kylie, but then I realise I'm quite happy with this version - particularly the talky bit in the middle...
• Marina & The Diamonds ~ Shampain: She's quite rightly re-releasing I Am Not A Robot "for the masses" to enjoy, but I (and bajillions of others) was writing about that back in February 2009 so it's time to move onto a new potential single from the excellent Family Jewels. Shampain is a bit Kate Bush meets xenomania (no, really) and sounds like nothing else in the charts really. If only we were all drinking champagne made by the angels, the world would be a tippsier place :) And oh my god, she looks like Shakira!
• Maria Mena ~ All This Time: No don't run away. It's not a cover version of the Michelle McManus song! It is in fact a) the debut UK single from very good indeed Norwegian singer Maria Mena and b) an incredibly pretty and lovely aural diary entry set to a lovely shuffling uptempo beat and delivered with an engaging and impeccable vocal. It's also known as the Pick Me Up song and a less "rocky" but equally gorgeous original version can also be found on youtube. If you like artists like Judie Tzuke and Marit Larsen, you could do a lot worse than this absolutely soaring and heavenly little ditty. Je t'adore to the power of a million :)

More tomorrow, with added Glee!

Leona Lewis LAX

The pictures of Singer Leona Lewis at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) dated December 19, 2009.

I'm still dangerously obsessed with Diablo by Simon Curtis, so I just thought I'd get that out of the way straight up. It's become my Fame Monster! Time to move onto more festive fare. Aren't Christmas lights pretty? Not particularly energy efficient or environmentally friendly (LED people!) but very pretty all the same. I'm going to have an early night tonight and curl up in bed watching the movie discussed below and frankly I can't wait. Here's today's advent calendar!!

CHRISTMAS FUTURE:

I often associate Christmas with sitting around the ol' joanna and having a rollicking good old sing song with friends and family. So after months of impatient waiting, I'm delighted that the ever so charming Julian Velard has finally released his very enjoyable album The Planeteer onto the world. His expertise with knocking out a joyous melody on a keyboard is on a level with Billy Joel and Elton John (let's face it, he bangs those piano keys with the enthusiasm of a fat businessman with only 10 minutes left with his out of town call girl appointment!)is only matched by his ability to craft a wonderfully catchy pop tune. The album contains brilliant tracks like Feels Like Love Again For The First Time (an ode to that wonderfully optimistic feeling one gets when finding someone ace after a heartbreak), Jimmy Dean and Steve McQueen (a particularly strong and enjoyable singalong entry) and new versions of his classic tracks like Joni and Little Demons showcase his penchant for witty, wry lyrics that never fail to strike a chord. A sterling full length set then from Mr Velard, and I sort of wish I was round his for Christmas for a good ol' knees up :) (Not least because not on the album, but above is his aces cover of Last Christmas!)

CHRISTMAS PRESENT:

Bloody hell, D'luv has fallen in love a bit with this song hasn't he? And one can see why! Aqua's Spin Me Your Christmas is a discotastic bit of aural mince pie that will light up anyone's Christmas tree. It's just feel good pop that happens to have a rather europop seasonal twist to it. And someone's been at the myhrr because it's a proper colourful cavalcade of christmas couture in the video! Love the line "look out for red and white santa on the soda machine, if not for coca cola he would have been green!" So very true (google it christmas santa fans!) Do approach the video with caution and sunglasses though - their teeth are brighter than the new fallen snow when the sun hits it in the early morning. My retinas were severely damaged, but it was oh so worth it!!

CHRISTMAS PAST:

Ah, it was only a year ago that the lovely Lenka gave us The Show and the immortal singalong concert line "i want my money back" (which I always got a bit confused with that Ben Folds Five song where he sings "give me money back, you bitch" - so you can see why I got some glares at her concerts!!) Any"hoo", she whipped out the most cute and lovely little festive number last year (All My Bells Are Ringing), and there is absolutely no reason why it shouldn't be revisted right now - especially if you want another look at the adorable video that goes with it. So yes indeed, take my heart this christmas just wrap it in a ribbon and a bow. Love at Christmas always works for me :) I think you'll find that love, actually is all around :P

CHRISTMAS MOVIE:

There is nothing more magical than a festive film that makes you believe again. Miracle on 34th Street does just that. Sure the remake is as treacley as toffee, but it has warmth, magic and goodness baked right into the production values as it tackles the more cynical in the world who refuse to accept the miracles of the season. So every year, I wrap myself in a nice warm duvet, put a steaming mug of warm cocoa on the nightstand and become an absolute cliche as I sniffle and emote my way through the film. Gosh though I get so warm and fuzzy inside when the world supports Santa. FIZZYPOP BELIEVES!!!

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Whitney Houston, I Look To You (NE)
20 ~ The Killers, A White Demon Love Song
19 ~ Little Boots, Earthquake
18 ~ The Saturdays, Ego (NE)
17 ~ Madonna, Revolver
16 ~ Blake Lewis, Heartbreak On Vinyl
15 ~ Mika, Blame It On The Girls
14 ~ Backstreet Boys, Bigger
13 ~ William Young, Hopes and Fears
12 ~ Agnes, Love Love Love
11 ~ Leona Lewis, Stop Crying Your Heart Out (LIVE VID)
10 ~ JLS, Close To You
09 ~ Darin, Viva La Vida
08 ~ BWO, Kings of Tomorrow
07 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo (NE)
06 ~ Mini Viva, I Wish
05 ~ Simon Curtis, Delusional
04 ~ Alcazar, Thank You
03 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, A Stranger Saved My Life
02 ~ Robbie Williams, You Know Me
01 ~ Pet Shop Boys, It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas 2009 (3 weeks)

Back on Sunday with an x factor mammoth advent calendar special, all the feedback on Saturday's show, and this week's REAL x-factor, Elouise!

I always get the feeling that my December mix cd for friends and family is never long enough because there are so many great tunes from albums released around this time of year. And I'm sure my normally fairly static charts (PPG once charmingly described it as "little love affairs with songs") will reflect that shortly too :) It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year!! On the down side I just had an Egg Nog Latte (venti, what a fool I am!) and it did not taste good. I'm going to have some vanilla added next time to see if that helps :) Here's the non Christmassy best songs to be released from albums this December!

1 ~ Robbie Williams, You Know Me: It's no wonder that this song has already had a strong top 20 debut and isn't even out as a single yet. It's simple, elegant pop that is pure melody, confident vocal and just enough vulnerability. Loving the matching of Robbie and strings and while this may not quite get Robbie the number one he deserves in the Christmas market, it absolutely confirms that he is still a creative force to be reckoned with.
2 ~ William Young, If It Hadn't Been For Love: Clearly I wrote about this on Monday and my love for the tune has increased exponentially since then. It's quite a lovely ballad that William does so well and as Ben pointed out in the comments mixes the agony and ecstasy of love together in a brilliantly, slightly melancholic fashion. It's a crime that his music isn't doing better, but brass often wins out over continuing class. His album "The Hits" should debut top ten on Sunday though :)
3 ~ Leona Lewis, Stop Crying Your Heart Out: Much like William, Leona eschews the need to follow trends of pop music and just churns out timeless pop that will stand the test of time. As Larry Flick said on his twitter "If she can tough out the next few years, she'll be a rare premiere artists who isn't a slave to charts and trends. She'll just sing". And what a treat that will be - her vocal here is quite stunning.
4 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, A Stranger Saved My Life: Had I been in charge (and I should have been) of promoting MZW, I would have concentrated heavily on the first two singles of my choice (Hope and Glory; Home) then bombarded the world with a couple of lovely pop jams (Rewind; Forever) at the start of autumn. This gorgeous ballad (would be a massive country hit in america with the right artist) is what Westlife should have come back with and is just the right side of syrupy to be a lovely addition to the Mans catalogue.
5 ~ Alcazar, Thank You: Sure, it is more of a pastiche than anything the Simpsons have ever produced in loving tribute, but this Abba-influenced song is just so wonderfully singalong that it's hard not to completely enjoy it. If Alcazar were hugely popular in this country this would be massive :)
6 ~ Alexandra Burke, Broken Heels: I'm not really a fan of the Red One intros that he forces on his artists, but I am a fan of this perky pop number that is almost as equally delicious as Bad Boys. The record label could have easily gone for the more traditional ballad "The Silence" but i like that Alexandra is sticking to the dance routines. Let's just thank Santa it wasn't the Ne-Yo duet...
7 ~ JLS, Close To You: Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of the late Oct/early Nov single release then rush release for Christmas sales of the following single (a la GA Biology/See The Day) but I could see that strategy working for JLS who are at the peak of a crazy wave of popularity; this lovely languid if slightly twee (but then aren't all their singles?) ballad will have their fans in a spin :) There are a few too many "gurls" for my liking, but it works within JLS world. Apparently this won't be a Christmas single but the ace One Shot will be released early next year! ACE!
8 ~ V Factory, Get Up: Why oh why aren't v factory massive yet? (Melismatic, that's directed at you!) This duet with Naturi Naughton is a fine example of a solid pop tune being largely ignored by the world at large. Well it's a tough world out there, but if you get time do check out this tune and perhaps there will be a debut album yet. Fingers crossed because the band fascinates me!
9 ~ Blake Lewis, I Left My Baby For You: I'm whizzing through potential single choices from Blake. Sad Songs in August, Heartbreak in October... Frankly there is no time to waste in recommending this synthy delight. It's one of the highlights of his fine album filled with great lyrics, soaring falsetto and an 80s beat to die for. Seriously Blake, come to England and we'll take you to our collective bosom because it doesn't get much better than this!
10 ~ Alphabeat, DJ: Their "The Spell" album is still amazing 50 listens in... DJ works well as a second single because a) it's better than The Spell (single) which was already quite good wasn't it? and b) it's got a nice balance between the Stine and Anders vocals which play off each other friskily as the 90s influenced pop track powers forward :)

11 ~ The Saturdays, Ego: Thank God the disaster that was the generic rock-pop yawn of Forever Is Over is over forever. It was far from their finest moment and just another example of how they seem to be struggling to find their niche in the land of pop. Ego is a much more pleasing nugget from them with dancey beats and a huge singalong chorus. Guaranteed to get the Christmas parties started with a swing, even if it does mean that any followers of theirs on twitter will be spammed with desperate pleas to get them to number one!
12 ~ Jordin Sparks, Walking On Snow: Kudos for Jordin for a well fought campaign with her second album. Anthemic Battlefield was a grand opening statement while frenetic sampler SOS was a nice bit of diversity. Walking On Snow may or may not be the next single, but if it is it's quite a lovely midtempo jam that showcases another side to the quite good at singles, less so at brilliant albums Idol winner. And yes, I realise the contradiction of praising Jordin's diversity while having just criticised The Saturdays' for the same thing. Fact - Jordin does it better.
13 ~ Dragonette, Big Sunglasses: Placing this right after Jordin's snow themed track provides a nice contrast to the wintery vibes. There is no denying that Dragonette can churn out top notch quality pop tracks rich in melody, catchy choruses and addictive beats. Saying that this is one of their better tracks means this is amazing stuff, because even their standard fare is so much better than most...
14 ~ Pet Shop Boys, Viva La Vida-Domino Dancing: Again, I wrote about this the other day. I was anticipating this so much that I fully expected it to be my second Viva cover chart topper this year. It won't be, but I'm pretty confident that the boys will debut on top this week. Not that this isn't excellent because it is. Every second of the cover version is thoroughly intoxicating from the first beat to the insertion of lines from Domino Dancing to the closing notes. Amazing.
15 ~ BWO, Kings of Tomorrow (Disco Version): I often close my eyes and imagine an England where BWO are as massive as Steps were at the turn of the century. It would be quite a brilliant country let me tell you. Sigh. Any"hoo", I love ballady BWO normally but this time I'm in the mood for the gently reswizzled uptempo version of another great tune from their quite smart Big Science album :)
16 ~ Agnes, Love Love Love: This has been around for a while and for some reason it hasn't registered properly on my radar when I first heard it. This is a great tragedy because I've spent months missing out on it's utter magnifosity. It's a little bit motown, a little bit pop and a little bit dancey but totally heavenly. It's a bonza bit of music and should have been her second single in the UK instead of the barely scraping top 40 I Need You Now. When will people listen to me :P
17 ~ Owl City, Fireflies: I'm way behind on this aren't I? Bit disappointed that this isn't out in the UK until February as much like stateside I suspect it would be a surprise big seller over the festive month. It's twee and delightful and synth driven and Postal Service and quite enchanting. The album? Not so much, but certainly not without it's moments...
18 ~ The Yeah You's, Ready To Love Again: Boo to the British public for not making them the next The Feeling. Or based on their current single sales perhaps making them too much like The Feeling :( Either way it's a bit crap. Because the music isn't. This is like bits of Shine mixed with bits of I Thought It Was Over mixed with bits of The Yeah You's. Should be massive. Won't be :(
19 ~ Julian Velard, Joni: I have a big post coming up soon on Mr Velard's debut album which is out very soon. He's been putting out music for a while and has a brilliant knack of creating genius piano driven pop with smart wry lyrics and an engaging vocal style. Joni continues the joyous piano-pop of Steve McQueen and Love Again For The First Time. Join in now or regret it...
20 ~ Natalie Imbruglia, Scars: By far the best track on the very good first half of Natalie's criminally delayed latest album. A Coldplay composition, it is a dreamy piece of smartly constructed music made all the more magical by polished production and Natalie's lovely vocals. If only England would catch on again quick...
21 ~ Nerina Pallot, When Did I Become Such A Bitch?: Why on earth does Nerina pretty much have to start career building from scratch with every album. Each time she puts together a cohesive collection of funny and heartbreaking tunes, and each time it takes a while for the public to catch on. This is canny sing a long stuff with the best title in pop since If A Song Could Get Me You...

Back soon. Perhaps tomorrow with The Feeling doing Solitaire. If not see you Friday!

Is it me, or does the Sunday night results show of the X-Factor seem to be completely dominating the "pop" charts lately? Alexandra and Robbie perform their singles and debut at one and two respectively. One week later Cheryl and Whitney sing and the former lands a massive number one, while the latter rebounds from the teens to get her first top five hit in ages. JLS now sit snugly atop the singles chart and the midweeks show that while Leona may replace them (another X Factor alumni/sunday night performance), they are likely to debut at number one on the album charts with a whopping 80,000 albums sold so far (note: Robbie is close (maybe closer!) behind with 74,000 - certainly not to be sniffed at and definitely the album with far more longevity. See my review here. It's exquisite - the album that is, the reviews ok!)... A week on Sunday the X Factor charity single will likely be a top of the charts! It's chart domination! (Unless you are Bon Jovi. Sorry dudes). So how do the albums of JLS and Leona Lewis fare? Let's have a butchers shall we?

JLS - JLS:

I was an ardent support of Jack The Lad Swing (despite that!) during their X Factor days. I was utterly delighted when Beat Again came out and wasn't a ballad, but in fact a rather addictive pop morsel whose tendancy towards slight cheesiness was more than tempered by the likeability of the lads and their sheer earnest nature in delivering the tune. Then came the current massive single Everybody In Love. It was slightly more boyband pop than the cool sheen that Beat Again had been given, but again likeability, a kicking feelgood chorus and a Cahill remix soon sorted that out. It did give me pause however over the full album. I love boybands. Worship at the altar. Heck, even Westlife's comeback single sits at 12 on my chart (inexplicably almost). So why I am so disappointed in this album, I am not sure. Upon first listen I was quite delighted with it. After repeat listening, it's rather samey and not as good as I initially thought. There are lots of unnecessary "gurls" littering the songs and it seems a bit NKOTB circa Please Don't Go Girl - I just thought the world had moved on from there. This doesn't mean that there aren't gems within the album. One Shot is by far the best non-single (so far) on the album - starting off as a tender ballad it explodes in a cacophony of rave; practically exuding the stench of sweaty jockstraps. That's a good thing - it would make a marvelous single. Ditto the different Close To You which gives the boys back some credibility and the lovely Only Tonight has a gorgeous melody and some lovely harmonising. So there you have it - I'm not blown away, but I remain cautiously a fan. Partially because I adore them so much and partially because they still just shimmer with potential...
Potential singles: Beat Again; Everybody In Love; Close To You; One Shot; Only Tonight

Leona Lewis - Echo:

Was anyone particularly excited about Happy when it came out? The internet didn't seem to have a collective orgasm over it the way they did over, say, Bad Romance (which has grown on me people!)... I adored it though. Still do. Think it's a generic song that is made lovely by Leona's phrasing, delivery and passion she puts into it. Others may disagree, but I just ignore them. Echo as an album doesn't particularly move Leona's career forward in leaps and bounds but is still a strong album that is packed with solid (if unremarkable) tunes that will appeal to her existing fanbase and probably tap into that Christmas buying market. Some of the album can be a bit histrionic in terms of vocal delivery (take the warblings of Can't Breathe - please!) and Leona comes off much better when she shows some restraint - we know she has the range, she doesn't need to fall into the trap Mariah Carey fell into of exhibiting it on nearly every song on her first few albums. There are of course some wonderfully done epic ballads including her soaring and lovely cover of Stop Crying Your Heart Out; the beautiful My Hands and the simply exquisite Don't Let Me Down with a quite delightful melody permeating the tune. Then there are some pretty and pure pop tunes such as the glorious I Got You and almost equally pleasing Love Letter. The big surprise and must be single here is the stomping party piece Outta My Head which just sizzles from start to finish and is bound to be a dancefloor filler. So, all in all, some variety, some solid ballads and just one or two genuine surprises. Not bad. Not bad at all...
Potential singles: Happy; Stop Crying Your Heart Out; I Got You; Outta My Head; Don't Let Me Down

BANISHED!

• Why William Young has not been allowed to perform his amazing new Annie Lennox-esque single Hopes and Fears on the X Factor is beyond me! It's currently not even top 40 on the mid-weeks :( Cheer yourself up with a lovely interview with William over at Digital Spy instead. Bah.
• Why Shayne Ward wasn't allowed to launch his third album with a stompingly massive balls out (ooo yes please) dance number lead off single on the X Factor is also beyond me. What a criminally mismanaged career for someone whose second album was quite brilliant and still has massive popstar potential - if only he wasn't so ignored :/
• Finally, would it kill Simon to put some international idol/x factor winners on the show to help them launch in the UK? I'm imagining that Darin's Breathing Your Love would go down quite well...

Back soon!

The good thing about the fizzypop chronicles is that I've kept a note of what has been on every mix tape/cd I have done my friends every month since 2000 - it gives me a really good overview of what music I liked at the time and the changing trends and fads in this crazy business called show. The bad thing about them is that I often forget tunes so they end up being flung on a bit later than when they were new and exciting; also as I only do it once a month the songs are often "old news" by the time they make the cd. Oh well - for me, it's an interesting musical diary. For you it's something you just have to put up with :P (I've updated and rearranged the order of the September playlist here) There are two other ace mix tapes on blogs this week:

• Adem has gone old school and actually used a cassette!
• Aaron skilfully blends a mix of old and new for an aural treat!!

ESSENTIAL SONGS FOR OCTOBER 2009:

1 ~ Robbie Williams, Bodies: The return of Mr Williams hasn't delighted everyone, but I couldn't be more thrilled to have him back. The song works perfectly - elements of some of his biggest hits hinted at it something new and wonderful. Trevor Horn throws everything into the production mix, but it works - the strings in the chorus and the choir at the end are just heavenly. Bring on the album already!
2 ~ William Young, Hopes and Fears: Tragically this project isn't a note for note cover of the excellent Keane album (that XO reports is being rereleased!) and for that I am slightly disappointed. That passes though when I realise that a) William is a bit tied up on the single cover and b) it's a stomping sounding uptempo number that showcases his amazing vocal and proves he is just as brillo at the fast stuff as he is at the slow (something I've always known as my fave two Will songs include Your Game and Switch It On)...
3 ~ Leona Lewis, Happy: Comfortably nestled just behind Robbie on my chart at the moment, this song is much more powerful than a cursory listen leads you to believe. Sure, it's not going to win any awards for inventiveness, but it's a soaring ballad of hope and redemption and her voice sounds stunning. Still can't quite believe it's not out here until November though. PS - wouldn't it be great if Leona Lewis and Blake Lewis got married so she could be Leona Lewis-Lewis? No. Ok then...
4 ~ Blake Lewis, Heartbreak On Vinyl (vid above): I do love Mr Lewis. I still think Gots To Get could have been massive in Europe. I loved Sad Song but this tune - the title track of his new album - is just one of his strongest songs to be released tonight. Full of poignancy yet set to an addictive 80s shuffling dance beat it's a winner from start to finish. Some clever lyrics too - "fall in love to analogue and never let go". Mel and Postergirl have all already expressed eloquently how amazing this song is. Could be huge if launched properly in the Uk...
5 ~ Britney, 3: Oh goodness me - well I guess you can't say some songs on this list aren't totally up to date! It's not an earthshattering single for her new greatest hits album (only two albums after her last one - how Hilary Duff) but like Alexandra's Bad Boys it sort of does the job really - an enjoyable-ish pop romp that will most likely grow on people the more they hear it. For me, the jury's still out - check out D'luv's view...
6 ~ Miley Cyrus, Party In The USA: Shame on me for forgetting this song so often. It's up there with 7 Things and See You Again for me - ie, totally brilliant, catchy and an ace ace pop song. It's heavy on the cheese factor but it wins me over every single time when she sings "and the Britney song was on..." This is what great pop should be - ever so singable, smidgeon of novelty and a chorus to die for :)
7 ~ Vanessa Amorosi, This Is Who I Am: Ah VanAm is back and she's busy channelling Kelly Clarkson and Pink. That's neither here nor there though as this has some brilliant spat out lyrics during the verses and an epic sing-it-to-the-back-of-the-stadium chorus that's as loud and noisy as it needs to be. Check out what the Pop Panel said about the song a few weeks back...
8 ~ Dolly Rockers, Boys Will Be Boys: Blimey, what else can I say about this song that I haven't said here or on the DR Interview Post (capital letters because it's very important). It's Republica, it's Tatu, it's Veronicas, it's Fuzzbox, it's indie girl group, it's Transvision Vamp, it's Girls Aloud, it's Bananarama, yet it's still very Dolly Rockers. Got the point? Good :P
9 ~ Mini Viva, Left My Heart in Tokyo: I'm late adding this to the "chronicles" as well aren't I? Oh well, to make up for it click the link to be taken to a Live Lounge version of the song that is rather marvelous in the extreme. It gives the already ridiculously catchy tune an organic live feel and breaks down the funk (or something). Single 2 sounds brilliant...
10 ~ Girls Can't Catch, Keep Your Head Up: Very late on this one too - not because I forgot, but because I wasn't sure that they had a long term future and couldn't work out how good the song was. Still, a couple of months on when it randomly pops up on my mp3 player I'm not displeased to hear it so that can only be a good sign. I suppose it's all resting on Echo then isn't it?

11 ~ Anders Fernette, So Incredible: Following the dance remake triumph of Hungry Eyes isn't going to be easy - and this isn't a bad song to undertake that task. Yes, bits of it sound like the best Backstreet Boys song you've heard in a while but it has a fuzzy frenetic beat and a sweet vocal delivery that just soars into a big as all outdoors chorus. After a few listens you can't help but smile each time you hear it...
12 ~ Kevin Borg, The Last Words: Click on the link to hear a 2009 remix of this song because it transforms a mundane album track into a soaring summer dance classic which is exactly the type of song Kevin should be belting out. It's very trancetastic indeed and I imagine it will be all over the stereo at Bar Tubos like the dirty little rash you know it could be. More dance on the next album then Kev...
13 ~ Danny Saucedo, Kiss You All Over: I skipped Emely as a single focussing on the aces Set Your Body Free (a song so good that Avenue did it first and now new group BVG are, er, having a brave bash at it!) back in July. This month it's time that the astonishingly huggable album track Kiss You All Over gets a bit of an airing. It's a proper dance-pop song and one that makes you think that Danny could be a proper pop star in England if a bit of thought were put into marketing him here. Sigh...
14 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, Rewind (vid above): Let's ignore the song for this (if you like the above two songs chances are you will like this - it's what Mans does best and I believe was a single in Poland?!) and focus on the video. It's incredibly amazing just in the first twenty seconds - a quite good-naff looking rollercoaster, a girl in a headband giving it some "i'm a serious fan" arm pumping action and one of those rides that drops you and makes your stomach feel all funny. Mans, amid all this insanity and bonkersosity, looks bloody gorgeous.
15 ~ Sally Shapiro, Miracle: Ah, our Sal has become a bit of a blog darling hasn't she? It's easy to see why - she is churning out tunes beautifully crafted pop tunes like this and wooing us with her sultry voice and hypnotic grooves. Hopefully she will become immensely successful worldwide, rather than be the next Annie (who I still adore of course)...
16 ~ Lily Allen, Chinese: This wasn't one of my favourites from her latest album when it first came out, but it's really grown on me over the last past 8 months. Mostly because of the gorgeous choral tribute out there. It's what Lily does best really - parlay everyday situations into great pop songs. It would be a shame if she did quit music :/
17 ~ Erik Hassle, All That I Wanted: Hasn't everyone been waiting forever for Hurtful to happen? It's got to be coming soon because nearly six months on that track still sounds epic and like an international number one. Still I popped it on the April mix so for this month I'm enjoying this guitar led number that has Erik's distinctive vocals, his knack for emotionally raw lyrics and really sores when the strings in the middle 8 add some additional heartbreak. Incredible...
18 - Paolo Nutini, Pencil Full of Lead: I picked up on this as an excellent choice for a single when I reviewed the album a while back. I've grown vaguely tired of his rather affected accent, but this song is just so different from anything else in the charts right now that I can't help but be charmed by it's organic good time feeling. I'm sure it's pretty much a rewrite of a Jungle Book song that Paolo loves so much though :P
19 ~ The Gossip, Love Long Distance: Always effortlessly cool in everything they do, this is a lush disco epic that would sound at home up against some of the early scissor sister demos (had they had more money to spend on production). "I want someone who's around for me" sings Beth and who can't relate to lyrics like that? Gorgeous from start to finish - plus who doesn't love some roller disco in a video...
20 ~ Franz Ferdinand, What She Came For: At least commercially, the Franz never fulfilled their early promise did they - yet I refuse to give up on them because with each album comes a bonnie selection of skinnytieindiedisco tunes to die for and the latest single is no exception. There is some funkalicious guitar work on here that Prince would be proud of and a huge chorus with shouty chanting and everything. Brilliant.Shame they didn't stick to their plan to name each album Franz Ferdinand though :(
21 ~ Mr Hudson, White Lies: Mr Hudson's time really is now isn't it? Supernova was rather amazing and brilliant and massive in the same way that I assume Erik's Hurtful will be. This is a properly huge piano driven song with an off kilter shuffling beat behind it. Massive vocal that sounds impassioned during the chorus and makes me die a little from happiness each time I hear it. Glorious...
(Next month - David Jordan, Westlife, Alesha Dixon, and more!)

Back soon with live lounge, tv catchup, book report, weekly round up and the x factor judges houses!!

Leona Lewis Pics

The pics of Leona Lewis at the airport carry bags pic.

Music Awards 2008

So this week's show comes after 7 days of bitterness and resentment at Laura White being kicked off. Louis was blamed! The show is a travesty! etc. I mean, let's not forget that she ballsed up her performance by trying to be clever playing the piano and that actually the public voted her into the bottom two! And Laura has become all bitter and twisted this week, so I am done with her. No one likes a sore loser. Anyway, this week's X Factor saw their global triumph return to the show - Leona Lewis (I kind of wish I was writing Shayne Ward - he really should be a bigger star than he is). And despite wearing a weird black tutu-ish dress - the sort that some rich new gold digger widow would wear to the funeral of her recently deceased 97 year old husband - of course her rendition of Run bought the house down. She did actually perform with grace and passion which made me love the song even more than I currently do. Astounding stuff, particularly when the choirs joined in. I was goosebumperised. Anyway on with the less impressive performances of the night (theme? "best" of British)...

• Cheryl - no, she's not a contestant, but good grief! Who chose her lipstick colour this week? It's like she had her make up gun set on whore...
• Daniel - GAH! Daniel is increasingly believing his own hype which makes him incredibly annoying. And must he always wear black? He must open his wardrobe and think he is being sucked into a black hole. Go black and bold, not black and old Daniel. His performance of It's Not Unusual is rather cheesy, and cabaret like. He would have a brilliant career in Benidorm. Thank god that finally he is in the bottom two and voted off the show. I was not impressed that he went home to his dead wife's daughter and couldn't believe how much she had grown! I mean good grief! How little does he see her?!
• Alexandra - after her rather good performance last week, Alexandra is bugging me. She is wearing this really really bizarre top that looks like it has been painted onto her naked body. It's freaky. Vocally she is very solid, but she is an absolute mess of performance tics and mannerisms. Plus she seems very cocky about how well she is doing. Humility is a nice virtue people. Cockiness isn't. Her song You Are So Beautiful is actually a bit boring. Yawn. Another ballad.
• JLS - ah they may well be my second favourite act on the show now. They are just rather adorably cheesy and do the most outrageously "pop" performance this year since Scott's doomed Matt Bianco campfest. They do the Take That version of the Beatles medley (from their Everything Changes tour) and it's all rather fun - even if Louis is singing along to I Wanna Hold Your Hand, though to which poor boy god only knows. My guess is Marvin. He looks like a bottom.
• Rachel - she doesn't live at the X Factor house. She lives at home with her kids, one of which only sneezes. This is a good thing considering that Daniel clearly hasn't seen his daughter in months. Rachel and Dannii are BFF again and Rachel sings that Amy Winehouse song (You Know I'm No Good) that she sang at her original audition which made her collapse and thank the lord when she got threw. Problem with Rachel is that she hasn't been good ONCE since she got onto the live show and even though this is quite good, it's nothing new as she did it just as well the first time the nation saw her. So in the X Factor script meetings this means that she will deemed good, but be in the bottom two enabling another week of "debates" stating how talent shouldn't be in the bottom two. Last week's scripted boot off of Laura worked perfectly!
• Eoghan - young yorkshire pudding hair has gone home to visit his baby sister. Who, unlike her parents, is absolutely adorable. So now that Daniel and his deadwife stories are gone, Eoghan can replace them with his justbornsister stories which will be equally as emotional and effective on the nation's grandmas. And goddammit that his performance of One More Try is actually quite good. Despite the wardrobe department screwing him over ONCE AGAIN on the fashion front, i - for the first and hopefully last time ever - like (like is too strong a word really, nothate is better) him.
• Diana - still ill, so a VT full of lots of snot and tears. Cheryl has picked one of her all time favourite songs for Diana to sing, which is really Cheryl's way of showing that she has good musical taste rather than picking a decent song that matches Diana's strengths. Yellow is not a good choice - mixed with her illness and her continuing reliance on performance tics, the vocal is off and the energy is gone. I'm not sure really what to say about this - should she get through because she is ill again? What if she is ill right through to the final and wins on a sympathy vote? Clearly I think she is talented enough to win, but it's new territory here. Any international idols ever had this problem?
• Ruth - oh she has got to be the sexiest person in this competition. In a non bi-sexual way. But i can tell when women are sexy. Occassionally. Or perhaps i am drawn to Ruth's funbags. She does that old staple Angels, which not only is very good indeed, but also has a rather pretty stage direction thing going on with some weirdy dancers. All in all, Ruth has now solidified her position as my favourite.

Next week Take That are on the show. I will of course miss it being in Florida. Oh well. That is what youtube is for. Some new act called Same Difference are also on the show...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Happy blogging birthday to the lovely Adem! He is one year old today (although older if you include always right) and has treated his site to a bit of botox. Very lovely it looks too. Loving the logo!

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Jason Mraz, Make It Mine
20 ~ Pink, So What
19 ~ Infernal, Whenever You Need Me
18 ~ Rongedal, Hello Euphoria
17 ~ McFly, Do Ya (NE/see vid - totally cute Christmas ad for album!)
16 ~ Marit Larsen, If A Song Could Get Me You
15 ~ Lenka, The Show
14 ~ Leona Lewis, Run (NE)
13 ~ Mariah Carey, I Stay In Love
12 ~ The Feeling, Won't Go Away
11 ~ Alphabeat, What is Happening
10 ~ William Young, Grace
09 ~ Darin, Breathing Your Love
08 ~ Alesha Dixon, The Boy Does Nothing
07 ~ Take That, Greatest Day
06 ~ Kylie/Dannii, The Winner Takes It All
05 ~ The Killers, Human
04 ~ Britney, Womaniser
03 ~ Britannia High, Start of Something
02 ~ Girls Aloud, The Promise
01 ~ Same Difference, We R One (2 weeks)

Warning! This post is inspired by my jolly festive good mood today. Christmas adverts are penetrating the reluctant world through tv screens like a high school jock tentatively pushing past his cheerleader lady's hymen for the first time. People at work say Christmas has come too early, but if this is the metaphor I am using then colour me a slut, cos I am happy for Christmas to probe my every orifice!! I mean look at the excellent Marks and Spencers advertisement above! And the rather glorious and festive Gap one! It's a synaptic overload. The fact that Starbucks are doing Christmas tree decorations this year has my heart a palpitating. And while the Christmas number one is probably locked down by the X Factor winner, it's a strong selling week and here (alongside tracks i've already mentioned in my christmas career advice clinics :P) are some songs that would fit quite nicely into the Christmas charts (and their suggested positions).

#2 ~ Leona Lewis, Run: Proof that outstanding talent still comes from these live tv talent contests (Shayne Ward's Somewhere Over The Rainbow still blows my socks off to this day). I don't think anyone could call Leona Lewis ordinary or dull. Sometimes her song choices could be more courageous but when she gets it right - as she does with this studio version of her live lounge Snow Patrol cover, she is downright incredible. She really is doing what Whitney should be doing right now. Bleeding Love and Better In Time are both enduring modern day classics, and this is a powerhouse song that she absolutely makes her own. Now if she can do a modern day I'm Your Baby Tonight type song to kick off the next album, she'll have it made...
#5 ~ Boyzone, Better: I had no idea until XO mentioned it, that Boyzone had covered a Tom Baxter classic. I hadn't even listened to the song. I am very fond of Tom Baxter - his Skybound album is a continual joy to listen to. The zoners do a fairly faithful and decent carbon copy version, but I can't help but think this would've worked much better as a one off single for Westlife to celebrate their ten years in pop. Oh well.
#6 ~ Tom Baxter, Miracle: Sigh, if Tom is going to get some royalties from Boyzone, then he should certainly get some chart success for this gorgeous ballad. It proves that over and above the luscious Better, Tom has the most incredible talent for writing accessible popsongs that really transcend genres. I don't always reach for his music when i want something to listen to, but when I do I often wonder why he isn't hugely successful. And he is strangely attractive. Check out my original reviews of Tom here, here and here...

I was going to do a whole thing about the current crop of pop-opera boys (Blake, Il Divo, Jonathan Ansell, Only Men Aloud, etc.) but it's late and i'm tired :P So mercifully for you i'll end it there :P Have a good weekend...

GAH! I have not been in the mood to blog these past few days - or really do much of anything so intense has work been. Still watching the DVD extras of Hairspray late into the night has been a good a tonic as getting a nice spooning from Dazpants when i crawl into bed :) And last night, bff Kirsty dragged me to The Duchess which was just so lovely and elegant and finally made me forgive Keira Knightley for breaking Andrew Lincoln's heart in the ever amazing Love, Actually. Anyway, on with other things that have been sun poking through the clouds these past few days...

• Return of switch 22 - back in the good old days of Zapping It To Ya, i was pretty much focused on 3 acts. One of course being Simon Curtis and another being Switch 22... They have been pretty quiet of late and I feared they had gone to the great unsigned pop band heaven in the sky. But no! They are back with a "nu" sound. Literally. Still propping up their myspace are their catchy pop-rap hybrid tracks 1985 (with brillo Adam Ant reference) and Back To The Dancefloor (best intro to a pop song ever), but now there are two new tracks. Nu Sound (See?!) is a fiercely rapped electro tune complete with non-cheesy handclaps and sounds a little bit more punky than their previous tunes. My World is a slightly darker sounding track, no less catchy but represents a rocked up evolution in the s22 sound. The cobwebs of creaky old boyband pop are well and truly blown away and I'm more than ready for the switcheroos to take their rightful place in pop history :)
• The third was Conor who was busy pushing out a nice line of S/A/W inspired pop in late 2006. Anyway, guess who popped up on last week's X Factor... Conor! (Seriously, if you guessed anyone else at that point you have issues). You can check out the video here - it's a typically set up "ooo i know Louis/simon telling him this could be his last chance" scenario. He sounded pretty decent i thought (compared to some others who got through) so i guess it's a case of watch this space!! Woohoo! 2006 predictions finally coming big :) Ish...
• Colour me more surprised than ANYONE that i think the debut single proper from Leon Jackson (or Leonb as popjustice brilliantly call him) is actually pretty decent. Entitled "Don't Call This Love", (and don't judge me for this), it's rather epic but in a simple way. Leon's voice is nowhere near as annoying as I first remembered, and it mixes his crooners style well with some simple melody enhanced by a glorious strings section throughout the chorus. Perhaps it seems better than it is because i am so genuinely surprised that i like it! Time will tell, but for now I'm quite the smitten kitten with this lovely track. Oh god! Does this mean I will have to start liking David Archeluta's Crush? Oh too late. D'luv already talked me into that one :)
• Leona Lewis new single mix of Forgive Me is a welcome change of pace but frankly it's not enough. Sure Bleeding Love and Better in Time were ace singles and perfect for showcasing her vocals so Simon Cowell can look more smug than usual. But this is a bit dreary and underproduced - i was hoping that when Leona picked up the pace it would be more "I'm Your Baby Tonight" or (god help me Yuri!) "Please Don't Stop The Music"/"Disturbia"!! Thank god Jennifer Hudson has said that she doesn't just want to sing ballads on her funky sounding debut out later this month...
• What no "Hairspray" the movie alum albums? Surely Nikki Blonski could take time out of her busy reality star brawling schedule (she's not graduated to proper pop star brawling/beating up toilet attendants just yet) to be the next Diana DeGarmo? (Don't judge - i love that shrieky little minx) And Elijah Kelley is just gorgeous and has the most amazing soul voice. One track on a Disney album is not enough! But it's Jimmy Marsden who i want to hear a whole album from. Not only is he one of my "ten most beautiful men in the world" but his voice is as creamy as home made vanilla ice cream. PS - If Simon Curtis ever gets the opportunity to play Link, grab it with both hands!!

I'll leave you with my two favourite quotes of the day - one by Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl) and one by Darren. I'm sure you'll have no trouble guessing which is which...

"Oh. My. Effing. God"

"It's like they walked back to 1982, raided Blake Carrington's man about house wardrobe and put it on the shelves!!" (regarding the new River Island collection)

So there you are. Standing on the stage, singing your little heart out to an original song (Shayne Ward, Michelle McManus), a Westlife album track (William of Young) or some other idol cast off track (Leon Jackson, Leona Lewis) and trying not to swallow the ridiculous amount of ticker tape flying down into your warbling mouth. You are probably looking quite sexy (if you are Shayne Ward or William of Young), elegant (Leona Lewis), in need of a pie (Michelle McManus), like you are waiting for the "special bus" (Leon Jackson) or like you are waiting to feel up some 17 year old girl at the after party (Steve Brookstein). The whole world is at your feet - yet for some reason the world is not available to you unless you are Leona Lewis. It's not that i begrudge her the success around the globe, but it does grate a little that she is considered the best "idol" that Britain had to offer. Here are two others that should have done spectacularly, along with the American Leona....

Apart from the scary black gloves, there is no reason why Shayney should not be a huge star in the US. Sure, his first album was as boring as heck. Apart from Bleeding Love and Better in Time, frankly Leona's ain't that much more adventurous. But each time I dip into his second album I find such a treasure trove of delectable r'n'b tinged pop treats that it is impossible not to think "finally - a great pop star with international appeal has come from the X Factor"... I won't go on about the singles released so far - but I am quite disappointed that the label has decided to wait a whopping 7 months between releasing the second single (Breathless back in Nov 07) and the rumoured U Got Me So in June 08. What was wrong with plugging the gap (oo-er, plugging Shayne's gap :O ) with the broody Damaged, the effortlessly dancey Stand By Your Side or even the sultry groove You Make Me Wish (legal Richie Kidd remix available below!)? The album could easily yield about 7 decent singles and remixes and deserves a wider audience in America (there is a link somewhere where a grumpy Shayne bemoans that actually he is big everywhere else thankyou very much!)...

MP3: Shayne Ward - You Make Me Wish (Richie Kidd Sunshine Remix)

Why oh why William of Young (one of my top five male artists ever) didn't try and break the states is beyond me. One of those mixed together albums with material from his second and third sets would have been a stunning collection to behold. I'm not sure how he would have slotted into the notoriously difficult to crack (Will young - crack :O) american radio genres but I can't help but feel he would have had critical acclaim. Imagine picking up an "ego has landed"/"just my luck" type album filled with Leave Right Now, Your Game (now covered by co-writer Taio Cruz on Departure), Ain't Such A Bad Place To Be, Who Am I, Switch It On, Love The One You're With and probably padded with a couple of his covers - Your Love is King, etc... Sure you can make that yourself with the magic of mp3 players, but that's an album i would want in my sticky little hands as much as Alter Boy. Luckily new Will material is coming later this year and I'm eager to hear what it is....

More people should flock to Kimberley Locke. Her first album was pretty solid all the way through and was preceeded by perhaps one of the best pop songs to come out of the Idol machine - Eighth World Wonder (a song so ace, Deborah Gibson says she wished she wrote it)... Her second album Based On A True Story seems to have been largely ignored - possibly because it lacked that huge lead off single a la Bleeding Love. However, as an overlooked alternative to the Leona promotion trail, it's an incredibly enjoyable piece of work that I have found myself rediscovering big styl-ee this very week. Criminally, the album's weakest song ~ "Supawoman" ~ (hate that spelling) was serviced to radio as the first single and probably caused all sorts of untold damage. Next choice Change was a VAST improvement and proves that Kimberley is best when she serves straight up pop that doesn't veer too far to current trends or ott melodrama. It's just pure enjoyable solid vocals and lovely melodies. Uptempo tracks like Any Which Way represent what I was expecting from the third Kelly Clarkson album, while I Don't Wanna Know is a radio hit waiting to happen if only she could get an appearance on Oprah or get radio to hammer down those prejudices. However, it's her cover of Band of Gold (that quite rightly has been a massive club smash) and gorgeous gorgeous country tinged ballad Fall that serve the album best and provide a welcome respite before I start singing Bleeding Love once again...

LINK: Purchase Based On A True Story here

OTHER IDOLS OF NOTE:

• Kym Marsh (Don't judge but her two singles, Sentimental and Tempted are all great ignored pop classics)
• Michelle McManus (I jest mainly, but i still think Once In A Lifetime and Meaning of Love are great ballads that deserve their day in the sun)
• Darin (Since i bought his first two albums in 2006 he has yet to put a foot wrong. Break out of Sweden and hit the UK charts with Insanity please)