Songs
1. A1 - Don’t Wanna Lose You Again (39)
2. Boyzone - Gave It All Away (4)
3. Leddra Chapman - Story (1)
4. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (2)
5. Nina Lassander - Cider Hill (7)
6. Leddra Chapman - Fooling Myself (10)
7. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (5)
8. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (3)
9. Burning Hearts - Night Animal (9)
10. Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission (13)
11. Leddra Chapman - Edie (17)
12. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (11)
13. La Vuvuvzela feat Tarryn - Be Mine Tonight (NEW)
14. Owl City - Fireflies (6)
15. Didrik Solli-Tangen - My Heart Is Yours (NEW)
16. Glee Cast - Don’t Stop Believin’ (8)
17. Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi (50)
18. Venke Knutson - Jealous Cause I Love You (14)
19. Stella - Underground (NEW)
20. Sanna Nielsen - Devotion (NEW)
21. Inna - Hot (NEW)
22. Mira Craig - I’ll Take You High (38)
23. Heli Kajo - Annankadun Kulmassa (47)
24. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (15)
25. Timbaland feat Katy Perry - If We Ever Meet Again (49)
26. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Make My Day (20)
27. Alphabeat - Hole In My Heart (31)
28. JLS - One Shot (21)
29. Elsiane - Vaporous (12)
30. OneRepublic - Secrets (35)
31. Amy MacDonald - Don’t Tell Me That It’s Over (27)
32. Leona Lewis - I Got You (42)
33. Christina Aguilera - Lift Me Up (NEW)
34. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (26)
35. Edward Maya - Stereo Love (37)
36. Daisy Dares You feat Chipmunk - No.1 Enemy (29)
37. OneRepublic - All This Time (NEW)
38. The Saturdays - Ego (19)
39. Taylor Swift - Today Was A Fairytale (45)
40. Leddra Chapman - Summer Song (34)
41. Leddra Chapman - A Little Easier (41)
42. Anika Moa - Standing In This Fire (NEW)
43. Maria Arredondo - The Touch (43)
44. Goldfrapp - Rocket (NEW)
45. Jógvan Hansen - One More Day (NEW)
46. Alexander Stenerud - Give It To Me (NEW)
47. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (48)
48. Ke$ha feat 3OH!3 - Blah Blah Blah (NEW)
49. Rihanna - Rude Boy (NEW)
50. Justin Bieber - Love Me (NEW)
Albums
1. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (1)
2. Melodi Grand Prix 2010 (NEW)
3. Ke$ha - Animal (2)
4. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (6)
5. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (3)
6. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (4)
7. Glee: The Music, Volume 1 (5)
8. Rihanna - Rated R (7)
9. OneRepublic - Waking Up (9)
10. Leona Lewis - Echo (8)
11. Glee: The Music, Volume 2 (11)
12. Erik Hassle - Pieces (10)
13. Euroviisut 2010 (15)
14. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die (NEW)
15. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (12)
16. Timbaland - Shock Value II (20)
17. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (16)
18. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (13)
19. Alphabeat - The Spell (Re-entry)
20. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (17)
Friday, 29 January 2010
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Hopelessly devoted to Sanna
Swedish singer Sanna Nielsen seems only to be able to score a hit whenever she competes in Melodifestivalen. It was therefore a shock to see that she has just launched a new single, which is presumably preceding an album, without any Melodifestivalen involvement this year - let's hope she's not aiming for a chart hit then! A veteran of the Swedish competition, Sanna has entered a few times, with her biggest hits from it being Vågar Du, Våger Jag in 2007, which peaked at No.10 in Sweden despite not doing that well in the final, and of course the gorgeous ballad Empty Room, which topped the MF 2008 public vote quite convincingly but didn't make it to Eurovision thanks to the jury vote's near universal love for Charlotte Perrelli's schalger anthem Hero which just pipped Sanna to the post in the end.
I did feel incredibly sorry for Sanna, it was probably the best chance she'd ever had and would ever have to make it to Eurovision and it probably would have performed a lot better in the 2008 final than Charlotte Perrelli's Hero did in the end. Since that happened she has done rather well in the Swedish album charts scoring a chart topper of her own with the excellent Stronger, which included the fantastic 'made for Eurovision' song Nobody Without You, and she had another No.1 album later in the year, a joint Christmas collection with fellow MF legends Shirley Clamp and Sonja Aldén!!! Devotion is the first solo single she's released in a while and whilst typically fluffy pop, it has a strong chorus that lingers in your head for a while and she comes off very Olivia Newton-John in the song and her image at the moment. Sanna has always come across as one of the most down to earth and nicest people in the Swedish pop industry, and even after her longevity in the busniess, she's still only in her mid twenties! Long live Sanna!
I did feel incredibly sorry for Sanna, it was probably the best chance she'd ever had and would ever have to make it to Eurovision and it probably would have performed a lot better in the 2008 final than Charlotte Perrelli's Hero did in the end. Since that happened she has done rather well in the Swedish album charts scoring a chart topper of her own with the excellent Stronger, which included the fantastic 'made for Eurovision' song Nobody Without You, and she had another No.1 album later in the year, a joint Christmas collection with fellow MF legends Shirley Clamp and Sonja Aldén!!! Devotion is the first solo single she's released in a while and whilst typically fluffy pop, it has a strong chorus that lingers in your head for a while and she comes off very Olivia Newton-John in the song and her image at the moment. Sanna has always come across as one of the most down to earth and nicest people in the Swedish pop industry, and even after her longevity in the busniess, she's still only in her mid twenties! Long live Sanna!
Monday, 25 January 2010
Just one on one, that's the way we do it baby
So...British/Norwegian reformed boyband went straight to the final of Norway's Melodi Grand Prix competition at the weekend, with Ben, Mark and Christian hoping to represent Norway at the Eurovision in May. Yes they are a predominantly British band but I doubt many Brits even know they've reunited and would probably be shocked to see them walk out on stage to represent Norway instead of ourselves, particularly as Don't Want To Lose You Again, A1's entry, is an incredibly strong pop song in the 'Take That mature boyband' stakes yet retains the charm of some of A1's other material. Perhaps unfairly forgotten by many I thought I'd take a look at A1's career so far...
Launching as a four piece in 1999, A1 released their debut single Be The First To Believe to reasonable hype in the early summer - it stormed into the top ten on release and was quickly followed by another summer pop anthem, the now forgotten by most Summertime Of Our Lives which went one place better at No.5. The autum saw a double a-side release of the Motown-esque Ready Or Not, and probably one of their finest moments, the ballad Everytime, which for some reason hasn't gone down as 'a boyband classic' like Flying Without Wings, Back For Good etc...despite being an incredibly strong, and grandly produced pop ballad which should really be remembered more fondly. It was their first hit single in Norway, where they became even more successful than they are in the UK, largely thanks to their connection to the country - band member Christian is Norwegian. They performed it recently on Norwegian breakfast television show 'Good Morning Norge' and the song has surprisingly stood the test of time quite well, as have they in fact, barely looking a day older than they did ten years ago!
The similar but not quite as good Like A Rose followed this in early 2000 and went to No.6 before they scored their first UK No.1 single with a cover of A-Ha's Take On Me a few months later - impressive considering the original only peaked at No.2. The music video was incredibly impressive looking at the time too, I remember being blown away by the Matrix style effects. Same Old Brand New You became their first original No.1 just a few weeks later before No More was released in early 2001, going to No.6.
They then disappeared for a bit and reappeared in 2002 as a completely different band. Gone were the typical boyband clunky beats and in was a surprisingly mature acoustic sound, in fact you might say that they were ahead of their time, four years ahead of Take That doing the very same sort of comeback. Caught In The Middle narrowly missed the top spot, debuting at No.2 but lingering in the charts for longer than the average A1 single. A frankly brilliant pop song with a fantastic chorus, again, it's a wonder that this single didn't go down as a pop classic. The similarly mature but inferior Make It Good became their first single to miss the top ten, debuting at No.11 and Paul left the band causing the other three members to call it a day.
However, Mark, Christian and Ben reformed A1 late last year and despite only releasing music in Norway so far, it has been incredibly well received and rightfully so - it's potentially better than the material that they had been coming out with in 2002, testament to the strength of this trio as songwriters. Take You Home was a top ten comeback in Norway and classic mid-tempo ballad Don't Want To Lose You Again went straight to the top 3 on Norwegian iTunes after their performance on MGP. This material could be extremely well received in the UK and is very current sounding but unfortunately I don't think radio here would touch them, in fact I'm not certain that they got a lot of UK radio support when they were first around. So perhaps winning MGP and going to Eurovision would help to relaunch them worldwide? I could certainly imagine Don't Want To Lose You Again being downloaded enough from iTunes to give them a top 40 comeback, and it would certainly raise public awareness in the UK again. So vote for A1 Norway, and let's see this cruelly underrated boyband make a mark again!!!
Launching as a four piece in 1999, A1 released their debut single Be The First To Believe to reasonable hype in the early summer - it stormed into the top ten on release and was quickly followed by another summer pop anthem, the now forgotten by most Summertime Of Our Lives which went one place better at No.5. The autum saw a double a-side release of the Motown-esque Ready Or Not, and probably one of their finest moments, the ballad Everytime, which for some reason hasn't gone down as 'a boyband classic' like Flying Without Wings, Back For Good etc...despite being an incredibly strong, and grandly produced pop ballad which should really be remembered more fondly. It was their first hit single in Norway, where they became even more successful than they are in the UK, largely thanks to their connection to the country - band member Christian is Norwegian. They performed it recently on Norwegian breakfast television show 'Good Morning Norge' and the song has surprisingly stood the test of time quite well, as have they in fact, barely looking a day older than they did ten years ago!
The similar but not quite as good Like A Rose followed this in early 2000 and went to No.6 before they scored their first UK No.1 single with a cover of A-Ha's Take On Me a few months later - impressive considering the original only peaked at No.2. The music video was incredibly impressive looking at the time too, I remember being blown away by the Matrix style effects. Same Old Brand New You became their first original No.1 just a few weeks later before No More was released in early 2001, going to No.6.
They then disappeared for a bit and reappeared in 2002 as a completely different band. Gone were the typical boyband clunky beats and in was a surprisingly mature acoustic sound, in fact you might say that they were ahead of their time, four years ahead of Take That doing the very same sort of comeback. Caught In The Middle narrowly missed the top spot, debuting at No.2 but lingering in the charts for longer than the average A1 single. A frankly brilliant pop song with a fantastic chorus, again, it's a wonder that this single didn't go down as a pop classic. The similarly mature but inferior Make It Good became their first single to miss the top ten, debuting at No.11 and Paul left the band causing the other three members to call it a day.
However, Mark, Christian and Ben reformed A1 late last year and despite only releasing music in Norway so far, it has been incredibly well received and rightfully so - it's potentially better than the material that they had been coming out with in 2002, testament to the strength of this trio as songwriters. Take You Home was a top ten comeback in Norway and classic mid-tempo ballad Don't Want To Lose You Again went straight to the top 3 on Norwegian iTunes after their performance on MGP. This material could be extremely well received in the UK and is very current sounding but unfortunately I don't think radio here would touch them, in fact I'm not certain that they got a lot of UK radio support when they were first around. So perhaps winning MGP and going to Eurovision would help to relaunch them worldwide? I could certainly imagine Don't Want To Lose You Again being downloaded enough from iTunes to give them a top 40 comeback, and it would certainly raise public awareness in the UK again. So vote for A1 Norway, and let's see this cruelly underrated boyband make a mark again!!!
Friday, 22 January 2010
I'd like to make myself believe...
...that Fireflies by Owl City can somehow squeeze a week in at No.1 in the UK before the onslaught of the Jedward/Vanilla Ice cover of Under Pressure/Ice Ice Baby and the Simon Cowell organised Haiti aid single, a cover of REM's Everybody Hurts. US act Adam Young aka Owl City scored a surprise US #1 last year with this glorious emolectro song, think HelloGoodbye meets The Postal Service (the latter who he has controversially shrugged off comparisons to) and you are spot on. But the melody is gorgeous and the video charming, it is already smashing across the world and it would be a shame to see it fail to make the top spot here, even though it was released about 6 weeks ahead of schedule due to hype forcing it out as fake versions started racking up sales on iTunes. Is Replay by Iyaz really worthy of another week as our top selling song to deny the brilliance of this? It sounds completely different to any song that's ever topped the UK charts and that is reason enough for this song to triumph, whereas Replay, whilst incredibly infectious, sounds like a lot of other commercial urban songs from any point in the last decade.
One minor, becoming major gripe with the UK release though is that we have had to settle for a disasterous radio edit which has tacked the second verse onto the first and generally made the song sound incredibly messy - hopefully when the album is released, that version will be cherry picked up to the top of the iTunes chart and the radio edit will disappear. I've loved this song for around 6 months now, it was my summer anthem of 2009 long before it started unexpectedly galloping up the Billboard charts, so I'm hoping my patience in watching this song grow will be rewarded in a UK #1 single either this week or next!!! If you are somehow yet to hear the song, here it is in it's full uneditied glory;
One minor, becoming major gripe with the UK release though is that we have had to settle for a disasterous radio edit which has tacked the second verse onto the first and generally made the song sound incredibly messy - hopefully when the album is released, that version will be cherry picked up to the top of the iTunes chart and the radio edit will disappear. I've loved this song for around 6 months now, it was my summer anthem of 2009 long before it started unexpectedly galloping up the Billboard charts, so I'm hoping my patience in watching this song grow will be rewarded in a UK #1 single either this week or next!!! If you are somehow yet to hear the song, here it is in it's full uneditied glory;
Top Songs/Albums; WB 25/1/10
Singles
1. Leddra Chapman - Story (2)
2. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (4)
3. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (3)
4. Boyzone - Gave It All Away (NEW)
5. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (1)
6. Owl City - Fireflies (7)
7. Nina Lassander - Cider Hill (NEW)
8. Glee Cast - Don’t Stop Believin’ (8)
9. Burning Hearts - Night Animal (31)
10. Leddra Chapman - Fooling Myself (41)
11. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (6)
12. Elsiane - Vaporous (9)
13. Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission (13)
14. Venke Knutson - Jealous Cause I Love You (NEW)
15. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (10)
16. Ke$ha - Kiss ‘N’ Tell (16)
17. Leddra Chapman - Edie (28)
18. Girls Can’t Catch - Echo (5)
19. The Saturdays - Ego (11)
20. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Make My Day (21)
21. JLS - One Shot (23)
22. Kolbrún Eva Viktorsdóttir - You Are The One (14)
23. Example - Won’t Go Quietly (29)
24. Justin Bieber - One Time (18)
25. Keri Hilson - I Like (25)
26. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (22)
27. Amy MacDonald - Don’t Tell Me That It’s Over (33)
28. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Naturally (36)
29. Daisy Dares You feat Chipmunk - No.1 Enemy (24)
30. I Blame Coco feat Robyn - Caesar (12)
31. Alphabeat - Hole In My Heart (35)
32. Agnes - Secret Love (20)
33. Rihanna feat Jeezy - Hard (17)
34. Leddra Chapman - Summer Song (34)
35. OneRepublic - Secrets (NEW)
36. Cheryl Cole feat will.i.am - 3 Words (15)
37. Edward Maya - Stereo Love (38)
38. Mira Craig - I’ll Take You High (NEW)
39. A1 - Don’t Wanna Lose You Again (NEW)
40. Tomine Harket - Be Good To Me (NEW)
41. Leddra Chapman - A Little Easier (47)
42. Leona Lewis - I Got You (Re-entry)
43. Maria Arredondo - The Touch (NEW)
44. Íris Hólm - The One (37)
45. Taylor Swift - Today Was A Fairytale (NEW)
46. Sugababes - Wear My Kiss (50)
47. Heli Kajo - Annankadun Kulmassa (NEW)
48. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (49)
49. Timbaland feat Katy Perry - If We Ever Meet Again (Re-entry)
50. Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi (NEW)
Albums
1. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (1)
2. Ke$ha - Animal (2)
3. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (4)
4. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (3)
5. Glee: The Music, Volume 1 (NEW)
6. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (6)
7. Rihanna - Rated R (5)
8. Leona Lewis - Echo (7)
9. OneRepublic - Waking Up (NEW)
10. Erik Hassle - Pieces (18)
11. Glee: The Music, Volume 2 (NEW)
12. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (10)
13. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (9)
14. 100 Hits: Trance Anthems (8)
15. Euroviisut 2010 (NEW)
16. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (16)
17. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (13)
18. Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of (15)
19. JLS - JLS (19)
20. Timbaland - Shock Value II (14)
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
New Music; Glee as Eurovision and Boyzone return!!!
Boyzone - Gave It All Away
I always quite liked Boyzone and was quite happy when they reformed a couple of years ago, whatever the motives were. I bought their new hits compilation and thought that the three new songs; Love You Anyway, Better and Can't Stop Thinking About You, were all excellent paving the way for possible greatness on a new album. After the sad events of last year regarding Stephen Gately's death, Ronan, Mikey, Keith and Shane vowed to carry on and Gave It All Away, written by Mika, is the first single to be taken from Brother, their first new studio album in 12 years!!! A gorgeous ballad, you can definitely hear the Mika influence, it could almost be Happy Ending part 2 at times. The harmonies on the song are fantastic, putting Stephen as the lead vocalist on the track is a fitting tribute and it's probably their strongest single since No Matter What, so here's hoping it can return them to #1 in the UK. I'm not sure that the odd reggae beats fully compliment the song, perhaps an epic string section would have been better - but at least it differs it from the usual Boyzone ballad somewhat! I do really like the almost tribal middle-8 as well, very A Different Beat!
Venke Knutson - Jealous Cause I Love You
I'm not quite sure where to start with all of the potetntial Eurovision contenders, there are already so many and it's only January. Iceland and Finland have both had some decent songs so far (You Are The One and Cider Hill being my favourites of each selection respectively) but I'll focus on Norway seeing as they are of course guaranteed a place in the final that they are hosting after their thumping record win with Alexander Rybak's Fairytale last year! Although Melodi Grand Prix doesn't seem quite as strong as last year, there are some great songs - it's just that it's not always the right ones that are making it to the final. Faded Norwegian popstar Venke Knutson who had a few big hits in the mid-noughties there has had the greatest pure pop moment so far, but has only made it as far as the 'second chance' round. A little bit Pipettes, a little bit The Revelations (It's You was a classic that should have beaten Andy 'dancing disco dad' Abraham to represent the UK in 2008!) and obviously borrows from the 2008 soul-pop bandwagon, but is much more on the pop side than the soul side. Absolutely excellent song, one listen and it's in your head for days.
Glee Cast - My Life Would Suck Without You
How could I get this far without referencing Glee? Already a worldwide phenomenon, it has just caught on in the UK, with their take on Journey's Don't Stop Believin' featured in the pilot smashing into the UK top 5 at the weekend. I'm only up to episode three at the moment but I did invest in both soundtrack albums. There are a few boring moments, which I'm sure will be a lot better in the context of seeing how the songs are used in the episodes (Bust Your Windows for example suddenly makes a lot more sense now). However, even out of context for me, their cover of Kelly Clarkson's #1 hit from last year, My Life Would Suck Without You, is absolutely fantastic. Keeping the anthemic spirit of the original, this is a song that really suits a group chorus, not that Kelly wasn't fantastic on it, but you really can picture this being a band song and the male vocals compliment it well. Spot on!
I always quite liked Boyzone and was quite happy when they reformed a couple of years ago, whatever the motives were. I bought their new hits compilation and thought that the three new songs; Love You Anyway, Better and Can't Stop Thinking About You, were all excellent paving the way for possible greatness on a new album. After the sad events of last year regarding Stephen Gately's death, Ronan, Mikey, Keith and Shane vowed to carry on and Gave It All Away, written by Mika, is the first single to be taken from Brother, their first new studio album in 12 years!!! A gorgeous ballad, you can definitely hear the Mika influence, it could almost be Happy Ending part 2 at times. The harmonies on the song are fantastic, putting Stephen as the lead vocalist on the track is a fitting tribute and it's probably their strongest single since No Matter What, so here's hoping it can return them to #1 in the UK. I'm not sure that the odd reggae beats fully compliment the song, perhaps an epic string section would have been better - but at least it differs it from the usual Boyzone ballad somewhat! I do really like the almost tribal middle-8 as well, very A Different Beat!
Venke Knutson - Jealous Cause I Love You
I'm not quite sure where to start with all of the potetntial Eurovision contenders, there are already so many and it's only January. Iceland and Finland have both had some decent songs so far (You Are The One and Cider Hill being my favourites of each selection respectively) but I'll focus on Norway seeing as they are of course guaranteed a place in the final that they are hosting after their thumping record win with Alexander Rybak's Fairytale last year! Although Melodi Grand Prix doesn't seem quite as strong as last year, there are some great songs - it's just that it's not always the right ones that are making it to the final. Faded Norwegian popstar Venke Knutson who had a few big hits in the mid-noughties there has had the greatest pure pop moment so far, but has only made it as far as the 'second chance' round. A little bit Pipettes, a little bit The Revelations (It's You was a classic that should have beaten Andy 'dancing disco dad' Abraham to represent the UK in 2008!) and obviously borrows from the 2008 soul-pop bandwagon, but is much more on the pop side than the soul side. Absolutely excellent song, one listen and it's in your head for days.
Glee Cast - My Life Would Suck Without You
How could I get this far without referencing Glee? Already a worldwide phenomenon, it has just caught on in the UK, with their take on Journey's Don't Stop Believin' featured in the pilot smashing into the UK top 5 at the weekend. I'm only up to episode three at the moment but I did invest in both soundtrack albums. There are a few boring moments, which I'm sure will be a lot better in the context of seeing how the songs are used in the episodes (Bust Your Windows for example suddenly makes a lot more sense now). However, even out of context for me, their cover of Kelly Clarkson's #1 hit from last year, My Life Would Suck Without You, is absolutely fantastic. Keeping the anthemic spirit of the original, this is a song that really suits a group chorus, not that Kelly wasn't fantastic on it, but you really can picture this being a band song and the male vocals compliment it well. Spot on!
Friday, 15 January 2010
The hits that never were...Part 1
So, a new feature where I shall pick three songs that were clearly screaming to be huge hits - yet for some reason or another, never got the chance to be - some record companies just aren't quite sure what they're doing! Hopefully you will discover something great that you've never heard, or else re-discover something that you used to love!
Kylie Minogue - Made Of Glass
Australian pop princess Kylie wrote a few songs to be included on her 2004 hits compilation Ultimate Kylie - ultimately, the two that made it on there were the excellent I Believe In You - a UK #2 single, and the far less interesting Giving You Up which was nonetheless a top ten hit for Kylie in 2005. What was for more interesting was the b-side of Giving You Up, the stunning electro pop stunner Made Of Glass, one of the finest songs that Kylie had recorded since the Fever era. With a brilliant infectious 'love makes the world go round' chorus, it's quite unbelivable that this was left to forever rot as a b-side to an inferior parent a-side.
Maria Haukaas Storeng feat Mira Craig - Mine All Mine
Talented and quirky Norwegian/American singer Mira Craig wrote a number of songs for Norwegian singer Maria's second solo album Hold On Be Strong, which was released off the back of her 2008 Eurovision entry of the same name. One of the songs was a duet between the singer's, both popular in their own right in Norway. A glorious faux-Motown pop song with extremely subtle electro undertones, it perfectly fit into the 2008 music scene which was dominated by the sound. Had somebody made the wise decision to send this to UK radio, it would have been the sound of the summer and lapped up by commercial radio. Sadly they didn't, and it wasn't...
Amy MacDonald - Barrowland Ballroom
Scottish singer Amy MacDonald's album was absolutely huge all over Europe, and deservedly so, it was packed with stunning melodies and thoughtful lyrics. But my summer 2007 anthem had to be the jaunty album track Barrowland Ballroom. A feel good song, incredibly infectious and showed a completely different and more interesting side to Amy. She made some great single choices; This Is The Life, Mr Rock & Roll and Poison Prince - but as much as I loved L.A. and Run, whoever picked them as singles over this really needed a thorough talking to - this song would have seriously helped to sell the album to an audience not won over by the other singles.
Jason Mraz feat James Morrison - Details In The Fabric
There can't have been two bigger singers 12 months ago than Jason Mraz, and his British equivalent James Morrison. The idea of them duetting together sounded as bland as hell on paper but in fact they came up with this gorgeous ballad, with both voices complementing each other beautifully. Maybe a bit too long to be a single at near six minutes, but there are easily bits of this song that could have been chopped out without having too much of an effect. Radio love this pair, and would have loved this song had it been a joint follow up to I'm Yours and Broken Strings. Make It Mine and Please Don't Stop The Rain somehow didn't seem quite as effective...
Delta Goodrem - Predictable
Ok, so it was a #1 hit in Australia, but why did this never even get talked about for a UK release? After the opening ballad of Born To Try, the more poppy Lost Without You and the dramatic Innocent Eyes, Delta reverted back to ballad territory with Not Me, Not I for the fourth single. Throw It Away was rumoured as a fifth single in early 2004 but the album had already sold over 3 quarters of a million copies in the UK by this point so was unlikely to be a point and was panned. Predictable I feel would have helped to push the album that bit further, and easily given Delta a fifth straight top 20 hit from it. Easily one of the most relevant and more interesting pop songs on Innocent Eyes, it would have appealed to casual listeners, I'm absolutely sure of it because all of the friends that I played this track to who didn't like Delta, did love this song. A very silly choice not letting this see the light of day here...
Kylie Minogue - Made Of Glass
Australian pop princess Kylie wrote a few songs to be included on her 2004 hits compilation Ultimate Kylie - ultimately, the two that made it on there were the excellent I Believe In You - a UK #2 single, and the far less interesting Giving You Up which was nonetheless a top ten hit for Kylie in 2005. What was for more interesting was the b-side of Giving You Up, the stunning electro pop stunner Made Of Glass, one of the finest songs that Kylie had recorded since the Fever era. With a brilliant infectious 'love makes the world go round' chorus, it's quite unbelivable that this was left to forever rot as a b-side to an inferior parent a-side.
Maria Haukaas Storeng feat Mira Craig - Mine All Mine
Talented and quirky Norwegian/American singer Mira Craig wrote a number of songs for Norwegian singer Maria's second solo album Hold On Be Strong, which was released off the back of her 2008 Eurovision entry of the same name. One of the songs was a duet between the singer's, both popular in their own right in Norway. A glorious faux-Motown pop song with extremely subtle electro undertones, it perfectly fit into the 2008 music scene which was dominated by the sound. Had somebody made the wise decision to send this to UK radio, it would have been the sound of the summer and lapped up by commercial radio. Sadly they didn't, and it wasn't...
Amy MacDonald - Barrowland Ballroom
Scottish singer Amy MacDonald's album was absolutely huge all over Europe, and deservedly so, it was packed with stunning melodies and thoughtful lyrics. But my summer 2007 anthem had to be the jaunty album track Barrowland Ballroom. A feel good song, incredibly infectious and showed a completely different and more interesting side to Amy. She made some great single choices; This Is The Life, Mr Rock & Roll and Poison Prince - but as much as I loved L.A. and Run, whoever picked them as singles over this really needed a thorough talking to - this song would have seriously helped to sell the album to an audience not won over by the other singles.
Jason Mraz feat James Morrison - Details In The Fabric
There can't have been two bigger singers 12 months ago than Jason Mraz, and his British equivalent James Morrison. The idea of them duetting together sounded as bland as hell on paper but in fact they came up with this gorgeous ballad, with both voices complementing each other beautifully. Maybe a bit too long to be a single at near six minutes, but there are easily bits of this song that could have been chopped out without having too much of an effect. Radio love this pair, and would have loved this song had it been a joint follow up to I'm Yours and Broken Strings. Make It Mine and Please Don't Stop The Rain somehow didn't seem quite as effective...
Delta Goodrem - Predictable
Ok, so it was a #1 hit in Australia, but why did this never even get talked about for a UK release? After the opening ballad of Born To Try, the more poppy Lost Without You and the dramatic Innocent Eyes, Delta reverted back to ballad territory with Not Me, Not I for the fourth single. Throw It Away was rumoured as a fifth single in early 2004 but the album had already sold over 3 quarters of a million copies in the UK by this point so was unlikely to be a point and was panned. Predictable I feel would have helped to push the album that bit further, and easily given Delta a fifth straight top 20 hit from it. Easily one of the most relevant and more interesting pop songs on Innocent Eyes, it would have appealed to casual listeners, I'm absolutely sure of it because all of the friends that I played this track to who didn't like Delta, did love this song. A very silly choice not letting this see the light of day here...
Top Songs/Albums; WB 18/1/10
Songs
1. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (1)
2. Leddra Chapman - Story (2)
3. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (3)
4. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (14)
5. Girls Can’t Catch - Echo (7)
6. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (4)
7. Owl City - Fireflies (18)
8. Glee Cast - Don’t Stop Believin’ (Re-entry)
9. Elsiane - Vaporous (6)
10. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (8)
11. The Saturdays - Ego (5)
12. I Blame Coco feat Robyn - Caesar (10)
13. Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission (33)
14. Kolbrún Eva Viktorsdóttir - You Are The One (NEW)
15. Cheryl Cole feat will.i.am - 3 Words (9)
16. Ke$ha - Kiss ‘N’ Tell (26)
17. Rihanna feat Jeezy - Hard (13)
18. Justin Bieber - One Time (21)
19. Ke$ha - Love Is My Drug (19)
20. Agnes - Secret Love (11)
21. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Make My Day (37)
22. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (16)
23. JLS - One Shot (30)
24. Daisy Dares You feat Chipmunk - No.1 Enemy (28)
25. Keri Hilson - I Like (NEW)
26. N-Dubz feat Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire (15)
27. Erik Grönwall - Higher (27)
28. Leddra Chapman - Edie (NEW)
29. Example - Won’t Go Quietly (NEW)
30. Chipmunk feat Talay Riley - Look For Me (12)
31. Burning Hearts - Night Animal (NEW)
32. Florence + The Machine - You’ve Got The Love (43)
33. Amy MacDonald - Don’t Tell Me That It’s Over (NEW)
34. Leddra Chapman - Summer Song (44)
35. Alphabeat - Hole In My Heart (29)
36. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Naturally (NEW)
37. Íris Hólm - The One (NEW)
38. Edward Maya - Stereo Love (NEW)
39. Miss Li - Dancing The Whole Way Home (25)
40. Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (NEW)
41. Leddra Chapman - Fooling Myself (48)
42. Iyaz - Replay (24)
43. White Hinterland - Icarus (NEW)
44. Agnes - On & On (47)
45. Natalia Kills - Zombie (NEW)
46. Bjørn Johan Muri - Yes Man (NEW)
47. Leddra Chapman - A Little Easier (NEW)
48. Plan B - Stay Too Long (NEW)
49. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (49)
50. Sugababes - Wear My Kiss (NEW)
Albums
1. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (1)
2. Ke$ha - Animal (2)
3. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (4)
4. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (9)
5. Rihanna - Rated R (3)
6. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (5)
7. Leona Lewis - Echo (6)
8. 100 Hits: Trance Anthems (7)
9. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (15)
10. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (8)
11. Beyoncé - I Am…Sasha Fierce (Re-entry)
12. Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk (10)
13. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (11)
14. Timbaland - Shock Value II (13)
15. Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of (NEW)
16. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (12)
17. Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (16)
18. Erik Hassle - Pieces (Re-entry)
19. JLS - JLS (19)
20. Will Young - The Hits (17)
1. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (1)
2. Leddra Chapman - Story (2)
3. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (3)
4. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (14)
5. Girls Can’t Catch - Echo (7)
6. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (4)
7. Owl City - Fireflies (18)
8. Glee Cast - Don’t Stop Believin’ (Re-entry)
9. Elsiane - Vaporous (6)
10. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (8)
11. The Saturdays - Ego (5)
12. I Blame Coco feat Robyn - Caesar (10)
13. Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission (33)
14. Kolbrún Eva Viktorsdóttir - You Are The One (NEW)
15. Cheryl Cole feat will.i.am - 3 Words (9)
16. Ke$ha - Kiss ‘N’ Tell (26)
17. Rihanna feat Jeezy - Hard (13)
18. Justin Bieber - One Time (21)
19. Ke$ha - Love Is My Drug (19)
20. Agnes - Secret Love (11)
21. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Make My Day (37)
22. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (16)
23. JLS - One Shot (30)
24. Daisy Dares You feat Chipmunk - No.1 Enemy (28)
25. Keri Hilson - I Like (NEW)
26. N-Dubz feat Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire (15)
27. Erik Grönwall - Higher (27)
28. Leddra Chapman - Edie (NEW)
29. Example - Won’t Go Quietly (NEW)
30. Chipmunk feat Talay Riley - Look For Me (12)
31. Burning Hearts - Night Animal (NEW)
32. Florence + The Machine - You’ve Got The Love (43)
33. Amy MacDonald - Don’t Tell Me That It’s Over (NEW)
34. Leddra Chapman - Summer Song (44)
35. Alphabeat - Hole In My Heart (29)
36. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Naturally (NEW)
37. Íris Hólm - The One (NEW)
38. Edward Maya - Stereo Love (NEW)
39. Miss Li - Dancing The Whole Way Home (25)
40. Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (NEW)
41. Leddra Chapman - Fooling Myself (48)
42. Iyaz - Replay (24)
43. White Hinterland - Icarus (NEW)
44. Agnes - On & On (47)
45. Natalia Kills - Zombie (NEW)
46. Bjørn Johan Muri - Yes Man (NEW)
47. Leddra Chapman - A Little Easier (NEW)
48. Plan B - Stay Too Long (NEW)
49. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (49)
50. Sugababes - Wear My Kiss (NEW)
Albums
1. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (1)
2. Ke$ha - Animal (2)
3. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (4)
4. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (9)
5. Rihanna - Rated R (3)
6. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (5)
7. Leona Lewis - Echo (6)
8. 100 Hits: Trance Anthems (7)
9. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (15)
10. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (8)
11. Beyoncé - I Am…Sasha Fierce (Re-entry)
12. Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk (10)
13. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (11)
14. Timbaland - Shock Value II (13)
15. Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of (NEW)
16. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (12)
17. Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (16)
18. Erik Hassle - Pieces (Re-entry)
19. JLS - JLS (19)
20. Will Young - The Hits (17)
Friday, 8 January 2010
So much Hassle just to reach the Radio 1 playlist!!!
Erik Hassle's mega Swedish hit single Hurtful, and by mega I mean #11 with a long chart run a la success akin to Jason Mraz's I'm Yours in the UK, has finally been added to the Radio 1 playlist in advance of its official release next month. The redheaded Swede set the internet alight last year with this gorgeous song which is bound to be played to death on commercial radio and used as X Factor backing music for year to come a la Daniel Merriweather - Red if everything falls properly into place. The version that Radio 1 have added to their playlist is the 'Starsmith edit' which, if the clip on Popjustice today is anything to go by, is barely any different to the glorious original thank god, merely adding a bit of production sparkle in places. It was a surprise to see Erik not included in any of the 'sound of 2010' etc...lists, maybe the people in the know are only expecting him to be a one hit wonder, but rather one hit than no hits because Hurtful is really far too good to not get the exposure it deserves. Owl City's Fireflies and Marina and the Diamonds' Hollywood are the big hyped songs of the moment with the most potential to next top the UK charts, but if there was any justice this would go straight to #1 upon its release. I just wonder if in light of its impending international success, Sweden will see the mistake they made by letting Hurtful have a low peak - as soon as With Every Heartbeat and Release Me became big UK hits, they mysteriously started going back up the Swedish charts too after intial minor success!!!
Top Songs/Albums; WB 11/1/10
Songs
1. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (1)
2. Leddra Chapman - Story (NEW)
3. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (11)
4. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (3)
5. The Saturdays - Ego (7)
6. Elsiane - Vaporous (2)
7. Girls Can’t Catch - Echo (9)
8. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (4)
9. Cheryl Cole feat will.i.am - 3 Words (6)
10. I Blame Coco feat Robyn - Caesar (21)
11. Agnes - Secret Love (5)
12. Chipmunk feat Talay Riley - Look For Me (8)
13. Rihanna feat Jeezy - Hard (14)
14. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (Re-entry)
15. N-Dubz feat Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire (19)
16. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (10)
17. Kaskade vs. Deadmau5 - Move For Me (16)
18. Owl City - Fireflies (38)
19. Ke$ha - Love Is My Drug (24)
20. La Oreja de Van Gogh - Jueves (NEW)
21. Justin Bieber - One Time (49)
22. Name The Pet - American Boys (12)
23. Rihanna - Russian Roulette (17)
24. Iyaz - Replay (48)
25. Miss Li - Dancing The Whole Way Home (NEW)
26. Ke$ha - Kiss ‘N’ Tell (NEW)
27. Erik Grönwall - Higher (NEW)
28. Daisy Dares You - No.1 Enemy (45)
29. Alphabeat - Hole In My Heart (NEW)
30. JLS - One Shot (34)
31. HURTS - Wonderful Life (23)
32. Donkeyboy - Ambitions (13)
33. Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission (NEW)
34. Caroline Jönsson - By My Side (18)
35. Ke$ha - Backstabber (39)
36. Eric Saade - Sleepless (NEW)
37. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Make My Day (NEW)
38. Mira Craig - Love Or Hate (NEW)
39. Ke$ha - Stephen (28)
40. Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (25)
41. Alexandra Burke - Broken Heels (15)
42. Sidney Samson feat Wizard Sleeve - Riverside (Let's Go!) (35)
43. Florence & The Machine - You’ve Got The Love (Re-entry)
44. Leddra Chapman - Summer Song (NEW)
45. Jason DeRulo - In My Head (47)
46. Jay-Z feat Mr Hudson - Young Forever (46)
47. Agnes - On & On (Re-entry)
48. Leddra Chapman - Fooling Myself (NEW)
49. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (NEW)
50. Jewel - Stay Here Forever (NEW)
Albums
1. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (NEW)
2. Ke$ha - Animal (3)
3. Rihanna - Rated R (2)
4. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (1)
5. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (4)
6. Leona Lewis - Echo (5)
7. 100 Hits: Trance Anthems (NEW)
8. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (6)
9. Florence & The Machine - Lungs (17)
10. Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk (16)
11. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (8)
12. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (9)
13. Timbaland - Shock Value II (10)
14. Name The Pet - Name The Pet (7)
15. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (15)
16. Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (13)
17. Will Young - The Hits (14)
18. Take That - The Greatest Day: Take That Present The Circus Live (11)
19. JLS - JLS (18)
20. Alphabeat - The Spell (Re-entry)
1. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (1)
2. Leddra Chapman - Story (NEW)
3. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (11)
4. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (3)
5. The Saturdays - Ego (7)
6. Elsiane - Vaporous (2)
7. Girls Can’t Catch - Echo (9)
8. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (4)
9. Cheryl Cole feat will.i.am - 3 Words (6)
10. I Blame Coco feat Robyn - Caesar (21)
11. Agnes - Secret Love (5)
12. Chipmunk feat Talay Riley - Look For Me (8)
13. Rihanna feat Jeezy - Hard (14)
14. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (Re-entry)
15. N-Dubz feat Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire (19)
16. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (10)
17. Kaskade vs. Deadmau5 - Move For Me (16)
18. Owl City - Fireflies (38)
19. Ke$ha - Love Is My Drug (24)
20. La Oreja de Van Gogh - Jueves (NEW)
21. Justin Bieber - One Time (49)
22. Name The Pet - American Boys (12)
23. Rihanna - Russian Roulette (17)
24. Iyaz - Replay (48)
25. Miss Li - Dancing The Whole Way Home (NEW)
26. Ke$ha - Kiss ‘N’ Tell (NEW)
27. Erik Grönwall - Higher (NEW)
28. Daisy Dares You - No.1 Enemy (45)
29. Alphabeat - Hole In My Heart (NEW)
30. JLS - One Shot (34)
31. HURTS - Wonderful Life (23)
32. Donkeyboy - Ambitions (13)
33. Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission (NEW)
34. Caroline Jönsson - By My Side (18)
35. Ke$ha - Backstabber (39)
36. Eric Saade - Sleepless (NEW)
37. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Make My Day (NEW)
38. Mira Craig - Love Or Hate (NEW)
39. Ke$ha - Stephen (28)
40. Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (25)
41. Alexandra Burke - Broken Heels (15)
42. Sidney Samson feat Wizard Sleeve - Riverside (Let's Go!) (35)
43. Florence & The Machine - You’ve Got The Love (Re-entry)
44. Leddra Chapman - Summer Song (NEW)
45. Jason DeRulo - In My Head (47)
46. Jay-Z feat Mr Hudson - Young Forever (46)
47. Agnes - On & On (Re-entry)
48. Leddra Chapman - Fooling Myself (NEW)
49. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (NEW)
50. Jewel - Stay Here Forever (NEW)
Albums
1. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (NEW)
2. Ke$ha - Animal (3)
3. Rihanna - Rated R (2)
4. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (1)
5. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (4)
6. Leona Lewis - Echo (5)
7. 100 Hits: Trance Anthems (NEW)
8. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (6)
9. Florence & The Machine - Lungs (17)
10. Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk (16)
11. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (8)
12. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (9)
13. Timbaland - Shock Value II (10)
14. Name The Pet - Name The Pet (7)
15. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (15)
16. Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (13)
17. Will Young - The Hits (14)
18. Take That - The Greatest Day: Take That Present The Circus Live (11)
19. JLS - JLS (18)
20. Alphabeat - The Spell (Re-entry)
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
2010 - Bye bye electro ladies, hello quirky ladies
So 2009 was the home of electro pop everywhere you turned commercially, the British scene led by La Roux and less so Little Boots who didn't quite do as well as the hype suggested that she should. But outstripping both Little Boots' and La Roux's success was the wailing banshee style classic artist Florence + The Machine - who can be seen in a chart near you with the perennial #2 album Lungs and her still growing The Source cover, You've Got The Love. Inspired by the success of Florence, and with the electro bubble not bursting as such, but slowing down, traditional singer songwriter type females are on their way back. Ellie Goulding, Marina + The Diamonds and Daisy Dares You have the hype surrounding them and are most likely to have smash hits, well Marina at least. if Ellie has a potential #1 single then I haven't heard it yet, and it's hard to call how well Daisy will do - will she have Pixie like success or only small hits a la VV Brown. And with the impending new album from the brilliant Amy MacDonald, the British singer songwriter ladies should be everywhere this year. But here are three more incredibly talented young Brits that seem to have fallen by the wayside as the record companies choose who should and shouldn't be big in 2010;
Tiffany Page
23 year old Londoner Tiffany Page has a rockier and ediger vocal style than most. Signed to Mercury Records, her debut single Walk Away is due out in March. You can listen to and download Roam, a track that Tiffany is kindly offering for free here. A pretty good song and showing signs of promise but what really impressed me was her chesty version of Muse's Supermassive Black Hole which I have posted below. Like a cross between Chrissie Hynde with the deep vocals and KT Tunstall in her general look and styling, Tiffany could be one to watch. You can visit her website here to find out more.
Leddra Chapman
Essex based London College of Music student (Anna) Leddra Chapman has already digitally released her debut album Telling Tales. I have downloaded and listened to it and it's frankly excellent. Brilliantly produced with great melodies and lyrics and a unique medieval folky feel in places - singer/songwriter is a very mixed genre for me - some of my favourite singers come from it; Missy Higgins, Colbie Caillat, Sarah McLachlan, Amy MacDonald - but for every great singer/songwriter there are ten completely bland ones which has led to a lot of lost money and disappointment over the years after I have bought into unjustified hype. Anna's vocals are interesting, sounding sometimes like Dido - but not as soft, or like Alanis - but not as harsh, with a hint of The Corrs musically. She seems to be somewhere in the middle of Amy Studt and Lucie Silvas in terms of British singer songwriters but she is well worth checking out, particularly her debut single, Story, which received a download release a couple of months ago. Her official website is here
Eliza Doolittle
Another London based singer, the buzz around Eliza Doolittle has been growing for a few months with soft release Rollerblades paving the way for her first 'real' single, Skinny Genes. Sounding like a more playful early Lily Allen, Skinny Genes could have been plucked off a non-explicit version of Lily's Alright Still album. The song is therefore a little bit 2006 but it's so charming and catchy that it doesn't seem to matter anyway. Any song with whistling in it usually wins me over anyway, notable examples being E.M.D.'s Baby Goodbye and Bob Sinclar's Love Generation, they are always so happy and cheery!!! Described as looking like a cross between Amanda Bynes and Miley Cyrus, she reminds me slightly of our own Dani Harmer (Tracy Beaker)!!! Based on Rollerblads and Skinny Genes, Eliza has a nice charm and lovely warm vocals - but lacks the hype machine behind Marina and Ellie which makes me think that she may be more Remi Nicole than Lily Allen :( For more information, her official website is here.
Tiffany Page
23 year old Londoner Tiffany Page has a rockier and ediger vocal style than most. Signed to Mercury Records, her debut single Walk Away is due out in March. You can listen to and download Roam, a track that Tiffany is kindly offering for free here. A pretty good song and showing signs of promise but what really impressed me was her chesty version of Muse's Supermassive Black Hole which I have posted below. Like a cross between Chrissie Hynde with the deep vocals and KT Tunstall in her general look and styling, Tiffany could be one to watch. You can visit her website here to find out more.
Leddra Chapman
Essex based London College of Music student (Anna) Leddra Chapman has already digitally released her debut album Telling Tales. I have downloaded and listened to it and it's frankly excellent. Brilliantly produced with great melodies and lyrics and a unique medieval folky feel in places - singer/songwriter is a very mixed genre for me - some of my favourite singers come from it; Missy Higgins, Colbie Caillat, Sarah McLachlan, Amy MacDonald - but for every great singer/songwriter there are ten completely bland ones which has led to a lot of lost money and disappointment over the years after I have bought into unjustified hype. Anna's vocals are interesting, sounding sometimes like Dido - but not as soft, or like Alanis - but not as harsh, with a hint of The Corrs musically. She seems to be somewhere in the middle of Amy Studt and Lucie Silvas in terms of British singer songwriters but she is well worth checking out, particularly her debut single, Story, which received a download release a couple of months ago. Her official website is here
Eliza Doolittle
Another London based singer, the buzz around Eliza Doolittle has been growing for a few months with soft release Rollerblades paving the way for her first 'real' single, Skinny Genes. Sounding like a more playful early Lily Allen, Skinny Genes could have been plucked off a non-explicit version of Lily's Alright Still album. The song is therefore a little bit 2006 but it's so charming and catchy that it doesn't seem to matter anyway. Any song with whistling in it usually wins me over anyway, notable examples being E.M.D.'s Baby Goodbye and Bob Sinclar's Love Generation, they are always so happy and cheery!!! Described as looking like a cross between Amanda Bynes and Miley Cyrus, she reminds me slightly of our own Dani Harmer (Tracy Beaker)!!! Based on Rollerblads and Skinny Genes, Eliza has a nice charm and lovely warm vocals - but lacks the hype machine behind Marina and Ellie which makes me think that she may be more Remi Nicole than Lily Allen :( For more information, her official website is here.
Friday, 1 January 2010
Top Songs/Albums; WB 4/1/10
Songs
1. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (NEW)
2. Elsiane - Vaporous (5)
3. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (1)
4. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (3)
5. Agnes - Secret Love (6)
6. Cheryl Cole feat will.i.am - 3 Words (2)
7. The Saturdays - Ego (10)
8. Chipmunk feat Talay Riley - Look For Me (9)
9. Girls Can’t Catch - Echo (13)
10. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (8)
11. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (7)
12. Name The Pet - American Boys (4)
13. Donkeyboy - Ambitions (14)
14. Rihanna feat Jeezy - Hard (NEW)
15. Alexandra Burke - Broken Heels (18)
16. Kaskade vs. Deadmau5 - Move For Me (43)
17. Rihanna - Russian Roulette (11)
18. Caroline Jönsson - By My Side (12)
19. N-Dubz feat Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire (36)
20. Anna Abreu - Impatient (16)
21. I Blame Coco feat Robyn - Caesar (23)
22. Vitamin C - Graduation (Friends Forever) (NEW)
23. HURTS - Wonderful Life (15)
24. Ke$ha - Love Is My Drug (NEW)
25. Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (NEW)
26. Sarah Harding - Too Bad (32)
27. Alicia Keys - Doesn’t Mean Anything (17)
28. Ke$ha - Stephen (NEW)
29. Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name (21)
30. 3OH!3 feat Katy Perry - Starstrukk (25)
31. Rihanna - Wait Your Turn (19)
32. Lemar - The Way Love Goes (33)
33. FM Belfast - Lotus (31)
34. JLS - One Shot (NEW)
35. Sidney Samson feat Wizard Sleeve - Riverside (Let's Go!) (34)
36. Pixie Lott - When Love Takes Over (28)
37. Wiley feat Chew Fu - Take That (24)
38. Owl City - Fireflies (49)
39. Ke$ha - Backstabber (NEW)
40. Ricki-Lee - Hear No, See No, Speak No (20)
41. Eliza Doolittle - Skinny Genes (42)
42. Ne-Yo feat Cassandra Steen - Never Knew I Needed (22)
43. Alicia Keys - That’s How Strong My Love Is (30)
44. Sarah Harding - Make It Easy (50)
45. Daisy Dares You - No.1 Enemy (46)
46. Jay-Z feat Mr Hudson - Young Forever (NEW)
47. Jason DeRulo - In My Head (NEW)
48. IYAZ - Replay (NEW)
49. Justin Bieber - One Time (NEW)
50. Rihanna - Rude Boy (NEW)
Albums
1. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (1)
2. Rihanna - Rated R (4)
3. Ke$ha - Animal (NEW)
4. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (2)
5. Leona Lewis - Echo (5)
6. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (6)
7. Name The Pet - Name The Pet (3)
8. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (9)
9. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (7)
10. Timbaland - Shock Value II (8)
11. Take That - The Greatest Day: Take That Present The Circus Live (10)
12. Taylor Swift - Fearless (17)
13. Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (11)
14. Will Young - The Hits (Re-entry)
15. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (12)
16. Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk (Re-entry)
17. Florence & The Machine - Lungs (13)
18. JLS - JLS (Re-entry)
19. Katharine McPhee - Unbroken (15)
20. Alexandra Burke - Overcome (16)
1. Shackles - Breaking The Silence (NEW)
2. Elsiane - Vaporous (5)
3. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (1)
4. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance (3)
5. Agnes - Secret Love (6)
6. Cheryl Cole feat will.i.am - 3 Words (2)
7. The Saturdays - Ego (10)
8. Chipmunk feat Talay Riley - Look For Me (9)
9. Girls Can’t Catch - Echo (13)
10. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (8)
11. Marina And The Diamonds - Hollywood (7)
12. Name The Pet - American Boys (4)
13. Donkeyboy - Ambitions (14)
14. Rihanna feat Jeezy - Hard (NEW)
15. Alexandra Burke - Broken Heels (18)
16. Kaskade vs. Deadmau5 - Move For Me (43)
17. Rihanna - Russian Roulette (11)
18. Caroline Jönsson - By My Side (12)
19. N-Dubz feat Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire (36)
20. Anna Abreu - Impatient (16)
21. I Blame Coco feat Robyn - Caesar (23)
22. Vitamin C - Graduation (Friends Forever) (NEW)
23. HURTS - Wonderful Life (15)
24. Ke$ha - Love Is My Drug (NEW)
25. Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (NEW)
26. Sarah Harding - Too Bad (32)
27. Alicia Keys - Doesn’t Mean Anything (17)
28. Ke$ha - Stephen (NEW)
29. Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name (21)
30. 3OH!3 feat Katy Perry - Starstrukk (25)
31. Rihanna - Wait Your Turn (19)
32. Lemar - The Way Love Goes (33)
33. FM Belfast - Lotus (31)
34. JLS - One Shot (NEW)
35. Sidney Samson feat Wizard Sleeve - Riverside (Let's Go!) (34)
36. Pixie Lott - When Love Takes Over (28)
37. Wiley feat Chew Fu - Take That (24)
38. Owl City - Fireflies (49)
39. Ke$ha - Backstabber (NEW)
40. Ricki-Lee - Hear No, See No, Speak No (20)
41. Eliza Doolittle - Skinny Genes (42)
42. Ne-Yo feat Cassandra Steen - Never Knew I Needed (22)
43. Alicia Keys - That’s How Strong My Love Is (30)
44. Sarah Harding - Make It Easy (50)
45. Daisy Dares You - No.1 Enemy (46)
46. Jay-Z feat Mr Hudson - Young Forever (NEW)
47. Jason DeRulo - In My Head (NEW)
48. IYAZ - Replay (NEW)
49. Justin Bieber - One Time (NEW)
50. Rihanna - Rude Boy (NEW)
Albums
1. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (1)
2. Rihanna - Rated R (4)
3. Ke$ha - Animal (NEW)
4. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (2)
5. Leona Lewis - Echo (5)
6. Anna Abreu - Just A Pretty Face (6)
7. Name The Pet - Name The Pet (3)
8. Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (9)
9. Pixie Lott - Turn It Up (7)
10. Timbaland - Shock Value II (8)
11. Take That - The Greatest Day: Take That Present The Circus Live (10)
12. Taylor Swift - Fearless (17)
13. Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (11)
14. Will Young - The Hits (Re-entry)
15. The Saturdays - Wordshaker (12)
16. Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk (Re-entry)
17. Florence & The Machine - Lungs (13)
18. JLS - JLS (Re-entry)
19. Katharine McPhee - Unbroken (15)
20. Alexandra Burke - Overcome (16)
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