Lopez Blogs

My obsession with the upcoming Ballroom Remixed project continues! If you were listening to Sir Larry of the Flick today on Sirius OutQ's Morning Jolt show, you would have heard exclusive full length previews of BRR tracks by Simon Curtis, Neo, Elouise and Jeronimo (along with the Kyle track below). If you were tuning in, you will know that the Simon song is a mid-tempo pop extravaganza, Neo has a swirling disco epic, Elouise - a dramatic, theatrical, passion infused afrodisiac of a tune and Jeronimo has this cheeky little uptempo number that can't help but make you smile. All make you feel the music, make you have the urge to grab the one you love and shimmy! And you can buy them all on May 24th! How amazing. For now though, here is an exclusive preview of the brillopants new Kyle track...

Kyle Brylin already reached new levels of amazingness this year when he responded to my request to do a dude version of the Rihanna classic S&M. It became a bit of a viral hit, and quite rightly so as it showcased Mr. Brylin's voice nicely amidst a saucy, throbbing synth beat. Now he has a brand new track on Ballroom Remixed with the impossibly brilliant title of "I'm A Man (Not A Piece of Meat). The title alone is quite spectacular, even though it makes me feel ever so guilty as I may have pointed out how lovely Kyle is in previous music reviews. Oops :P Anyway, the song has a persistent rhythm that reminds of some classic Erasure tunes and is paired with an addictive drum beat that propels the track forward. Match that with some wickedly insightful lyrics ("You stare me down and size me up/As if I'm going to strip/As if you stare hard enough/My pants become unzipped") and a sultry vocal performance from Kyle, and you have a winningly camp piece of music that surely will become an instant classic. Kyle may be imploring you to consider his inner worth but his "come on now" and integral panting give you the impression that he doesn't mind the odd undressing with your eyeballs. Can totally see Kyle performing this on So You Think You Can Dance surrounded by buff AussieBum-esque models doing some brilliantly inventive dance routine in the background. In their undies. magnificent!! Be sure to follow Kyle on twitter and purchase Ballroom Remixed on May 24th :)



BTW! (By the way, not born this way)! If you are quite up for an up jump the boogie while listening to great pop songs, you could do far worse than enter a competition to win VIP tickets to Capital FM Summertime Ball :) How amazing! To enter the competition you need to join the Summer Time Ball roadtrip and answer daily pop related questions. Get an answer right, you move forward. Get an answer wrong, you move back! It's like a music related snakes and ladders :) You can also get accelerator codes from Capital FM by keeping an eye on their social network links such as twitter :) There are also random prizes including vouchers for my beloved Starbucks! Hurrah! I've joined the Capital Birmingham queue to try and win myself some red carpet treatment :) Who knows - we could be shimmying along to summer sounds together. Imagine!!

I'm having a Swedish pop day today. It can't fail to lift my mood :) I'm horribly horribly behind with some of the latest pop gloriosity from Swedish fellas - they really are currently setting a high high standard for blokey pop and while the rest of the world may not always pay attention, they are often playing catch up. Here are some of the current essentials...

• Eric Saade ~ Popular: I've written about this, done a complete breakdown of the video and still almost three months later it remains one of my very fave tunes of the moment. Of course Eurovision 2011 has a lot to do with that, thanks to a blinding performance (above) from the young fella, stomping dance moves, a tune that won't quit and a highly respectable third place overall. Kudos young Eric. The world IS now paying attention and the manboy is prepping his second solo effort for June. Absolutely magnifico :)
• Danny ft Freja ~ If Only You: Not only did young Danny look an absolute dreamboat reading the Swedish Eurovision jury results (in an Eric t-shirt! Bless times a million!!), but he is starting to take the UK music channels by storm with his very good indeed clubby meets brillo pop track, If Only You. Vocally he's teamed up with Freja to create an ambient yet thumping club sound that resonates with a modern pop audience. It's a worthy follow up to his incessant In The Club track and frankly one that's likely to do better. A full video breakdown of that smutty accompanying visual coming later this week. Oh my! *fans self*
• Ola ~ Riot: This track was a definite stand out for me on Ola's 2010 album and it still sounds funky and fun a good six-seven months later. It's now finally being released as an official single with an accompanying video. You could argue that it's a bit like Key-dollarsign-ha, but that's part of the appeal of the track - a guy doing a bonkers pop concoction that is just scintillating and salacious from start to finish. There's a rather bonza behind the scenes video too about the recording of the accompanying visual and as soon as the official version is out, i'll be giving it the breakdown treatment. Aces. 
• Jonas Oakland ~ Where I Belong (2011 Remix): I adore little Jonas Oakland. He's like the Swedish version of Simon Curtis - not so much musically, but independently making his own way in the business we call show. He's launching the next phase of his career with a remix of brillo pop tune Where I Belong and lucky old Scandipop has an exclusive clip for you to listen to before you can officially download it on Wednesday of this very week! Amazes. It sounds absolutely mega and I for one will be spaffing my 79p on this essential track as soon as it's available. Splendid!
• Mans Zelmerlow ~ well foxy Mans doesn't actually have any new music out at the moment, but with Eric's Popular doing so well on UK iTunes (no. 38!) it just makes me want to listen to Hope and Glory and remember how insanely excellent that tune was. And I'll leave you with that :) 

Busy busy weekend ahead of family responsibilities so lets not tarry and on with the post!

SIMON CURTIS ~ SUPERHERO:

It's actually an incredible accomplishment that for an unsigned artist, the new single by Simon Curtis has actually become somewhat of a viral event. His self proclaimed Robot Army have been eagerly anticipating new music from him and Superhero is likely to please as a taster of what is to come with RA in June. What you get is an intense, thumping, almost relentless call to arms for people to stand up for themselves and take charge of their lives in order to achieve their dreams and goals. It's set over a militant dance beat and infused with synth sounds & resounding percussion that bring to mind other empowered pop tunes such as Destiny's Child Survivor and Christina Aguilera's Fighter. That's not to say this doesn't feature the inately Simon moments that have made me such a fan over the past 5 years - there are his "frankly I don't give a fuck" lyrics in the verses, his ability to take a theme and create a musical composition out of it (e.g. "Rip it off/show the symbol on your chest" - it perhaps should be featured in tonight's Smallville series finale?!), his confident vocal and ultimately a chorus that feels like a blistering attack on your senses as it doesn't so much as ingratiate it's way into your brain but smashes down defences with a sledgehammer of pop majesty. Within all this, there are moments that really stand out - Simon's soaring falsetto at around 2 minutes and a middle 8 that is firmly rooted in Sweden where I can definitely hear Chieron and Max Martin influences in there. In fact, in a way it sounds like the type of song N*Sync would be lucky enough to have to launch a reunion tour. Essentially it is familiar enough that those who adore Alter Boy and 8 Bit Heart will feel secure, while I feel the Jadion production moves it on that vital step to compete in the modern day pop chart arena. Grab your costumes, pick your power of choice and let battle commence. (Stream Simon's single before it's on iTunes next week at Just Jared here...)

Top 21 songs of the week:


21 ~ Andrea Lewis, She
20 ~ Rochella Danishei, Never Been Kissed
19 ~ Same Difference, Best Mistake
18 ~ Kylie, Put Your Hands Up
17 ~ Take That, Happy Now
16 ~ Joe McElderry, Feel The Fire
15 ~ Shayne Ward, Close To Close
14 ~ Take That, Love Love (NE)
13 ~ Brandon Flowers, Was It Something I Said
12 ~ Scissor Sisters, Sex & Violence
11 ~ Elouise, Born This Way
10 ~ Lady Gaga, Judas
09 ~ Maroon 5, Is There Anybody There
08 ~ Westlife, I Will Reach You
07 ~ Eric Saade, Popular (VID)
06 ~ Le Kid, America
05 ~ The Feeling, Set My World On Fire
04 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Starlight
03 ~ Nerina Pallot, Put Your Hands Up
02 ~ Sara Ramirez, The Story
01 ~ Gravitonas ft Roma Keng, Everybody Dance (3 weeks)

I am sort of having a fake birthday today :) My real birthday is tomorrow, but for the first time in years I will be working (hideola) so I may as well take full advantage of the bank holiday, royal wedding good mood afterglow & celebratory atmosphere in the world today and pretend that it is today. So I am. I've had some nice clothes, books, blu-rays and some Starbucks fruit toast. Now I am undertaking this quick blog while Darren makes his yumsicles lasagne. What a nice fella. Plus, some of my fave acts are releasing singles today so I get to luxuriate in spiffing new music. Read on, chums, read on...

The Feeling ~ Seven Years: I started this blog in 2006 and one of my first obsessions was The Feeling - 5 years later, that obsession hasn't waned. They are one step closer to releasing their much anticipated third album later this year and their comeback single, Set My World On Fire, is out today! I've already written about that extensively (here), as well as their ace Freemasons collaboration Searched Every Corner so am focusing on their excellent b-side. The Feeling have a history of putting entirely single-worthy tracks on the "flip" side of singles - Sun Is Shining is a great example as is their exquisite cover of She's Gone. They've backed SMWOF with the live favourite Seven Years and the studio version sounds every bit as amazing as the live track. Propelled by a persistent drum beat, it has all the hallmarks of a great Feeling tune - multi layered, sumptuous instrumentals, gloriously soaring chorus that is instantly memorable and tremendous harmonies from the rest of the band. It's all very good indeed, but make sure you pay particular attention to a smashing middle 8 that begins at about 2m18s. There are some haunting "whoos" over the drum riff, before Dan slows it all down for a few seconds to give an extra exhilaration to the final chorus. Magnifico. Can't wait for the album...


Gravitonas ft Roma Kenga ~ Everybody Dance: Gravitonas continue to be one of the most reliable, consistent, yet surprising new acts of the past 12 months. Not much more than a year has passed since they made us fly with their Kites (note: How'd Andreas get those trousers so tight?!) and since then we've the pop-opera-majesty of Religious (totally what Judas should have been aiming for Ms Gaga) and the devastatingly brilliant You Break Me Up. Pausing only presumably to catch their breath, they now present this blistering dance anthem. There's no part of this that can be dismissed as 'just another dance tune' as each element stands out yet blends together so perfectly. An Ibiza-ish trance beat leads the proceedings, but added into the pot are a hypnotically chiming synth couplet, sinister sounding strings that really make the lyrics "everybody dance... for your life" stand out in the throbbing, euphoric chorus, a distinctly eastern influenced middle 8 and of course perfect vocal delivery throughout. Stop searching right now because you've just found the dance anthem of the summer. Complex yet deliciously more-ish. TRIUMPH (ps, why does Andreas always look SO good in a tux?!).


Le Kid ~ America: It may seemingly be audacious for Le Kid to constantly claim each single is your new favourite song, but frankly they would be right. For an act to follow up Mercy Mercy with We Could Home Together and then the insanely bonkers & brillo Oh My God, well they have earned the right to recognise their amazingness. The next release from their upcoming debut (Oh Alright Then) is the timely America. It's somewhat more laid back than their previous songs, but don't be expecting a ballad at all. It is in fact a vivacious mid-tempo pop groover that just shines from start to finish. There is a warm and fuzzy quasi-disco beat, languid harmonies that are filled with yearning & emotion and a chorus that positively sparkles with energy & purpose. They clearly love all things pop and this is as instant a classic as Girls Aloud's Call The Shots or Pet Shop Boys' The Night I Fell In Love. Oh so dreamy and oh so essential. Now please tell me there's a photoshoot with Anton looking all Mad Men :)

Full video breakdowns of all these tunes coming whenever they are released :)

You actually couldn't get two more diametrically different cover versions today, but both are by artists I adore and both bring a certain frisson of excitement in their work - one to an old classic, the other to something more new and brash. And that, my dear little pop pickers, is how it's done. Read on my pretties, read on!

Kyle Brylin ~ S&M (Rihanna cover): While everyone was spaffing up their chuff over the Britney aided remix of the tune, I was pontificating that there really should be a boy pop cover version of this doing the rounds. Quick as a flash, I knocked one out (an e-mail, steady!) to the very lovely Kyle Brylin and lo and behold! Less than 24 hours later, he has tantalising lowered his underwear and delivered the smutty goods! Hurrah! Now that's service :P It's as frenetic and energetic as you'd imagine, and Kyle's vocal is impeccable - giving a dirty little nuance to lines like "if i'm bad, tie me down/shut me up gagged and bound me" while the scintillating bass and high hat compete with the scuzzy electro track. What I like is that Kyle absolutely makes the track sound like it was his from the start - that cheeky Rihanna was only keeping it warm until he got his hands on it. It gives the track a whole new energy being sung by a fella - and Kyle is just the fella to sing it. He never fails to delight me with his music and this is a worth addition to his canon. What a guy :)


Elouise ~ Tainted Love (Soft Cell cover): Another week, another blog where Paul raves about another Elouise track. And quite deservedly so. With her stunning cover version of Born This Way lodged in my top 5 most played tracks (and set to climb this week), it's time to turn my attention to Tainted Love. It starts off as a theatrical denoument - dramatic horns, trembling drums and a powerhouse vocal from Elouise. You can almost picture her standing on the turrets of her princess castle, wind blowing, while she castigates the evil Baron VonDonderlinger with her music. Love the way the music works down the musical register as she finishes the musical intro with "take my tears and that's not nearly...." Stunning. Rather brilliantly, it then turns into a finger clicking, Hey Big Spender-esque, saucy little number. The drama is still there, but it's given a very slight playful edge that sexes it up - almost as if Elouise is teasing, demonstrating what the errant lover could be having. Once again, Elouise is a storyteller and you can only sit absolutely compelled and bewitched by her tales. Oh god, please let there be an album soon :)

Alright, alright, settle please :) Time to take a break from watching that hot dude in the new Britney video and check out some other tunes :) (Please)!

Boy Banned ~ Hot Spot: I do enjoy a bit of Boy Banned. Their tweets are often quite amusing. They do weird online challenges to keep their fanbase entertained. Pob will quite often have the most unhealthy food and then still maintain his slimline figure. The git. When they are not busy larking around for their adoring minions, they come up with new music to titillate and delight. And actually, in a way that works for the modern musical download world - announce, then a week later have a video and a song available for viewing and purchasing. It's a cheeky little dance number full of euro-disco beats, sultry down & dirty vocals & suggestive lyrics such as "take you where the sun don't shine"!! It's as potentially naughty as when Rachel Stevens promised to let you in her back door!! A simple but clever refrain of "if it's getting cold outside/welcome to the hot spot" is catchy and singalong enough to get the song fun & interesting from start to finish. and then there is that rather chortlesome video - the boys get invited into a limo by some deep voiced ladeez/ladyboyz, who proceed to strip them out of their geek chic attire (oh i do love a boy in a bowtie) while they generally look rather terrified/appalled by the process. (As they should, judging by how eager their hosts are, they are lucky they didn't end up strapped to chairs with a ball in their mouths!! Or maybe they did...) Anyway, interspersed with dance routines we finally get to the boyband (and hopefully regular Boy Banned) staple of some bare flesh and getting wet. Hurrah! So generally, all in all, tres bon!!


Dalton Warblers ~ Somewhere Only We Know: Not a boy band, but they absolutely should be :) Blaine (the lovely Darren Criss) & the Dalton Warblers are the definite high spot to a patchy season on Glee. As i've stated before, rather than do cookie cutter pop video versions of tunes the way the New Directions kids do, they examine every harmony and note to help them reconstruct the tune that matches their strengths while still providing familiarity. Their version of When I Get You Alone was inspired genius (check out the point at 1m25-1m30 where Blaine sings "baby girl you the sh...." - Gap guy and Kurt's reaction are hilarious). Now they are taking on my second favourite ever Keane track and frankly it could only be more perfect if they were tackling the epic Everybody Changes. It's a smooth, multi layered rendition that becomes a beautiful almost hymn like rendition. It's perhaps one of their most faithful renditions to date, but the interweaved harmonies raise this to new levels of gorgeousness. increasingly smitten!


Maroon 5 (ft PJ Horton) ~ Is Anybody Out There?: Hurrah times a bajillion! New music from Adam and the boys. It's essentially a song they penned in 24 hours for free download via Coca Cola for charity purposes. And jolly fine it is too. It's one of their tunes that builds from a basic beginning of a piano riff and Adam's lovely vocals through to adding layer upon layer of instrumentation. It all comes down to it's instantly memorable chorus, a 2-1 handclap beat that propels the song forward and gives it a rather joyful feel. The addition of PJ Horton in the middle 8 adds a nice bit of singing to the tune before one final singalong :) Slotting in nicely to their current sound of Hands All Over, this is a pleasant and unexpected addition to their canon. Now I cannot wait to see Adam on The Voice each week from the end of this month...

Spring has all but sprung. Except for yesterday when it was raining quite heavily while i was outside in just a shirt (not just a shirt, i had trousers, etc., on too of course) and left my feeling quite see through and nippular. Let's not pause over mother nature's cruel sense of humour though - there is music to be heard so pop on your listening ears and pay attention...

Lenka ~ Roll With The Punches: I am shamefully behind on Lenka, take two. The lead off single was out at the tail end of last year and I completely missed it. This is shockingly unforgiveable when you consider Lenka is an artist who came out with debut single so charming and bold that it had the lyrics in "i want my money back, i want my money back"... in a song called The Show!! And had the confidence to know that people would only be singing it in a self aware ironic way at her concerts. Marvelous. She then whizzed ahead with a delightful debut album and a gorgeous Christmas song (All My Bells Are Ringing), and now has decided to sally forth with new music for her forthcoming second album. Roll With The Punches is almost a teaching aid on how to deal with life once it (as it so often does) gives you a swift kick in the knackers - and frankly what could be a better treatment than this vibrant dose of endearing pop majesty?? Lenka makes the most of her engaging vocal style and her ability to make tune she touches eminently catchy and as a result Roll With The Punches is a fine introduction to the next stage of career. Delicious :)


Lena ~ Taken By A Stranger: Good gracious! Not content with winning last year's eurovision song contest with the oddly wonderful and wonderfully odd Satellite, Lena (Meyer-Landrut) is the first person in 50 years to represent her country twice in a row! She performed 12 new songs to the adoring German public (all of which make up her new album, Good News) and then picked this single as her entry. Initially it doesn't seem the most immediate choice for her - a rather dark tale set over a plucked bass rhythm with no discernable melody. However, as the song progresses, it lures you into it's shadowy world (and yay, there is a dance routine, always a plus) and ingratiates it's way into your heart. As a standalone single and an example of Lena's work, it's a solid entry in her canon, but competing against other songs in Eurovision? It's a brave choice, but may suffer against those that are more instant. One dilemma - two songs with breaking glass? Let's hope she doesn't look as terrified as Eric did :)


Nerina Pallot ~ Put Your Hands Up: I do adore the artist also known as Lady Chatterley. Geek Love remains my favourite but her output of music since Dear Frustrated Superstar has never failed to provide me with many hours of emotion filled pleasure. I once met her in Borders (RIP) where we discussed Otto Titsling from Beaches & she was a real treasure :) Despite having two incredibly fine tracks on the Kylie album (Aphrodite & Better Than Today), this is not a cover of the other song from that set that's currently doing the rounds. No sirreebob. In fact it's produced by Sir Bernard of the Butler and is a lush and layered soundscape of stirring strings, essential handclaps and has a deeply swooning 60s vibe to it. It's a bit of a departure, but then Nerina has never stuck to one musical style, always preferring to experiment and examine new ways of presenting her music. From the clips around, she sounds absolutely tremendous here and the song has a classic, timeless feel to it from the start. I'm loving this mature approach and it bodes well for a startlingly accomplished album - which frankly is what i've come to expect. *bows in awe*

I was more than a little mortified recently to read an article about Lady Gaga in Attitude magazine where an 18 year old reader claimed that Lady G was really active in promoting equality whereas singers like Kylie don't really seem to have a message. WHAAAAA? Someone give this kid a history lesson! Kylie is implicitly aware of her audience and has a mutually affectionate relationship with them. She acknowledges them with a playful knowingness, while (for example) speaking out in favour of gay marriage and visually representing this in her exquisite All The Lovers video. Kylie supports her gay fanbase with class and dignity, knowing that they adore her and reciprocating this adoration by surrounding herself with likeminded people whose gay pride shines through in all her works. While the aforementioned All The Lovers is a delightful recent example of this, the Pete Hammond remix of her brillo album track Put Your Hands Up delivers one of the most gratifying nods to the past of recent times...

IF YOU LIKE THIS: I've been more than satisfied, if I'm honest, with the singles choices from Kylie's supremely amazing Aphrodite album. All The Lovers was a slice of summer magic. Get Outta My Way was essential dancefloor giddiness. Better Than Today was lovely end of year optimism, with a theme that linked perfectly with the It Gets Better campaign. So I was sad that there will (allegedly?) be no more singles from this opus. However and hurrah - Pete Hammond of PWL/SAW fame has only gone and reswizzled the already extremely pleasing Put Your Hands Up and created a bit of a "pop will eat itself" moment with the heady results! In the same way that Lady Gaga visited 1989 Madonna's Express Yourself with Born This Way, Pete Hammond has been utterly respectful of Kylie's past by creating a sound that is somewhere in between her own Better The Devil You Know-Shocked era, while keeping it totally relevant, fun and dancefloor ready. It's one of those remixes that completely reinvents an album track, much in the same way that the single mix of What Do I Have To Do did back in 1991. It all adds up as a deliciously edible morsel of pop that teases and tantalises the current world tour. I'm so so ready to get my splashzone on next weekend (on April 2nd), feeling fierce & mighty, and witness how the incomprable Steve Anderson has prepared Aphrodite for the stage. Squeal!!


THEN TRY THIS: If the early 90s pop majesty of the above track has got you in a spin, you could do far worse than track down RuPaul's The Main Event (Matt's 80s Pop Mix) which soundtracks the end of each Drag Race episode this year (is it me or is season 3 more scintillating than ever? Ooo girl, you got she-mail!!). While deftly recreating the Stock Aitken Waterman sound of the 80s, this devillishly delivered swirling pop-dance gem gives you a good idea of what Jason Donovan might sound like if Pete Hammond remixed an up to date pop track of his. It absolutely sparkles from start to finish and if upcoming album "Glamazon" is anywhere near as enticing as this, i'm going to be gagging on it's eleganza!! If you can't love this tune, how in the hell you gonna love anyone else?! (Can I get an amen??)

It has more oft than not been bemoaned of late that there are a paucity of decent shows on television to perform your pop wares. I'm not sure this is entirely true anymore - there are numerous day & night time talk shows, X Factor and Dancing on Ice, and if you are particularly lucky you might end up in an episode of Hollyoaks while Ste snogs the moustache off Brendan in the background. Lucky bastard. However, these shows tend to be for those acts that are already (more or less) established (though The Overtones & Julian Velard managed to break through last week). The "Comic Relief" telethon managed to continue that trend by reeling in some big names to perform their latest music - often in a slightly unusual way. Here are some of my favourites...

JLS ft Miranda crew ~ Eyes Wide Shut. I absolutely what I like to call love Miranda. Her sitcom is a reasonable facsimilie of what my life is like on a day to day basis. So of course I was delighted that she was doing a little Comic Relief sketch (which was amazing - click here to view) AND dancing/rapping with the JLS boys. The dance routine is the culmination of the sketch show prior to it, which included such classic dance lessons as "Lady Gaga Feel The Beat/Lady Gaga Dress of Meat" and a cameo from oft quoted in the show Heather Small. If you haven't learned to love Miranda yet, how in the hell are you gonna love yourself? Can I get a "what have you done today to make you feel proud"?! Now enjoy the clip above, and bare with while I pause on lovely Gary in a tank top...


Peter Kaye ft Subo ~ I Know Him So Well. The anthem (though not "Anthem") from Chess is one of my fave songs. Steps did it well. Whitney and Cissy souled it up. John & Daniel excelled at it. But nothing tops the original Babs/Elaine version and Peter and Susan Boyle have done a rather good parody of it for the show. I'm not sure anyone who hasn't grown up knowing and loving the original video as much as I have will appreciate some of the finer points, but it's a jolly good chortle nonetheless...(it's the original above as the PK/Subo version is being sold on iTunes and all proceeds go to charity. Go forth and purchase)...


Take/Fake That ~ Happy Now. Oh! Kidz is barely over (after all that money spent on the video) and suddenly we're on to single 3 (good choice though) from Progress. The video concept above is basically some of Britain's finest comics (including lovely Catherine Tate) auditioning to be a Take That tribute band by recreating some of their iconic looks. These include the Do What U Like video, Back For Good and The Flood. They also performed the song sans Fake That earlier in the show, which you can watch by clicking here. Waiting for single 4 please. It's BeeGees does 2011-tastic.


McFly ~ All About You (sort of). It is common knowledge that the best Comic Relief single ever released is Bananarama ft Lanananeenanoonoo, Help. Instant classic. Second to that is the bonkers Who Do You Think You Are by Spice Girls. However, a very close third is the lovely tender ballad by my McFly ragamuffins. They didn't perform this on the show the last night in it's original version, but rewrote the lyrics to thank the staff at OxFam who had raised millions for comic relief. It's just Danny and Tom, but it's quite sweet anyway and makes me sad that their very tremendulent song That's The Truth didn't have a more sterling performance on the UK charts.


Other highlights:

• The Wanted performed their very good indeed single Gold Forever, not to be confused with One Direction's Forever Young. Read Nick's latest pop update for a spot on and concise review :)
• Adele performed Someone Like You. That woman is everywhere and unstoppable and I for one am not complaining. I have recently mastered this on the piano and I sound brilliant ;)
• Not music, but Dr Who returned for a madcap mini adventure with La Pond and a strangely foxy Rory. I have no idea what was happening but I'm hoping DanP76 will enlighten me. Can't wait for the return on April 23rd

Top 21 songs of the week:

21 ~ Julian Velard, Love Again For The First Time (RE)
20 ~ Andrea Lewis, She (NE)
19 ~ McFly, That's The Truth
18 ~ Deborah Gibson, Snake Charmer
17 ~ Kylie, Put Your Hands Up
16 ~ Maroon 5, Never Gonna Leave This Bed
15 ~ The Moniker, Oh My God
14 ~ Take That, Kidz
13 ~ Take That, Happy Now (NE)
12 ~ Tove Styrke, High & Low
11 ~ JLS, Eyes Wide Shut (RE)
10 ~ Same Difference, Best Mistake
09 ~ Danny, In The Club
08 ~ Le Kid, Oh My God
07 ~ Lady Gaga, Born This Way
06 ~ Love Generation, Dance Alone
05 ~ Andreas Johnson, One Man Army
04 ~ Sanna Nielsen, I'm In Love
03 ~ The Wanted, Gold Forever
02 ~ The Feeling, Set My World On Fire
01 ~ Eric Saade, Popular (4 weeks)

I love it when acts that I adore get launched from their humble beginnings into a much bigger arena of success. Two of my more recent favourites have experienced a bit of a boost from strategically aligned television performances this past week, so I thought it worth a quick peek to see how they got on...

THE OVERTONES ON DANCING ON ICE:

The rise and rise of the delightful overtones boys has been an absolute joy to watch. They've done everything they could right. They gave themselves a fashionable geek-chic image, blended their harmonies to perfection, pitched themselves around familiar songs but with a modern take on the doo-wop sound and then worked tirelessly to ensure as many people got to know about them as possible. And all the while they've remained in touch with their fans - tweeting, twit-piccing and doing impromptu video cover versions (F*** You was a particular classic). All of these have endeared them to a growing legion of 'toners who also adore their catchy tunes and charmingly enthusiastic performances. The pinnacle of this hard work culminated Sunday night with an effervescent performance on Dancing On Ice. For people reading outside the UK, this is the equivalent to appearing on X-Factor or American Idol. It opens you up to a huge audience - indeed, blog hits went through the roof just after their performance with people coming to the site to read some of my reviews from google. And the boys whizzed past Bruno Mars on the iTunes chart. Their performance was deliciously upbeat (Why Do Fools Fall In Love) as ice legends Torville and Dean did a perky routine all around them (how the boys got onto the blocks without falling on their arses is beyond me :P) And always ones to give back to the fans, there is now a special edition available of their incredibly engaging debut album, Good Ol' Fashioned Love, on iTunes which features some new cover versions of Adele's Rolling In The Deep and Rihanna's Only Girl In The World (on which Lachie's deep vocal does funny things to me!!) Both break the songs down and reconstruct them with the boys impeccable voices building up much of the instrumentation as well as the melody. So if you fancy something a bit different but completely captivating, you could do much worse than to invest in The Overtones today. Can't wait to see them in Brum on the 25th March :)

JULIAN VELARD DOES THIS MORNING:


I've been banging on about Mr Velard for a good while now. He delivers an intoxicating blend of piano based pop that is strong on melody and heavy on catchiness. I've always felt that his tunes, particularly the sparkling Jimmy Dean & Steve McQueen & Love Again For The First Time, deserved a huge audience as they pulled together the best of blokey pop influences like Billy Joel and Ben Folds yet gave them a liberal sprinkling of the ol' Velard charm. Well luckily for the UK, the latter of those tunes has been dusted off and Love Again For The First Time is the lead single from Julian's upcoming album "Mr Saturday Night". It draws you into Julian's lyrical world (like which dvd to watch from HBO) and the rollicking piano work must have Julian's fingers flying all over the keyboard. Julian performed the track on ITV show, This Morning (think Regis and Kelly or whatever it is now) and looked tres dapper indeed with gleaming teeth and a rather lovely bow-tie,jacket, jeans combo. How fancy! Despite not being given much of a stage set, Julian commands your attention and the song is an absolute dream. And because he's a giving sort of fella, you can now download his version of my 3rd fave Madonna song ever (Crazy For You) on his facebook page. And very romantic it is too. Oh Mr Saturday Night is definitely a-coming and I can't wait :)

Tomorrow: boy pop special lead by Simon Curtis!

I love love I do. Every Christmas you'll find me curled up in my snuggie, watching Love, Actually and having a good old sniffle as the little boy unfeasibly runs through security after his 10 year old love of his life all set to a stirring score. It's magic. And what's not to love about Valentine's Day? People buying tat that will be in the trash by the weekend and bars taking cheap alco-pops, adding pink chapstick to them for flavouring, throwing in a manky old flower and charging up the wazoo for them! It's magic!! I'm a bit late with this whole love song malarky, but here are a few that you might have missed, are definitely worthy of your attention and show that love (and it's associated joys and pains) is not limited to just one day of the year...

• Bright Light Bright Light ~ How To Make A Heart: "Do what you want with me" sang Rod Thomas on his glorious disco passionata "Love Part II" (a song that could have indeed made this very list). And he sang it with such intensity that you get the impression you could have dimmed the bedroom lights and suggested your filthiest desires and he'd have happily obliged. My kinda fella... Anyway, BLBL is back with a far more sombre affair entitled How To Make A Heart. It's an incredibly engaging tune that questions the fragility of emotions and love, set to an industrial-influenced soundscape (recalling Depeche Mode and even Pink Floyd) that is littered with drum beats and synth chords that flow and swell until indeed your heart beats for this tune. It's taken from the forthcoming album Make Me Believe in Hope, which should be out later this year and based on this, Love Part II and Cry At Films promises to be one of the more heavenly cool disco pop sets you'll hear this year. MAGIC.
• Xylos ~ Darling Dearest: You will of course already be aware of the lovely Xylos because of their extremely charming song Not Enough. Lyrically, this is the opposite of that as the band craft an elegant tune that tells of how love should be unconditional regardless of the faults your special fella/lady might have. The chorus is full of hope that this will be the relationship that works, yet within the delivery there's a tinge of melancholy that adds a gravitas and sadness to the tune. Musically, it's full of lovely drum beats, warming synth riffs and harmonies to die for. The debut album (out in April) promises to be most wonderful indeed. MAGIC
• Deborah Gibson ~ Just Say Yes: When she's not busy charming snakes, defeating giant gators and delivering classic lines such as "get off me you crazy snake loving bitch", Deborah of the Gibson is busy churning out twee, romantic gorgeousness such as this standout track from her current album "Ms Vocalist". It's a classic sounding tune filled with delicious piano and elegant strings that has the vocalist yearning for her love object to let them into their heart by just saying yes. And sometimes love is about just letting yourself go and embracing the possibilities. it's not the most cutting edge song in the world, but it is full of emotion, hope and optimism. MAGIC!
• Sanna Nielsen ~ I'm In Love: How shameful. Two weeks into melodifestivalen and already I've taken a break from coverage to write about The Feeling on Sunday instead (another lovely love song - check it out here!). Anyway, while Brolle, The Moniker and Christian Waltz delivered sterling performances on Sunday, the standout for me was this absolutely booming tune from Sanna. It's a swelling mix of ballad set to a stomping dance tune that is utterly euphoric from start to finish. It's particularly hard to find on the net at the moment, but if you do track it down it's well worth your time. If you can't, well it's similar to Celine Dion's Love You More. Kind of. But that doesn't do it justice. MAGIC times a milliion!!

There will be one million and twenty three blogs (i'm approximating) today that will quite rightly write about the new Lady Gaga single, Born This Way. She's probably one of the biggest pop stars in the universe at the moment and thus, any new single from her is a bit of an event. Lots of people far more clever than me will be extolling it's virtues or telling us why it's Express Yourself 2011. I do quite like it - it's a grower rather than a show-er; a plinky plonky 70s inspired disco tune rather than perhaps the more instant and miraculous Bad Romance. It's a song for the outsiders and I suspect that it will make a lot more sense after she's performed it at the Grammys on Sunday, most likely dressed in an outfit made out of the vomit of blind tibetan monks, sewed together by fingerless, vow of silence nuns. Or something.

So do, by all means, enjoy Born This Way. However - here's an alternative track that might get your juices flowing just as much. MAYBE MORE!! Back in 2006/07, young Simon Curtis (prior to his robot army days, perhaps we were all just alter boys with him back then) put a song together as part of the "create a theme for Popjustice competition). He took the deliriously feelgood, swirling xenomania instrumental and crafted his lyrics around the incessant groove bestowed upon him. This tune ultimately became Put Your Makeup On and remains my joint all time favourite Simon song (along with the brillopants Diablo). It may not be as obvious in it's intent, but for all purposes it pre-dates la Gaga song by a good four years. It was about being accepted for who you are, about pop music being a brilliant genre regardless of how it's perceived, about being born this way (see sample lyric: "little girls know what to do, by the time that they are two, playing dress up in the make up of a mother/what's a mother gonna do, when she walks into the room, and she finds herself not a daughter but the brother"). It's littered with timely (at the time of creation) pop references - a trick Simon has continued with some of his more recent songs - and a brilliant outro that basically (i'm paraphrasing) tells the world to fuck off if you don't like pop music because nothing else is quite as giddy and magnificent on the dancefloor. And this is essentially true - Halfway Round The World (Almighty Mix) by A*teens still gets me in a whirling dervish on a Saturday night.

My advice to Simon - get this track on iTunes right now, get your robot army to purchase it in the droidloads and get a genuine bonafide smash :) Hurrah, etc.

Two sparkling yet tender heartfelt returns from acts you may remember from the annals (not "anals" as I mistakenly and quickly typed in an email at work last week) of pop...

Has everyone calmed down about Britney going dub-step yet? I have to say I'm warming to it by the second. Still, for when you've stopped holding it against me there are plenty other tasty treats out there for you to feast your pop chops on. Here are 3 of the most recent that could just explode like a giant party popper in 2011...

Neo ~ Underground: Remember Neo? He had an extremely delightful debut album out in 2009 that was filled with swarthy pop gems like Higher, Bachelor, Super Flower Power Girl and the insanely addictive cover of You Make Me Feel Like Dancing. It was enough to leave you breathless and giddy for more. Then there was more - a cane-swirling performance at melodifestivalen 2010 of a brand new track called Human Frontier, which was sort of a hyper disco dance thumper Rocket Man for a new generation. All this makes Neo's brand new single from his forthcoming second album a bit of a surprise. It's a mid-tempo gothic tinged ballad with more of a rock edge than some of his previous singles. It's all very haunting, atmospheric and moody, and totally works. Neo's vocals positively soar during the chorus and by the end of the track you find yourself wanting more more more. Lovely live rendition above (LOVING Neo in braces!) and check out the video here...

The Scarletz ~ Messed Up: Are you ready to experience something rather delicious and more-ish, a bit like your first Cadbury's Creme Egg of the year? That is what the debut single from hot girl group du jour, The Scarletz (website here), is like. A pseudo-reggae-lite jam that at time evokes memories of Ace of Base, is lined with some sumptuous horns, coated with the odd delightful intricate piano interlude and bounces along nicely thanks to the darkness of that terrific chorus that worms its way into your head and refuses to let go. It's a brilliant tune that has you singing along after just one listen. And is that a cymbal I hear in there? There are not enough cymbals in pure pop tunes... Herbal teas on me when you pass thru Brum :)

The Ultra Girls ~ Get The Party Started/Song 2: OK, now THIS is a mash-up. X Factor often thinks that a medley of two songs is a mash up. It's not. A mash up is placing one song over the template of another - in this case the genius melding of P!nk's Get This Party Started over the rollicking Song 2 by Blur. Power up, ultra girls because you are now entering Riot Grrrrl territory and it's a heady mix of rawking out with the devil horn fingers intertwined with poplicious vocals that show they can tackle multiple genres and make it sound feisty. Works incredibly well and shows how deserved that tour slot with Kylie is. Can't wait for their first single proper to be released :) PS, there is a naughty but nice interview with the girls over at DSTP!

God, 2011 is working my last nerve already. I started the new year imbued with hope and optimism (to an extent - I do like to believe that Abba are right and that one day there will be a world where every neighbour is a friend. Not my neighbours though. They are ghastly) and it's just been one big raincloud of doom :( Booo 2011, boooo. It doesn't help that mom has been admitted to hospital again with some unknown infection. Grife. Luckily to help with the down days are 5 lovely songs - one for each working day of the week. How fortuitous.

• Daniel Volpe ~ I Am Japan, You Are Godzilla: This may very well be the most amazing song title since Marit Larsen's exquisitely titled If A Song Could Get Me You. Just for the song title alone, this song enters all sorts of levels of epic legendary brilliance. Add to this the fact that I silently adore Daniel and it's bound to be a bit of a win of a song isn't it? It's a wonderfully pulsating dance tune, full of percolating dance beats, sexy synths and that genius refrain of I Am Japan, You Are Godzilla (you're on the floor/dancing me to the ground). It's not the most conventional compliment you can pay the object of your affections but it's certain to get their attention. Much like this glittering, sparkling track. Play often. Play loud.
• Britney Spears ~ Hold It Against Me: Yes, the twitterverse and interweb spontaneously combusted today when little Bertney previewed her brand new single. It's certainly a juicy slice of down and dirty club-esque pop to brighten up the cold January nights and it's certainly worthy of chart domination. It's a bit interchangeable though isn't it? (See also Avril Lavigne single below)... it could easily be almost any singer. September, Infernal, Gathania and many others with a decent slice of Madonna meets Gaga beats in there. I like it. I just wasn't really aware it was Britney first time I heard it. Still, i'm interested enough to see how good her next album is and I'm aching for a fantastic dance routine video to go with it. Not as good as Toxic, better than 3.
• Avril Lavigne ~ What The Hell: The handclaps are back! THE HANDCLAPS ARE BACK! This is essentially all you need to know about the new Avril Lavigne single. Add to this the fact that it is a bit of a Max Martin instantly catchy classic with a driving beat and a peppy Hellcats chorus and I'm instantly smitten. It's certainly as enjoyable as Girlfriend, but with a more sassy lyrical bite to the proceedings. Much like Britney, other than Avril's contribution to the lyrics, close your eyes and this could have been a Pink, Kelly Clarkson or Marion Raven song. Delicious as raspberry swirl cheesecake though...
• Roxette ~ She's Got Nothing On (But The Radio): Hallelujah and rejoice. The premiere power pop duo of Sweden have returned. With a power pop ditty that sounds like they have never been away. Literally. While that may seem like a bit of a criticism, the song absolutely oozes charm by embracing the fact that it wants to be a generic sounding tune. Heck, even the title sounds like an undiscovered Aerosmith b-side. It shouldn't work but it absolutely does. I'd have liked a tad more Marie, but Per ably guides this instantly familiar little rocker through choppy waters. Sometimes familiarity is just what you need :)
• Nils Landgren & Viktoria Tolstoy ~ When All Is Said & Done: There are very few instances when an Abba song sung by anyone else but Abba actually works. Usually a straightforward cover just makes you want to hear the original and something too different is too startling compared to the much revered originals. However, Nils Landgren and Viktoria Tolstoy have done a very hushed and reverent version of one of the swedish foursomes most beautiful tunes. It's really on a par with the beauty that Daniel Boys bought to his version of To Make You Feel my Love or Ellie Goulding did via Your Song. It's delicate yet luscious piano and an evocative, gentle vocal. Quite simply mesmerising and utterly beautiful.(Thanks Bobbypop for the heads up)

Fun fact ~ my three top rap songs of all time are 1) Shoop - Salt n Pepa; 2) Where Are You Baby - Betty Boo 3) The rap of One Boy Girl (Kylie) tied with the American Life rap (Madonna).

I love a good cover version I do. When done well they bring an instant air of familiarity to your airwaves while hopefully offering something new into the mix, whether that be within the arrangement, the harmonies or the lead vocals. It's something X-Factor contestants do on a weekly basis (with varying degrees of success), but sometimes you will come across a cover version or two that is so outstanding it blows everything else out of the water. Here are two such recordings, both available this week...

Daniel Boys ~ To Make You Feel My Love

Ah Daniel. Aiden Grimshaw should take a leaf out of his book... Not winning Any Dream Will Do was probably a blessing in disguise for the charming Mr Boys. He's gone on to establish himself a pretty decent career in the West End (Avenue Q), put out a delightful debut album (the lovely So Close) and built up a solid concert following. His duet of I Know Him So Well with John Barrowman is one of the most stunning live performances I've seen/heard in recent years. His latest recording is a stripped back acoustic version of the Bob Dylan evergreen, To Make You Feel My Love. The guitar gently provides the background setting for an emotive performance from Daniel that accentuates his ability to really give a delivery with his vocals. His voice weaves a spell around the lyrics so you are transfixed by his total immersion into the song. He resists the need to belt it out, making it a more subdued plea that highlights the nuances in the melody. It's a truly beautiful performance that sadly shimmers from start to finish. Daniel is definitely an accomplished vocalist and definitely knows how to interpret a tune to maximum effect. It helps that he's an absolute looker too :) Be sure to follow him on twitter to download this gorgeous, gorgeous track for zero pence. amazing.

Elouise ~ You'll Never Walk Alone:

I've already chatted quite extensively about the two other songs on Elouise's latest Stardust Melodies EP (The Winner Takes It All and Stardust). Larry Flick premiered the third track from the EP (out now on iTunes) on his Morning Jolt yesterday and it's an absolute stunner. It's a simmering rendition of the Carousel anthem You'll Never Walk Alone and proves once again that the match of Steve Anderson's production values with Elouise's ever stunning vocals is something very special indeed. The instrumental backing is a slowly building echoing wall of orchestral magic that sounds incredibly festive without being Christmassy - let me clarify that: it's the type of song that an established artist would put out at Christmas, dominate the festive charts with but be the song that you can play all year round. There is an air of angelicness around the choral backing vocals that bring the song into life at the start with Elouise providing a tempered breathy delivery of the lyrics. As the tune progresses, there is a building drama that never completely goes over the top and nor should it - the passion in Elouise's voice demonstrate a an abiding love for the song and an emotional connection often missing in her contemporaries. And kudos to Steve for letting Elouise shine with that heavenly choir and orchestra that always enhances her but never overtakes her. Simply gorgeous. Buy the EP right here.

So guilty pleasures week on the x-factor was nothing of the sort. Frankly, my suggestions for the contestants were far superior. And this week is Hallowe'en? Sweet merciful Blossom Russo, how they will stretch and butcher that theme is beyond me!! (For my song suggestions for the contestants, see the comments box)... But it got me thinking about some very good indeed acts that put out some very good indeed cover versions that are frankly all of the pleasure and none of the guilt. Here are four of my current faves...

Aston ~ Viva La Vida: This Australian orchestral group continues to absolutely amaze and delight me with their classical interpretations of modern day pop songs. And according to an email I just got, their debut album is winging it's way across the ocean to England as I type. Good job, import fees are a mother :P Anyway, what I adore about this version is that it is not only a seamless blend of instruments, weaving together a gloriously rousing version of the tune - but the accompanying video is just as uplifting (the guy on percussion is well foxy). They all look like they are having such a fun time and that reminds me of being in the orchestra band, playing piano at school. It was such fun to hear the tunes come together. The chorus here in particular is a work of genius - the piano really stands out and isn't drowned out by the dramatic percussion and plays perfectly with the violin melody. Quite heavenly. Oh! And the softening just before the choral part of the middle 8 kicks in just sends goosebumps running all over my body. Absolutely celestial.

The Overtones ~ Well Well Well (Duffy cover): I have written a lot about The Overtones lately. And quite rightly so. I find myself quite charmed by them and eagerly await the release of their debut album in a week. They've taken the new Duffy single and managed to turn each unique vocal on the track into an essential element of their performance of the song; it comes across like it was always meant to be a rather avant garde 50s doo-wop classic; the chorus (at around 48s) speeds it up a little bit and you find yourself in finger clicking heaven. It's a catchy tune and they've managed to twist it around and make it something that is completely them. And let's face it - they all look rather marvelous. I adore their style and twitter has taught me that Lachie (far left) knows how to rock a pair of pink jeans. Now that's avant garde :)

Princes & Rogues ~ Acapella (kelis cover): I still mourn the fact that P&R didn't actually make the live shows of the X-Factor, but manage to cope with my varying stages of grief by picking songs for them each week. Not they actually need me (though if they want to offer me paid employment, I can live with that :P) judging from the assorted excellent cover versions on their youtube channel. One of my current faves is their version of Acapella by Kelis. And not just because it's acapella! And not just because of the enthusiastic WOO at the start of the video. And not just because Ash is a bit of a dish. No, mainly because they certainly know how to tightly harmonise, look like they are having a brilliant time and are definitely vocally miles better than about at least 6 of the current x-factor crew. And, like the overtones, they are another group that I am just utterly taken with. I'm wishing them all sorts of success in the future and have a brilliant song lined up from them for Sat's hallowe'en theme :)

Miss Kookie ~ Putting On The Ritz: I have to finish with something that makes me absolutely joyous and uplifted each time I hear it. If you want a song that is unashamedly fun, completely delightful and just insanely, deliriously wave your hands like you just don't care fantastic, then you have come to the right place. It's a modern day take on a classic 20s dancehall number that just enchants from the second the (rather hot) guy introduces us to Miss Kookie in the clip above. It's all hip thrusting vogueing, addictive dance routines, get your flapper on, horn laden magnificence. Miss Kookie delivers an outstanding vocal that totally encapsulates the vibrancy of the tune & there are enough modern day musical additions to make it sound fresh and relevant for today's market. A performance like this would bring the house down on the x-factor. I absolutely must have more, more more :)

Tomorrow: Boyband albums or the new Darin video!

I love me some Deborah (back to Debbie now) Gibson, I do. For nigh on 22 years now, she's been my American Idol and although she might not have had what people class "mainstream success", she's done incredibly well in terms of carving out a career as a singer and performer. It has been about 7 years or so since her last studio album came out (the Broadway covers album Coloured Lights) and nearly 10 since her last album of original material (the amazing and underrated MYOB). So getting new music in whatever shape or form is always a treat. Sure, there's been enough odds and sods to make a somewhat disjointed album in the meantime (highlights include Sounds Like Love from Coffee Date; Someone You Love from the O'Neill Bros album and Say Goodbye, her duet with hunky spunky Jordan Knight) but Ms. Vocalist represents her first proper album since Coloured Lights. It's a collection of cover versions (or as I like to call them "interpretations") of famous Japanese pop songs sung in English. You can hear clips of all the songs above in the youtube video and I'm most reserving judgement until my import copy arrives (currently it's only available in Japan, though an iTunes release may be pending). I would, however, like to comment on 2 of the clips in particular:

1. Lost In Your Eyes (2010) ~ Forward to about 40 seconds in the video above and you get a heavenly new piano-vocal version of her 1989 US #1 smash. She's reworked the song before (for the aforementioned O'Neill Bros collaboration) in 2006 and gave it a more rhythmic feel. This takes it back to its roots and the subtle differences in the piano riff and a more mature vocal makes it a wonderful new experience - and as the clip draws to a close around 1m10s, it absolutely sounds like some new Disney movie theme. Delightful - someone get One Direction singing this on the x-factor stat!
2. Rise ~ (9m40s) I'm not sure if this is on the album or not, but it is a brand new tune from Deb that was written especially for the movie "3 Billion & Counting" (which she also scored). I am dying to hear the full version of this - it's absolutely anthemic; a cross between an Idol/X-Factor winner's song and an Olympics theme tune. Quite, quite brilliant - loving the choir. More please - and soon...

And of course, that leads me nicely into the lead single from Ms Vocalist - why not watch the video below first, then read on ;)

I'm not familiar with any of the tracks on Ms Vocalist (other than of course LIYE) so they all are going to seem new to me - and Deborah has done a brilliant version of a Japanese pop song in the past with the epic Portrait of Loneliness so I'm ready to be won over. It's an elegant ballad that wisely focuses on the piano melody and Deborah's soaring vocal. What works really well with the song is that it absolutely sounds like a Deborah Gibson tune - lyrically, it fits well with her previous canon of ballads. She also nails the vocal delivery - often with this type of ballad there is a tendancy to go wailing off all over the place. X-Factor contestants do it all the time. Sometimes less is more and the restraint in the vocal is matched perfectly by the gentle orchestral sound that softly plays behind the main tune. There is also beautiful use of violin at around the 2m10 seconds mark. Don't get me wrong - Deborah's vocal is strong when it needs to be, but is never overpowering. She uses her voice as an instrument and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the tune she sings. Love is often fire and passion and drama and energy. As demonstrated in this song, it is also the quiet moments of tenderness and intimacy that make it work. Must mention the video too - it's an understated affair but totally works. My favourite moments (especially as a pianist) are at the start where you see Deborah playing the piano and the music score flashes by. Also the violin solo mentioned previously is presented beautifully. Oh god, i'm utterly smitten...

Random Deborah Gibson thoughts:

• If Deborah were to enter the X-Factor now as an unknown contestant, she would totally nail it. She has such versatility in her vocal style that she can deliver heartbreaking ballads, theatrical magic, uptempo dance and modern day pop genius...
• Glee needs Electric Youth. It is a crime for New Directions to go to Nationals (for surely they will get there) without a big ol' dance number and Electric Youth perfectly matches the energy and message of the show. Failing that, how about a Hellcats cheer routine to it?!
• Based on the new reading of Lost In Your Eyes, I can't help but feel that Deborah would produce absolute magic if she got together with one Mr Steve Anderson...

I am full of cold. My nose needs a plunger. My eyes have porters to carry the bag (don't forget to tip). Every part of body aches (except bizarrely, my left foot). And I accidentally just took 2 headache tablets with the same ingredients as the lemsip which i took an hour before, so I may very well be dead by the end of this post. How ghastly. I feel like the Balderlaire children in A Series of Unfortunate Events (that should have been a series of 1 hour Nickelodeon cartoons rather than a movie franchise). I am getting delirious. On with the posticles...

The pop stalwarts...

• P!nk ~ Raise Your Glass: I am loving all the nitty gritty dirty little freaks in P!nk's new single from her upcoming 10 years in the biz greatest hits album. It - like the majority of P!nk singles - is a very good song indeed and smashingly catchy. It's a Max Martin number so it has pop goodness baked into the very core of it's essence and is one of those communal, come and join the party, singalong numbers that P!nk does so well - and delivers with such irreverent bombast. Lyrically, it's very fun and a great getting ready to go out on a Saturday night type tune with a brilliant celebratory feel. So not only a champion single, but a blasting choice to represent the greatest hits. Score (PS check out the comments for what I think should be the greatest hits tracklisting)...
• McFly ft Taio Cruz ~ Shine A Light: Aw, those crazy McFly scamps are all grown up (and buff). They continue to go back to the future with their more dance orientated sound and even rope in Taio Cruz to give them a hand on their new single. The result still remains a bit of a shock compared to their older stuff, but it's fair to say that the shimmering pop sheen of this tune still has all the elements of their earlier music (big chorus, catchy, energetic) just wrapped up in a different bow. What's rather good (other than those enticing "eh eh eh"s in the chorus) about this track is that it actually gets better and more rewarding with each listen compared to the more immediate Party Girl. It's a new McFly but one I'm totally down with...
• Westlife ~ Safe: You really can't go wrong with a bit of the 'Loife if that is your cup of tea. And it is (my cup of tea). I'm still a bit sad that their last album was abandoned far too quickly - an X Factor performance weeks before it was released and then no other singles, though I could have chosen at least four. Yet it still sold over 600k in the UK, so still has a sizeable fan base out there. Their new song is an uplifting and soaring tune that Westlife are well known for. There are some lovely harmonies and young Mark does a sterling vocal effort on the second verse that shows what a gifted fella he is. It's also nice to prominently hear Kian and Nicky (rar!) in the mix too. Looking forward to the inevitable X-Factor performance of this :)

Coming soon: Brandon Flowers & Darin video breakdown; F**k you, but not who you think; singles from pop up and comers; singer songwriters spesh! PLUS THE X FACTOR LIVE SHOWS!!!!!

I love a bit of Robbie Williams I do. I've raved about him many times on this blog (and its former incarnation thezapping). It's a bit of a career wrap up for Robbie at the moment, what with a fairly definitive greatest hits album called In & Out of Consciousness and his photo heavy book You Know Me (currently only available at Tesco in the UK in a deal that must have netted Robbie some dosh through an exclusivity deal - hasn't Nadine got the same sort of deal with her forthcoming album?). The book is a lavish, lush look through the past 18-19 years that Robbie has been in the public spotlight from the early days of Take That, through the early solo years, megastardom and his current standing as something of a pop legend in the UK. Each photo takes long time fans back to a bygone era, evoking memories of their own lives that have been intertwined with the music of Robbie Williams. It's quite the accomplishment, and one that Robbie should definitely be proud of. His career (at least this stage of it) has seemingly come full circle as he is now back with Take That (see above) for a new single (The Flood) and album (Progress) - and what with the book, greatest hits and TT album, it's a bumper crop this Christmas for Robbie fanatics such as myself...

Heart & I

Shame (written by both Robbie and Gary, and featuring both on vocal duties) must have been the obvious first choice for the lead off (& possibly only) single from In & Out of Consciousness. It not only has the draw of publically reuniting the bumpy, complex relationship of Gary and Robbie, but it's also an entirely radio ready John Denver inspired lovely lilting tune of regret tempered with a new found maturity and perspective on the future. Then of course there is the video. And let me preface my next statement by saying I absolutely adore Shame. It's been number one for four weeks on my chart and is bound to make a big splash in the UK when officially released on Monday. Taking all this into account, Heart & I is definitely the better first single. Still a Gary co-write, it sees Robbie take the vocal lead on his own - something he's done admirably since 1996 (Freedom not withstanding) and is much more reflective of his musical style he's perfected since that time. It initially comes across as pulsingly similar to Scissor Sisters Fire with Fire anthemic single and occupies the same soaring airspace as it progresses. I initially classed it as an uptempo tune on twitter earlier this morning, but actually has more in common with Robbie's mid-tempo successes such as Bodies, Come Undone and Love Supreme. It's definitely got a rocker's energy to it with some prominent guitar and a enduring beat that propels the song forward. Lyrically, parts of the song are a mea culpa to Robbie's own career ("i thought i'd be fixed by now") while there is still his trademark heart on sleeve nature as he passionately delivers the refrain "we don't lie, my heart and I". Ultimately it's a sumptuous, layered tune that acts as a fine closing act to the current stage of Robbie's career. It's been one hell of a ride. Let's see what's next...