ballad

1) William Fitzsimmons – I had to carry her

I love this guy. His entire discography has this soft, soothing quality about it like a hot drink on a bitter winter’s day, that makes everything seem okay. The studio version hasn’t surfaced on YouTube yet but here’s a pleasant live performance of it. Beautiful song.

2) Victoria Beckham – Let Your Head Go

Guilty pleasure, as most of the Spice Girls’ solo material tends to be! In all fairness, whilst Victoria lacked vocal ability (she’s definitely found her niche in fashion designing), her brief pop career was enjoyable. She produced some great pop hits. This is dance-pop at its best; irresistibly catchy.

3) Will Young – Blue

Despite being a long-term fan of Will, new album ‘85% Proof’ left me greatly underwhelmed. Previous album ‘Echoes’ marked a change in direction but it had flare. ‘85% Proof’ falls a little bit flat for me – there’s no particular stand-out track strong enough to represent the album (hence why lead single ‘Love Revolution’ failed to make the Top 40). 85% Proof isn’t awful – it’s well written and has a nice flow to it, it’s just not really my thing if I am honest. This is one of a sheer minority that I enjoyed a lot during my listening experience, however. It’s got a ’70’s feel to it – a kind of glam-rock sound.

4) Backstreet Boys – She’s a Dream

Lyrics aside (a boyband declaring that “Shorty ain’t got cable, she don’t even got a radio” is rather idiosyncratic but what more can you expect from a song co-written by T-Pain?!) this is a fine piece of R&B. It feels like all participants have had a somewhat fantastic time tampering with as many gadgets and effects on this one, especially with its over-usage of autotune, but its rich harmonies and catchy beat make it an irresistible track.

5) Lemar – Very Best

Lemar’s last album ‘Invincible’ was criminally underrated. It marked a departure from his usual R&B/Soul sound and advanced more into a pop-rock territory. Unfortunately, it massively underperformed which is a real shame when it’s such a strong, enjoyable album. “Very Best” is one of its high points, a rather sweet and sentimental affair with a powerful message. The middle eight (1:56 – 2:19) is also one of my favourite parts of a song ever.

6) 5ive – Let’s Dance

One of the first singles I ever bought. Pop perfection.

7) S Club 7 – Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You

Catchy disco-pop from the group’s final album ‘Seeing Double’. It’s a little more mature than the group’s earlier material but still manages to be catchy with an irresistible sing-along chorus.

8) Alesha Dixon – The Way We Are

I’m not a massive fan of Alesha or her music, although ‘To Love Again’, written by Gary Barlow & John Shanks was a beautiful song and ‘The Boy Does Nothing’ was a great track too. This is enjoyable, however. Catchy and a return to her Garage roots.

9) A1 – Caught in the Middle

Without a doubt, one of the greatest boyband ballads ever. I wouldn’t even regard this as a guilty pleasure, it’s that bloody good. More mature than the band’s earlier work, this was a risk that paid off and this became a massive hit back in 2002. That middle eight is awesome too.

10) Wet Wet Wet – Goodnight Girl

One of my all time favourite love songs. Marti Pellow has such a beautiful voice and the layered harmonies are gorgeous. I love the concept of the song too.

It’s been a while since I last blogged. I’ve found it difficult to find the energy or time to do so recently but believe me, I’ve missed it. I have a bit of spare time at my hands for the next week or so, so I’m hoping to publish some thoughts I’ve had for a while. I really hope you enjoy reading them and I hope to update this more in the future. This blog is about a song that means a lot to me.

Listening to your favourite band’s brand new album in four years was always going to be a special experience. Beingwhisked off on a journey through a brand new set of songs, learning new lyrics and falling deeper in love with them is an indescribable feeling. When Take That released ‘III’, I was impossibly excited alongside many other Thatters. I was familiar with some of the songs already due to hearing them on the radio but others were completely brand new. Even the ones I’d previously heard sounded different, better when hearing them in the context of the album. There’s nothing quite like listening to an album from start to finish, especially for the first time.

‘III’ is one of those albums where every song is euphoric and fantastically written. I was really, really loving my first listen. The first five songs had really taken me up to the clouds and the last one, ‘Portrait’ was already cemented in my collection of favourites. Then on came Track 6, ‘Higher than Higher’ and that changed everything.

A lot of what makes the track so perfectly created, for me, is the insane production by little-known American duo Mattman and Robin. It begins all sophisticated and cool; the jittery production in the opening to the song sounds like nothing Take That has ever released before. Gary Barlow’s low vocals then emerge and melt effortlessly into a marching beat and minimal instrumentation. Barlow’s famous tenor range glides through the bridge which launches into a lovely sing-song chorus. A repeated ‘You’re lifting me up’ is scattered throughout the song which echoes endlessly into the commodious production of the track and only serves to make it even more endearing. The acoustic guitar strums are meticulously placed over kicking, programmed drums and the classic Take That harmonies are thrown into the mix to produce a gorgeous and catchy chorus, a quest for happiness. The middle eight allows the song to simmer gently for a few seconds as Barlow’s chocolate vocals re-emerge whilst Mark Owen’s beautiful, resounding ‘Higher than Higher’ refrain slowly crescendos into the climax of the song. The final minute is layered perfectly; Gary Barlow’s lead vocal drizzled over the methodically programmed backing track, Howard Donald’s glimmering backing vocals and Owen’s emulation of an African choir chant of ‘Higher than Higher’. It’s just an absolutely stunning song; one which makes it a welcome addition to Take That’s ballad collection but is given a refreshing twist by Mattman and Robin’s fidgety programming to venture into a brand new sound for the band.

Recently I haven’t been feeling my best and ‘Higher than Higher’ has empowered me to be strong and has been my support mechanism. I listen to it every single day and I’m still not tiring of it. I interpret the term ‘Higher than Higher’ to be about being infinite and limitless in your capabilities whilst the song itself is for anyone or anything that gives you the strength, courage and love to carry on even when things have been dark and difficult. For me, I know who I think of every time I fill my head and heart with this song and I thank those people from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you Take That for writing such an important, beautiful and empowering song.