Showing posts with label Martin Show The Whole World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Show The Whole World. Show all posts

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Album Assessment: Europeasy does it...

0 comments Posted by ai at 1:32 AM

Good gravy. What is it with X factor/Idol contestants churning out some fairly decent albums lately? There is the mighty Blake Lewis with his ADD and snazzy dress sense; Jordin Sparks album is quite patchy, but it has No Air and Tattoo on it, so "props" for that; and of course Shayne Ward presented the world with a rather brillo collection of dance pop. Which only got 2 bloody single releases from it instead of the 5 it deserved. But I digress, because this post is about the adorable little ragamuffin that is Martin - the Danish X Factor winner. I chatted about his ace "debut single proper" a while back, and have had his album review ("Show The World") floating in my mind for quite a while now. Now don't get me wrong. I love this album. There is so much to recommend in it. But I get the nagging feeling that martin has been fed a little too much "jesus juice" and is channelling the ghost of Michael Jackson past. I'm not saying he doesn't do a modern interpretation of his (and others) styles, but at time it comes dangerously close to plaigarism. It's only a slight nagging worry and I get the impression once Martin finds his feet (there are on the end of his legs. Ba dom tsk! Thank you new york! I'll be here thru friday. Tip the waiters, etc.) he will emerge from his chrysalis like a butterfly ready to spread his wings and prepare to fly (eek enough of the cliches...)

Now if Martin had released the first three tracks alone as an album I think I still would have been over the moon and spunked my £7.99 download cost on it. The title track and lead single is a funky little number that pays homage to Justin Timberlake's Rock With You paying homage to Michael Jackson. It's peppy, it's fun, it's poppy and it alludes to a bit of tent pole situation in the trouser department, showing that perhaps Martin isn't as cuddly and innocent as he looks. That'll be the "jesus juice" then!! It slides between slick and sensational, and really is a great little pop number. But by track two, Martin moves onto his Stevie Wonder influenced track and quite lovely it is too. When I Am With You spits out stevie song titles amidst a barrage of synthy beats and is so wrapped up in disco that you want to be careful the glitterball doesn't give you seizures as it spins round the chorus. And then there is the greatest dancefloor song since either of Sophie Ellis Bextor Jones' Murder/Heartbreak numbers - Report To The Dancefloor is a bit of a bossy title, but a groovy ace melody. This pattern of 70s soul/funk inspired numbers are repeated throughout the album in tracks like Magic Lover, Rock The Party and Music Under My Skin. In all tracks there are elements of brilliance, but that nagging feeling comes back and I can't help but think is this an outright tribute album or just writers finding their niche and not really expanding? Ultimately it doesn't matter because it is delivered with such gusto and energy that one can't help but get carried away. The ballads are equally delightful. Part Westlife, part earnest solo ex-boybander, they are the type of songs that record companies love to foist upon the public at Christmas with a snow filled video, and the type that I adore at that time of you - particularly standing out are Never The Same (which is a lot Careless Whisper then a lot Bananarama cover version of Careless Whisper) and Frozen (though bobbypops, I can't imagine Jesse McCartney is losing too much sleep over the latter. it's aces definitely, but he is too busy counting his Bleeding Love millions to care :P ). So all in all, a rather fantastic, if somewhat generic album that is bursting with energy and enthusiasm that helps you look past the ever so minor complaints :)
Singles (current and possible): Show The World, Report To The Dancefloor, When I Am With You, Frozen

If Martin is part Stevie Wonder, part Michael Jackson, part Shayne Ward, and all & none of those people, then Rongedal are part Scissters, part Mika, part Bros, part London Boys and again, all & none of those counterparts. It's true that their melodifestivalen single practically pantsed the scissters and mika in the school changing rooms and ran off with their undies, but Just A Minute was still a rather intoxicating and addictive shot of pop that went straight to the ice cream headache spot of your brain, so gooey sweet and ace it was! Next up was the similar Who Do You Think You're Fooling Now which takes a time machine, goes back and nicks all Stock Aitken and Waterman's ideas and transports them into this ridiculous but fun tune. Don't think the whole album shamelessly steals the Sciss-ika sound because, like Martin, there are plenty of other acts to crib from (but again in a fun so forgiveable way. No one's claiming this is great art, but it's a fucking hoot!) - Hello Europhia is more glam rock than glam pop and should definitely be the third single. It also has the most boyband chorus of the entire album and is full of handclapping goodness. Knock Me Over I was convinced was a McFly song misfiled on my computer the first time I heard it. It's all pop rock a la Transylvania until the chorus where Rongedal just can't help themselves and launch back into poppy refrains (not that McFly aren't pop, but this is dancier to McFly's anthemic rock-lite quality).
Singles (current and possible): Just A Minute; Who Do You Think...; Hello Europhia; Knock Me Over

So two shamelessly derivative albums, but so effortlessly fun that ultimately it doesn't really matter (well just enough for me to point out obv. :P) Back tomorrow with a blog catch up and charts before an Abba weekend!

 

Labels: , , ,

Friday, May 16, 2008

TV Times: Season Wrap Up Part One (Reality)

0 comments Posted by ai at 5:31 AM

Can i start off with a "what the fuck?" Yes, it's true that the Apprentice (UK) is the finest reality show on tv right now. Yes it's true that Margaret (Sir Alan's right hand woman) may be the most scary and brilliant woman on tv (her put down of Edinburgh university was classic). And yes, it's true that the true stars of this series are the enthusiastic Lee McQueen and dotty dame Lucinda. But amongst all this brilliant, pervy old Nicholas (Sir Alan's left hand man) interrupted this week's task of selling top class wedding dresses (as team Lee/Lucinda had chosen) to announce "They are probably not right for here. This is Birmingham not Knightsbridge!!!" What a fucking liberty :P That is my absolute pet peeve about London. That it seems to breed a minority of people who think that London is the be all and end all of Britain, when in fact there is a vibrant, creative, electic, expensive wedding dress affording world not far beyond the M25 corridor. It's practically xenophobic! (Which isn't a fear of Xena Warrior Princess as I initially thought). Tsk Naughty Nick. Tsk indeed :P Anyway, despite not being able to sell a single cake at a wedding fair (perhaps telling the bride to be that her choices were dull and would ruin her day might not have helped), part time Jewish boy Michael is STILL in the competition. I have to agree with The Apprentice: You're Fired ~ he does seem the type to scream out his own name during sex. Yeucch. Anyway, Darren is backing Lucinda to win. I'm all about Lee. Anyone who still says "buzzing" and "that's what i'm tor-king about" without any hint of irony is a ok with me...

LINK: Check out the face off of the dudes over at brillo GaySpy. Let me know your choice!!

Let's pop over to mainland europe for a while to see what's going on with the Danish version of The X Factor (yes that is Infernal lead singer as one of the judges!) ~ I've only checked it out sporadically on youtube, but two acts stood out to me. One went home ridiculously early - that would be the boyband above called RaiDen. Not only do they have a name that resembles a brand of deodorant, but they are not particularly brilliant. And perhaps that's why I slightly adore them. They look good, they sound ok-ish and they rock the black suit look. Check out their cheesetastic version of Tragedy here - you can almost sense them trying NOT to do the Steps moves :P Le sigh ~ let's hope popjustice doesn't get hold of them. They rip young boys dreams apart without a second thought!

Meanwhile, the other act went all the way and bloody won the thing. Far surpassing David Archuleta in terms of adorability is young Martin, who frankly almost (but not quite) reaches Same Difference levels of fluffiness. And what a winner's song he has been given. Show The Whole World would never be given to a winner in Britain because a) it's not a ballad b) it's a funky 70s disco tube c) it's got a proper video to it and d) it actually mirrors the style and talent that the artist showed throughout the competition. Bloody hell - imagine that. It's like Girls Aloud getting Sound Of The Underground all over again. Viva Martin :P

Finally, I pretty much ignored Britain's Got Talent last year - too many children singing and fat opera dudes. In fact the singing aspect of it bugs me a little bit. There are plenty of music shows to get your vocal chords out. Leave BGT to the freaks (double jointed contortionists) and geeks (a guy playing a surprisingly beautiful melody on the guitar, but oh so bloody humourless). However, amongst all the dross and jugglers, every so often something pops up that is so magical, so unbelievable and so whimsical it should be on Pushing Daisies. It's good-bad brilliant, if you see what I mean. Oh just watch the clip above. Hoop La La! You want to cringe at first, but then it's kind of brilliantly entertaining - and at the very very least it made me grin like a cheshire cat :P

Coming next week: all the good season finales (except Lost!) and my take on the very few new shows that look worth my while (Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams take a bow)...

 

Labels: , , , , ,

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 

FREE HOT BODYPAINTING | HOT GIRL GALERRY