Yet Another Year In Pop: 2

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

The first new number one of 2009 is claimed by Lady Gaga! Alex Burke falls down to no.4, Britney dons the ringmaster's hat and Coolio reappears in the top 40 after making an ar5e of himself on Celebrity Big Brother.

[Poll #1329714]

Comments

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

What commercial and/or teen soap was "Gangsta's Paradise" featured in???

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Coolio is currently a contestant on our Celebrity Big Brother, which has reminded 5 million or so people of his (and the song's) existence.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I might have to join them cuz I have never had an mp3 of it :/

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

See above - he's been on Celebrity Big Brother for the past ten days or so.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

What, I'm supposed to read posts before contributing to them now?

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Britney Spears - "Circus": Not amazing, but a solid song and definitely worth a tick.
Coolio - Great song, but a re-entry, so I didn't tick it.
Jason Mraz - "I'm Yours": The local Top 40 radio station here constantly plays this song. I actually like it, it's sunny.
Pink - "Sober": Really disappointing, no tick.
Alesha Dixon: Haven't heard it. Will listen later and then decide.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

"Breathe Slow" - a pretty mediocre R&B ballad. No tick.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Britters - Circus is the worst song on Circus.
Coolio - I didn't like this that much the first time round? It's not bad, but Coolio has been such a knob on CBB that I am not going to give him a tick.
Jason & Pink - not heard
Alesha - BORING.

:(

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

I ticked Britney and Coolio, both fairly reluctantly ("any good at all" rather than "must download ASAP"!). 'Sober' is a really disappointing follow-up to 'So What'.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Britney - Too slow, so not as much of a club jam as it wants to be. Still solid. 'If U Seek Amy' is the next single, which I'm much more enthusiastic about. HA HA HEE HEE HA HA HO.

Coolio - liked it then, like it now, haven't seen a second of Sleb BB and don't intend to.

Jason Mraz - ugh sensitive white men

Pink - the video for this is HILARIOUS, it is like a weird amalgam of Bjork videos (the digital double-head effects from 'Hunter', the OMG SHE'S SHAGGING HERSELF from 'All Is Full Of Love') with extra hammy (VERY hammy) emo acting. The song is better than the last in that it doesn't hurt my head but it's a bit dull and putting half a bar of silence in after you say the word "silence" is about the lamest way to copy Alanis Morissette that I can think of.

Alesha Dixon - this has grown on me a bit - she has tremendous character in her voice - but I'm not sure if it quite shakes off the feeling of a B(ritish)-rate 'No Air'.

Oh well, two non-committal ticks is better than we've had for a while, and at least none of these people are Lady Gaga.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

*two non-committal ticks and a committed one for an ancient track

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm just relistening to 'Circus' and it's slightly better than I remember...grinding, rather than exciting, but the grinding gives it some intensity.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm also relistening to 'Breathe Slow' and it too is better than I remember! I was wrong about the 'No Air' comparison - the songs are similar but while Jordin & Chris wallow gloriously and uninhibitedly in their distress, Alesha's is all about her internal battle with herself - you can hear her hurt and how she wants to explode along with the big chord changes, and how having to restrain herself exacerbates the pain. I really like the lyrical perspective too.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I downloaded a bosh version of "Sober" but that didn't improve it much. Tempted to dole out a tick just for the video tho. But maybe not.

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

Jason Mraz - ugh sensitive white men

Oh, come on. I hold no candle for Jason Mraz but was that necessary?

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Why did I tick "not heard any" when Gangstas Paradise... anyway, my tick for that = "has not watched CBB". Alesha gets a vote because she is luvvly. *wibble*

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

MUCH WORSE THAN LAST WEEK

i can't be bothered to tick 'Circus' - agree with Kat i think. 5/10 and you need a 6 from me for tickage. same goes for Alesha. not bothering to hear Pink.

my favourite Coolio single is 'Fantastic Voyage'

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Forgot that Michelle Pffftfffieffer was in the "Gangsta's Paradise" video. Oh, Dangerous Minds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6voHeEa3ig

We're gonna party like it's 1599

[koganbot]

Weird Al

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Britney = reentry and therefore under my rules is disqualified from tickage just as much as Coolio. But I didn't tick this the first time round anyway.

Mraz has a nice tune, definitely any good at all. Agree w/ majority above regarding the P!nk song :(

Not heard Alesha yet.

[koganbot]

Didn't tick "Circus" owing to my already having ticked it on December 8. Didn't tick "Gangsta's Paradise" owing to my policy of not ticking revivals except when I do tick revivals. Didn't tick Jason owing to my preferring his other version of this song. So...

Pink "Sober": Reading what she's said about this song, it's supposed to be about a triumph, finding a way to leave the nutso party and to be happy when not drunk etc. But when I listen to it, it sure feels saturated with loss. So she doesn't know what she's saying, as usual - but finally she/they chose a single I like, first since 2002. She's still overusing her anguished burr, but she's not battering us with it this time. The melody is something of a lift from "Behind These Hazel Eyes." TICK.

(Songwriters on "Sober": Marcella Araico, Kara DioGuardi, Nathaniel "Danja" Hills, Pink)

Alesha Dixon "Breathe Slow": She exhorts herself to keep her composure, while new-agey throbs make her feel comfy, and OK song gives her voice something to do. Organizes slush into something reasonable. BORDERLINE TICK.

[koganbot]

(The fact that so few people remember that "Circus" showed up a month ago is in itself damning commentary on the song.)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I nearly went back and had a look, then decided I couldn't be bothered :)

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Oh. I thought you had deliberately let it in on the grounds that it's a new year / poll set.

Please don't apply this rule if The Script re-enters next week :)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This happened with Kylie's "Wow" last year I think! (And it did better 2nd time out!)

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I actually downloaded Coolio.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

the poptimist's poptimist strikes again :-)

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I don't like 'Circus' and I didn't like 'Womanizer' and I don't like the thirty seconds I've heard of 'If You Seek Amy' and I'm going to write Britney a very annoyed letter about all this.

'Sober' is fvcking brilliant, especially the Bimbo Jones mix. And I like 'Breathe Slow'! It has nice synthy bits.

Gangsta's Paradise is and always has been great but I'm following the policy of not ticking re-entries.

I quite like Jason Mraz.