Another Year In Pop: 49

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

A brand new number 1 for Leona - good news, it's not the karaoke version! Elsewhere, 'Womanizer' moves up to 3, and there are some surprising re-entries for Will Young and Miley Cyrus (both jumping 30-odd places each - I assume they've been on the telly in the last week).

Last week's top ten poll was won by Beyonce, with Girls Aloud close behind.

[Poll #1311497]

Christmas mentalism watch: as well as Mariah (17), The Pogues (19) and Wham (36), we have Basshunter's 'Jingle Bells', Shakin' Stevens, Wizzard and Slade all in the top 50, plus Perry Como, Band Aid and Chris Rea in the top 75. It's only going to get worse next week...

(no subject)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The soft grain of Brandy's voice is one of those sounds in pop that I never realise just quite how much I love - it's something I often turn to when fragile or hungover, and her 2004 album Afrodisiac is an all-time favourite 4eva. She always manages to seem quietly unassuming even when singing declarative ryde-or-die epics (like her last single, 'Right Here (Departed)', and its somewhat messianic/beatific video) - the combination of cosmic scope and intimate feel is a very effective one, even though it means she'll never have a single of the magnitude of, say, 'Umbrella' or 'No One'. The same applies to her new single, 'Long Distance', which is a powerballad of rather immense proportions and an excellent video: