Another Year In Pop: 18

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Quiet week.

[Poll #1183357]

This seems a good time to remind people that any tick - i.e. in one of the last two boxes - is better than none as it keeps the stats even at year's end.

Comments

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

It is interesting to note that the (many) Welsh speakers of Ceredigion are not exactly dashing out to embrace The Duffy. Normally everyone goes bonkers over anyone even vaguely Welsh, let alone Welsh-language-speaking (even if she doesn't perform in it) but everyone here seems rather of the attitude that we only just managed to progress into the 1980s and so retrofetishism seems a bit rude.

Also, 'Warwick Avenue' is properly crap.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Also the Kelly Rowland is really, really good. Or possibly it's just that it has Travis McCoy on it and I would do him a lot but still, the line "I'll be back in three days just like Paris' jail sentence" cannot be ignored.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I can even be bothered.

The Kelly R song is nice. Respectable, dignified Kelly singing about partying 'til dawn? LOL. Not really as good as lots of the stuff on the original album though.

Jay Sean boring, Duffy even more boring, didn't bother with One Night Only.

High hopes for Ashlee to have a reasonable-sized hit! 'Outta My Head' is top 30 now and not physically released for a few weeks yet.

Also good to see Lil' Wayne and the Wideboys/Shaznay Lewis track lurking just outside the top 40, I hope both will make it in at some point...

I wonder who is buying such vast quantities of the Sam Sparro single, and why.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Jay Sean - I can't decide if this is dreadful or amazing. His vocal is a bit limp and the backing is the WORST sort of funk-n-b, but his face is so ridiculous and and actually no it's shite isn't it.

Duffy - urrrrrrrrrgh it's a Suggs answer record nooooez. Also her and Adele seem to have hired the same video director (ie RUBBAGE). Oh the perils of living in the 60s and not having waterproof mascara. She's got a good vocal on the chorus but it's a messy melody and I'm not feeling it.

Kelly - argh it's the Gym Class Heroes dude! Actually he's not too terrible on this, but this is quite plodding. Good chorus but it needs more oomph. Not as good as Michelle Gayle's 'Sweetness'.

One Night Only - uninspiring busker-rock as per. Whilst I'd rather the youth of today tried to sound like Dodgy instead of Oasis, it's falling flat here so it's going to have to be DON'T LIKE ANY :(

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I really like "Warwick Avenue". (I even put it on the end of my latest pop mix CD.) Although I can see why others might not, especially Londoners.

It's prolly the strings wot does it for me.

IN THE CRIB AT THE CLUB ON THE BLOCK IT DON'T MATTER

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

LIL' MAMA IS AT NO 93!!! :D

Re: IN THE CRIB AT THE CLUB ON THE BLOCK IT DON'T MATTER

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

WHAT IT DO (DO)
TEDDY TO THE PIZZAIN
YOU ALREADY KNOW (KNOW)
TELL 'EM WHAT THEY MIZZAIN

Re: IN THE CRIB AT THE CLUB ON THE BLOCK IT DON'T MATTER

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

^^^

funny songs which aren't comedy

oh yeah

YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE MY MIND GON' GO
NAH I'M NOT PUERTO RICAN BUT I LIKE MANGO

(?????)

[koganbot]

My first ever DON'T LIKE ANY, and strangely enough it's from three out of four performers I've ticked in the past.

Jay Sean "Maybe": High prettiness, gentle homey bkgd, logs in the fireplace. I don't dislike this, but it's not clicking. "Ride It" was a more luxuriant ride. NONTICK. (However, I recommend Jay Sean's "I Won't Tell," on his MySpace: like Timberlake going for a reggae mournfulness, even if Sean still needs more oomph in his voice ever to come close to Timberlake.)

Duffy "Warwick Avenue": Having heard three tracks, I think I like Duffy. Sure, she's retro, and her way of going '60s undercuts any of the original cultural frisson of the styles she's biting; but the sounds themselves give me a rush. "Warwick Avenue" is unexpected in that she's attempting low-impact Otis Redding, it seems, and given that Otis never went for low-impact himself, this feels novel: like the roughneck Otis pretending he's singing lead for Temptations-style smoothies so he sweetens himself accordingly. But this is too low-impact! None of the excitement of "Rockferry" and "Mercy." Not touching me. Reluctant NONTICK.

Kelly Rowland f. Travis McCoy "Daylight": At ease in its competence, sharp drizzle from the guitar, misty accompaniment, the track immediately at a level above the Jay Sean and the Duffy. But above shmabove: I'm not connecting to a melody. Not feeling it. Travis adds life but also clumsiness. TICKLESS.

One Night Only "It's About Time": Clumsily rocked boogie funk w/ Indie Voice from the Wry Subdivision. Interesting guitar twistarounds, almost a restrained Prog, which is good in the sense that it's ambitious, at least, but I can't muster up a level of interest beyond "interesting." TICKFREE.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I guess it was too much to hope that her alBUM would make the Top 100 this week.

Go buy it people! It's good.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Is it out? PR said it was out on the 26th and sent me a 5-track sampler. This is another case where I have been hassling the PR for info since AUGUST LAST YEAR and they have failed to provide until yet more hassle elicits "oh the album's out next week!" as if that helps me in any way GRRR.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It's certainly leaked. I d/led it at the weekend but haven't had time to listen yet.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Yes! In Zavvi and HMV and everything. Only a tenner too.

[koganbot]

According to Wiki it was out last week in both the U.K and the U.S. I won't know how it charts in the U.S. until Wednesday night or Thursday. "Shawty Get Loose" jumped all the way to 10 on the Hot 100 but didn't really hang on. "L.I.F.E." isn't doing anything on radio yet.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I HATE PRS

[koganbot]

In the U.S. Lil Mama album debuts at #25 with sales of 19,000. That's poor, I think, so unless she has another hit or some kind of staying power, the album probably disappears from view quickly.