Lopez Blogs

That boyband blog I keep wanting to do keeps getting pushed further and further back. By the time I get round to it, it will be completely irrelevant. Having said that, after yesterday's love spaff over the Robbie & Gary duet (Robbary? Garobbie? Gobby?!), I've been listening to the greatest hits of Take That (post 2006) while packing for a lovely week away in the cottage down in the hidden countryside of East Sussex. Cannot wait. All this Robbie love has reminded me that it's nigh on 10 years since the appearance of my second favourite male singer of all time (Simon Curtis, you're third!) William of Young, so this week's update is mainly focused on what the charming chappie is up to...

William of Young - the latest:

William has been seriously dabbling with his acting for a while now, hasn't he? There was Mrs Henderson Presents (with some music. Yay!); then he was rather spiffing as Nicky Lancaster in Noel Coward's The Vortex on the very boards of London's own West End Wendy theatre district (which as someone quite rightly pointed out wasn't in the West End at all but rather in Manchester. A Manchester Theatre Mandy!); you may have missed him voicing Roald Dahl's Danny Champion Of The World but it's still available at all good audio book emporioums as we speak; and of course most recently he's guested in Skins and uh, Miss Marple (surely Doctor Who must be needing him soon?!) Anyway, early in 2011, William will be back on UK screens in a spooky new drama called Bedlam. Apparently it's about residents in an apartment block that is the former site of a victorian mental asylum. Lordy. It's bound to be utterly terrifying. I'm quaking at the horrors of the wardrobe already :P

And, though this isn't 'new' news, William of course has been knocking around with Groove Armada and recorded a song with them called History. The track seems to have been around forever and a day, but is finally getting a release - and a rather good video has popped up on youtube (thanks Dan Project 76!!). It gives William a bit of a boot into the world of dance that he's always been threatening to delve into rather than the toe-dipping that has gone on in the past (mainly with Fred Falke remixes)... It's essentially Small Town Boy by Bronski Beat for 2010, but so very well done that it's hard to complain. If you search around you will probably come across a Grum remix here or there, and both mixes are a real testament to how versatile William is as a vocalist. Utterly delightful and quite shameful that I haven't blogged about this properly before. Oh and the "viral video" above is a proper clever piece of work :)

Top 21 songs of the week:

21 ~ Eric Saade, It's Gonna Rain
20 ~ Kylie, All The Lovers
19 ~ Same Difference, Shine On Forever
18 ~ Brandon Flowers, Crossfire
17 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, Love Me Cos You Want To
16 ~ Alesha Dixon, Drummer Boy
15 ~ Bright Light x 2, Love Part II
14 ~ McFly, Party Girl
13 ~ Ace Of Base, All For You (VID)
12 ~ Amy Meredith, Lying
11 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Not Giving Up On Love
10 ~ Maroon 5, Misery
09 ~ Maroon 5, Give A Little More
08 ~ Eric Saade, Masquerade
07 ~ Scissor Sisters, Any Which Way
06 ~ Kelly Rowland, Shake Them Haters Off
05 ~ Robbie Williams/Gary Barlow, Shame (NE)
04 ~ DeeDee, Balls
03 ~ Kylie, Get Outta My Way
02 ~ Darin, Lovekiller
01 ~ Gravitonas, Religious (1 week)

Next week: Some interviews (ooer!); The X Factor - auditions week two; possibly the boyband post; the embargoed thingy! MY HOLIDAY!!!

I was going to concentrate on new (to me) acts this week, and I will do that soon but I have been utterly distracted on my walk to work this morning by glorious new music from some old favourites. The first two have me absolutely kvelling with glee over the joyosity contained within the tunes and I could simply not delay writing about them. So here I am during my lunch hour, tuna sandwich in hand, beavering away on my clapped out keyboard :)

Pet Shop Boys - Christmas 2009 (EP):

I have to say the track I was most looking forward to from this new festive themed EP was their studio version of Viva La Vida mixed with Domino Dancing. And that is wonderful and i'll get to that in a minute. What I didn't expect was to be so very completely blown away by the amazing remix job done on the 12 year old It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas. I know this track back to front - it quickly became one of my favourite go-to festive tunes when I first heard it a few years back, so I wasn't entirely sure they could do anything to it that would make me love it anymore. I was wrong. The bass is beefier, the strings stringier and the heavenly choirs now proliferate the tune at carefully chosen key moments (including a very prominent second "BING CROSBY" during verse one). The remix keeps the song fresh and modern, yet keeps the charm and appeal of the original. The second chorus finishes with a seamless blend into a trumpeted version of Hark The Herald Angels Sing, which then slows down and allows for a cascade of strings and bells to launch into one of the most euphoric middle eights I've heard in a long time. It's got horns, chimes, beats, bells, joy and festivity baked right into it and is quite simply glorious. AND! As if that wasn't enough, you still get the wry "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" from the boys before an outro of Once In Royal David's City solemnly plays over chiming church bells. Win. Win. Win.

Viva la Vida-Domino Dancing is just what you would expect from the boys and a fine fine addition to their Yes output. Mixing the Coldplay song with instrumentation from Domino Dancing is clever enough, but they work in the DD refrain "watch them all fall down" which works lyrically with the Viva lyrics. It's all appropriately Pet Shop Boys and a little chunkier than the recent europop Darin version. Heavy bass and beats abound and it is perhaps more dance orientated than the more straightforward Darin cover, but no less delicious. It proves that after over a whopping 25 years in the business, Neil and Chris can still crank out music that is not only everything a good pop song should be whether it's their music or not, but also relevant within today's ever changing music scene. Viva la Vida indeed. (Also on the EP is a fine remix of my fave Yes track All Over The World which sounds occassionally Christmassy and their cover of My Girl which sounds quite Being Boring - ie, a bit melancholy and melody driven). Overall a brilliant release and one well worth purchasing...
Can't wait for: opinions from XO, Chartrigger, Vinny Vero and Poppostergirl...

William Young - If It Hadn't Been For Love (single):

I'm particularly disappointed today that William's excellent Hopes & Fears single (from his "The Hits" album) has charted somewhat outside the top 40 (at 65!!) It seems that if you want to launch a single at the moment, you have to be on the X Factor results show and Simon Cowell in his infinite wisdom has decided that William doesn't "fit" for whatever reason. Bah humbug to that I say. Still onwards and upwards, and the second new song on William's hits album has finally arrived and what a beautiful understated effort it is. Contrasting nicely with the more instant H&F, this is more on a par with songs like Stronger, All Time Love and Fine Line. It's both languid and hopeful, with spot on observations like "Romeo would still be breathing" and "we'd have nothing to believe in" all of course "if it hadn't been for love". It's sparse percussion creates an atmospheric track where Will's vocal is firmly centre stage and while it doesn't instantly grab you, it's beauty is such that you are drawn back for me each time the song finishes. Check out my views on Hopes and Fears here; with the second track William has created a collection of songs he can be proud of (though I wish the tv commercial for it would play some of the more uptempo tracks as well). Bring on stage 2 of his career...

A Fine Frenzy - Oh Blue Christmas (EP):

I was going to save my reviews of new Christmas music for a little later in November (ie, much later) but some of them (much like the PSB release) are so exquisite in their execution and delivery that waiting would be a crime against Santa Claus. Oh Blue Christmas is a far more low key affair than the bombasticity of the Pet Shop Boys release and rightly so - it focuses on the sadness that December can bring; how other people's joy and celebration can make heartache so much more unbearable. The three traditional covers on the EP showcase Alison Sudol's fine voice as well as her penchant for dripping the most traditional sounding tunes in melancholy and regret. Even Winter Wonderland and Christmas Time is Here (from Charlie Brown's Christmas) sound positively downbeat. Yet within that they are inherently seasonal and draw on universal themes such as loneliness and worry - things that seem magnified at this time of year when you may feel pressured to be outwardly cheerful; original composition Winter White is actually quite devastating - breaking up at Christmas must be on a par with being dumped on Valentines... Alison vocalises the emotions perfectly. It all sounds a bit gloomy doesn't it? Fear not - the music is beautifully produced; the lyrics on the new tunes intricately weaved into a seasonal outlook. It may be bittersweet but it's sometimes what you need to fully appreciate the true meaning of Christmas beneath the crass commercialism. Track this lovely release down at Target or on iTunes now. You won't regret it...

• Coming soon: The Fizzypop Chronicles December (non Christmas) edition
• Coming soon: New music megapost special - Ryan Ferrada! Elizabeth and The Catapult! Owl City! The Mary Onettes!
• Coming soon: More Christmas music reviews - Ronan Keating! Tori Amos!

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

JLS - JLS:

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

Leona Lewis - Echo:

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

BANISHED!

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

Back soon!

I'm getting ridiculously behind with things that I want to blog about. I still haven't done some of the posts I wrote were upcoming 2 weekly round ups ago! I'm going to make a concerted effort to catch up over the next week and schedule some posts to "air" while I'm on holiday in Gran Canaria (woohoo 7 days and counting!) In the meantime, while I could happily post again about the charming Same Difference, I'll give it a rest and have a pokey around what's actually been happening the rest of the week! Including the new William of Young video which takes pride of place at the top of the page because the song is so eminently hummable, brilliant and singable and also because once again, the video is amazing (best bits? Of the song - when Will sings "if you could shed a little light on" and makes it sound totally Will, yet like an Annie Lennox song. Of the vid - William lamarze (sp?) class dancing)

TWEET THE WEEK:

• Thank the high heavens above. Darin is back. He didn't really go away though, did he? He was busy plugging away with his Flashback album (that unbeknownst to him - probably - turned out to brilliantly represent the sound of 2009 before anyone else was doing it) and alongside that recording brilliant pop cover versions of Coldplay's Viva La Vida (one of the best pop songs of the past few years). It's not quite as Christmassy as the initial clip suggested, but it's a great version and it's been on heavy repeat since I first got it this morning. Check out PPG and Jessica's views...
• Mans Zelmerlow has apparently chosen Impossible as the next single from MZW. Sigh. This is ok, but i think he really needed some better choices to promote this album (as I've said in my fizzypop chronicles). I only really wanted to mention that so I would have an excuse to link to some nice pics of Mans. PS, the start of the Rewind vid I posted in that first FP link (my) reminds me of We Go Together from Grease.
• And while we're pondering hot musical guys, let's all watch this again. If any boy/over 25 does a version as good as Daniel Boys does on the X Factor, I will "lose my shit" (ew. Will never use that expression again).
• Gary Barlow is a) looking more lovely than ever lately and b) putting out some quite good stuff lately isn't he? First off is the live Circus DVD/CD (Woo!); then the new Alesha ballad is quite elegant and lovely in a gets better with each listen sort of way. But taking elegant to a whole new level is his new signing, Camilla Kerslake. Coming across like an operatic version of Elouise, her voice floats around the ether and is both haunting and commanding. Check out her utterly beautiful version of Take That's Rule The World and hear it in a whole new way. Can't wait now for a debut single proper in November. I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm smitten. Smitten like a kitten.
• And while we are on the fusion of classical and pop, remember G4? Oh how i liked their almost comedy pop-operatic-harmonised take on pop. They may be over, but plenty to take their place. Blake have a new album out on Monday (key tracks I'm looking forward to = With Or Without You; When A Child Is Born) and choirtastic Only Men Aloud compete with Band of Brothers (key tracks = Somebody To Love; Total Eclipse). If that weren't enough "vocal harmony group" Straight No Chaser have a new EP out (the I'm Yours medley is proper brillo) and follow up their ace Christmas set from last year with another one called Christmas Cheers. Be sure to click on the link and tell me which Chaser is hottest for you :) Me? 1st guy sitting down on the right :)
• Weekly Glee! Boys vs Girls? MAZE! Who'd you think was best? And is anyone else finding Puck insanely hot?

BIZARRE THEORIES OF THE WEEK:

No-one really agrees with me on the first two (lots of raised eyebrows and smiling & nodding!) but the last one gets a general big thumbs up. A) Lady Gaga's LoveGame is actually just an updated remake of Debbie Gibson's Shock Your Mama. B) Season 2 of True Blood was just a (albeit entertaining) season long version of the picnic scene from Elvira. C) Simon Curtis is made for Glee. That is all folks!

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Sugababes 3.0, Get Sexy
20 ~ Little Boots, Remedy
19 ~ Same Difference, Better Love Me
18 ~ Madonna, Revolver (NE)
17 ~ Madonna, Celebration
16 ~ Mika, Blame It On The Girls (NE/VID)
15 ~ Mika, We Are Golden
14 ~ Dolly Rockers, Boys Will Be Boys
13 ~ Mini Viva, I Left My Heart In Tokyo
12 ~ Shakira, She Wolf
11 ~ Whitney Houston, Million Dollar Bill
10 ~ BWO, Love Comes Crashing Down
09 ~ JLS, Everybody In Love
08 ~ Little Boots, Earthquakes
07 ~ Alexandra Burke, Bad Boys
06 ~ Mariah Carey, I Want To Know What Love Is
05 ~ Alphabeat, The Spell
04 ~ Nerina Pallot, Real Late Starter
03 ~ Leona Lewis, Happy
02 ~ Robbie Williams, Bodies
01 ~ Blake Lewis, Heartbreak On Vinyl (2 weeks)

COMING UP: (For real this time) ~ Sunday=X Factor First Live Show round up (+Robbie Williams!); Monday=Albums reviews spectacular; Weds=Christmas single suggestions; Thurs=TV round up... (all will probably have gone to hell by Sunday night :P)

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

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

ESSENTIAL SONGS FOR OCTOBER 2009:

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

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

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

EDIT (21st Sept 2009):

Hurrah on a stick dipped in chocolate! There is a new song on the greatest hits collection :) It's called Hopes and Fears and is out digitally on the 8th November! And the video (which according to the email sent around is going to be "cinematic and groundbreaking") is directed by the same dude who did Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer! Can't wait to hear it. I know this edit was all a bit press releasy which is unlike me, but new Will! And in bondage!! Bring it on William :)

Ah lovely William of Young. Pop Idol Extraordinnaire. Actor Interruptus. Purveyor of fine pop tunes. He is also in the constant battle raged between himself, Simon Curtis, Adam Levine and Jason Mraz to become my fave male singer ever (though any of those top five are quite frankly magnificent). And, as happens at this purchasey time of year, he also has a collection of his finest songs to date available in one convenient format for his fans and casual followers to buy. How thoughtful of his record label to get that out in time for the Christmas rush :) Anyway, seeing as I wrote (extensively) about William about a year ago, I'll have a bash at putting together what I think should be on his greatest hits, rather than the (quite comprehensive actually) official version...

1. Evergreen
2. Anything Is Possible
   (Note: Would it kill William to have both his winning Pop Idol tunes on here? I know he has definitely moved away from this sound now, but from humble acorns, etc...)
3. Light My Fire
   (Note: This cover was the perfect showcase for Will's vocal and pop style. The hideous and absent Long and Winding Road was not. As Steps once said, Better Best Forgotten)
4. You and I
5. Don't Let Me Down
   (Note: Lovely double a side to You and I and never appeared on an album before now. Is ever so heavenly and laid back in every sense of the word)
6. Leave Right Now
7. Your Game
   (Note: My favourite William song of all time - perfection from start to finish. The gospel version is a particularly delightful reinterpretation of the song)
8. Friday's Child (Andy Cato radio edit)
   (Note: William veers dangerously close to overly long Blues Traveller type jam on this song; stick with the edit and you'll be fine!)
9. Love Is A Matter of Distance
10. Love The One You're With
    (Note: Singles from the Friday's Child album were abandoned far too early - Distance was a simple, beautiful ballad, while With would have been a stomping Christmas single with a mighty vocal performance from William)
11. Switch It On
    (Note: 2nd fave William song ~ fun, pop, catchy, top gunny, what else could a boy want?)
12. All Time Love
13. Who Am I?
14. Ain't Such A Bad Place To Be
    (Note: Again the singles from William's 3rd album were abandoned too early - this is a jazz tinged romp that definitely deserved single status!)
15. Changes
16. Grace
17. Let It Go
18. Tell Me The Worst
    (Note: the above 4 singles showcase how William has transformed into one of the most reliable people for churning out quality, elegant pop music that resonates and touches the soul...)
19. I Won't Give Up (Freemasons Radio Mix)
    (Note: ... but I'm not ready to give up on the album just yet - so wonderful it is - so would it kill William to have a discotastic remix of this wonderful singalong track?)
20. The Letter

By the way, if you haven't caught it already, William did a rather lovely Radio 2 concert in Blackpool where he performed some of his biggest numbers as well as doing a rather fantastic cover version of The Letter. It's still available online here so grab yourself 20 minutes or so, and enjoy yourself Big Willie Style...

The week before any holiday (vacation for my Go-Gos loving American buddies) is always interminably slow. There is always loads to do at work. There is the insanity of helping your OCD other half pack his suitcase (tip: make a list of what he is putting in as he does it otherwise you will be packing and unpacking all night to check whether the double ended dildo has batteries in it). There is the very very important decisions about what tv shows and music to put on your archos. And then there is the thought that you have (some would say wisely - there is a real world out there!) committed to a week cycling around the mountains of Austria with no internet or blackberry. It's like a www detox. In the meantime, as succinctly as I know how (and I know I'm not the most concise person ever to blog - was any of this introductory paragraph necessary? Probably not, although without it I wouldn't be able to tell you that Darren went to an old ladys house for work today, only to be shown coasters which were close ups of her deceased husband's willy. Now imagine going all week without knowing that!!), here are some of the highlights of the week (that will take you til I'm back on Sun 16th to read!)...

MUSIC:

• Hurrah for pop music and all who sail in it, I say. Sure I get mocked for liking music that is allegedly designed to appeal to teenage girls, but there is goodness and cheerfulness in appealing to that demographic that appeals to me. There's already the mighty lovely Industry "burn"ing up the Irish charts, and out of the ashes of Beyond and Discotheque rise the ace of basetastic Waterloo. Featured on today's always reliable popjustice, this four piece has all the right ingredients - voices that harmonise together nicely, two stunning looking ladies, two quite handsome dudes (oh no, here's that mp3 pornography again!) and tunes that are entirely too catchy for their own good. I'm always up for high quality melodic pop that is hopefully destined for chart success. Forget the 80s, it's all about the sound of the 90s and I'm right back there with them. Check their myspace here...
• Talking of popjustice, they are on an absolute roll this week. Case for the prosecution - exhibit A: An absolutely free download of Erik Hassle's Don't Bring Flowers - with MPHO!!! Yes, the MPHO all the reliable music blogs like Dan Uk, XO and Phil are talking about. It's ever so magnif as a duet.
• Exhibit B: The return of Robbie Williams looking quite decent (let the Triga boys keep the "trackie" look Robster) and with the match made in heaven pairing of him and Trevor Horn. And don't forget PJ had the low down on the brillo sounding Alphabeat new single as well - The Spell. Both these acts should be brightening up my autumnal months...

• Oh finally! I've been looking out for new act Jaymi ever since he graced the main stage at Birmingham Pride in May. His debut single keeps getting postponed, but now he has finally thrust his way (ooer) onto the world wide web with a website and some single snippets. I seem to remember he did a rather corking cover of Let's Get Excited by Alesha Dixon, and his own a*teenstastic version of I Promised Myself. I particularly like the way the latter (the first single) builds the anticipation before kicking in with a hi-nrg disco beat. It's like S/A/W never went away and I love it. His version of Human is rather nice too.
• Talking of S/A/W never going away, there is a clip of the original mix they did for Same Difference's Turn It Into Love on the PWE website. It's a lot more "european" sounding than the finished version - and the lovely SD siblings twittered me that they hope to release this version in Japan soon. Hurrah.
• That very same website has a whole tracklisting of the Sinitta greatest hits album. No longer will she just be sitting around doing some undetermined job for Simon Cowell on X-Factor but reminding us all of great songs like the hideously inappropriate video to Toy Boy, the ace So Macho and summery Right Back Where We Started From. Plus unreleased mixes and tracks. D'luv will be in heaven...
• Lumme! You can tell the final quarter is coming up because there are greatest hits coming up all over the place - including the imaginatively titled Hits from William of Young! He wisely leaves off that Gareth duet, and I'm hoping for a couple of super dooper new uptempo tunes to boogaloo down to at Christmas parties...

• The Baseballs always delightful Strike album (current fave = their hillbilly reading of Bleeding Love) has gone gold in Germany. Now bring the show to England boys (bring the show to London boys would have worked better in a postmodern ironic pop culture way, but there's a world outside our capital you know)...
• Natalie Imbruglia is back and I am very happy for 2 reasons - one, i love saying her last name as many times as I can and two, she is one of dazpanteloons favourite singers. While the video song Wild About It isn't the official single, there is something quite enchanting about the song and accompanying video that I have fallen in love with. I can almost imagine William of Young singing this. She sounds and looks great anyway.
• Lenka has done a new video for the brilliant Trouble Is A Friend of Mine, and Marit Larsen has finally got a video for the always lovely If A Song Could Get Me You. Both very 2008 both still very amazing.
• Erasure's still super The Innocents album is 21 years old this very year and is being released as a special edition. I am practically love weeing at the thought of this - I could not get enough of that album when it was released. And it's a double disc!! And there is a Phantom Bride EP coming! This is obviously all very exciting for me :)
• Finally, I discovered Larry Flick's brillo radio show on Sirius radio this week and low and bloody behold if it isn't the most chatty, smutty, hilarious show I've heard for ages. And with great bloody music. And low and bloody behold part 2, he's only gone and fallen in love with the delightful Elouise (and bobbypops a bit!) - if you want to here the amazing Another Day tune into his show. If she doesn't release this song soon, I will combust faster than she does in Fireman of my Dreams...

NOT MUSIC:

• Darren and I have become ridiculously obsessed with Rupaul's Drag Race and subsequently his Champion album. The former is frothy, addictive, catty fun and the latter is an enjoyable set of dance-pop anthems. Loving your work miss Bebe Zahara Benet - those eyes are amazing...
• Everything about the 10 Things I Hate About You sitcom screams "TGIF" block on ABC circa the Clueless/Teen Angel/Sabrina era of the mid 90s. And you wouldn't be entirely wrong. But where that is the downfall of Ruby and The Rockits, 10 Things manages to rise above and sparkle & sizzle with some Greek-type wit and humour in it's writing. Definitely worth 22 minutes of your time...
• I have my holiday reading all set. I was thinking about re-reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire for the nth time, but i'm sticking with my much anticipated first read of the always hilarious Grace Dent's Diary of a Snob and another re-read of the final Harry Potter. (PS be sure to follow Grace on twitter for insightful BB10 observations. STFU Lisa indeed. god that woman gives Birmingham a bad name...)
• Finally, Britannia High graduate alert! The lovely Jez (Matthew James Thomas) is currently starring in the London stage version of one of my fave novels Dorian Gray, and quite phenomenal it is too. Full review coming soon...

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

Be sure to check out pop trash addicts on Sunday, particularly as I give two songs 4/5...
Be sure to know that Elouise would be powering up my charts with Another Night if they put the full studio version online...:P
Be sure to be back here on Sunday 16th for all the salubrious gossip from Austria. Comment away until then...

Red - Step Into The Light

• Well i won't lie to you Bryn (been watching Gavin and Stacey again!) it's been quite a nice but tiring weekend. Darren was feeling well enough to venture to the local pub. Hurrah! I was worried his healing operation wound would burst and get infected again, but it seemed to be ok.
• The DJ was on proper form last night, providing me with favourite after favourite. He even played this cheesy-esque new popstars winning tune above, which is quite adorable. Lots of Girls Aloud (The Promise and Untouchable), Saturdays (Up and Just Can't Get Enough), Alesha Dixon (Boy Does Nothing), Hazel Dean (Searching), Erasure (Stop), Pink (So What), heck even Katy Perry (Hot and Cold). Oh and apparently Poker Face, though to me it just sounded like a Sweet Dreams/Bimbo Jones remix of Pink rip off.
• (Alesha Dixon is the opening act for Enrique on his UK Tour. How aces is that?)
• (Red aren't really going to change the world, but i do like that song in a sub-par "Britannia High" sort of way. And I've finally decided I like BeFour's version of No Limits. Just for the crap dancing)
• The pub was so packed last night, that at one point one girl was standing so close to me, I could taste the odour of sweat on her and her hair was resting on my face! I mean for crying out loud, Darren and I don't get that close even when we do number 48 of the gay karma sutra (Yes we ARE that acrobatic :P)
• Had a nice Sunday planning our holidays for the year. On the cards are definitely Bulgaria, maybe Sweden or Portugal and then Las Vegas for Christmas, Los Angeles for New Years. Now if you need Darren and I, we will be on the corner of Hurst Street selling our bodies. Mine's going for a song :(

• I haven't really raved about Dancing On Ice as much as I should have this year, but it has been brilliant and Ray Quinn is just so glorious to watch on the ice. See him above skating to Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (only quibble is they should've used Same Difference's version!). This week he pulled out some AMAZING moves to Do The Hop that were really quite stunning. Link coming as soon as it's on youtube... Dancing on Ice - where retired popstars reclaim their former glories (see Duncan James, Jessica Liberty X, Gareth Gates, Suzanne Shaw and er, Lisa Scott Lee. Well most of them anyway)...
• Oh I am adoring the animated Pet Shop Boys video. A - because I love it when popstars get animated and express themselves in different ways, and B - cartoon snogging always makes me smile. Oh and Depeche Mode's new single leaked this weekend. Wrong is not quite right with me yet, but i have enough history with DM that I will give it several more spins to see how I warm up to it :) Check out XOs views here...
• I've been rewatching The Tudors in preparation for the third year which must be starting soon - God, I do love this show, historical inaccuracies and all. The one things that irks me is the whole "you think you know a story but you only know how it ends" bit over the opening credits. Uh, no. I'm obsessed with that era of history, and most people know the Henry VIII story thank you very much.
• And finally, it's been a decent weekend for catching my favourite popstars perform on highly rated tv shows. The Saturdays did Just Can't Get Enough on some Comic Relief dance show, while Take That (just below the top 21 chart run down title) performed Up All Night on Ant and Dec (Ant's forehead looks freaking massive these days). And William of Young did his exquisite Let It Go on Dancing On Ice, which is shown just above this week's chart run down title. As much as I adore William, i did think "oh jeez, what have you done to your hair?!" when he first came on screen. Nice tux though. And Torvill and Dean as magnif as ever..

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 - Marit Larsen, The Chase (NE)
20 - Lenka, Trouble Is A Friend (NE)
19 - Jason Mraz, Dynamo of Volition (NE)
18 - Britannia High, Start of Something
17 - McFly, Last Song (NE)
16 - The Days, No Ties (NE)
15 - Darin, See You At The Club
14 - The Saturdays, Just Can't Get Enough
13 - Girls Aloud, The Loving Kind
12 - Same Difference, If You Can't Dance
11 - Annie Lennox, Shining Light
10 - William Young, Let It Go
09 - The Killers, Spaceman
08 - Lily Allen, The Fear
07 - Alesha Dixon, Breathe Slow
06 - Taylor Swift, Love Story
05 - Take That, Up All Night (VID)
04 - Kelly Clarkson, My Life Would Suck Without You
03 - Simon Curtis/Victoria Justice, On The Wings Of A Dream
02 - Pet Shop Boys, Love Etc.
01 - Sugababes, Every Heart Broken (4 Weeks)

THE SATURDAYS - JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH:

The meteoric rise of The Saturdays as England's current pop darlings has been quite the joy to watch. While If This Is Love left me ever so slightly cold at first, I now (perhaps criminally) find myself reaching for Up over The Loving Kind on a regular basis, and Issues is an incredibly pretty ballad that although formulaic manages to transform into something beautiful. So I was excited to hear they were covering one of my fave early Depeche Mode tracks for Comic Relief - and really it does exactly what it says on the tin. It's not exactly a million miles away from the original DM version, and wisely keeps the well known synth riff in place. It's a fun version of the tune that actually soars when the girls let their harmonies loose - check out 2m17; those ten seconds had they been replicated throughout the song would have raised this from ace pop fun to great cover version. And oh my! The video - it's easy to guess why NO money has been spent on it, as it's for charidee, but those stereotypical women in the kitchen poses are a bit grating after a while. So my advice - don't watch the vid too much and enjoy this slice of nostalgic pop yummy. Now, bring on Enjoy The Silence RBW!!
LINK: Aaron's ace review of Chasing Lights, no need for me to write one now :P

WILL YOUNG - LET IT GO:

Well never let it be said that William of the Young does not throw himself fully into his videos - whether it be wearing tight speedos or doing some fancy dressage, he knows how to make a visual impact. The title track of his current album sees him getting kicked out of (one assumes) a costume party where at first I thought he had gone as a raccoon, but no he actually is a superhero. This leads to some great shots of William in superhero poses, his cape flying in the breeze. Some of these are purposefully posed, and some weaved into the character William is playing - for example, when he pulls his cape around him to shield him from the cold is an iconic superhero/villain image. There is also a beautiful scene where a previously petulant William walks past a store window and stares at a mannequin, before finally realising that he does indeed have to let his anger/hurt/resentment go and dances around with the mannequin, getting whatever version of closure he needs. It's a lovely 3 minutes+ of video to go with a stand out track from his album. I was advocating I Won't Give Up as a single and i'm hoping that will still happen, but this promo has reignited my adoration for this stark, powerful statement of love and loss. Hopefully the British public will feel the same.
LINK: XO and DanUSA's thoughts on the track when it first came out
LINK: William's thoughts on his upcoming greatest hits and future albums
LINK: My "Let It Go" album review

Coming tomorrow - Erasureish.

Well slap my ass and call me nancy! While the world and his wife are revelling/reviling the new Kelly Clarkson single (more on that in a mo), thanks to AaronFabtastic and Auspop, I am lusting after and bopping along to a new song by one half of the bodyrockers, Kaz James. Entitled Can't Hold Back, it's a rather scintillating slice of pop-meets-dance-meets-funk-meets-disco that even threatens to revitalise the career of helium voiced has-been Macy Gray. Apparently it's the third single from his debut album, so I'm way behind, but I'm loving it anyway. Any song that has the words "man whore" in there is okie dokie with me. Plus the video is ever so much bonkers and highly entertaining to watch. Plus kaz! Well what a fine slice of a man he is too. I shall be hunting down his debut album very shortly...

Other pop news:

• Kelly Clarkson is doing the blog and radio rounds with her feisty new single My Life Would Suck Without You and it's good, but not great. What it does is remind everyone what great pop songs Kelly Clarkson can put out when she's not being all pissy about life. It's got a great chorus, punchy vocals and a decent energy about it. The downside of this is that not only has Kelly done this exact same song before (Since U Been Gone), but more recently Evil Skank Who Must Not Be Named has been hot and cold with a similar track, while Pink has made the sound her own. I like it, but am somewhat disappointed on first impressions...
• Sir Pop of the Justice has already raved about the available-only-on-7" (and no i don't mean what's down my pants) Girls Aloud b-side Memory Of You. It's very wonderful in the extreme. It's quite trance in a drunk in Ibiza sort of way (or if you are common, drunk if Magaluf) and does indeed have a chorus to make your heart soar. I'm really warming to lovely Kimberley too...
• Oh I am very excited about the new Warchild album, which is out on Spectacular day (also known as 16th February 2009). It's lots of famous popstars doing cover versions, which can be a bit cack really, but I am hopeful - Lily Allen is doing Straight To Hell (The Clash) while a newly slimmed down Scissters are attempting to Do The Strand (Roxy Music). Even increasingly annoying Duffy (attempting Live and Let Die) and mouthy Estelle (Superstitious) efforts sound intruiging. Plus! XO - Rufus is doing a cover too. And how divine does Franz Ferdinand doing Call Me sound?!
• Oh my days. I am really falling in love with The Saturdays album. I liked it on first listen, but now I'm becoming a little obsessed with it. Next single Work is fantastic, and I am starting to feel that Up is a far superior single to the nation's current chart topper. I do get there people, it just sometimes takes me a little while :)
• I'm way behind in doing some thoughts on new albums that have come out that i'm currently enjoying including Darin, Danny, Franz Ferdinand and the amazing if slightly (and only ever so slightly) generic Neo. I'm sure I will get around to it at some point, but if I forget, well, they are all very good indeed. I'm also appreciating The Alesha Show and very belatedly am enjoying the XO version of the Coldplay album. See! Still cutting edge :)
• Talking of XO, he did a rather oracular spectacular write up about the nature of blogging. Whether you agree or not, you can always guarantee that XO's Middle 8 is beautifully written, vividly expressive and wonderfully entertaining. I am in constant awe of his levels of genius :)
• William Young and Same Difference have both flipflopped with their choice of singles. While I was hoping William would go for something more upbeat (such as I Won't Give Up) whereas instead he is releasing the admittedly very beautiful Let It Go. It will be his last ever cd single apparently with a limited run of 5000. I'm not sure this will restore his chart fortunes, but it is an enduring and timeless track. Same Difference on the other hand (I can hear people cringing now that I have mentioned these acts in the same paragraph!) have bagged the idea of the Scisster-esque If You Can't Dance for their 80s Kylie meets September version of Turn It Into Love. Me, I'm just happy they haven't been canned yet!
• Finally, i warn you all that while I am very excited about new music from the Pet Shop Boys, St Etienne, Simon Curtis and Lily Allen, I do have a massive post planned to celebrate the release of the new Erasure hits collection. Will i love them forever? Always...

Before I start my weekly analysis of Le Factor known as "X", I think it definitely worth pointing out that lovely William Young was on the show this week giving the contestants master classes in singing, and then of course singing his new track "Grace" with such elegance and conviction (and with sartorial magnificence as usual) that I fair swooned over the tv screen. It is of course proliferating youtube as I type, and if the clip above is removed, I'm sure a little Nancy Drew detective work will help you find it again. Amazing classic pop song from William :) Check out my album review here... Now for what can only loosely (very loosely) be described as the best bits from the auditionees...

• It's D for disco week. It's also D for disaster week. It's also D for Damn You Dannii Minogue week, as the rumours that Simon Cowell is annoyed with my favourite judge seem to be true. He barely looks at her throughout the show and is exceptionally pissy in his criticisms about her acts - even those that totally deserve it.
• It's also D for devilwoman and Cher-evil Cole is on top form. Probably being halloween and all has bought out her witchy side. She is unable to take the most minor criticism from Louis and gets really annoyed. Live pause on Sky Plus confirmed that 666 flashed ever so briefly in her eyes when she congratulated the X Factor single as being the only thing worthy of knocking Girls Aloud from the top of the charts...
• The show kicked off with Rachel singing Lost In Music. She certainly was lost. She fluffed the opening lines, her sound was atrocious, and she looked hideous. Whatever was so special about Rachel to start with has completely disappeared.
• Louis absolutely hits the nail on the head with Austin. He sings Wishing On A Star and vocally it's very, um, competent. He is let down by several things - that freaking hideous denim shirt, the fact that it just made me want to dig out the Cover Girls version and finally that his desperation - as Louis said - makes him pretty unlikeable.
• Is it me or does Diana always look like she's just sniffed too many poppers in her weekly vts? And now i've started paying attention, the faux hand gestures round her face now fill me with a bubbling rage! GAH! Still, she absolutely pulls Call Me out of the bag and sounds amazing. She remains my joint favourite in the competition.
• I'll get the two worst contestants in the competition out the way straight away. Yawnsome Daniel sings the blandest version of Don't Leave Me This Way and it is just wrong in every single possible way a song can be wrong. He seems to get more huge every week. He looks years older than he actually is. All black is not flattering on his frame. Just wrong wrong wrong. That he wasn't in the bottom two bamboozles me. Ditto that little Eoghan. At least they dressed him appropriately this week after his recent fashion disasters. Could It Be Magic was not.
• Alexandra and Laura were both predictably ok this week. Laura belted out a pretty good version of Somebody Elses Guy while Alexandra got the Michelle McManus pop idol standard On The Radio. Both are solid performances, but - i don't know. Something's missing... both need to just do something that cements their personalities on the public rather than repeating what has been successful for others in the past.
• Ruth is now definitely my joint favourite with Diana. And she makes me less murderous with no dramatic hand gestures. She absolutely belted out a fabbo version of Enough Is Enough. Her bosoms are utterly intoxicating though. And JLS aren't far behind Ruth and Diana. Their Working My Way Back To You was a lot of fun, and vocally tres bon. Even if lazy Louis did give them the rare first Boyzone single as their track...
• So Austin and Rachel in the bottom two? Ridiculous! Well, not so much for Rachel but again Daniel and Eoghan survive? I am flabbergasted. Bye Austin. It was only slightly pleasant witnessing your desperation.

TOP 21 TRACKS OF THE WEEK:

Well, finally getting the Same Difference single meant a high debut for that song, William on the X Factor really pushed Grace up to the forefront of my mp3 player, and hearing Dannii/Kylie duet in last week's Beautiful People during quite a touching not pregnant/accepted through football moment really made the song work for me in a way it hasn't before. Yay.

21 ~ McFly, Lies
20 ~ Sugababes, Girls
19 ~ Pink, So What
18 ~ Jason Mraz, Make It Mine
17 ~ Lily Allen, Everyone's At It
16 ~ The Feeling, Won't Go Away
15 ~ William Young, Grace (NE)
14 ~ Rongedal, Hello Euphoria
13 ~ Infernal, Whenever You Need Me
12 ~ Alphabeat, What Is Happening?
11 ~ Miley Cyrus, Fly On The Wall
10 ~ Kylie/Dannii, Winner Takes It All (NE/VID)
09 ~ Marit Larsen, If A Song Could Get Me You
08 ~ Lenka, The Show
07 ~ Darin, Breathing Your Love
06 ~ Alesha, Boy Does Nothing
05 ~ The Killers, Human
04 ~ Take That, Greatest Day
03 ~ Britannia High, Start of Something
02 ~ Same Difference, We R One (NE)
01 ~ Girls Aloud, The Promise (5 weeks)

Finally, check out John's excellent review of a recent Jason Mraz concert, and over at Poppostergirl she has written what well may be my very favourite blog post ever. It's just gorgeous.

Let's just start this post by stating that I am most disappointed in the chart position for William's lead off single Changes. It debuted promisingly enough at number ten last week, but drops to thirteen this week despite a physical cd being available and the lovely Let It Go on the flipside. And I doubt (though am hopefully wrong) that it will bounce back this week either, now the album is in the shops. I mean what is wrong with pop England? First, as a nation, we (though not me. woo, go me!) totally abandon The Feeling to the lower echelons of the charts, and now can't even give William's lovely comeback single a decent top five ranking. Shame on you record buying public, shame on you. On the plus side, that is a rather lovely picture of William clutching a starbucks cup above. Sigh. What I wouldn't give to be that cup. (Note - i nabbed this picture from the very amazing Will Young Devoted forums. They are tres brill). And by the way, catch William's ever so good session at Radio 2 here...

So Let Go has finally hit the stores and the question on everyone's lips is "will it maintain the high quality of Friday's Child and Keep On?" Mercifully, the answer is yes... and then some. It's an incredibly accomplished piece of work that transcends musical genres to create a polished timeless feel that, unlike some modern pop albums, will stand the test of time well. Elements of jazz, soul and disco are fused together, and mesh well with William's distinctive vocal style to give the album a cohesive feel all the way through. By now, everyone knows the glorious comeback single Changes. As a precursor to the album, it does a stirling job of introducing the listener to the central theme of troubled relationships. It's a shuffling track that erupts into a hopeful optimistic chorus that refuses to accept that life can't move on and become better. It's a message that is perfect for everyone whether in a relationship or single or just aware of what is going on in the world beyond the front door. Some lovely sweeping strings and a confident piano lift ultimately a sad song into a chorus of euphoric levels. Rumoured second single Grace is a good choice for a single. It seems to be about a not very nice person, who draws people to them and then actually treats them like dirt. This song is the comeuppance for that person, and as malicious as the lyrics are, there is a certain amount of karma to them to. Musically, it's a midtempo strings led gem with some crazy trumpets in the middle 8 and some lovely backing vocals with a great singalong chorus that seems to have kidnapped the pit orchestra from his days on stage. And marvelous it is with it too... Won't Look Down is another sad song that leaps with absolute optimism and crescendoes into another near perfect chorus. There's a lovely line of falsetto in the chorus that is just dreamy. In fact, this would make a rather delicious single in it's own right :)

Following the gentle ballad Tell Me The Worst comes the first of the songs that hints at the much rumoured disco album William was making. I Won't Give Up is produced by The Freemasons (yes them of the brilliant Kylie pairing The One) and yet again is totally single worthy, and should produce some much finer remixes than the dubious Changes ones floating around. There are elements of disco hiding in the background of the song - just 'there' enough to be noticed, but without overpowering the entire tune. It's the type of instrumental that powered the more innocent and funky Mariah tracks like "Make It Happen" and "There's Got To Be A Way" - deep and dirty bass, elegant strings and a hand clapping chorus. This is going to be MEGA live. Disconnected starts with a nice acoustic guitar and some crackling, which I love in modern records - gives the feeling you are listening to it on one of those record players you read about in the history books :P This song, other than Let It Go, is probably the one that resonated with me most lyrically upon first listen. Anyone who knows me well knows it's been a tough year family wise which has strained Darren and I to breaking point. However, I think with all the great love affairs in the world, you can be far away from each other emotionally at certain moments in life but always end up back together because that's what love is. And that's what this song represents. In essence it's a love song about people "stuck in a space that's totally silent" instead of having the time of their lives. "Love should be easier" croons William and for that second you can't imagine why it isn't. By far the most romantic moment on the album even if it does tackle the difficulties within relationships. There is a very sweet moment where William sings "we've got to talk baby boy" and it's nice to hear something gender specific that actually enhances the tune and makes it incredibly tender. A lovely 4 minutes of music. Passion leads to pain on the lazy (in a good way) Love Equals Nothing - a gentle ballad on a par with the elegant Love Is Matter of Distance (musically rather than lyrically) while Love takes us back to the disco, with some delicious lower register being tapped on lines like "i let it take ahold of me"... Great horns permeating the chorus, with some electric guitar giving the song an added intensity.

I've already written about the eloquent and elegant Let It Go where hopes and fears are laid utterly bare for the listener to examine and relate to. In the Attitude interview, William states that it's about having your heartbroken and then breaking someone else's heart. It's one of only 2 songs not co-written by William, yet he desperately wanted it to be a single. Seems like it won't be now but actually it would have made a lovely comeback single. Perhaps the record company felt it would've been too similar to Leave Right Now? Are You Happy is one of those funky perky pop songs that marries downbeat lyrics with an upbeat tempo and melody. Abba are masters of this, but William certainly shows his emotional chops on this song. The album comes to it's fine conclusion with the Sia collaboration You Don't Know - a tune about rebuilding your life from the emotional tatters complex relationships can leave you in - and Free Your Mind, a morose ethereal ballad. The album as a whole is quite sad and contemplative, but within that there are many moments of optimism and hope. Definitely one of THE pop albums of the year...
POTENTIAL SINGLES: Changes; Grace; I Won't Give Up; Won't Look Down; Disconnected