POP TRUMPS: Week 11

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

The rules are here but it couldn't be simpler. 10 is the highest, 0 is the lowest, if you really don't know then go for 5. Giving reasons for your scores in the comments is encouraged!

This week our contestant is an umbrella-wielding 20-year-old from Barbados! But does she have what it takes to be top of the trumps?


Rihanna

[Poll #1169428]

Johnny Cash ratings:
- Singing voice/musical ability: 8
- Consistency: 6
- H0TTness: 5
- Dancing Skillz/Visual: 4
- Chart success: 7
- Extra-curricular activity: 7
- Party Animal Rating: 7
- Eccentricity: 6
- Legacy: 8
- Best track: Ring of Fire

Comments

[datura800.livejournal.com]

Wow I'm pretty surprised by some of the responses here. I find her to be a very blank singer who succeeds or fails on the strength of the song she's given. I also think her consistency has been shocking - two largely rubbish albums with great singles followed by a great album. I'm AMAZED anyone could rate her consistency as a '9', unless they were focusing purely on her singles.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

See below - I think I *am* rating her consistency on singles! Everything I've heard by her has been great, with the exception of about 1/3 of Good Girl Gone Bad.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Yep, I always rate consistency on singles, as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to do it in this context

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

Has to be singles for an act like Rihanna, I think.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'I'm AMAZED anyone could rate her consistency as a '9', unless they were focusing purely on her singles.'

well yeah that's what i base consistency on mainly - i never heard her first album but was surprised by how much of 'good girl gone bad' i rated.

[andthatisthat.livejournal.com]

I've always considered Rihanna to be the Rachel Stevens who got the lucky break, so I guess I kind of agree with you on that.

Tixx exxplained

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Singing/Music: I think her voice is far better suited to monotonic chanting than actual singing - she could be an awesome robot! Compared to eg Estelle there's something rly sinister and mechanical in her voice that means I can't listen to it too much in one go. An uneasy 6

Consistency: Saying all that, pretty much all her singles have been awesome. Album tracks could do with polishing 8

H0ttness: Her face scares me immensely, but she does have a lovely smile. 6

Dancing/Visual: ARRRRGH the Umbrella/Shut Up & Drive/Pls Don't Stop The Music vids are truly dreadful, the earlier stuff is unmemorable. 2

Chart success: Can't deny the stats from last year, only misses a full score as we've got to put Leona somewhere... 9

Extra-curric/PartyAnimal/Eccentricity: I know barely anything about her non-singing career apart from that she wears DREADFUL outfits quite a lot of the time. 1/3/0

Legacy: Unless she follows up with another super-amazing single I really think everyone will forget about her. She is lacking in personality, and relies too heavily on producers for her musical identity. 2

Best song: I nearly put 'Lemme Get That' because it is so amazing, but 'Pon De Replay' still sounds fab a grillion years later. Sticking power trumps all!

Re: Tixx exxplained

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

I really like the 'Umbrella' video! Agree that the others are pretty dreadful though. 'Shut Up & Drive' looks like a pr0n film with added clothes.

She's totally a 10 for hottness. I'd even go as far as giving her an 11, if such an option existed.

Re: Tixx exxplained

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

She's an easy nine and a borderline ten. I resisted the ten because there are a lot of beautiful people in pop and I don't want to load the 10s too much.

I have overthought this.

[avv.livejournal.com]

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Extra-curricular activitity gets 9 or 10 or whatever I gave it because SRSLY, girl is fucking with Beyonce's man. That's some balls right there.

[koganbot]

Having this discussion without Lex just doesn't seem right.

(Btw, I think she has a very distinctive voice, in fact maybe too distinctive, in that I wish she'd vary from her dark-brown ache more, which is one of the reasons why I liked "Lemme Get That" so much, with its Chuck Berryish nursery-rhymish chanting.)

Murderer

[koganbot]

Excellent Black Chiney Remix of "Unfaithful" streamed here. I think the track is improved by not sounding as Over The Top and Down In The Depths as the original, though I'm sure some will argue that this song works precisely because it's so Over The Top and Down In The Depths.

My first 10 for eccentricity

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Because she's NUTS and I can never actually prove it, which makes me sound way crazier than I make her out to be. Which makes her more eccentric.