Tag: pop music

Take That – III (2015 Edition) Album Review

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Upon its original release in December last year, ‘III’ was a pivotal moment in Take That’s career. Now a three-piece following the shock departure of Jason Orange and Robbie Williams returning to his solo career, the band and general public were somewhat apprehensive of the band’s future. They needn’t have worried. ‘III’ flew straight into Number One, breaking the record for the most pre-ordered album in Amazon’s history and was later certified platinum. A sold out UK arena tour followed and Take That validated their persistent presence as one of the UK’s most successful bands.

Almost one year later, ‘III’ is still as bold and buoyant as it was upon release. ‘These Days’ remains a piece of pop perfection with its Nile Rodgers Chic-like guitar riffs, disco stomping percussion and tight harmonies. 2015 addition ‘Hey Boy’ follows the same formula, mirroring camp 80’s disco. Lyrically, it’s rather lazy in comparison to the rest of the album and Owen’s rap-like vocals are questionable but the track is incessantly funky,  glimmering with Greg Kurstin’s polished production. Kurstin also steers the ship on other golden pop moments on the album. ‘If You Want It’ is a sleek pop track featuring gorgeous shimmering synths, euphonious layers of harmony and a kick-ass beat whilst the poignant ‘Freeze’ mourns the departure of Jason Orange through a dramatic ’80’s synth-pop track.

‘Progress’ producer Stuart Price returns on the more electro moments. ‘Let in the Sun’, one of the album’s highlights, is reminiscent of material by the likes of Calvin Harris; an EDM influenced track featuring gorgeous moments of falsetto by Barlow, rousing lyrics and an energised chorus. Lead vocal duties are generously handed to Owen on ‘Lovelife’, an effervescent electro track with a Parisian-sounding melody, acoustic guitar strums and stomping percussion. ‘Into The Wild’ is a dramatic and powerful track on which Take That channel The Killers, featuring eerie electro sounds, tribal drums and Owen’s distinctive bass vocals. A bizarre union of ‘Shine’ and ‘Underground Machine’ is found on ‘I Like It’, a bouncy and mechanical track which features synthesised bass, funky guitar riffs, Bee-Gee-like falsetto harmonies and as many production effects as Price can possibly toss into the mix.

Price knows how to induce softer moments in the album too. ‘Portrait’ begins tentatively with Barlow’s falseto fluttering over gentle guitar strums and timorous synthesisers before before Donald and Owen join the fold in a catchy Barber-shop-styled ‘ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba’ chorus. The lush layers of harmony and giggling synthesisers are a lovely touch in Price’s production and it’s a gorgeous, uplifting track. Howard Donald lends his lead vocal to ‘Give You My Love’, a mellow pop track which is reminiscent of Barlow’s keyboard frolicking on 1993’s ‘Everything Changes’.

John Shanks, producer of the band’s ‘Beautiful World’ and ‘The Circus’ albums brings a more organic sound to the album. ‘Flaws’ is a raw, classic Barlow-ballad which sounds as if it could have been an outtake from Barlow’s ‘Since I Saw You Last’ solo album. It’s a welcome break from the intensity of the album and a lovely track. Original album finale ‘Get Ready For It’ is a euphoric pop-rock stadium anthem abundant with ‘woah’ hooks, crashing percussion and fierce guitar strums. Shanks is also responsible for producing the bonus tracks: invigorating anthem ‘Believe’, Beatles-esque ‘Amazing’ and the spectacular power ballad ‘Do It all For Love’.

Elsewhere, Take That allow lesser-known producers to experiment with their sound. In-demand but still largely unknown producers Mattman and Robin sprinkle their magic on conventional Take That ballad ‘Higher than Higher’, another of ‘III’s’ highlights. Precarious percussion, a mesh of broken vocals and jittery synthesisers open the track before it stabilizes into a steady marching beat. Barlow delivers perfect, tender vocals whilst Donald and Owen provide gorgeous harmonies which reverberate endlessly into the spaced-out, meticulously programmed R&B track. Their ‘higher, higher than higher’ harmonies in the track’s finale somewhat bizarrely emulate an African choir but is one of many lovely touches in its arrangement and production.

Profound power-ballad ‘Will You Be There for Me?’ is comprised of descending percussion, soft plucked acoustic guitars and lavish layers of harmony. Produced by unknown producers AFSHeeN and Josh Cumbee alongside German hitmaker Toby Gad, it’s a moody R&B styled ballad with a brilliant vocal performance by Barlow. It’s yet another change in sound for Take That but one which works perfectly and is without a doubt the best of the new tracks from the 2015 edition.

WTNSS, a duo consisting of Charlie Russell and Bradley Spence, lend their production expertise to final two tracks ‘Carry Me Home’ and ‘Bird in Your Hand’. Evidently Owen’s choice of producers (the duo worked on his 2013 ‘The Art of Doing Nothing’ solo album), they bring another dimension to the album. ‘Carry Me Home’ is a folk-styled pop track featuring tribal drums in the same vein as ‘Into The Wild’, metallic guitars and an epic chorus. Once again, harmonies are diligently layered to great effect and Owen’s distinctive falsetto vocals are particularly lovely. Final track ‘Bird in Your Hand’ is a delicate piano-synth ballad on which the band’s vocals reverberate infinitely. It’s a gorgeous song which mirrors hidden Progress track ‘Flowerbed’. The track is noteworthy for featuring the song-writing credit of the late Michael C. Corson, husband of a Thatter. His lyrics found their way to team Take That and elements were used in the final product.

‘III’ has maintained its ability to impress. Whilst the new tracks don’t necessarily contain the sturdiness required to be single-release material, they are a hugely enjoyable addition to the album.

A triumphant album featuring an eclectic amalgamation of material.

  • Rating: 5/5 [Both original album and 2015 updated version.]
  • Highlights: These Days, Let in the Sun, Portrait, Higher than Higher, Freeze, Flaws, Do it all for Love, Will You Be There For Me, Bird in Your Hand.

‘III (2015 Edition)’ is available now on Polydor Records.

[You can read my original review of ‘III’ here.]

 

 

 

 

Ellie Goulding – Delirium Album Review

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Since her launch onto the music scene five years ago, Ellie Goulding has become one of the UK’s most successful artists. Largely propelled by an appearance on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ in addition to winning the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, début album ‘Lights’ was a huge success, spawning six singles. Second album ‘Halcyon’ fared even better whilst the spectacular ‘Love Me Like You Do’, taken from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack flew into Number One around the world earlier this year.

‘Delirium’ is far more of a pop effort than previous two albums. Whilst the eerie electro elements, reverberated vocals and scatty synths are still present, it’s far more upbeat in nature and is abundant with catchy pop hooks. An assortment of huge pop writers are present on the album, aiding Goulding in her venture into commercial Pop, including Ryan Tedder, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Carl Falk and Jim Eliot.

The pop-iest moments are the album’s forte. Greg Kurstin is enlisted as a writer on five tracks and each of these work beautifully. ‘Aftertaste’ is an exuberant track featuring shimmering synths, piano chords and funky guitar riffs. It’s still undoubtedly Goulding and her electro-pop but Kurstin’s production adds an extra dimension which transforms it into one of the album’s highlights. Similarly, ‘Don’t Panic’ is a pop/disco foot-stomper built around an oriental xylophone-like riff which is at times reminiscent of 80’s Madonna & Cyndi Lauper. ‘Something In The Way You Move’ is effortlessly catchy with funky bass riffs and melodic pop hooks whilst ‘Around U’ is somewhat bizarrely reminiscent of computer game music but is hugely enjoyable. It’s a breathy, synthpop track which could easily have been featured on début album ‘Lights’.

The album also uses elements of gospel-music on a selection of tracks. ‘Holding on For Life’ is a prime example, featuring a gospel choir and house piano riffs to create a unique but triumphant fusion of gospel-house. ‘We Can’t Move To This’ is built around scatty vocal clips, evolving into a nineties-house-like track with bizarre pitch-moderated vocals. Sultry power-ballad ‘Love Me Like You Do’ is slotted in nicely into the middle of the album and is still a prodigious piece of pop perfection.

‘Keep On Dancing’ is a more assertive track featuring a catchy whistling hook, descending hollow synths and dance-pop percussion whilst ‘Codes’ is a superior version of ‘On My Mind’, utilising jittery synths, meticulously programmed beats and a hugely addictive chorus.

The album does lose focus at times. Lead single ‘On My Mind’ is by far one of the worst tracks on the record. Goulding’s attempt to fuse electro-pop with R&B results in a confused track on which trap drums and rap-like vocals fall flat. Similarly, whilst undoubtedly catchy, the repetition present in ‘Don’t Need Nobody’ is more irritating than enjoyable.

Towards the end, whilst maintaining the pop and electro-pop elements, Goulding revisits the folktronica she bought to prominence on début album ‘Lights’. This is particularly the case on ‘Lost and Found’ and ‘Devotion’, two slightly intense moments featuring acoustic guitars and shimmering piano chords but feature impressive electro breaks. Second single, the dark and emotive ‘Army’ is also loyal to Goulding’s signature sound and is particularly reminiscent of material on ‘Hacylon’. It’s a gorgeous pop ballad and a stand-out moment on the album. The album closes with ‘Scream It Out’, an epic arena-anthem track with a euphoric chorus.

At sixteen tracks and almost an hour long, ‘Delirium’ is incredibly long. An album of this length is always an audacious feat but it holds its own and is largely enjoyable.

A bold, effervescent album which remains loyal to Goulding’s signature sound but exhibits the courage to place a pop spin on it.

  • Rating: 4/5.
  • Highlights: Aftertaste, Something in the Way You Move, Codes, Love Me Like You Do, Don’t Panic, Army.

‘Delirium’ is available now on Polydor records.

One Direction – Made in the A.M Album Review

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Love or hate them, there is no denying One Direction’s footprint on and significance in Pop history. In a whirlwind five year career, they have won five Brit awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, cracked the U.S and smashed records all over the world. They have been without a doubt one of the most successful exports of the UK; the biggest band since The Beatles and Simon Cowell’s superlative product.

The release of fifth album ‘Made in the A.M.’ carries an assortment of emotions for a multitude of reasons. It’s the first without Zayn Malik since his departure earlier this year and it’s the band’s final album before their hiatus. Don’t be fooled into thinking the album has taken a slap-dash approach, however. It is quite the contrary; an enthralling amalgamation of tracks of different genres.

Overall, the album largely follows the same formula as previous One Direction albums. Songwriting duties are largely handed to long-term collaborators Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott and Ed Drewett, with co-writing from all band members. Unlike previous albums, however, there is no material donated by superstar singer-songwriters. Members of McFly and Snow Patrol in addition to Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic & Ed Sheeran have all previously donated songs to the band but are noticeably absent from ‘Made in the A.M.’ Instead, the album is formed by a close-knit group of long-term One Direction songwriters.

Album opener ‘Hey Angel’ is a euphoric stadium-rock-influenced Pop track and is one of the best songs of One Direction’s career. It’s the band’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, comprised of rich orchestration, heavy stop-start percussion and is built around very few chords. ‘End of the Day’ captures similar levels of euphoria through an irresistible hand-clap Chorus. Lead single, The Police-influenced ‘Drag Me Down’ is still a powerful track with its funky reggae-styled bass riffs and its dubstep-informed chorus. Likewise, second single ‘Perfect’ is an emotive, anthemic track featuring reverberating sounds and punchy percussion whilst ‘Never Enough’ utilises a mesh of acapella vocals, a shuffling beat and Jack Johnson-like guitar strums before launching into a heavier chorus. Many elements are tossed into the mix including brass instruments, distorted synthesisers and Michael Jackson Dirty Diana-esque ‘Come on!’s’. ‘Olivia’ is another of the more enjoyable tracks from the album on which the One Direction lads have a whale of a time cramming as many syllables as possible into the verses. It’s the closest the band have come to imitating The Beatles musically and is effortlessly catchy. The band channel Fleetwood Mac on another of the album’s highlights ‘What a Feeling’, comprised of gorgeous layered harmonies and funky bass and guitar riffs. In fact, the band’s harmonies have never been cleaner and they play a significant role in the album’s success.

As always, the ballads form some of the album’s best moments. ‘If I Could Fly’ is a gentle ballad comprised of little more than a piano, cello and strings whilst ‘Infinity’ is a lovely rock-ballad which mimics Coldplay circa 2005, sounding uncannily like ‘Fix You’ during its explosive climax. The folk-infused ‘I Want to Write You a Song’ is beautifully simple and a lovely moment in the album. ‘Long Way Down’ is one of the album’s less commercial ballads but is a particular highlight. Led by gentle guitar strums, and Country-influenced wailing guitars with a low-key Chorus, it’s an exquisite addition to the album and is at times reminiscent of some of Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers’ best material in the late nineties. Another stand-out moment is found in ‘Love You Goodbye’, a track which opens tenderly with gentle piano chords & jittering synths before evolving into an emotive pop-rock ballad. It’s classic One Direction but captures far more maturity than their previous work. The weeping electric guitars which frame the second and third chorus is a beautiful addition and it is without a doubt one of One Direction’s best tracks.

Album closer ‘History’ is an enjoyable acoustic guitar-based track and whilst it rather bizarrely sounds like a Disney musical track, it closes ‘Made in the A.M.’ perfectly.

It’s clear the lads have used their influences and Pop heroes to shape the album. Michael Jackson, Jack Johnson, Coldplay, The Verve and Fleetwood Mac are just some of the artists mimicked but its this diverse range of influences which makes the album so rich in various genres.

The album is not quite as compelling as ‘Four’, but is a diverse and hugely enjoyable album nevertheless.

  • Rating: 4/5
  • Album Highlights: Hey Angel, Perfect, Long Way Down, Olivia, What a Feeling, Love You Goodbye.

‘Made in the A.M.’ is available now on Columbia/Syco records.

Selena Gomez – Revival Album Review

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The transformation of a former Disney star into a mature, credible pop artist was never going to be a walk in the park. Many have tried: Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff (one of the more successful acts who somehow managed to also retain her sanity) with varying results. Attempting to crack the music industry is not a new venture for Selena Gomez; her voyage into the world of pop music has been in full flow since 2009. What is new, however, is her attempt to promote herself as a viable adult artist.

Selena Gomez came to prominence as an actress in the Disney channel series “Wizards of Waverly Place”, appearing in the show until its conclusion in 2012. She then formed her own band, Selena Gomez & the Scene, in the hopes of achieving a successful crossover into music. After releasing three moderately successful albums, Gomez announced the band would be taking a hiatus to focus on other projects. Presumably ‘other projects’ was a euphemism to obscure her desire to be a star in her own right. Début album ‘Stars Dance’ was rapidly released in 2013 to mixed reviews, most of the negative focus placed on the generic production.

‘Revival’ is largely a continuation into maturity for Gomez. The teeny pop anthems have been replaced by pop influenced by bouncy EDM, tropical beach house and an overall far more mature sound. Littered with overt sex references, at times it’s all rather forced as Gomez does everything in her power to dismiss her Disney image and substantiate her new-found maturity.

Overall, however, it works rather nicely. First track “Revival” opens with Gomez reciting a poetic passage prior to the arrival of resilient beats and tropical house synths. It’s a  rather low-key introductory track but one which executes its purpose efficiently. “Hands to Myself” relies on minimal instrumentation, buoyant percussion and Gomez’s supple vocals whilst “Same Old Love” utilises moody piano riffs, hip-hop beats and Gomez’s honeyed vocals. “Sober” is reminiscent of some of Taylor Swift’s best work on ‘1989’, built around fidgety vocal samples, slamming ’80’s-esque percussion and jittering synthesisers. Sultry summer smash ‘Good For You’ maintains its ascendancy, abundant with sensuality, Gomez’s breathy vocals and assistance from A$AP Rocky whilst ‘Me & The Rhythm’ is a tropical-dance pop track built around catchy pop hooks and steel-pan-like sound effects. The album’s sole ballad ‘Camouflage’ is a stunning piano ballad; the album’s best fit for Gomez’s gentle vocals.

The album’s weaker points lie in the final three tracks.  ‘Survivors’ attempts to break into a club-friendly pop sound but falls flat. ‘Body Heat’ utilises Latin rhythmical influences and Spanish guitar strums but lacks character whilst album closer ‘Rise’ is a disarray of electronic elements.

The main flaw with ‘Revival’ is that Gomez fails to stamp her identity on the pop world. Whilst refreshingly avoiding the mainstream 80’s-pop revival currently very much present in the UK Singles chart, there is no innovation or trademark sound that emerges from it.

A step in the right direction but with room for improvement.

Rating: 3/5.

Revival is out now on Interscope/Polydor records.

The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness Album Review

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“Go tell your friends about it”, Canadian artist Abel Tesfaye croons on track three of latest album ‘Beauty Behind the Madness’. Indeed, it’s an album which boasts amorality, self-absorption and an insensate panorama of life. It is not the first of Tesfaye’s works; this is his second album and fifth collection of songs following three mix tapes and début album ‘Kiss Land’. But whilst ‘Kiss Land’ was a moderate success, it is latest offering ‘Beauty Behind the Madness’ that has captured the public’s attention. Largely propelled by huge single ‘Earned It’, certified platinum in the United Kingdom and best known for being featured in this years Fifty Shades of Grey movie, The Weeknd is fastly becoming the latest R&B sensation to hit the commercial music scene.

‘Beauty Behind the Madness’ adopts a nothing-to-hide approach, presenting themes such as no-strings-attached sex, drug usage, self destruction, the pursuit of fame and disloyal women amongst an eclectic amalgamation of thumping hip-hop beats, shiny brass instruments, syrupy-rich layered harmonies, funky bass lines and weeping guitars. It is a descent into melancholic psychedelia but one which thankfully avoids over-saturation through clever production and an assortment of genres.

Much of the album is an 80’s impelled anthology. ‘Real Life’ opens with irate synthesisers and crashing beats whilst ‘Losers’, a duet with Labrinth, utilises the piano in a similar fashion to Kanye West’s ‘Heartless’. Much of the album continues in the same way; eerie reverberations, clever production and Tesfaye’s angelic vocals smother symphonic scores. ‘As You Are’ borrows ’80’s gated pummelled percussion and clinking synthesisers with more reverberation than the dark side itself. It’s one of the album’s triumphant successes, however; a theatrical sound-scape in which Tesfaye vows to take his lover as they are, scars and all. ‘In The Night’ utilises a shuffle rhythm, growling bass and an irresistibly catchy melody.

Other moments slant heavily into hip-hop territory; ‘Often’ is comprised of a mesh of shrill sound-effects and Tesfaye’s salacious admission of doing it ‘often’. Lead single ‘The Hills’ is a song with instrumentation so precarious, it is a direct reflection of its lyrical content; a narrative about a plummeting sexual relationship. One of the more successful hip-hop tracks is ‘Tell Your Friends’ – a song so rife with hubris, Kanye West would be envious. It comes as no surprise, then, that Mr West himself is responsible for the production of this gentle R&B jam. Fluttering synthesisers and jazzy staccato piano chords make this track reminiscent of West’s ‘808’s and Heartbreak’ album. Whilst the album’s abundance of remarks such as ‘these b*****s’, these ‘n*****s’ and comments upon genitalia don’t come as a surprise, they are not the most fitting complement to Tesfaye’s innocent falsetto whispers. At times the contrast between the two becomes a little unnerving.

Thankfully, the sullen nature of the album is broken up by the odd injection of pop; the primary method Tesfaye has captured the public’s attention is through the selection of radio-friendly singles. Bleak waltz-ballad ‘Earned It’ known for its inclusion in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is still captivating with its dramatic orchestration and sacharine sweet vocals. It is still as fierce as it was upon release. Still, even the pop moments disguise darker undertones; latest single ‘I Can’t Feel My Face’ is an ode to Tesfaye’s love of sex and cocaine, cleverly obscured by its radio-friendly pop sound. Co-written by songwriting genius Max Martin (the mastermind behind hits by Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys and Katy Perry amongst countless others), Tesfaye does his best imitation of the King of Pop, drizzling his falsetto-ridden vocals over a funky bass line and tight percussion. It’s catchy, slick and pop music at its best. ‘Who’s gonna f*** you like me?” Tesfaye pines on saturnine acoustic guitar ballad ‘Shameless’. It’s another of the more pop-py moments on the album but one which works beautifully, complete with a warped guitar solo.

Tesfaye depends greatly on mainstream pop individuals on this album, enlisting Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Ray, Labrinth and Kanye West to name a few. ‘Dark Times’, a collaboration with Sheeran is a sulky waltz-like track in the same vein as ‘Earned It’ whilst the Lana Del Ray duet never quite reaches the heights it could. Nevertheless, the collaborations have resulted in an enthralling assortment of tracks.

It’s a dark, moody, seductive and powerful album, an innovative addition to the music industry.

Rating: 5/5.

‘Beauty Behind the Madness’ is out now on XO-Rebulic Records.

Carly Rae Jepsen – Understated and Underrated Pop Princess.

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The rise of Carly Rae Jepsen has been somewhat remarkable. The Canadian sweetheart first came to prominence on Canadian Idol back in 2007, finishing a respectable third. Of course over the years, the Pop Idol has become largely overshadowed by Simon Cowell’s replacement international franchise X Factor which currently runs in thirty four countries over the world. Despite this, the ‘Idol’ franchise continues to run in some countries simultaneously. Whilst such programmes often produce successful acts, they rarely become superstars in anywhere else but their home country (though Leona Lewis & Kelly Clarkson have both proved to be an exception to the norm.) So when Rae-Jepsen placed third in 2007’s Canadian Idol, chances of worldwide success appeared slim. After all, when has a winner of Canadian Idol ever become the next big thing over here in the UK? Exactly. But somehow, gentle and unassuming Carly cracked the big time.

carly 3As is often the case, success was not immediate; début album ‘Tug of War’ was released on a tiny independent label with no mainstream release until three years later when she began working on her follow-up album. It was the writing of one song that changed everything. That song is of course ‘Call Me Maybe’. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, ‘Call Me Maybe’ was written by Jepsen with Tavish Crowe as a folk song until Josh Ramsay transformed it into a teen dance-pop track. The song’s eventual success was largely the responsibility of Justin Bieber who tweeted the song to his millions of Twitter followers before increasing its popularity even further a month later when appearing in a viral video in which he lip-synced the track along with Selena Gomez and Ashley Tisdale. Perhaps this isn’t surprising when Bieber himself is considered a teen-bopper by many and isn’t exactly swimming in credibility. Nevertheless, Bieber’s assistance resulted in the snowball effect in which the song was picked up by radio stations and music channels worldwide, on heavy rotation which resulted in it becoming a Number One hit in eighteen countries; an impressive feat. It was nominated for two grammy awards and won MTV’s ‘Song of the Year’ award in 2012. Rae-Jepsen’s grip on the world was only reinforced later that same year upon the release of her second album ‘Kiss’, released to overall positive response.

This year, Jepsen returned triumphantly with the exceptionally catchy ‘I Really Like You’, accompanied by a comical music video starring Tom Hanks. It became another hit in Jepsen’s back catalogue and follow up ‘Run Away With Me’ has also been soaring high into the music charts in multiple countries. Both singles, whilst remaining faithful to Jepsen’s signature pop-sound, have hinted at a more 1980’s synthpop sound, adding an extra layer of depth. No wonder then, that forthcoming album ‘E-M-O-T-I-O-N’ (released in the UK on the 18th of September) is one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. The pop world is all about 1980’s synth/electro-pop so the release of ‘E-M-O-T-I-O-N’ has been impeccably timed.
carlyraejepsen5Whilst Jepsen’s commercial performance has been hugely successful, she remains a greatly overshadowed artist in the fickle world of pop music. In an industry that increasingly objectifies women and removes the focus from vocal and artistry talent, placing it on personality, controversy and appearance, many women become lost in the haze of the music industry. Rhianna, Beyonce and Taylor Swift tend to dominate for their colourful personal lives and vibrant fashion sense. Indeed, they each also have extensive collections of hits and are largely talented but the emphasis is equally placed on matters other than the music. It is somewhat refreshing then, that Rae Jepsen seemingly avoids association with controversy is also refreshing in an age where disputation is the main attraction in pop careers. No matter the opinion of the most cynical music fans, her talent to write catchy and memorable pop hits cannot be denied. ‘Call Me Maybe’ undoubtedly became bloody irritating after a few weeks but it remains one of the best hits in Pop History. Furthermore, her sultry, squeaky and quirky vocals make her refreshing to listen to in an industry dominated by auto-tune and instinctive vocals.

The longevity of a pop career can never be guaranteed in a rapidly changing industry. Nevertheless, if her musical output remains as strong as is currently the case, understated and underrated pop princess Carly Rae Jepsen can expect a very long and fruitful music career.

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Music Monday – Volume Sixty Three

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  1. Selena Gomez & A$AP Rocky – Good For You

Moody and seductive, Gomez is pulling out all the stops to emphasise her new-found maturity. It never quite reaches its full potential; it’s crying out for a huge climax towards the end of the song but with its provocative message and the inclusion of A$Ap Rocky’s rap, it’s a step in the right direction of producing more grown-up music.

2) Jack Garratt – Weathered

Jittery with fierce beats, grunge-y guitars and a silky smooth vocal delivery from Garratt. It’s a huge song with fantastic production.

3) Jennifer Lopez – Play

Throwback to when J-Lo was still producing GOOD music. Drawing upon Prince and Madonna for influence, it’s a catchy and funk-driven dance-pop track with squeaky synths and slamming beats. One of the best pop tracks from the noughties era.

4) Leona Lewis – Fire Under My Feet

Explosive comeback single for 2006 X Factor winner Leona Lewis. Unfortunately, the lead single from Lewis’ forthcoming album has fallen under the radar due to slack promotion from new label Island/Def Jam. With stomping percussion layered with hand claps and moody piano chords, it’s Lewis at her best.

5) Chris Brown – Don’t Judge Me

Sombre, sulky and aching with sincerity, this is Brown at his best. The lyrical content is straight from the heart and Brown croons passionately over stuttering percussion and remote production.

6) Mark Owen – Makin’ Out

Much of this blog discusses how underrated I consider Mark Owen’s solo discography to be but I shall continue to reinforce my point! Quirky rock-fuelled track from Owen’s 2005 album ‘How The Mighty Fall’, this single was only a moderate success and deserved to fare far better. Brilliant lyrics and powerful vocal delivery from Owen as always.

7) Taylor Swift – Bad Blood

The album version is far superior to the single version with Kendrick Lamar although Lamar’s rap does not particularly detract from the power of the song. Fierce.

8) Taylor Swift – Style

Still one of Swift’s best singles of her career so far. Moody and sultry with funky 80’s styled guitars and crashing percussion.

9) Take That – Today I’ve Lost You

One of the most underrated songs of Take That’s career. Originally written as the follow up to 1995’s massive hit ‘Back For Food’, Barlow saved this one (many other songs written for what would have been Take That’s follow up album to ‘Nobody Else’ appeared on Barlow’s debut album ‘Open Road’) and it was recorded for the band’s 2005 Greatest Hits compilation. Barlow’s gentle vocals trickle over a soft and organic backing track, comprised of soft guitar strums and piano chords, sweeping strings and an awesome guitar solo. It’s a shame this was never taken further and released as a single; it’s a beautifully written and performed song.

10) Gary Barlow – My Commitment

Schmaltz-y love song from Barlow’s début solo album ‘Open Road’ which screams ’90’s!’ with its heavily programmed drum machine and glittery pianos. Co-written with songwriting legend Diane Warren, this is a beautiful ballad with a lovely message.