Tag: music

Music Monday – Volume Sixty Two

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1) Adam Lambert – The Original High

Impossibly catchy synthpop title track of Adam Lambert’s latest album. Full of thumping beats, squealing synths and a flawless vocal from Lambert, it’s a perfect summer track.

2) Disclosure & Sam Smith – Omen

Disclosure & Sam Smith already proved to be a dream formula with 2013 house hit ‘Latch’, both catapulting each other to fame. As Disclosure prepare to release their sophomore album later this year, second single ‘Omen’ attempts to regain some of the magic ‘Latch’ contained and it doesn’t do a bad job in the slightest. Smith’s vocals are raw with sincerity as always, crooning over Disclosure’s usual scatty production. Not quite as good as ‘Latch’ but a fine follow-up nonetheless.

3) Nicki Minaj – The Night Is Still Young

Nicki Minaj’s musical and artist output is certainly intriguing. Hits such as ‘Superbass’, ‘Fly’ and ‘Pound The Alarm’ were tolerable catchy music hits whereas ‘Anaconda’ slipped into the ‘utter garbage’ category. Still, she is a highly successful and interesting artist who clearly has a strong following. ‘The Night is Still Young’ is her latest release and whilst described by many as a dance-pop song, it borders on becoming a ballad with it’s relatively slow tempo. It’s a great song, however, more so musically than lyrically but certainly one of Minaj’s better efforts.

4) Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away With Me

One of the most underrated females in Pop, Carly Rae Jepsen has a unique talent in being able to co-write effortlessly catchy and clean pop hits, suitable for audiences of all ages. With her seductive, airy vocals and synthpop hits, Rae Jepsen has carved herself a sucessful global career yet still seems to be largely ignored compared to other female artists such as Taylor Swift and Beyonce. ‘Run Away With Me’ is the follow-up to awesome lead single ‘I Really Like You’. Both singles are from Carly’s forthcoming album ‘Emotion’ and is produced by Shellback with assistance from Mattman & Robin (the producers of ‘Higher than Higher’ by Take That and Adam Lambert’s ‘The Original High’. It’s another fun synthpop track, a little bit 80’s with squeaky synths with shuffling percussion and powerful vocals from Rae Jepsen. One of the best songs around at the moment.

5) John Newman – Come and Get It

The British northern-soul crooner is back with massive hit ‘Come and Get It’, a catchy soul-funk track co-written by John himself with pop pioneer Greg Kurstin. It’s a huge song with powerful vocals from Newman.

6) Jessica Simpson – With You

It may be incredibly cheesy and lack credibility but ‘With You’ is pop music at its best. Pretty pop track.

7) Tame Impala – Cause I’m a Man

Gentle, dreamy psychedelic summer track by Australian band Tame Impala. Reminiscent of slow-disco hits from the 1970’s, this is a breath of fresh air in the current state of the music industry. One of my absolute favourite songs currently around.

8) Blonde ft Alex Newell – All Cried Out

Awesome track of the deep house genre with 90’s house piano riffs and incredible powerhouse vocals from American singer/actor Alex Newell.

9) George Ezra – Barcelona

Soft f0lk-styled track; the latest single from George Ezra’s incredible album ‘Wanted on Voyage’. Ezra’s rich, wise-beyond-his-years vocals really are distinctively beautiful.

10) One Direction – Drag Me Down

The killer new single from the much-loved Boyband; the first without Zayn Malik who departed the band earlier this year. It’s not as good as ‘Steal My Girl’ (lead single from the band’s last album ‘Four’) but it proves the continuity of the band’s maturer sound.

Music Monday – Volume Sixty One

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1) Aqualung ft Lianne La Havas – Eggshells

Haunting piece of electro-pop comprised of eerie synth sounds, soft beats, tinny guitars and fierce piano chords. La Havas’ soulful vocals and Aqualung’s excessively auto-tuned vocals are a surprisingly effective combination.

2) Years & Years – Memo

Stunning electropop ballad which closes Years & Years’ début album. Olly Alexander’s vocal performance is powerful and sincere as it drifts effortlessly over soft hip-hop beats, piano chords and distorted synthesisers.

3) Years & Years – Eyes Shut

Another beautiful gospel-influenced ballad with jazzy chords and soulful vocals from Olly Alexander. One of the highlights from Years & Years’ début album.

4) Years & Years – Ties

Years & Years doing what they do best; a powerful electronic piece with slamming beats, stuttering synths and sincere lyrics.

5) Seal – Kiss From A Rose

One of the most beautiful love songs ever written. Seal’s raspy vocals have a distinctive flare and powerfully soar above sweeping strings and acoustic guitar strums. It’s hard to believe this gorgeous ballad was not initially a success upon its release until it was included in the movie Batman Forever a year later. It’s also a shame Seal hasn’t maintained this level of success – his music is still just as well-written and powerful. One of the most underrated British artists around.

6) The Internet ft Kaytranada – Girl

A rich fusion of neo soul, electro and R&B with gorgeous vocals, shuffling percussion and littered with eerie sounds.

7) The Blue Nile – Sentimental Man

One of the most underrated bands of all time, not aided by their very limited output over a twenty+ year career. Gorgeous track from their 1996 album ‘Peace At Last’.

8) Nothing But Thieves – Trip Switch

LOVE this right now. Explosive track from Essex-born band Nothing But Thieves with a massive chorus. Conor Mason’s robust vocal delivery often drifting into his falsetto range really drives this powerful song.

9) Matthew Morrison & Laura Michelle Kelly – What You Mean To Me

Absolutely stunning ballad composed by Gary Barlow & Eliot Kennedy for the Broadway musical ‘Finding Neverland’. Matthew Morrison & Laura Michelle Kelly is a perfect pairing and their voices gel perfectly on this dreamy duet.

10) The Corrs – What Can I Do

Upon release in early 1998, this song wasn’t a hit until it was remixed by Tin Tin Out who added the punchy percussion and metallic guitar riffs. The remixed version was released in the summer 0f 1998 and became a massive hit. One of the greatest pop songs ever written with a syrupy sweet melody, gorgeous strings, a catchy beat and awesome vocals.

Music Monday – Volume Sixty

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1) Shania Twain – You’re Still The One

Hopelessly romantic, a little cheesy maybe but certainly very beautiful. One of the more successful Country-Pop crossover songs that enabled country music to be heard and appreciated by a wider audience. Shania’s vocals are distinctive and gorgeous, as are the harmony layered backing vocals in the chorus. One of the greatest love songs of all time.

2) En Vogue – Don’t Let Go

One of the best R&B tracks of the 90’s. Furious, whaling guitars, aggressive vocals, harsh piano chords with an awesome chorus. Those harmonies are fierce too! Girl power at its best.

3) Wolf Alice – Your Loves Whore

Wolf Alice have been my new discovery this week. Their album is definitely worth a listen, a collection of uniquely and innovatively arranged indie tracks. This is one of the most powerful songs from the album; love the sheer power of it and its slightly distorted feel.

4) Wolf Alice – Freazy

SO good. Dreamy and smooth with fierce percussion, a rich bass line, silky  harmonies and squeaky guitars. Effortlessly catchy.

5) Wolf Alice – Swallowtail

Haunting and powerful with an explosive ending.

6) R. Kelly – I Believe I Can Fly

R. Kelly at his best with his signature song. An amalgamation of R&B, Soul and Gospel music, this beautiful ballad was featured in the 1996 film ‘Space Jam’ before being included on Kelly’s 1998 album ‘R’. It’s simple but very beautiful featuring the classic 90’s key change!

7) Christina Perri – A Thousand Years

One of the most gorgeous love songs ever written. Perri’s voice is distinctively unique and drifts beautifully over minimal instrumentation. Don’t let the fact this was on the soundtrack to one of the Twilight movies influence your judgement; it’s a song that should be thought of entirely separate to the movie.

8) Joe Stone & Montell Jordan – The Party (This is how we do)

Nostalgia much?! Joe Stone gives Montell Jordan’s 90’s R&B classic ‘This is How We Do’ a makeover with thumping beats and bouncy synthesisers, resulting in a fun, updated version of the original.

9) Jose Gonzalez – Leaf off/The Cave

Stunning, soft folk-styled track. This is how music should be.

10) The Layabouts ft Portia Monique – Colours of Love

Soulful house track with funky guitar riffs, thumping percussion, a fierce bass line and soulful vocals. LOVE this!

Music Monday – Volume Fifty Nine

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1) Mark Ronson – The Giver (Radio 1 Live Lounge Performance)

Radio 1’s live lounge performances present an opportunity for artists to really demonstrate their art through adapting and arranging existing songs by other artists. This is an awesome interpretation of Duke Dumont’s ‘The Giver’. Ronson gives his cover a 90’s vibe with funky guitar riffs, a drum machine loop and whistling synthesisers. It’s a little repetitive but it’s a great version.

2) Prides – Messiah

Explosive, synthpop track by Scottish band Prides. It’s a little bit 80’s with a powerful sing-along chorus. Can’t get enough of this right now.

3) Justin Bieber, Skrillex & Diplo – Where Are U Now?

A bit of a guilty pleasure on many levels. A collaboration between two artists which I usually don’t have much time for, there is something both endearing and catchy about this EDM track. Bieber’s vocals are sincere and Skrillex and Diplo’s chaotic production adds an extra dimension to what could otherwise work perfectly well as a gorgeous ballad.

4) Flo Rida & Robin Thicke – I Don’t Like It, I Love it

Another guilty pleasure; I don’t think it is possible to shamelessly admit to enjoying any song with Flo Rida’s involvement. This is irresistibly catchy, however. Funky guitar riffs and bass lines, hand-clap percussion, silky smooth vocals from Thicke and a frighteningly seductive whistle hook, it’s the perfect pop song.

5) Major Lazer, DJ Snake and MO – Lean on

Much of this song’s success is built upon it’s amalgamation of different genres. It draws upon EDM, electropop, trap and moombhaton music, resulting in an utterly irresistible track with bouncy percussion and squeaky synthesisers. SO good.

6) Carly Rae Jepson – I really Like You

Whatever your opinion on Carly Rae Jepson, she sure knows how to write and perform catchy pop music. It is already at risk of becoming as irritating as ‘Call Me Maybe’ but for the moment, it remains the perfect pop song with Jepson’s famous breathy vocals, slamming beats and a repetitive refrain. Catchy as hell.

7) Mark Owen – Giveaway

The entirety of Owen’s solo career is criminally underrated and last album ‘The Art of Doing Nothing’ is no exception. ‘Giveaway’ is the haunting, rousing opening track, building into a catchy electropop song with Owen’s distinctive vocals echoing endlessly into the heavily synthesiser dependent backing track. Awesome song.

8) Oasis – Stand By Me

An often commercially overlooked Oasis track but just as awesome as their other material from the 90’s. Well written as always by Noel Gallagher & Liam’s prominent drool carries the song.

9) Circa Waves – My Love

This song has been a favourite of mine since the release of Circa Waves’ debut album earlier this year. There’s something incredibly beautiful about it despite it not being a ballad. It’s a massive indie track with raw electric guitars, fierce drums, driving bass lines and a passionate vocal performance by frontman Kieran Shudall. The song has been re-recorded for release as a single, an unnecessary move as the album version remains superior but it’s still awesome. I’m so glad it’s the next single.

10) Wolf Alice – Bros

LOVE this. Tinny, manic percussion, gentle vocals, a powerful driving bass line and reverberating guitars with an instantly memorable hook. One of the best songs out there right now.

Music Monday – Volume Fifty Eight

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1) Lianne La Havas – Unstoppable

Luscious piece of R&B/Soul with silky smooth vocals. Co-written by Paul Epworth, frequent collaborator with the likes of Adele & Duffy, this soul infused track is oozing with class and perfection.

2) Lianne La Havas – What You Don’t Do

Lianne La Havas is my discovery of the week and I cannot get enough of these two tracks. Her jazz-styled vocals are full of passion and soul and I love the big-band and soul infusion that underpins this catchy track.

3) Miguel – Coffee

Sexy, sultry and sleek. Miguel’s smooth vocals smother stuttering synthesisers and heavy percussion, resulting in a powerful piece of R&B perfection. Awesome lyrics to this too. Cannot get enough of this right now.

4) Miguel – What is Normal anyway?

Effortlessly smooth, with pensive lyrics and tinny guitar sounds. Miguel at his best.

5) Night Drive – Drones

Awesome electro-pop track which clearly uses elements of 1980’s electro and rock music as an influence. Catchy as hell.

6) Royworld – Dust

Irresistibly catchy pop-rock driven song with an awesome hook.

7) Teitur – One and Only

Gentle acoustic track which draws upon folk influences. Beautiful.

8) Jesse Boykins III – Plain

Awesome dance track with slightly off-pitch synthesisers, a throbbing beat, soulful vocals and gorgeous harmonies. SO good.

9) Sam Feldt ft Kimberly Anne – Show Me Love

Based upon Robin S’ massive nineties dance track of the same name, Sam Feldt gives it the 21st Century treatment and makes it more electro than dance. It’s a pleasant update of the original.

10) Shura – White Light

LOVE Shura. This is SO 80’s; imagine a hybrid of Janet Jackson & Madonna and you reach Shura. Fierce tinny drums, aggressive bass lines and funky guitar riffs, it’s catchy as hell.

Music Monday – Volume Fifty Seven

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1) Take That – Hold Up A Light

One of Take That’s best songs in their twenty five year career. So much optimism, so much energy and so much power. Mark Owen’s vocals are on point and the harmonies are perfect too. Since seeing the Take That boys live and seeing this performed live again, it’s completely reinforced what an incredible song this is.

2) Take That – The Garden

Absolutely stunning song, opener of ‘The Circus’ album. I love the little touches of production by John Shanks – from the eerie and soft opening to Howard’s stomping bridge leading into the second chorus. It’s perfect that each member gets to perform lead vocals during different sections and once again, this has to be one of the best Take That songs in their back catalogue. Gorgeous, inspiring lyrics, stunning falsetto vocals from Gary Barlow and so much power in those final explosive chorus’.

3) Take That – Flaws

Gentle but powerful ballad from the ‘III’ album. I’ve always loved this but its beauty has certainly been reinforced since seeing Mark Owen & Howard Donald’s stunning contemporary dance to it on Take That’s current tour. Very raw and very beautiful.

4) Take That – Up All Night

This was never one of my favourites from ‘The Circus’ album but I always appreciated the musicianship within it and what a great song it was overall. As the years have gone by, however, I’ve finally come to love it. I love its energy and it is the epitome of fun.

5) Finley Quaye – Sunday Shining

Heard this on the radio the other day and fell in love. Love its almost grunge-rock feel but it’s also infused with elements of Soul. Catchy with a distinctive vocal.

6) Olly Murs – Beautiful To Me

Probably my favourite Olly single in years! Catchy and emotive with beautiful lyrics, it’s a perfect pop track. Love the stomping percussion and Olly’s vocal is very strong (although the autotune usage could be reduced a little…) Can’t get enough of this right now.

7) Jennifer Lopez & Trey Songz – What You Mean to Me

Beautiful rendition of a stunning song written by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy for the Finding Neverland musical. Gorgeous lyrics and JLO & Trey sound fantastic together.

8) Rixton – Let the Road

This is utterly refreshing. The majority of this track is performed acapella before launching into a dynamic album opener. Like this band a lot.

9) Rixton – We All Want The Same Thing

I know this only featured the other week but I honestly can’t get enough of this right now. Irresistibly catchy. Pop music at its best.

10) Tinie Tempah & Jess Glynne – No Letting Go

Catchy as hell and bound to be an integral part of the soundtrack to summer 2015. Jess Glynne’s voice is just awesome. A winning combination of artists.

Music Monday – Volume Fifty Six

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1) Simply Red – Big Love

Smooth, soulful; everything Simply Red does best. Beautiful.

2) Simply Red – Love Wonders

Love the slightly dark, night-time tone of this.

3) Mark Morrison – Return of Mack

Without a doubt one of the best pop/R&B tracks of the 90’s. Funky and catchy as hell.

4) Joni Mitchell – How Do You Stop

Stunning cover that completely surpasses the original. Aided by Seal on backing vocals, this is a stunning interpretation. Joni and Seal’s voices blend beautifully together.

5) The Japanese House – Still

I love the debut EP by The Japanese House and this is one of its highlights. Produced by Matt Healy and George Daniel from The 1975, it’s a stunning piece of electro-pop full of dramatic drum breaks, layered vocals and squeaky synthesisers. Beautiful.

6) Joni Mitchell – Help Me

Love Joni Mitchell and I am slowly getting through listening to most of her discography. I absolutely love this! So uplifting, so jazzy and soulful. It’s reminiscent of cycling through the countryside on a summer’s day.

7) Jamie XX – Loud Places

Keep hearing this on the radio and it always manages to grab my attention. The distorted vocals on the chorus and the stamping beats all contribute to how endearing it is.

8) Rixton – Where are u now

Prior to hearing this on radio, I hadn’t bothered checking out the original. This absolutely blew me away and made me actually sit up and listen to Rixton properly for the first time. Harmonies are on point, the jazzy piano interpretation and eerie guitar screams are stunning. Jake Roche’s lead vocal is also fantastic. I ended up checking out the original after this and this is definitely the superior version.

9) Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River

Throwback to 2002! What a tune.

10) Justin Timberlake – I Think She Knows

Awesome interlude from the FutureSex/LoveSounds album. Love the guitar work on this.

The reinvention of The 1975…

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The+1975

1st June.

Fans of The 1975 have been waiting for this day for months. We have been subjected time and time again to the same cryptic tweet (“1st June, The 1975”) from front man Matt Healy over the past four months with the expectation of an announcement or new music.

Of course, die-hard fans will recognise this date as being an integral part in the band’s history. The origin of thee band’s name lies within a scrawled phrase Matty found on the back page of an old Beat diary he was given. Finding the use of ‘the’ prior to ‘1975’ fascinating, it became the band’s name after a multitude of others (B I G S L E E P and Drive Like I Do being just a couple of examples).

Yesterday evening, (31/05/2015) each member posted an image of a cartoon strip on their social media accounts, seemingly implying The 1975 were to disappear. The cartoon appeared to centralise on the themes of finality and change through a series of statements and speech bubbles. There’s a swipe at NME magazine, two contrasting depictions of Healy (‘Old Matty’ presented as a figure dressed in black whilst ‘new Matty’ is a male dressed in pink) and a series of gossip-y, social media inspired speech bubbles. Fans were left even further perplexed this morning upon discovering all propaganda related to The 1975; official website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages in addition to the band’s solo social media accounts had all vanished from the web.

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Fans were sent into overdrive as they perceived these manoeuvres as signifying the end of the band. This seems highly unlikely, however, considering the band’s existing success and reputation. It appears that the band is in the process of reinvention, a concept Matt Healy is obsessed with. This bold move more than likely reinforces his discontent of social media culture. Furthermore, it appears to signify the end of The 1975 as the public know them and the caricature Healy felt he had become of himself. It’s a clever move, one that’s certainly earned them publicity.

Whilst this may be an uncertain time for fans, it’s also an exciting one as it marks the beginning of a whole new era…

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Music Monday – Volume Fifty Four

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1) S Club 7 – Discotek

Catchy disco track from the ‘Seeing Double’ era that never made it onto the album. Bit of a guilty pleasure, this!

2) Rachel Stevens – Heaven Has To Wait

Rachel Stevens had a great, if short, solo career. Debut album ‘Funky Dory’ contained lots of fantastic songs and was a wonderful pop album. This is an absolutely gorgeous ballad taken from it.

3) Rachel Stevens – Blue Afternoon

Love the chilled-out, jazz feel to this track.

4) S Club 7 – Show Me Your Colours

Underrated track from the ‘Sunshine’ album. A firm favourite of many fans and this should have been a single. It’s more mature than a lot of their other material and Miss Rachel Stevens sounds fantastic on it. Moody, sultry and catchy. Awesome song.

5) Lawson – We are Kings (Acoustic)

Heard a full live performance of this and wasn’t as keen. This stripped back version is absolutely stunning, however. Andy Brown has such a great voice and his falsetto is just gorgeous. Love the message in this song.

6) Little Mix – Black Magic

One of the best pop tracks I have heard in ages. Staying loyal to the Little Mix sound but adding a little more guitar and 80’s into the mix, this is a massive step forward in the right direction for them. That guitar riff is SO nicked from ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, however…

7) The 1975 (Drive Like I Do) – One Wish

This track by The 1975 from their Drive Like I Do era recently surfaced online and it’s awesome. Even their work prior to their fame is polished and faultless. You can hear the Ladysmith Black Mambazo influence on this and a bit of The Talking Heads too. It’s simple but dreamy and irresistible with great harmonies.

8) Nathan Sykes – Kiss Me Quick

Cringey intro aside, this is incredibly catchy and really showcases Nathan’s incredible voice. Funky.

9) James Bay – Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher

I knew before even listening that James would do this classic justice and I was not wrong! It’s a very chilled out take in true James Bay style but it’s just so relaxing and beautiful. What a talent.

10) Victoria Beckham – IOU

Co-written by one of my favourite songwriters Chris Braide, I forgot all about this beautiful song until recently. Okay so it may lack credibility and may be slightly overloaded with cheese but that’s what great pop music is all about. Apparently written for husband David, this was an album track from Victoria’s debut album. Very pretty.

Music Monday – Volume Fifty Three

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1) The 1975 – Settle Down

I love every single song from The 1975’s debut album but some tracks do get more listens than others! I neglected this song for quite a while but was recently reminded of how awesome it is. The slamming beats and funky guitar riffs contribute to its catchiness.

2) Gabrielle – I Wish

90’s R&B at its best with an awesome new jack swing vibe. Smooth, soulful with a message we can all relate to, this is an underrated beauty! Gabrielle has one of my favourite voices in Pop music and is worthy of far more credit than she receives. Many only know her for ‘Dreams’, ‘Out of Reach’ and ‘Rise’ but a listen to her Greatest Hits album proves her diversity and her level of talent. Love this.

3) Broken Social Scene – Major Label Debut

I watched ‘It’s Kind of a funny story’ for the first time last week and completely fell in love with it. Funny and moving, it tells the story of a teen boy who checks himself into a mental-health clinic. These guys did the score all the way through and this song played during the credits. It’s just a great feel-good song.

4) Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

One of Queen’s best songs and certainly one of my favourites. Gives me plenty of fond memories from performing in my school production of ‘We Will Rock You’ and from seeing the musical live in the West End twice. Bowie is a legend too of course. Irresistibly good.

5) Janet Jackson – That’s The Way Love Goes

Smooth and sultry, this song captures everything Janet Jackson is as an artist. Awesome production, clever sampling of James Brown’s ‘Papa don’t take no mess’ and a timeless song.

6) Michael Jackson – Beautiful Girl

Stunning demo which appeared on Michael’s 2004 Ultimate Collection box set. The finished version (if it was ever fully completed) has never come to light but fans value this version greatly. Michael’s falsetto is gorgeous. Even his unreleased material was in a different league. Beautiful song.

7) S Club 7 – Sunshine

Track from the album with the same name, I’ve always adored this song. It’s so optimistic, so catchy and has an irresistible feel-good vibe. It’s a little bit more mature than some of their best known singles and Jon Lee’s voice is absolutely incredible on it. Some beautiful memories always return to me with this song.

8) S Club 7 – Have You Ever

Upon its release, I was never that fond of this track. Since their split, however, this song has found a place in my heart and it’s now one of my all time favourite S Club 7 songs. Written by one of my favourite songwriters Chris Braide along with Cathy Dennis (responsible for many of S Club 7’s material in addition to some of the best loved pop music over the past twenty years), this was released as Children in Need’s Official Single back in 2001. Beautiful, relatable lyrics, amazing vocals from Jo O’Meara and simply pop music at its best. Gorgeous.

9) S Club 7 – Two In A Million

Beautiful, mellow ballad from S Club 7’s début album and one of their more underrated singles. Jo O’Meara’s voice is absolutely incredible.

10) S Club 7 – S Club Party

This remains an absolute classic in the history of pop! Was very lucky to be able to experience this live once again when I saw a newly reformed S Club 7 perform live at the 02 Arena – the atmosphere was incredible during this song. Still much loved today.

 

NEW:

Album of the week:

Revolutionary Road: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Thomas Newman

Stunning score by my favourite composer, Thomas Newman. He’s been responsible for the scores of some of my favourite films e.g. American Beauty, The Green Mile & The Shawshank Redemption. His scores are always haunting and accompany any scene perfectly.