Another Year In Pop: 8

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Not an awful lot going on this week - Duffy's still at the top and the highest new entry is at 23. But I guess there must be people in the UK who haven't managed to buy the 'Valerie' single yet in the last EIGHT MONTHS, mustn't there?

[Poll #1144046]

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Taio Cruz - AMAZING as has been pointed out! UK R&B reimagined as electrohouse, but without losing any of its r&b-ness. Works as a great parallel to where US R&B is heading these days, the whole return to 4/4, too.

Chris Brown - awww I love him and won't hear a word said against him, even if his soppy ballads are only OK in a sweet "aw bless" kind of way and really he should stick to the dancey numbers.

Craig David - mm, reheated but still lukewarm '1 Thing' three years too late. The contrast between this cheap, lazy crap and Taio Cruz couldn't be sharper.

Yael Naim - good god I feel nauseous at all the twee. DREADFUL hippie bollocks lyrics! Without knowing anything at all about this, I am guessing it has been on some sort of advert? Feist suddenly has a great deal to answer for.

Mark Ronson - vile in every way. Also, he is too fat to even hatefuck now.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

NB: re Chris Brown, did anyone d/l 'No Air', that duet with Jordin Sparks I posted the other week? AMAZING. Actually he can do soppy ballads after all hurrah.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Yep, Yael Naim is on the latest Apple advert, so the Feist comparison is pretty fair!

& Yes, I downloaded No Air - it is amazing, I've been listening to that and Shawty Get Loose (which is even better) loads.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The surging chord change on "got me out here in the WATER SO DEEP" is incredible. 'Shawty Get Loose' should make everyone reevaluate Chris Brown's own 'Kiss Kiss' from last year, which got absolutely overlooked on here, but really it's a pretty brilliant, loose-limbed proto-'Shawty'.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

That Chris Brown song really really reminds me of Beyonce's Irreplaceable...and just checked and they are both written and produced by Stargate. Very similar tunes and production.

I am very excited about the Lil Mama album now

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Ditto, if it ever emerges from the mire known as "Release date scheduled for 'sometime in 2008'"

I think Stargate (with Ne-Yo!) did 'Hate That I Love You' and 'Good Girl Gone Bad' for Rihanna as well last year - I really like this new acoustic strain of sappy-but-conflicted r&b ballads.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Aha x-post! I thought I detected Ne-Yo-ishness in there.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

I figured that the recent appearance of the new single (and the involvement of Chris Brown) meant that it was finally closer to appearing. She's too good to be left pre-release purgatory for any longer.

& yep, am with you on this new style of R&B ballad

[koganbot]

Yeah, I've got "No Air," which I think is much stronger than "With You."

Chris Brown is perennially overlooked. "Run It" was totally amazing, some kind of a breakthrough, the r&b achy ballad but dipped deep in crunk darkness, Scott Storch really nailing his own style.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Me toos on "No Air". It might get my vote in the Feb "what's the best thing you heard?" poll actually.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah 'Run It' is classic 4eva - brilliantly generic, by which I mean that it's like the distilled essence of that sort of crunk-pop production, it sounds very pure. 'Gimme That' was also great! And there's a great reggae rmx of 'Yo (Excuse Me Miss)'.