A Year In Pop: 25

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

JAYSIS WHAT A SHOWER.

I refer of course to the rain that is delaying the homecomings of our merry Glastonburger revellers, not to the twelve new pop acts for your consideration this week.

[Poll #1009604]

(If you want to vote in the Pop Open, by the way, you've got about 15 minutes.)

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Simon Webbe was a member of Blue, who were a vaguely rubbish (in that they had about...two or three, maybe, BRILLIANT songs, but there was never any question that they were a rubbish band) boy band from earlier this decade. All four members were charisma vortexes (vortices?) as Webbe bears out here (Lee Ryan actually had a really great voice but never gave any indication of caring what he used it on, or indeed that he possessed any capacity to think at all - I think his crowning moment was some dumb comment along the lines of "who cares about Sept 11 when there are ELEPHANTS DYING???" (it might have been whales actually))

Blue S/D: search 'All Rise' (good), 'Bubblin' (GREAT), 'Fly By II' (rubbish but amusingly so). Destroy THE REST especially whatever song had that "one love for the hip-hop beats" line in it.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It was elephants!

"One Love" is alright. "Fly By II" (and indeed "Fly By") are their finest moments I think, tho "All Rise" and "Too Close" are good too. They were good initially then got rubbish. I am a little surprised Simon has become "the star" now though.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

He kind of fills a Lemar type role, which is surprising to me b/c surely one Lemar is more than enough.

Did you ever hear 'Bubblin' Tom?

[koganbot]

Am listening to "Bubblin'" now, and you are right, it is excellent, a really sweet BSB/*NSync knockoff, the basic pretty pretty pretty sweetboy voices with the subterranean push of r&b. This is what the current crop of Disney boys (Corbin Bleu, B5) wishes they sounded like. Fly By II is a good track but doesn't showcase the sweet voices nearly as well as "Bubblin'."

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

I always preferred Blue's "Too Close" to Next's.

Frank, if you haven't heard it (And you SHOULD have, as it was on my '05 singles list), listen to "No Worries" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87pJF1VLfXc). ignore the video, he thinks he's Seal or something and just go aaaaah, that's nice. He really can't hit the low notes, mind you, but it doesn't matter.

[koganbot]

Very nice track, though I'd attribute a lot of its beauty to the woman sampled (?) in the background.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I can imagine liking it if it was by Gabrielle or Mutya or someone with a bit of warmth to their voice, but even then in an unenthusiastic 6/10 way, and when Webbe does it...he really is a black hole of charisma. Am with Frank, the sample is the best thing about it.

[redcommieapples.livejournal.com]

Jesus I was in love with Lee for the longest time, despite the infamous elephants comment. I forgave him because dying elephants probably gave him the inspiration to sing like he did. He was the only interesting thing about the band and I'm still convinced that "Army Of Lovers" is a brilliant song (or video - I can't really separate the two).

I'd thought Blue had more than 3 or 4 great singles - but that's about it. And "Too Close" was pretty much a note for note cover of Next's song with Lee Ryan emoting on top of it. "All Rise" is great - the world needs more pop songs with courtroom metaphors.

Simon Webbe is actually the UK's most successful black male artist.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Really? I would have thought Seal would have sold more records (to date).

[redcommieapples.livejournal.com]

err, I meant currently - of the 00's. I read it in the guardian a while ago.