Top Songs/Albums; WB 3/5/10

Songs



1. Lena Meyer-Landrut - Satellite (2)
2. Sheelah - Psycho (1)
3. Roll Deep - Good Times (5)
4. Robyn - Dancing On My Own (7)
5. Alphabeat - DJ (28)
6. Jenny Berggren - Here I Am (NEW)
7. Edward Maya feat Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love (10)
8. Stromae - Alors On Danse (9)
9. Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane (8)
10. Diana Vickers - Once (4)
11. Feminnem - Lako Je Sve (6)
12. The Pipettes - So I’ll Say Goodbye (3)
13. Richard Vission & Static Revenger starring Luciana - I Like That (20)
14. Safura - Drip Drop (11)
15. N-Dubz feat Bodyrox - We Dance On (NEW)
16. Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking (12)
17. Katie Melua - The Flood (21)
18. Anna Bergendahl - Rolling Dice (14)
19. Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life (22)
20. Niamh Kavanagh - It’s For You (17)
21. Lethal Bizzle feat Luciana - Go Go Go (42)
22. B.o.B feat Hayley Williams - Airplanes (24)
23. Boyzone - Gave It All Away (16)
24. Caro Emerald - A Night Like This (15)
25. Anna Bergendahl - Got My Heart In Your Pocket (36)
26. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (31)
27. Pearl & The Puppets - Because I Do (30)
28. TV Rock feat Rudy - In The Air (Axwell Remx) (13)
29. B.o.B. feat Bruno Mars - Nothin’ On You (33)
30. Owl City - Umbrella Beach (48)
31. Sarah McLachlan - Loving You Is Easy (NEW)
32. Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi (25)
33. Chanee and N'Evergreen - In A Moment Like This (39)
34. Vanessa Amorosi - Mr Mysterious (Re-entry)
35. Uniting Nations - Blaze Of Glory (NEW)
36. She & Him - In The Sun (18)
37. Rihanna - Te Amo (37)
38. Josh Dubovie - That Sounds Good To Me (NEW)
39. Three Plus Two - Butterflies (32)
40. Lady GaGa - Alejandro (Re-entry)
41. Ellie Goulding - Guns & Horses (46)
42. Dizzee Rascal - Dirtee Disco (NEW)
43. Jason DeRülo - Ridin’ Solo (Re-entry)
44. Example - Kickstarts (50)
45. Kids Of 88 - Just A Little Bit (Re-entry)
46. Iyaz - Solo (NEW)
47. Kelly Rowland - Commander (NEW)
48. Kele Okereke - Tenderoni (NEW)
49. Alexandra Burke feat Pitbull - All Night Long (Re-entry)
50. Gravitonas - Kites (NEW)

Albums

1. Anna Bergendahl - Yours Sincerely (1)
2. Alphabeat - The Beat Is… (10)
3. Robyn - Body Talk Part 1 (4)
4. Boyzone - Brother (3)
5. Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You (2)
6. Eurovision Song Contest 2010 (NEW)
7. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (9)
8. Gabriella Cilmi - Ten (6)
9. Absolute Music 63 (5)
10. Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor (7)
11. Madonna - Celebration (Re-entry)
12. Melodifestivalen 2010 (11)
13. Rihanna - Rated R (12)
14. Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels (14)
15. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (17)
16. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (18)
17. Vanessa Amorosi - Hazardous (Re-entry)
18. Salem Al Fakir - Ignore This (13)
19. Ellie Goulding - Lights (15)
20. Joshua Radin - Simple Times (8)

Na Na Niiiii way...N-Dubz in great song shocker!

British rap trio N-Dubz, who transformed from low budget Channel U stalwarts circa 2005 to fully fledged pop stars with smash hits under their belt in the last couple of years or so, have shocked me by releasing the best song of their career!!! I can't say I've ever been a huge fan but they began to show promise with Strong Again, and then excelled finally with the brilliant Tinchy Stryder collaboration, Number 1, and the top 15 hit Playing With Fire. Their new single We Dance On, which is produced by Bodyrox of Yeah Yeah fame, is the latest in a long line of songs to sample classical masterpiece Pachelbel's Canon, also used in The Farm's Altogether Now, Vitamin C's Graduation (Friends Forever) and Coolio's C U When U Get There, amongst many many others. In my opinion, a song using that track as its melody has to be quite dreadful in order for me not to love it, and this most certainly isn't. Taken from the soundtrack of new film Street Dance 3D, the song has a singalong chorus and the song feels not a million miles away from Daz Sampson's Teenage Life, which in my opinion was the UK's best Eurovision entry of the noughties, and had it been held back to 2010, could well have been a UK #1 hit!!! Here it is, see what you think;

Top Songs/Albums; WB 26/4/10

Songs



1. Sheelah - Psycho (3)
2. Lena Meyer-Landrut - Satellite (1)
3. The Pipettes - So I’ll Say Goodbye (2)
4. Diana Vickers - Once (13)
5. Roll Deep - Good Times (4)
6. Feminnem - Lako Je Sve (11)
7. Robyn - Dancing On My Own (NEW)
8. Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane (14)
9. Stromae - Alors On Danse (12)
10. Edward Maya feat Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love (29)
11. Safura - Drip Drop (7)
12. Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking (10)
13. TV Rock feat Rudy - In The Air (Axwell Remix) (15)
14. Anna Bergendahl - Rolling Dice (NEW)
15. Caro Emerald - A Night Like This (5)
16. Boyzone - Gave It All Away (9)
17. Niamh Kavanagh - It’s For You (8)
18. She & Him - In The Sun (16)
19. Joshua Radin - I’d Rather Be With You (6)
20. Richard Vission & Static Revenger starring Luciana - I Like That (36)
21. Katie Melua - The Flood (21)
22. Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life (20)
23. Kate Nash - Don’t You Want To Share This Guilt? (46)
24. B.o.B feat Hayley Williams - Airplanes (42)
25. Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi (37)
26. Kelis - Acapella (22)
27. Brian McFadden feat Delta Goodrem - Mistakes (32)
28. Alphabeat - DJ (Re-entry)
29. Timoteij - Kom (17)
30. Pearl & The Puppets - Because I Do (45)
31. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Re-entry)
32. Three Plus Two - Butterflies (25)
33. B.o.B. feat Bruno Mars - Nothin’ On You (35)
34. Train - Hey Soul Sister (18)
35. Keane feat K’Naan - Stop For A Minute (26)
36. Anna Bergendahl - Got My Heart In Your Pocket (NEW)
37. Rihanna - Te Amo (NEW)
38. Maria Haukaas Storeng feat Måns Zelmerlöw - Precious To Me (33)
39. Chanee and N'Evergreen - In A Moment Like This (Re-entry)
40. Anna Bergendahl - The Army (NEW)
41. Kate Nash - Paris (NEW)
42. Lethal Bizzle feat Luciana - Go Go Go (NEW)
43. Mini Viva - One Touch (30)
44. Aggro Santos feat Kimberly Wyatt - Candy (41)
45. Anna Bergendahl - Yeah Yeah Yeah (NEW)
46. Ellie Goulding - Guns & Horses (50)
47. Diana Vickers - Jumping Into Rivers (NEW)
48. Owl City - Umbrella Beach (Re-entry)
49. Paula Seling feat Ovi - Playing With Fire (47)
50. Example - Kickstarts (NEW)

Albums

1. Anna Bergendahl - Yours Sincerely (NEW)
2. Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You (2)
3. Boyzone - Brother (1)
4. Robyn - Body Talk Part 1 (NEW)
5. Absolute Music 63 (5)
6. Gabriella Cilmi - Ten (4)
7. Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor (3)
8. Joshua Radin - Simple Times (6)
9. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (7)
10. Alphabeat - The Beat Is… (Re-entry)
11. Melodifestivalen 2010 (8)
12. Rihanna - Rated R (14)
13. Salem Al Fakir - Ignore This (9)
14. Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels (12)
15. Ellie Goulding - Lights (18)
16. Now 75 (10)
17. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (20)
18. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (16)
19. Absolute Schlager (15)
20. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (19)

Album review; Anna Bergendahl - Yours Sincerely

Just over a month ago, former Swedish Idols contestant Anna Bergendahl swept to victory in Melodifestivalen, winning the chance to represent her country at the Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo in May with the ballad This Is My Life. A couple of days ago her debut album, Yours Sincerely popped through my door, and quite unsure what to expect from it, fearing another ballad/borefest like Yohanna's album last year, I am pleased to report that it's fantastic and highly recommended. My thoughts on it are as follows;

1. Rolling Dice - A brilliant album starter, an uplifting pop track with Motown/Schlager influences crossing over in abundance whilst somehow also reminding me of the 90's theme tune to the Dennis & Gnasher cartoon. Would make a brilliant second single because it really highlights Anna's diversity as an artist. 9.5/10



2. This Is My Life - The MF winner and former Swedish No.1 single. Ok, it's a gorgeous ballad but I still slightly preferred Kom and Keep On Walking. I'm not entirely sure how this will go down in ESC, it could do a Yohanna technically but results don't usually exactly follow those of the previous year, and I'm thinking 8th-12th for Anna which is still a vast improvement on the results of the last three years, even though I loved all three of those songs! Sweden haven't sent a ballad since Jill Johnson in 1998 though so fair enough. 9.5/10

3. Barcelona Blues - This is a really really nice song, but even though I know it's the correct pronunciation, the way Anna sings 'Barthalona' really irritates me for some reason!!! A lovely Spanish influenced ballad, sounds nice next to This Is My Life. 8.5/10

4. The Army - A marching drum sound aptly introduces this song. Starts as another ballad but builds into a mid-tempo with sweeping strings and a triumphant chorus. Fantastic, a big contender for a future single I'd say. 9.5/10

5. Yeah Yeah Yeah - Another obvious radio hit, this is the most uptempo song on the album so far. It's quite retro in sound, not really old, but the production somehow harps back to Eternal's poppier moments, like I Wanna Be The Only One or something - it's quite 90's in feel. The chorus is quite S Club 7/Steps sounding but not in a cheesy way, moreso their more respectable album tracks. Very good, the gospel choir really adds to it too, very uplifting. 9.5/10

6. My Love - A real step back in sound now, this is almost 1940's-ish in sound. Really pleasant, the backing vocals here have the same affect as those of Cee-Lo's in Kelis' Lil' Star - noticeable but pleasant and effective, giving a slightly different feel to the song. It skips from sounding like a sub-country song to a forgotten wartime classic. Really shockingly works well though. 8.5/10

7. Beautiful - Showcasing her gorgeous voice more than any other song so far, this is a lovely ballad with a string arrangement that is quite Disney-esque, particularly reminding me of Reflection by Christina Aguilera in fact. It is indeed a beautiful song and of course comes complete with a key change which adds to the effect brilliantly. 9.5/10



8. Bye Bye Darling - More of a radio sounding song now, this is mid-tempo. It's the sort of thing I would associate more with Sanna Nielsen than Anna perhaps. Still, it's another excellent song and keeps the quality of the album up. 8.5/10

9. Got My Heart In Your Pocket - Another change of style here, to a jazz influenced sound almost. One of a few occasions where this album reminds me of Paloma Faith, not that this is a bad thing at all. Anna's vocals shine on the other end of the spectrum here as she hits the big notes with triumph. Not my favourite song on the album but the production is faultless, as are Anna's vocals - not sure about the autotune at one point though... 8/10

10. Have A Heart - The album loses its way slightly here and this is the first track that slips into filler territory. It's pleasant in a 'not quite folk, pop or country but somewhere in the middle' sort of way but certainly not outstanding. 7/10

11. You Make Me Happy - The only duet on the album, Melodifestivalen 2008 contestant Brandur Enni sings with Anna on this track. It's pleasant to hear a duet on the album and shakes it up again but it's nothing brilliant. 7.5/10

12. Melodramatic Mess - An acoustic ballad to close the album, Melodyfree Mess is probably the least memorable song on the album. Joke - it's actually rather nice to have on in the background, but quite boring if I'm honest, particularly compared to the rest of the album. 6/10

Overall: It's a shame this album slips away a bit at the end because the final three tracks aside, this is a stellar debut album. I'm actually shocked at how good it is as I wasn't expecting much from it at all. Plenty of potential singles on here that should keep her profile up in Sweden. Dare I say I actually prefer it to King Salem Al Fakir's current album. Timoteij's debut is to follow along in two weeks, so let's see what that throws up. It will have to be pretty damn fantastic to beat Anna's effort here. A mixed bag taking influences from a lot of genres and era's of time, yet somehow never sounding messy. Fantastic. 9/10

New Music; Old bands in new guises

Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane

Starting this short segment of new singles by bands who have had lineup changes (sadly in this case due to the passing of Stephen Gately last year), is the second single from Boyzone's latest album Brother. Now I'm not afraid to admit that ever since I bought it a good six weeks ago, Brother has been my favourite album - it's a really excellent comeback, far better than I ever imagined they could return with and almost on par with Take That's Beautiful World, not that the media would ever perceive it to be. Still, three weeks at No.1 in the UK shows that there is still a vast interest in this band. Ronan, Shane, Keith and Mikey's second single from the project, following top ten hit Gave It All Away is the more uptempop number, Love Is A Hurricane. Penned by Gregg Alexander of the New Radicals, who wrote Ronan's solo hits Life Is A Rollercoaster, Lovin' Each Day and I Love It When We Do, it's like nothing's changed in the past eight years, he could have released this in 2002 as the follow up to these singles and it would have fit completely with the music climate of the time. That's not to say that it's a bad thing, there's always a place for Boyzone's own style of pop in the current UK charts filled with rap, rap and more rap. Hopefully this will be another hit single for them, or at least keep the album high in the charts, because it really deserves the success it's been getting so far.



Sheelah - Psycho

Formerly Caracola, before going through a line up change, Swedish duo Sheelah participated in Melodifestivalen 2008 in their former incarnation with the insanely catchy Smiling In Love which made it as far as 'Andra Chansen'. Psycho is rather fantastic and suggests that great things are around the corner from these girls. A pulsing electropop track with typically brilliant Scandi sparkle. The lyrics are a bit tongue in cheek and trashy but the song just hits you on the first listen and never lets go, with possibly the catchiest chorus of the year and the fantastic 'you're a dancing psychoooo-o-o-o-o-o- echoing refrain. I wouldn't be surprised if Sheelah find their way back into Melodifestivalen in the very near future, in fact maybe they should have been in this year's contest with this very song, although they would have had to shave about 9 seconds off the running time to make it eligible!!!



The Pipettes - So I'll Say Goodbye

Possibly my favourite group of 2006, We Are The Pipettes is one of the finest debut albums ever, and hailing from the same home town as me (Brighton) I feel a close link to The Pipettes, who perfectly reflect the energy and fun of the local music scene. Having lost a couple of members, acquired some more, lost them and acquired another, the current line up is Gwenno (who featured in the most popular line up) and her sister Ani. I can't claim to be blown away by what I'd heard so far of their new material. Stop The Music, the new single is good but not the stomping comeback I'd hoped for, and the other free download track, Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen left me feeling wanting more. Finally though I have found something fully worthy of my time, the band's greatest moment in my opinion since the heights of Dirty Mind and Pull Shapes. So I'll Say Goodbye is a brilliant 80's throwback fun electro pop song which has a great chorus which it explodes into about halfway through the song for the first time before returning with fantastic added backing harmonies all the way to the end. Sadly, it's been relegated to b-side status on the Stop The Music E.P. and won't feature on the album but at least it gives me a lot more promise for the new direction and new material to come.

Top Songs/Albums; WB 19/4/10

Songs



1. Lena Meyer-Landrut - Satellite (1)
2. The Pipettes - So I’ll Say Goodbye (NEW)
3. Sheelah - Psycho (3)
4. Roll Deep - Good Times (7)
5. Caro Emerald - A Night Like This (2)
6. Joshua Radin - I’d Rather Be With You (9)
7. Safura - Drip Drop (4)
8. Niamh Kavanagh - It’s For You (6)
9. Boyzone - Gave It All Away (5)
10. Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking (8)
11. Feminnem - Lako Je Sve (24)
12. Stromae - Alors On Danse (18)
13. Diana Vickers - Once (17)
14. Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane (10)
15. TV Rock feat Rudy - In The Air (Axwell Remix) (32)
16. She & Him - In The Sun (21)
17. Timoteij - Kom (11)
18. Train - Hey Soul Sister (14)
19. Kate Nash - Do Wah Doo (13)
20. Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life (20)
21. Katie Melua - The Flood (43)
22. Kelis - Acapella (34)
23. Mika vs. RedOne - Kick Ass (12)
24. Boyzone - Let Your Wall Fall Down (16)
25. Three Plus Two - Butterflies (31)
26. Keane feat K’Naan - Stop For A Minute (NEW)
27. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Naturally (Re-entry)
28. Taio Cruz feat Ke$ha - Dirty Picture (38)
29. Edward Maya feat Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love (36)
30. Mini Viva - One Touch (30)
31. Timbaland feat Justin Timberlake - Carry Out (15)
32. Brian McFadden feat Delta Goodrem - Mistakes (NEW)
33. Maria Haukaas Storeng feat Måns Zelmerlöw - Precious To Me (NEW)
34. Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight (37)
35. B.o.B. feat Bruno Mars - Nothin’ On You (41)
36. Richard Vission & Static Revenger starring Luciana - I Like That (NEW)
37. Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi (28)
38. Uffie - MC’s Can Kiss (19)
39. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Bittersweet (22)
40. Marina And The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot (33)
41. Aggro Santos feat Kimberly Wyatt - Candy (NEW)
42. B.o.B feat Hayley Williams - Airplanes (NEW)
43. The Pipettes - Stop The Music (Re-entry)
44. Shakira - Gypsy (Re-entry)
45. Pearl & The Puppets - Because I Do (NEW)
46. Kate Nash - Don’t You Want To Share This Guilt? (NEW)
47. Paula Seling feat Ovi - Playing With Fire (Re-entry)
48. Joshua Radin - Brand New Day (NEW)
49. Alexandra Burke feat Pitbull - All Night Long (40)
50. Ellie Goulding - Guns & Horses (Re-entry)

Albums

1. Boyzone - Brother (1)
2. Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You (NEW)
3. Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor (3)
4. Gabriella Cilmi - Ten (2)
5. Absolute Music 63 (NEW)
6. Joshua Radin - Simple Times (NEW)
7. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (7)
8. Melodifestivalen 2010 (6)
9. Salem Al Fakir - Ignore This (5)
10. Now 75 (4)
11. She & Him - Volume Two (8)
12. Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels (9)
13. Boyzone - Back Again…No Matter What: The Greatest Hits (14)
14. Rihanna - Rated R (12)
15. Absolute Schlager (10)
16. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (13)
17. Sugababes - Sweet 7 (11)
18. Ellie Goulding - Lights (19)
19. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (16)
20. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (18)

Top Songs/Albums; WB 12/4/10

Songs



1. Lena Meyer-Landrut - Satellite (1)
2. Caro Emerald - A Night Like This (2)
3. Sheelah - Psycho (9)
4. Safura - Drip Drop (4)
5. Boyzone - Gave It All Away (3)
6. Niamh Kavanagh - It’s For You (8)
7. Roll Deep - Good Times (11)
8. Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking (5)
9. Joshua Radin - I’d Rather Be With You (33)
10. Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane (12)
11. Timoteij - Kom (7)
12. Mika vs. RedOne - Kick Ass (15)
13. Kate Nash - Do Wah Doo (6)
14. Train - Hey Soul Sister (16)
15. Timbaland feat Justin Timberlake - Carry Out (18)
16. Boyzone - Let Your Wall Fall Down (14)
17. Diana Vickers - Once (30)
18. Stromae - Alors On Danse (25)
19. Uffie - MC’s Can Kiss (NEW)
20. Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life (10)
21. She & Him - In The Sun (NEW)
22. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Bittersweet (28)
23. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Marchin’ In (20)
24. Feminnem - Lako Je Sve (41)
25. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (13)
26. Chipmunk feat Esmée Denters - Until You Were Gone (24)
27. Staygold feat Spank Rock, Lady Tigra and Damien Adore - Backseat (17)
28. Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi (31)
29. Ghost vs. Sanne - Oh My (19)
30. Mini Viva - One Touch (46)
31. Three Plus Two - Butterflies (34)
32. TV Rock feat Rudy - In The Air (Axwell Remix) (NEW)
33. Marina And The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot (48)
34. Kelis - Acapella (45)
35. Kevin Rudolf feat Birdman, Jay Sean & Lil’ Wayne - I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) (44)
36. Edward Maya feat Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love (42)
37. Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight (40)
38. Taio Cruz feat Ke$ha - Dirty Picture (Re-entry)
39. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment (43)
40. Alexandra Burke feat Pitbull - All Night Long (37)
41. B.o.B. feat Bruno Mars - Nothin’ On You (NEW)
42. Ghost vs. Sanne - Hold This Girl (NEW)
43. Katie Melua - The Flood (NEW)
44. HURTS - Better Than Love (NEW)
45. Tom Dice - Me & My Guitar (39)
46. Natalia Kills - Activate My Heart (NEW)
47. Gabriella Cilmi - Hearts Don’t Lie (50)
48. Starshell - SuperLuva (NEW)
49. Kaci Battaglia - Crazy Possessive (Re-entry)
50. Agnes - On & On (Re-entry)

Albums

1. Boyzone - Brother (1)
2. Gabriella Cilmi - Ten (2)
3. Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor (5)
4. Now 75 (3)
5. Salem Al Fakir - Ignore This (4)
6. Melodifestivalen 2010 (6)
7. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (7)
8. She & Him - Volume Two (NEW)
9. Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels (10)
10. Absolute Schlager (9)
11. Sugababes - Sweet 7 (8)
12. Rihanna - Rated R (13)
13. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (15)
14. Boyzone - Back Again…No Matter What: The Greatest Hits (12)
15. 100 Essential Tracks: Millennium Hits (11)
16. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (17)
17. Amy MacDonald - A Curious Thing (14)
18. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (19)
19. Ellie Goulding - Lights (20)
20. NEO - Human Frontier (16)

Odd song tops the ESC odds...

With Eurovision 2010 quickly approaching - the end of next month to be precise - and with all songs confirmed, the bookies have been trying to predict what will be the most likely winners. With no obvious 'Fairytale' and last year showing that yes, Western countries can do just as well as Eastern countries with strong enough songs (and the return of jury voting - for 50% of the votes at least), it has become more wide open than ever. Indeed after Norway, Iceland and the UK filled three of the top five spots last year in the incredible 2009 contest in Russia, music and presentation/staging wise, there are three Western countries in the top five bookies odds of this year. William Hill offer the following top ten currently;

Germany 11/4

Azerbaijan 7/2

Israel 8/1

Denmark 12/1

Norway 14/1

Armenia 14/1

Croatia 14/1

Greece 25/1

Sweden 28/1

Belgium/Ireland/Turkey 33/1

So my current personal favourite song, Satellite by quirky 18 year old German Lena Meyer-Landrut is currently topping the odds. Unusual to say the least seeing as they haven't graced the top five for ten years, but hopefully this is the song to change that - it's certainly quirky and individual enough to stand out - particularly with her 22nd out of 25th in the running draw. But I can't help but think that bookies have been influenced by the fact that the song's a record breaking huge selling #1 hit in Germany - will everyone else love it as much as they do (considering she was the winner of a hugely successful TV show with ready made hype available) and will Europe vote enough for one of the 'Big 4' to win the contest or are people bitter about Spain, France, Germany and the UK's free pass to the final every year? Certainly these four countries have all done terribly in the noughties but the song quality of all four was arguably hardly as great as in the past so maybe it was deserved?

Azerbaijan's epic Timbaland style ballad Drip Drop is second favourite and my tip for the win - I just really can't fathom how Germany's quirky songstress will be of taste to everyone - she's surely too oddball to appeal to all? Way back next is Israel's classy ballad, Denmark's Starship style 80's American power anthem throwback and Norway's home entry, the You Raise Me Up clone, My Heart Is Yours by Didrik Solli-Tangen. Armenia's ok, but average in comparison to the last few years, Apricot Stone is next along with Croatia who are definitely worth an each way bet with their strong contemporary ballad. Could still win. Perennial top tenners Greece, recently underperforming Sweden and Belgium/Ireland/Turkey close off the top ten in the odds. Personally, I don't see how Greece, Israel, Denmark, Sweden, Armenia, Belgium or Norway with their terrible draw and good but over dramatic song can win this so it's a seven horse race for me between (in this order) Azerbaijan, Germany, Croatia, Turkey, Ireland, Romania and Belarus. I'm sure my views will change in the coming few weeks though.

Top Songs/Albums; WB 5/4/10

Songs



1. Lena Meyer-Landrut - Satellite (5)
2. Caro Emerald - A Night Like This (2)
3. Boyzone - Gave It All Away (3)
4. Safura - Drip Drop (10)
5. Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking (1)
6. Kate Nash - Do Wah Doo (8)
7. Timoteij - Kom (4)
8. Niamh Kavanagh - It’s For You (9)
9. Sheila - Dancing Psycho (NEW)
10. Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life (6)
11. Roll Deep - Good Times (25)
12. Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane (11)
13. Lady GaGa feat Beyoncé - Telephone (7)
14. Boyzone - Let Your Wall Fall Down (19)
15. Mika - Kick Ass (13)
16. Train - Hey Soul Sister (21)
17. Staygold feat Spank Rock, Lady Tigra and Damien Adore - Backseat (14)
18. Timbaland feat Justin Timberlake - Carry Out (23)
19. Ghost vs. Sanne - Oh My (NEW)
20. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Marchin’ In (NEW)
21. Boyzone - Ruby (16)
22. One More Time - Den Vilda (15)
23. Inna - Hot (12)
24. Chipmunk feat Esmée Denters - Until You Were Gone (30)
25. Stromae - Alors On Danse (39)
26. Trina feat Diddy and Keri Hilson - Million Dollar Girl (17)
27. Robyn - Fembot (22)
28. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Bittersweet (33)
29. Caro Emerald - Back It Up (NEW)
30. Diana Vickers - Once (Re-entry)
31. Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi (28)
32. Scouting For Girls - This Ain’t A Love Song (45)
33. Joshua Radin - I’d Rather Be With You (NEW)
34. Three Plus Two - Butterflies (NEW)
35. Sia - Clap Your Hands (42)
36. Gabriella Cilmi - Glue (26)
37. Alexandra Burke feat Pitbull - All Night Long (32)
38. Tinie Tempah - Pass Out (43)
39. Tom Dice - Me & My Guitar (35)
40. Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight (NEW)
41. Feminnem - Lako Je Sve (Re-entry)
42. Edward Maya feat Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love (Re-entry)
43. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment (46)
44. Kevin Rudolf feat Birdman, Jay Sean & Lil’ Wayne - I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) (NEW)
45. Kelis - Acapella (NEW)
46. Mini Viva - One Touch (NEW)
47. The Pipettes - Stop The Music (47)
48. Marina And The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot (NEW)
49. Caro Emerald - Riviera Life (NEW)
50. Gabriella Cilmi - Hearts Don’t Lie (50)

Albums

1. Boyzone - Brother (1)
2. Gabriella Cilmi - Ten (2)
3. Now 75 (NEW)
4. Salem Al Fakir - Ignore This (3)
5. Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor (8)
6. Melodifestivalen 2010 (4)
7. Lady GaGa - The Fame/The Fame Monster (6)
8. Sugababes - Sweet 7 (5)
9. Absolute Schlager (7)
10. Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels (10)
11. 100 Essential Tracks: Millennium Hits (12)
12. Boyzone - Back Again…No Matter What: The Greatest Hits (11)
13. Rihanna - Rated R (16)
14. Amy MacDonald - A Curious Thing (9)
15. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (15)
16. NEO - Human Frontier (13)
17. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (20)
18. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can (14)
19. Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (19)
20. Ellie Goulding - Lights (18)