Lopez Blogs

I could absolutely and positively get used to these 4 day weekends. The sun is in the sky like a gigantic fried egg. Clouds are floating by, birds are tweeting (not literally on twitter, obv, as they don't have opposable digits), voles are vole-ing and poodles are poodling. Everyone is in a quite good mood and yay! It happens all again next weekend thanks to May Day Monday (aka national holiday in celebration of my momentous birth. 11lbs 4 oz. My mom still moans over the Christmas turkey that i ripped her like a tissue) and of course KATILLIAM ARE GETTING MARRIED!! Mazel tov!! One thing that I am disappointed about here is the lack of pop spectacle surrounding the event - last year in Sweden, loads of the country's top popstars had specifically commissioned songs out. My fave was lovely Darin singing Can't Stop Love, which would have been brilliant for Mr Shayne of the Ward to cover :/ And I'm assuming Shayne would look as trouser stretchingly magnificent in a tux as Darin did. Still, his song Closer to Close (see my chart) would have worked equally well. Here are 3 more of my faves that should be the official soundtrack (who would you pick??)...

• The Overtones ~ Only Girl In The World: I have been rather effusive about The Overtones over the past six months on this blog and am more than pleased to see their album go platinum, their recent tour be a massive success and more national adulation on the horizon. Britain is currently in the mood for pure pop melodies that is free from studio gimmickery & heavy on melody, musical ability & harmony. Obviously, the 'Tones deliver this in bucketloads. This - and their penchant for seeming like absolute (well-attired) gentlemen would have made them the ideal commission for Katilliam's reception. And what better to sing than this sparkling version of the Rihanna smash that features on the special edition of their latest album? They turn it effortlessly from sparse club stomper to smoky jazz club vibed cool-cat track. It's a little bit romantic, a little bit naughty and the fingerclicking and harmonies give it that cheeky feel that makes it just fly

• Daniel Boys ~ Too Much In Love To Care (with Rebecca Lock): Oh my. For my money, Daniel Boys would be one of my premiere picks to perform at my wedding (perhaps my 5 yr civil partnership anniversary on June6th?? :P), so he's completely qualified to sing at the royal wedding. I love the versatility that the very dashing Mr Boys has - he can absolutely kill a Broadway track as much as he can nail every note of a pop standard like To Make You Feel My Love. For kate and William there is an embarrassment of riches from Mr Boys to choose from, but I'm going for his regal cover of Too Much In Love To Care (duetting with Rebecca Lock). The version above doesn't need anything other than the sumptuous piano accompaniment to match a soaring vocal from Rebecca and a goose bump delivery from Daniel. It encapsulates the crazy wild abandon that comes with love and both singers more than do justice to this delightful Sunset Boulevard track. Second album soon then please Daniel??

• Darren Criss & The Warblers ~ Hey Soul Sister: I've suggested the modern cool of the Overtones, west end magic of Daniel Boys, so why not the sheer exuberance of The Warblers doing Hey Soul Sister? It would be a bit irreverant, a bit cheeky for the royal wedding but totally appropriate for a modern monarchy. As I've said many times, Blaine and the Warblers are the sparkling highlight of season 2 of Glee and as they promote their entirely brilliant album, Mr Criss just comes across as so endearingly humble and charming that I want to scoop him up and pop him in my pocket. I can't help but think they party would definitely be getting started Westminster way thanks to the sheer joy that they give to this track. Dazzling.

Top 21 songs of the week:


21 ~ Shayne Ward, Close to Close (NE/VID)
20 ~ Sanna Nielsen, I'm In Love
19 ~ The Monikier, Oh My God
18 ~ Tove Styrke, High & Low
17 ~ The Wanted, Gold Forever
16 ~ Scissor Sisters, Sex & Violence
15 ~ Joe McElderry, Feel The Fire
14 ~ Love Generation, I Dance Alone
13 ~ Westlife, I Will Reach You
12 ~ Brandon Flowers, Was It Something I Said?
11 ~ Lady Gaga, Judas
10 ~ Same Difference, Best Mistake
09 ~ Take That, Happy Now
08 ~ Rochella Danishei, Never Been Kissed
07 ~ Maroon 5, Is Anybody Out There?
06 ~ Andrea Lewis, She
05 ~ Kylie, Put Your Hands Up
04 ~ Eric Saade, Popular
03 ~ The Feeling, Set My World On Fire
02 ~ Elouise, Born This Way
 01 ~ Sara Ramirez, The Story (3 weeks)

Eee by gum, you go away for a week to Costa Blanca (*whispers - Benidorm*) and have a nice self imposed internet exile only to come back and find yourself spending more time online in one evening than you would if there had been no such exile. Still, I did read four and a half books last week (still finishing one), so can't all be bad. One of the highlights of coming back was to find a ready prepared video from my beloved Princes & Rogues. Now previously in Princes & Rogues, Cameron left the group for pastures new and there is now a new prince-slash-rogue in the mix. He is the dark brooding one, fingering a guitar on the left of the above video, which is their most recent youtube cover. This time, they have tackled the Bruno Mars hit 'Grenade' and glee-ed it up something spectacular. As I've mentioned before, what I really adore about P&R (apart from Ashley in a bowtie and Derek's accent) is their ability to not just deliver layered vocal harmonies, but actually make them an integral part of the tune. The guitar is a nice addition, but it's their blend of voices that really make this work. New Directions on Glee do this from time to time when they are not trying to re-enact pop videos, but the Dalton Warblers really excel (spreadsheet) at it and this reminds me of one of their top notch performances. I do get a bit excited by the way when it goes from finger clicking goodness into ebullient handclapping enthusiasm. One thing, tsk to putting your shoes on the settee. I hope you wiped your feet before you came in today :P Do follow Princes & Rogues on twitter, I am hoping for massive things from them in 2011.

Top 21 songs of the week:

Despite lots of musical happenings going on at the moment, I am still obsessed with lots of songs from melodifestivalen and they are cluttering up my chart. Eric Saade gets a third week at the top (though The Feeling are nipping at his heels) which matches his chart topping debut on the real Swedish pop charts. Hurrah. And some stellar tv performances this week (on Alan Titmunch no less) boosted the brillo The Wanted single quite high and kept my interest in Shayne Ward's Obsession track for just a little while longer...


21 ~ The Moniker, Oh My God (NE)
20 ~ Shayne Ward, Obsession (VID-ABOVE)
19 ~ Westlife, Beautiful Tonight
18 ~ Same Difference, Karma Karma
17 ~ Neo, Underground
16 ~ Danny, In The Club
15 ~ Tove Styrke, High and Low
14 ~ Same Difference, Best Mistake (NE)
13 ~ Deborah Gibson, Snake Charmer
12 ~ McFly, That's The Truth
11 ~ Love Generation, I Dance Alone
10 ~ Take That, Kidz
09 ~ Kylie, Put Your Hands Up
08 ~ Le Kid, Oh My God
07 ~ Lady Gaga, Born This Way
06 ~ Maroon 5, Never Gonna Leave This Bed
05 ~ The Wanted, Gold Forever (VID BELOW)
04 ~ Sanna Nielsen, I'm In Love
03 ~ Andreas Johnson, One Man Army
02 ~ The Feeling, Set My World on Fire
01 ~ Eric Saade, Popular (3 weeks)

Sigh. More often than not, I think fans look at their favourite acts album campaigns (ie, what singles are chosen or when the album is abandoned far too early) and just weep in despair at some of the bizarre choices that are made. Usually everyone has an opinion over whether Madonna and Kylie chose the right singles from their albums and how they would have done it better. Here are some of my favourite acts and some suggestions on how to correct the wonky course of an increasingly misguided album campaign...

• Maroon 5 ~ I'm not sure Adam and the boys are a good place to start. It's not that the album campaign has been bad per se, it's just I'm not sure that there is the same level of interest in them anymore. Nice poppy choice of first single in Misery, slightly more aggressive funk in Give A Little More. Never Gonna Leave This Bed is just the type of swoony single that will remind people of She Will Be Loved and Won't Go Home Without You. I would have released it around Christmas instead of the non-single campaign for the album track but better late than never. Follow it up please with a fairly innovative video for fan fave Stutter and then round it all off with that nice Lady Antebellum duet. Oh and Adam, just continue to look sizzling hot. That's the stuff :)
• Brandon Flowers ~ was there an album campaign for this? It seemed to fizzle out after the lovely and enduring Crossfire embedded itself into everyone's hearts. Only The Young limped along and Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts would have been a brilliant anti-Valentine's Day anthem, but it seems it was not to be. On the plus side, The Killers Christmas song (Boots) was quite nice and the band seem to be reforming for some concert action later this year. But don't abandon B-Flo's trashy vegas loving album yet, there are some right gems in there...
• Scissor Sisters ~ It started off so well. Critically lauded. Slightly cooler than Ta-Dah (which I loved) taster single in Invisible Light, then different sounding anthem in Fire with Fire. Any Which Way reminded the world of how filthy-gorgeous they could be. Then - a video for the already well known Invisible Light? It seemed like a bit of a let down. Where was a single remix of Whole New Way? Or a down and dirty reworking of Sex & Violence? Then finish it all off with some Invisible Light remixes? There's still time to salvage the wonderful Night Work, they just need to get on with it.
• Shayne Ward ~ oh dear. Poor Shayne. While no one currently looks better in jeans and a white t-shirt, his music career has seen better days. Even after the x-factor performance of his big comeback single (a Nickelback cover), he didn't quite make the top ten. And instead of rallying for Obsession (title track and should've been first single) to be released as the second track with a slightly naughty video (Shayne in s&m, putting Rihanna to shame comes to mind), he's tweeting about Malteasers. Good god man, have you completely given up?! Closer Than Close has been chosen as the US single and would serve well over here, even if it does veer a little too close towards JLS territory. And why isn't the Darin penned Foolish or the ridiculous but brill Must Be A Reason being considered as a single? WHY?! We may never, ever know. And that makes me sad...
• Joe McElderry ~ poor little geordie Joe. It started off well enough by unfeasibly making Ambitions - a bittersweet melancholy tune - into the perkiest disco number this side of Yes Sir, I can Boogie. Then no one seemed to connect to the equally percolating Someone Wake Me Up, despite it's Narnia themed, better than Carrie Underwood b-side. There's more little pop diamonds that the public should get a fist pumping dance routine for too whether it be the alphabeaty Feel The Fire or the Scisster-like Farenheit. Like poor Shayne though, I can't help but feel that the ship has already sailed. It's all about the Wand Erection now...
• Westlife ~ How could i forget the 'loife? Dwayne reminded me in the comments of this horribly mismanaged campaign. He's absolutely right in stating that the far more energetic Beautiful Tonight would have been a much better first single, but i'm thinking even any second single would be a bonus at this stage. It's been over three months. And if I hear the boys say once more how each new album is the real them and how they want to be like Pink and release four-five singles from it, then do bugger all, I'll have a coniption fit. 
• Sophie Ellis Bextor ~ releasing something would be a fine fine start. Thank you.

Back sunday with thoughts on the delirously amazing new Eric Saade song!

Hurrah! It is Darren's birthday. I am forbidden on pain of death and nipple twisters to reveal his actual age to you. Needless to say, next year is a big birthday for him! Anyway, we went out with the ace gang last night and after a grim start to 2011 had a rather lovely time as it happens (as you can see above :P There is a much sweeter picture here!). Then we had a lovely starbucks based breakfast today and he opened his presents and it was all very delightful :) Hurrah for lovely dazpanteloons!

The week in review:

• Latest Obsessions ~ am still charting the rise and rise of new boyband du jour, Princes and Rogues. They've popped a little teaser video online (above) to the sound of Dirty Bit (would love to hear an acapella version of that!!) which, along with the news that they are busy writing singles, has got me all sorts of twitterpated. Two things - Ashley may very well be chiselled geek chic perfection and they really need to release this as a christmas double aa side with one of their own songs!!Until then, here's a quick catch up from Derek himself as to what P&R have been up to...
  "Well, I can't say too much, because if I did I'd have to kill everyone who reads it and that could be an awful lot of people, and will just get messy so none of that now. We are quite busy at the moment, flying back to Holland at the end of the month for more meetings and recording. We are all really enjoying it as we are having a lot of studio time recording and also writing. As for the video teaser, my lips are sealed, it says what it is, but as of yet that news is not for public eyes. Hopefully we will have some tunes for you all to dance/get wildly drunk/make love and maybe even worship by the summer. Variety of pop at its best is what we are after. Now if only Jessie J would let us open for any upcoming gigs..... However until she does why not come see us on 30th of January as we open this http://www.myspace.com/events/View/9085328.
  Thats all for now, quick shoutout to my friend Patrice Sheridan who is 21 next weekend!! "
• Watching ~ Life Unexpected series finale. The final two episodes aired this week and were a lovely wrap up to this absolutely delightful series. I got a bit teary with the flashforward of 2 years but graduations always do that to me, ever since Buffy got the cheap looking umbrella at the end of year 3 :) (Still plowing through Pushing Daisies season 2 and loving Tower Prep far beyond my initial "ooo Drew Van Acker is fine" impression!)
• Reading ~ Finished the third Percy Jackson. Tres bon it was too. Not quite in Harry Potter league, but certainly an entertaining enough series. Also read the season 8 "finale" of the Buffy comics. Was shockingly downbeat. Feel quite depressed for Buffy and her remaining pals. And she is 30. Only seems like two minutes ago she was nookying up with Angel on her 17th birthday. Filthy strumpet...
• Listening ~ lots of great new songs out at the moment that i'll be writing about early next week, including music from The Mars Patrol, Dave Patten, Rebound, Andreas Johnson and Jessie & The Toyboys. The Adele album, btw, is utterly phenomenal. Je t'adore...

Top 21 Songs of the Week:
21 ~ Gravitonas, You Break Me Up
20 ~ James Blunt, Too Far Gone
19 ~ Westlife, Beautiful Tonight
18 ~ Darin, Drowning
17 ~ Neo, Underground (NE)
16 ~ Brandon Flowers, Broken Hearts and Jilted Lovers
15 ~ JLS, Eyes Wide Shut
14 ~ Maroon 5, Never Gonna Leave This Bed
13 ~ Elouise, You'll Never Walk Alone
12 ~ Scissor Sisters, Whole New Way
11 ~ Shayne Ward, Obsession (VID)
10 ~ Matt Cardle, When We Collide
09 ~ Jessie J, Do It Like A Dude
08 ~ One Direction, Forever Young
07 ~ Britney, Hold it Against Me
06 ~ Avril Lavigne, What The Hell
05 ~ Take That, Kidz
04 ~ Tove Styrke, White Light Moment
03 ~ Rochella Danishei, Michelle
02 ~ Deborah Gibson, Snake Charmer
01 ~ Same Difference, Karma Karma (3 weeks)

Yes your Saturday night starts right here. Mine doesn't. I'm still in the good ol' US of A. So once again, return the favour of the endless weeks of blogging I've done for you and let me know what's going on in the comments section of the blog. I will be back next Sat with all the gossip from my x factor finale party and all the gossip of the final two episodes. Are you excited. you should be! I have no idea whose left or remaining as I write this so here are my top 5 fave x-factor performances from years gone by and top 5 fave christmas factor performances (both in descending order)...

Regular:

• G4 ~ Circle of Life: Ah the first series of x-factor when that harriden sharon osbourne was still involved, when Steve Brookstein inexplicably won and when only half the people watching now bothered to tune in. Still, as I had once seen G4 perform this song at Trafalgar Square, I was hooked on them the moment I saw them audition for the show and they bought something a little bit different to the reality music show genre. They had many weird and wonderful performances during their time on the x-factor, but this is my favourite of theirs...
• Leona Lewis ~ Summertime: Yes, Fantasia may have done it first and wowed everyone on American Idol but during 2006 Leona's pipes blew everyone away. This song in the x-factor finale proved that there was no way gurning Ray Quinn could win and the rest, as they say, is history...
• Stacey Solomon ~ Something About The Way You Look Tonight: My fave Elton song and a perennial x factor fave, my beloved Stacey was diva like yet humble and elegant when she belted this out. Yes she's sitting on a piano, which is my pet peeve but after hearing this it was totally forgiveable. Tragic to see her reduced to I'm A Celebrity...:(
• Same Difference ~ I Don't Feel Like Dancing: One of my fave x-factor groups ever (and their new single Karma Karma is AMAZING), this performance was utter bonkers - Sean comes riding on stage on a tricycle and all the toys come to life. There's even a dance routine, which you don't see often enough on the x factor. Magnificent!
• Shayne Ward ~ Somewhere Over The Rainbow: My favourite favourite x-factor performance ever. I just think it showed that the x-factor was absolutely capable of finding someone with genuine pop magic after the Brookstein debacle. Some of the notes Shayne holds in this are outstanding. Shame his career was all but swept aside once Leona won. Sigh.

Christmas:

• JLS ~ Last Christmas: The year I was convinced a boy band was going to win, and in a way they did anyway. They did an utterly sincere and utterly charming version of the Wham classic without being overly cheesy and I still listen to it occasionally at Christmas a few years on.
• G4 ~ O Holy Night: Ooo bringing a bit of pomp and circumstance to the x-factor, the true winners of year one absolutely nailed every note and nuance of this reverent hymn. Magnificent from start to finish and yes, they look quite good in suits.
• Alexandra Burke ~ Silent Night: I think i was a bit unfair to Alexandra at the time because I so desperately wanted JLS to win. On reflection she did some great performances and this one was up there with the best. Tinged with gospel she knew how to command the stage, the judges and the audience and ultimately that is what led her to victory...
• Shayne Ward ~ When A Child Is Born: It was a great night for Shayne with his Judy Garland cover (above) and this was almost but not quite as great. Still a wonderful version of one of my favourite tunes and had his career been handled properly this would have been a Christmas 2006 single as an AA side with a studio version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Oh what might have been.
• Same Difference ~ All I Want For Christmas Is You: Utter joy from start to finish. They fly. There's glitter. They smile. It's joyous and glorious and magnificent. I've seen them perform it live too and it's just as wonderful. Can't wait for their new album in the new year :)

So did I miss off your fave performance? Are we shocked at who has made the final next week? Let me know your thoughts!

Oh the pre-Christmas whirl of life has begun. My 82 song festive playlist has started to entertain me on the journey to work. My pre-Christmas shopping holiday is less than 2 weeks away. And dozens upon dozens of artists are releasing new albums of the non-festive variety in an attempt to corner the Christmas market. I was going to do full reviews of these two albums today, but there are so many decent reviews out there of both that I shall just do an overview of why they are great and what singles should be released from each project. Alonzie!

Take That ~ Progress:

Why you should love it ~ Take That are back. Fully back. With Robbie and everything. If anyone had any doubts about the wisdom of this, then one listen to their amazing new album Progress should eradicate these. The involvement of Stuart Price, the working through of any "issues" and a true collaborative effort has produced an exciting and urgent new sound for the band that shows they aren't content to rest on their laurels. It's a bit jarring at first but ultimately the emotive vocal playoffs between messers Barlow and Williams & Owen and Williams deliver an intruiging overview of personal, group and global issues the band think are worth tackling. Here's what should be singles...

• The Flood ~ You only need to view the X-Factor performance (above) to see how glorious this single is. Even when it's delivered with an element of nerves, tentativeness and fragility, it blows the roof off most other boyband efforts ever. That it stalled at number two in the charts behind Rihanna is an absolute crime...
• Happy Now ~ A definite winner of a second single and one that possibly should have launched this album. The chorus is drenched in sumptuous harmonies that are perhaps the closest you'll get here to what has come to pass prior to this album, while the verses shimmer with memories of Robbie's Rudebox. It's all very scissor sisters meets Mika but definitely all Take That. Flipping brilliant.
• SOS ~ the second song on the album may verge into Killers meets Muse territory, but for me it evokes memories of the incredible Abba track The Visitors. Remember the sheer panicked urgency of the music and the evident terror in Agnetha's vocal? (Edit: It's Frida. I am filled with shame at this egregious error.) That atmosphere is bought bang up to date with this track and the rollicking chorus blasts it's way into your head ensuring you will be singing it for days to come. I can only imagine the brilliance a video might add to this track.
• Kidz ~ Not the Robbie track so no onery Sean Connery here. This is still rumoured to be the second single and what you get is a huge glam rock anthem with little Mark blisteringly tearing up the verses, while Robbie all but physically attacks the chorus (all heavy beats and intense sirens) with lyrics like "There will be trouble when the kids come out". It's a continuingly invigorated Take That and they are just that little bit dangerous now. who would have thought it?!
• 8 Letters ~ An exceptionally brilliant way to end the Progress singles campaign would be to remind everyone of the more traditional Take That. This Gary led track is one of his finest - it's a lovely, piano driven number, lighters in the air and coo along at your own leisure. Plus could nicely lead into album number four which may or may not include Robbie...

Agree? Disagree? Let me know!!

Shayne Ward ~ Obsession:

Why you should love it - even before hearing it, I felt honour bound to love Shayne's big comeback album. He has been grossly neglected by his record label and should probably be on album number four now and leading off with something as brilliant as Darin's Microphone. Alas, this was not to be but the fact that Shayne has returned at all is something to be thankful for. As his commitment to his rather amazing stomach and getting his kit off for Gay Times. Considering all the songs he allegedly recorded, there are a couple of "these will do" moments on the album, but there is enough in there for some corking singles as follows...

• Gotta Be Somebody ~ Who would have thought that a shimmering beat driven pop makeover of a Nickelback song would yield such enticing results? The minimalistic performance on the X-Factor (above) shows that the song stands on it's own merits and is totally deserving of a much higher chart position. Play it lots because it's beauty isn't always immediately apparent, but once you see it, you'll be hooked.
• Obsession ~ The title track is also one of the highlights of the album and continues Simon Cowell's obsession with all things Tedder sounding. However, it really works here with Shayne's vocal being nicely matched by a heavy percussive beat. It gives Shayne an opportunity to not only show off his impressive pipes (see here if you really required any more proof) but also his songwriting abilities - this was co-penned with X Factor vocal coach Savan Kotecha. Definitely should be single #2...
• Waiting In The Wings ~ ooo it's ballad time and very lovely it is too. It's another Shayne co-write and another track that gives his vocal ability the place it deserves, front and centre. There is a heavenly piano melody floating along and if he gets it out for Valentines day, it could be a real smoochy for all the lovers out there.
• Must Be The Reason ~ I'm sure Simon Cowell has a template now for his X Factor acts he is not sure what to do with. Just like Joe McElderry (who Shayne would totally snog according to GT) and Same Difference, Shayne's album is peppered with repurposed tracks and samples to give it just the right amount of familiarity. This remake of King of my Castle has a Ke$sha level of autotune, but is a nice, funky tune and may give Shayne a chance to finally atone for that If That's Ok With You dance routine. I've been playing this track all day and am just loving it. Single please (possibly double A side with catchy Human) with a plethora of remixes and a dance heavy video. thank you.

Agree? Disagree - let me know :)

Shayne of the Ward is back people. And frankly it's been far too long. I feel like he should be either readying his fourth album or a greatest hits by now as it's been 3 long years since he left us Breathless (and thanked our mothers for giving us birth). Let's not be churlish though - my fave X-Factor winner so far (and owner of my fave X-Factor performance ever) has returned with a gussied up version of some Nickelback tune that I've never heard of. And very nice it is too. It's available to buy on November 7th, so I will be bitterly bitterly disappointed if he isn't on The X Factor results show on the same day... let the Take That chart competition commence. Oh. And here's the video (click here to watch on youtube)!

• Oh that shayne knows how to start a video. He is topless and buff in his rather nice apartment, staring yearningly across the city. I often do the same, but with muffin toppage going on over my trackie bottoms...
• There is a girl outside who takes a quick pic of him, all pectastic at the window. In the video, this is considered romantic and grand gesturey. In real life, he would slap a restraining order on her stalkerness. The little madam.
• (Disappointingly) Shayne has put a shirt on. it's quite a nice shirt though and it's nicely fitted. so many people go for the far too flowing baggy option without even thinking of how it looks. This is probably the sort of style know how that got Shayne his job at Next.
• He takes a picture of the moon. It's quite a nice picture which means he probably has at least 8megapixel camera on his mobile phone. I'm surprised he didn't put this picture on his twitter feed :P
• The stalker girl continues to take some quite decent pictures of pectastic Shayne. 1 of 230 apparently. Blimey. If she puts them on her facebook feed, I am so going to "friend" her...
• Let's just take a moment and pause at 38s. That's quite relaxing and nice isn't it?
• Shayne gets ready to go out. He walks past his maid (how bourgois). She is of course a sexy maid, getting flirty with a feather duster. Not at all like my cleaner, Mrs. Kadrinski, who is delightful but god bless her hasn't been sexy for years...
• At around the 50s to a 1m mark, Shayne heads onto the busy streets (of London?) and manages to hail a cab STRAIGHT AWAY. This is as unrealistic as Carrie Bradshaw getting a cab with no problem in NYC. Still, the lucky cab driver gets Shayne singing his heart out in the back, so he can turn his radio down and enjoy the show. Marv!
• What a head turner! After lots of interspersed shots of Shayne singing, he walks down a street where a couple are smooching. The girl turns and has a good gaze at Shayne and does the bottom lip bite. you know the one - where you are thinking, oh I would so tap that, etc. I like to think the boy has a good look too because honestly, you can never tell can you?
• 1m40s - walking past a nice street cafe. More ladeez look. One waitress overfills a glass with water. The water gushing everywhere is clearly a metaphor for her waters gushing everywhere at the sight of Shayne. I'm still loving his shirt for some reason.
• The lyrics are actually quite romantic and the song percolates along. The director of the video quite wisely reminds the viewer at various points that Shayne hangs around his apartment with some nice scented candles looking all toned and abtastic. I don't need the reminder, but it's a nice affirmation!
• At around 2m15s, he pops into a laundrette. He seems to strike up a bit of friendly banter with some dude and then convinces the fella to lend him his clothes. Shayne Ward can charm the clothes off random dudes! I am loving this!
• He strips off in the laundrette. I mean why not? I am thinking of selling my new washing machine and hanging out in said laundrette.
• Stalker Girl is back! Shayne either mugs her or "oi no pics" her and has a butchers through her 230 pictures. Some of them are quite good. He should probably hire her as his professional photographer. I mean, didn't one of Abba have a thing with their stalker once?!
• She runs away! I would want my phone back personally! Perhaps she is doing a benny hill type "ooo chase me" routine?!
• (Turns out the cab driver was a woman and happy to be paid for her service by Shayne's voice. I am going to blog in the back of a cab next time and see if this will get me off the fare...)
• Shayne's home! Phew. Oh no! Stalker Girl has followed him in! He turns and... sort of smiles? Yes it's all fun and games until the next video where he's tied up NathanEmmerdale style in a barn somewhere!!

Oh Shayne, how I adore your return :)

Boo :( I have toothache. This is probably entirely my own fault as is usually the case with toothache. I am seeing the dentist on Monday morning. He will glare at me with his smouldering eyes and make me feel bad for indulging in that toffee from the £5 special offer tin of Quality Street. Curse the supermarket price wars! They will be the ultimate downfall of my nashers. So I am powering through the weekend with co-codemol and ibuprofen. And some surprisingly effective baby teething gel! Magnif! Luckily, there is lots of music to get me through til Monday morning. Here is what you should be checking out (toothache sympathy in the comments please!)...

Songs to ease the toothache :)

• Shayne Ward ~ Gotta Be Somebody: Christ this is getting out of hand! First Westlife do Chris Daughtry, then Joe does Donkeyboy. Next we'll have JLS coming out with a cover of some Hoobastank song! Frankly I was mortified when I heard Shayne was coming back with a Nickelback song! Both him and Joe have tweeted so much about the amazing music they are making, then both pop up with cover versions. However, I have learnt not to make snap judgements and rather than a straightforward cover, Shayne has got a nice glossy pop/r'n'b arrangement rendering it significantly different from an original I really wasn't too familiar with anyway. The full version is actually quite engaging, and a solid return for Shayne that I'm more smitten with with each listen. Hopefully the general public will agree too...
• Adam Tyler ~ Operation: Adam Tyler is currently in the united kingdom and by all accounts having a whale of a time. That has no bearing on whether this track is good or not. I'm pleased to report however that it is rather bonza. It's a sleek, persistant electro groove - Adam's tapping his lower register on the vocals and his voice sounds great. It's very downbeat lyrically, about removing negativity of a failed relationship from his life - the middle 8 sounds particularly sinister when Adam sings "anesthesia" and the backing gets almost psychotic; it's bleeps and beats all over the place but held tautly together with some great production. Is this the outcome of living too long with his Friction addiction? Regardless, it works well as a sequel to that song or just a great piece of pop music. More per favor.
• Mohombi ~ Bumpy Ride: I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about Mohombi and his instantly infectious track Bumpy Ride. Basically he's a RedOne protege and he's crafted a fun, compelling summer anthem that will take you way into Autumn and beyond. It mixes smooth vocals with a slightly reggae infused track and comes across as a slightly more credible Start Without You. The video is a bit literal and reminds me at times of Peter Andre, but overall it's definitely an enticing tune that reels you in. Apparently lots more good Mohombi stuff is coming up (War Zone is brillo)....
• Magnus Carlsson ~ Best In Me: Oh my amazesticles! Magnus - always a reliable bet for some bonkers, gleeful pop majesty - has popped himself in a time machine, whizzed back to 1989 and produced one of the most thoroughly giddily enjoyable sparklingly fizzy pop treats of the year! It's not just inspired by Stock Aitken & Waterman, it's positively drenched in their influences. I'm pretty certain the backing track owes a huge debt to Love In The First Degree. It doesn't even matter. It's such a feel good piece of music and I can't wait to devour Magnus' "Pop Galaxy" next week. It could be absolutely immensicles...

• Charlotte Church ~ Back To Scratch: This is a very lovely, lilting return to pop for Charlotte. It totally follows on from more madcap numbers like Crazy Chick & Call Your Name, but represents a more mature reading from her - a reflection of what she has been through the past few years. Her voice remains well suited for this type of number and there's a sadness mixed in with the quite wonderful floating music. It's all pulled together very well and I'm ever so eager for her album next month. Love the multiple charlottes video above too! Amazes.
• Velvet Code ~ Follow You Follow Me: I first heard of Velvet Code on Larry Flick's Morning Jolt. It's synth pop at it's finest and is an insidious tune that soon weaves it's way into your synapses and refuses to let go. It's beautifully created music that shimmies with the knowledge that the person behind has a thorough understanding of what makes pop music great. The chorus in itself represents a simplicity of melody but with some complex electro instrumentation running behind it that elevates it to huge singalong status. Definitely one to watch

Top 21 singles of the week:

21 ~ Bright Light x 2, Love Part II
20 ~ Ace of Base, All For You
19 ~ Brandon Flowers, Only The Young
18 ~ Bjorn Johan Muri, Once Upon A Time
17 ~ Joe McElderry, Ambitions (NE)
16 ~ Eric Saade, Masquerade
15 ~ Darin, Lovekiller
14 ~ Jesse McCartney, Shake
13 ~ Charlotte Church, Back To Scratch (NE)
12 ~ DeeDee, Balls
11 ~ Kelly Rowland, Shake Them Haters Off
10 ~ Nadine Coyle, Insatiable
09 ~ James Blunt, Stay The Night (vid)
08 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Not Giving Up On Love
07 ~ Kylie, Get Outta My Way
06 ~ Scissor Sisters, Any Which Way
05 ~ Jessie J, Price Tag
04 ~ Elouise, The Winner Takes It All
03 ~ Maroon 5, Give A Little More
02 ~ Gravitonas, Religious
01 ~ Robbie Williams, Shame (3 weeks)

Sigh. I adore Shayne Ward. He proved to the world that The X Factor could produce a good looking boy popstar who could not only sing, but be versatile in his live song choices and bop along too. Plus of course he has produced (as you are all bored of me telling you by now) the X Factor's finest moment in Somewhere Over The Rainbow. And he looks a proper good bounce in the sack too. Score, score, score. And it all seemed to be going so right with a second album that was packed with potential singles. I thought that If That's Ok With You was a great first single, Breathless a decent second (I wasn't a big fan of No U Hang Up so tend to gloss over that) and was eager for more. Were they forthcoming? Were they buggery. No Melt The Snow Christmas release. No Damaged. No remix version of Tears Never Dry. Such wasted opportunities. And to make matters worse, it's been 3 long years since Breathless when Shayne could've whipped out a third album and a greatest hits for crying out god's sake!!

Still new music is a-coming and as I alluded in the last post, there have been a couple of leaks this weekend - including a rather lovely ballad called Crash. Frankly, you can rarely go wrong with songs with Crash in the title. There's Crash by the Primitives which is rather bonza. There's the lovely lethargic Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band. Let's not forget the aces Crash Boom Bang by Roxette. (And if you change one letter you get the amazing group Crush who did Jellyhead and are probably more the ancestor of Mini Viva than the popular notion that MV are the descendants of Mel & Kim...) Anyway, it's a lovely piano ballad produced by Stargate with the focus firmly on Shayne's voice and a lovely lilting melody. It's not exactly first single material, but it's a gorgeous tune that grows as you listen with a finger clicking beat and dreamy lyrics - would make an excellent fourth single with a new uptempo track as an AA side. And there's a rather funky smart-pop tune in the form of The Way You Are that shows Shayne producing a more modern version of No U Hang Up - except this time I'm totally on board. So why oh why are we still waiting for official announcement for first single proper and third album? Particularly when Mika and Lemar are producing entirely acceptable pop tunes that work very well in the Shayne Ward mould of pop?

Mika ~ Bonkers popette Mika has come back with a song that doesn't feature on his current album but sounds like it should. It's called Kick Ass and it's produced by RedOne. Now, Shayne is not exactly the popstar you think of when you first listen to the tune because it's so inherently Mika (Queen-esque moments, bombastic production value, incessant falsetto). It is, however, a rather decent pop tune and stretch your minds for a minute because if Shayne sang this it would be a rather daring comeback single and would certainly stand out for him. As a Mika tune, I rather like it as it happens - it's a bit too close for We Are Golden for my liking and not quite as brilliant as Rain, but it's rather pleasing over all. That is all I have to say on that, other than I am disappointed there is no high pitched "mika. Redone" at the beginning.

Lemar ~ I must confess I haven't really paid much attention to Fame Academy alum in the past. His rather bonza greatest hits single, The Way Love Goes was an effervescent slice of goodness that would - and does - sound perfect when played after Tears Never Dry by Shayne. It's the most Shayne-esque song I've heard in ages, and sometimes I even think it is him when it comes on. Regardless, it's proper decent, infectious pop and a terrific track that deserved to do better than a week or so in the top ten. He's also rerecorded an early track called What About Love which now features the vocal stylings of a little known boyband JLS on vocals and works wonderfully well as a dreamy ballad. As if that wasn't enough, there is a beyond fantastic potential club stomper on there called You Don't Love Me which features/samples Kim Wilde (You Keep Me Hanging On) of all bloody people. Utterly screams massive hit and is (to be fair) simply wonderful. Three songs that would make fantastic singles and seem to indicate that Breathless (the album) was a prototype for the type of pop Shayne needs to be making now. And yes, still enjoyable as Lemar tracks.

That post was a bit weird really. Fizzypop chronicles for April tomorrow. Ish.

It's barely February, but already I'm looking ahead to see if any of my fave acts have new albums out anytime soon. And hurrah, some of the ones I obsess about do. This is very pleasing indeed and gives me more to look forward to than a sexy countryside break, meeting XO again and new series of Doctor Who & True Blood. Not that those aren't all ace of course. Anyway, here are a few brillo albums I'm chuffing up the spaff over...

Maroon 5: oh Adam LeFine, how you complete me. Love, Actually may have got me to check out your music, but it was your funky tunes and romantic rhymes that got me to stay. It's been three (long) years since the wonderful It Won't Be Soon Before Long and already teasers for a third (and rumoured final, sob) album are popping up on youtube. It's due sometime around April and they've been recording in Switzerland with Mutt Lange. I'm tres excited indeed and really look forward to more quality music from them :) (read my IWBSBL review here)

The Feeling: Oh I absolutely need more sunny 70s style perfectly harmonised to within an inch of their lives catchy pop from the gorgeous Feeling boys very shortly. Currently organising their own Meribal Little World festival (which Richard's wifey Sophie Ellis-Bextor will appear at) in March in the Alps, their third album is apparently called Yes Please. Way to take two Pet Shop Boys album titles and make them into one! The song they debuted live last year (Truth Comes Out as the Drink Goes In) sounded marvelous and will appeal to existing fans. Will it be enough to win back the larger fan base that was around for album one? Time will tell, but i'll always adore. (read my Join With Us review here)

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Talking of the other half of pop's bestest looking couple, people are starting to get rather excited about the comeback of the poshest girl in pop music. Frankly, Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer (video above - see Little Boots? This is how to enjoy yourself!) still sounds utterly stupendous and magnificent; it should have done way way better in the charts (i'm thinking minimum of top 3 for 5 weeks). Luckily, Mrs Jones has a chance to rectify this with Bittersweet which is another collaboration with the Freemasons and so should be absolutely spiffing. In fact, it should be dripping with lusciousness through your radio speakers any day now. And Another Love (the fourth album) drops in April. If any of it is as magnificent as her previous work, I'll be spooning it for months to come... (read my Tripping The Light review here)

Shayne Ward: Myself, D'Luv and John Pop Music Notes could probably individually and collectively discuss how abandoned poor Shayne's career has been to date. As soon as Leona came along, Britain's best hope for a bonafide, exciting, chavtastic boffable ride popstar was cruelly abandoned two top ten hits into his rather good second album Breathless. A third is forthcoming in March apparently (though rumours of a duet with Heidi Sugababe 2-4.0 are not true), though his twitter keeps saying he is recording new tracks as I type (literally)! Should be an absolutely poptastic affair as xenomania are involved, as are some of Sweden's finest. Don't screw this up Simon Cowell. You need to make reparations for inflicting Joe on me... (read my Breathless review here)

Kylie: Talking of xenomania, they can't stop giving Kylie up... and will any album this year be as minutely analysed as this one will be? Everyone had an opinion on what should and shouldn't have been on X and how it should have been marketed. All that matters to me is that Kylie is coming back and it will no doubt feature some ace dance numbers, something penned by the marvelous Nerina Pallot, something that divides fans down the middle a la 2 Hearts and hopefully something deliciously camp. Plus Steve Anderson has indicated in his ace DSTP interview that Kylie fans should keep their eye on the west end of London this year. Oh my. (read my X review here)

Keane: The boarding school boys are back with an EP (when did 8 tracks constitute an EP? Surely that's enough to classify as an album?) called Night Train that was recorded on their Perfect Symmetry world tour. While that album was a somewhat return to form after the disappointing second album, nothing has topped the excellent Hopes and Fears yet. I don't know much about this, other than it's released in May 2010, but Gay Times seems to think Your Love (with vocals from Tim Rice Oxley - rar!) is an epic in the making. Sounds good to me. (read my perfect symmetry review here)

Albums I'd quite like some news on: McFly, BWO, Danny Saucedo, Ola Svensson, Sergey Lazarev, William Young, Hard-Fi, Tom Baxter (D'luv has the lowdown on Boyzone)...

I'm sure there are some people I've missed so a part two might be forthcoming. Prior to that though is first in a "greatest hits I need in my life now" feature...

I've been out of sorts this week with my festive spirit. I think it's because work has been entirely too busy for my liking, and I've been dealing with a rather horrible case of elderly abuse and neglect which has sapped some of my faith in the season. Even seeing the rather charming Inkheart last night had failed to return me to my natural Christmas jovialities. Someone suggested I had started getting into the spirit too early. Then after a rare afternoon off today, I had a bit of a nap and awoke to a crystal clear of my very own Christmas miracle. It's not like I had forgotten it, but it was such a vivid memory today that I couldn't help but be bought back to full festive cheer. So for all those who wonder why Christmas holds such a maniacal hold over me, I share this story...

By Christmas of 1998, I had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for nearly 3 months. I was 24 years of age. It was an enormous shock to me, and the radiotherapy had taken it's toll but I was still hopeful, active and surrounded by friends and family who believed I could beat this thing. Cut to December 1999, and a year of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a constant losing battle with the disease had cast an enormous burden on my body and my optimism. Each round of treatment failed to slow the disease as it crept through my body. Finally, it was agreed that I would spend December and Christmas with friends in Rush, New York - the father was an oncologist who would try some experimental new treatment. It's strange now that I recall how unspoken the "last chance" nature of this opportunity was. Tearful goodbyes from my family at the airport passed by in a blur as I struggled to walk with my cane to the plane. I arrived December 2nd 1999. At first I was too frail to have the treatment - ironically it was so aggressive that it could've killed me as easily as the cancer. My mind went into dark places and I started to get resentful of the Christmas preparations that went on around me. Finally, 10 days before Christmas I started the course of treatment. Every part of me hurt, ached, was sick, ached some more and just longed for some respite. The main course of treatment ended 17th December and it would be a week before any news of remission would be with me. What poetic timing. The week passed by robotically - i faked the Christmas spirit so as not to bring other people down, but also spent a lot of time on my own. Christmas eve was bitterly cold and barren outside, and with the labs backed up the results of my tests took longer and longer to come. Finally I drifted off into a sleep that was full of self pity, bitterness and remorse.

I'm not sure what cliche hit me first when I woke on Christmas morning. It could be that it had snowed, excessively, outside and the world was pure white wiping away everything that had come before it. It could be that the first thing I heard was a radio playing what would become one of my most joyful and favourite Christmas anthems "When A Child Is Born"...

"A ray of hope flickers in the sky/a tiny star lights up way up high/all across the land dawns a brand new morn/this comes to pass/when a child is born/a silent wish sails the seven seas/the winds of change whisper in the trees/and the walls of doubt tumble tossed and torn/this comes to pass when a child is born"

... or it could be that downstairs, in this house thousands of miles from my home my friends, their family, their friends and their friends families had stayed up all night holding a candlelight vigil of hope and optimism as the envelope with my results sat on the table in front of them. I exaggerate not when I say that there were over 100 people in the house, more online and the phone was non stop with well wishers and messages of love. Writing it down, it all sounds corny and cliched, but sometimes life does happen like this and with tears streaming down my face, I opened the envelope filled once more with the hope and anticipation and love and joy that Christmas can bring, whatever your circumstances. The cancer wasn't gone. But it was smaller. A lot smaller. It was the first treatment to radically shrink and slow the progressive disease. The rest of the day whizzed by - i seemed to be hugged a lot, i talked to family on the phone a lot and whether it was my new found optimism or the treatment working or a gift from Santa, I'd had my Christmas miracle and strangely, and for that day only, I didn't hurt anymore. Outside or in. Of course the story has a happy ending from there - more treatment shrank the cancer until I was completely clear, and my obsessive love affair with the radiant hope that Christmas can bring was born.

(apologies for the blurriness in the pics - they aren't on my hard drive and I don't have a scanner. Plus you don't really need to see me close up and personal without eyebrows :P )

MUSTS:

• G4 - When A Child is Born
• Il Divo - When A Child is Born
• XO's effortlessly cool top songs of 2008 list
• Adem's ace top vids of the year

There are some songs that just seem to have Christmas baked right into them, even though technically they are not particularly about Christmas. It may be that they reference the winter cold, or have a few sleigh bells here and there. It might be that they talk about snow or mulled wine. But they don't have that innate Christmassy theme like, say, All I Want For Christmas or Do They Know It's Christmas. So in fact you can get away with playing them all year round. Huzzah. But because they were probably released near the festive season, these songs will always carry a little bit of Santa's love within me :P

5 ~ Kylie & Jason, All I Wanna Do: The "flip" side to their epic not number one until after Christmas ballad Especially For You. I was particularly excited about Jason becoming a pop star because it meant I could legitimately put posters of him on my wall and pretend it was because of Kylie. No one was fooled. And darn tooting if he didn't look ten times hotter with his cut hair. This uptempo, probably whipped together in 2 minutes by S/A/W, ditty is just a joy to hear and always gets the party started. Take that Pink.
4 ~ Pop Idol 2, With A Little Love: Screw the Hero track, this is by far the best joint idol finalists song ever released. And it's message is just as lovely in a not so overwrought production. All about letting bygones be bygones and sharing your love, it's awash with a shuffling beat, jingle noises and sleigh bells, but nothing distracts from the quite pretty vocal delivery of the final 10. Sigh. Poor Andy Scott Lee. It was all downhill from here...
3 ~ Shayne Ward, Melt The Snow: Ok this should totally have been the second single after If That's Ok With You. I'm not really sure why this song resonated with me so much, but as soon as i heard it on the fine album Breathless I knew that it would be a favourite of mine. It's quite romantic in that weird Shayne sort of way and sounds quite charming snuggled up in front of the hearth with a mug of warm cocoa. Jolly super.
2 ~ Jason Donovan, When you Come Back To Me: The red raincoat, the gloriously over the top video, the harmony "oooos" during the chorus, the chiming bells - do I really need to go on? Another S/A/W classic that is utterly butterly festive without ramming Christmas down your throat. Fantastic! One of my all time favourite Jason songs :)

1 ~ Erasure, Stop: Or really, anything from Crackers International. This came out at the front peak of my love for Erasure that lasted right up until they were done with their amazing Erasure album before it started to wane. Stop is typical Erasure with it's synth attack on the senses and Andy Bells full throttle vocal delivery. Also recommended is the wistful regret track She Won't Be Home which is just too sad to bear at times... so be sure to head back for the 12" mix of Stop afterwards to perk yourself right back up. It's the viagra of pop Christmas tunes.

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)

Shayne Ward. Shay. Wardy if you will. I spotted him fairly early on in the X Factor and as the show progressed I started to think that here was a good looking lad, with a strong vocal, nice sense of style and actually could do a variety of styles week in week out on the live shows. This could be one reality star who could follow in the footsteps of William and Girls Aloud rather than Michelle McManus, Hear'say and Steve Brookstein. Who was always really just Will Young's pervy uncle to me...

So what's gone wrong? An interview in this month's Attitude proved that Shayne is a thoroughly nice guy who is aware that this could all disappear in a moment and so is just enjoying it for what it is. Which actually made me want to go and shake him... because Louis Walsh is what went wrong. I got caught up in the hype of That's My Goal as tends to happen when you follow a show like X Factor religiously. But then No Promises came out and the album was one westlife ballad after another. Stand By Me - the new single and video (in which he wears the same white shirt, jeans and blazer he has worn in his previous two videos!) - is yet another ballad that could be sung by Ronan Keating or Westlife. Shayne needs to desperately assert himself (a la Will Young), show a bit of variety in future recordings, bare his chest more and remind us of what made him so entertaining on the X Factor...

Aah it was all very easy to get sucked into the Shayne Ward fever when i was completely addicted to X Factor for the latter part of last year... it was easy to overlook how formulaic That's My Goal was when released cos, well he's a bit of a looker and its easy to forgive dross when the singer is in a tank top all shaved and muscley. But i fear little Shayney is being turned into a one man Westlife and his new single is not impressing me. He needs to carve out his own niche a la William of Young or it will be Steve Brooksteinsville for him. I do hope he does well as he seems quite a lovely bloke :) Having said all that his version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow still gives me chills...

MP3: Shayne Ward - Somewhere Over The Rainbow