It feels like only a few years ago, a fresh-faced girl from Hell’s Kitchen blended old school soul and modern hip-hop to create one of the definitive albums of the last twenty years. Fact is, it was over a decade ago when Songs In A Minor re-wrote the rules of R&B, selling over 13 million copies and earning her five Grammys in the one year. Alicia then backed it up with the arguably superior sequel The Diary of Alicia Keys, gaining her another nine million sales and three Grammys, proving Songs was no fluke.
Third album As I Am may have been a career lowlight (but still received positive reviews), but it delivered her biggest solo hit to date – No One. Shaken by the suggestion that her creative mojo and relevance was floundering, Alicia came back with my personal favourite, The Element of Freedom. Retaining the innovation of her debut but providing a different direction and solid production, it may have not been her biggest seller, but it was an incredible album.
Two Alicia Keys songs have recently surfaced, a hip-hop racket produced by her husband Swizz Beatz called New Day (potential lead single / train wreck) and the gorgeous and very Alicia-esque A Place of My Own, which she performs below and I implore you to watch.
In a lengthy time (over a decade), Alicia Keys has created masterpiece after masterpiece and news of another album is exciting enough for me to waste half my weekend to concoct the Top 5 Alicia Keys Songs.
5. How Come You Don’t Call Me (Songs in A Minor – 2001)
Alicia Keys is no stranger to covers. Her duet with Adam Levine, a cover of the Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses, is embarrassingly good and if it wasn’t a duet, would be placed much higher. This Prince re-do flows so naturally, it doesn’t even sound like it was recorded in a studio. Alicia’s vocals are as powerful one minute as they are vulnerable the next, making this yet another not so happy ending anthem.
4. If I Ain’t Got You (The Diary of Alicia Keys – 2003)
There are a few certainties on reality singing competitions. A stupid has-been singer who has zero relevance will annoy everyone. Someone who can’t sing for shit but has a heartfelt history will get further than they deserve. Somebody will sing If I Ain’t Got You. Why? It is an emotional apocalypse, a song that so perfectly sums up lost love that almost anyone could relate.
3. A Woman’s Worth (Songs in A Minor – 2001)
It could be the smoking hot beat, it could be the 60s girl group repeated lines, it could be her almost pornographically sexy vocals, or it could just be that it makes me feel like a strong, independent woman…A Woman’s Worth just added to the love and respect I developed for Alicia after hearing Fallin‘.
2. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (The Element of Freedom – 2009)
Many people didn’t take to The Element of Freedom. While it’s her most popular album to date in the UK, the atmospheric and epicly produced corker didn’t fare so well in the US. Fuck ‘em. The peak of this delectable slice of soul/R&B album was this instant classic and modern masterpiece ballad, with thumping percussion and tortured lyrics, “Anybody could’ve told you right from the start it’s ’bout to fall apart, so rather than hold on to a broken dream, I’ll just hold on to love.” That’s exactly what I tell myself after my third bottle of red every night.
1. Fallin’ (Songs in A Minor -2001)
The song that introduced the world to the talent. Showing teens that classical was cool and proving to anyone above 30 that R&B can be credible, Miss Keys creates her own genre, introduces herself as one of the most exciting American artists in history and goes to no.1 on the US charts.
A few days ago, kaleidoscopic chanteuse Kelis dropped her latest single Distance. Channelling early 90s Brit-Trip-Hop beats (think Massive Attack), the track is produced by dupstepper Skream…and is likely to piss off a lot of Flesh Tone fans.
That’s the thing about Kelis. Undefined by formula and unrestricted by genre, her entire career span has been one reinvention after another. Debut Kaleidoscope introduced Kelis as an alternative R&B diva, one that channelled The Neptunes at their freshest. Wanderland was perhaps Kelis’ only safe move, re-employing The Neptunes to critical applause but commercial abortion. Breakthrough Tasty requires no introduction – singles like Milkshake and Trick Me pulverised commercial radio and TV/film cameos with a classic, mainstream R&B flavour.
Unconcerned with travelling the monotonous route, Kelis released her 18-track melting pot Kelis Was Here, a fusion of traditional R&B, electro, hip-hop and even country. The album was met with less than the usual acclaim and many fans felt slightly alienated, but Kelis’ appetite for experimentation is unquenchable.
Four years, a divorce and a baby later, Kelis ditches the R&B flair in favour of another reinvention: Electro empress. Lead single Acapella became one of her boldest and best moves to date, with a scorching hot album full of electro-pop and house anthems to follow.
So how does one concoct a Best Of list by an artist as daring and experimental as Kelis? Read on and find out! As is the rule with all other Top Fives, there are no guest spots (otherwise the Calvin Harris creation Bounce would be in this list.) So without further ado…
5.Lil Star feat. Cee-Lo (Kelis Was Here – 2006)
Most people would be surprised to know that Bossy, the lead single from Kelis Was Here, is just as successful as Milkshake. While Bossy managed to sell a cool two million copies in USA, it was by no means the highlight of the album. That honour belonged to Lil Star, a stunning Cee-Lo Green duet that kicks off like the M.A.S.H theme and ends being her fifth solo UK Top 5 hit. Only in Kelisville could a cute song have such a bonkers video, where she seems to have won a Project Runway challenge of turning Aluminium foil and home insulation into some sort of Avant-Garde jacket.
4. 4th of July (Flesh Tone, 2010)
Fans of Flesh Tone could argue their favourite song until the Revolver crowds come home. Acapella re-wrote the rules of modern electro-pop while Brave throbbed with Benassi beats, but it was 4th of July (Fireworks) that left the lasting impression. A classic piano-driven dance banger (strangely nostalgic of Dario G’s Sunchyme), it was also an unusual ode to motherhood that builds upon itself until the triumphant final chorus, “You make me high, just like the sky on the fourth of July.”
3. Millionaire feat. Andre 3000 (Tasty, 2003)
Put yourself in Kelis’ shoes. You’ve just had two R&B classics and then you ring your label and say, “I want to release a bizarre, instrument-heavy and almost chorus-less funktronica rap ballad”. Clearly, Andre 3000 was taking notes when he co-starred on this jam, because his collaboration with fellow Outkast member Big Boi, I like the Way You Move, sounded like the way Millionaire moved.
Ahead of its time, Millionaire was a ballsy choice for Kelis and one that earned her a shitload of fans and respect. Not to mention Andre’s rap that walks the fine line between something my four year old niece could have written and a poetic revelation, “Wherever there are rats there are cats. Wherever there are cats there are dogs. If you got dogs you got bitches, bitches always out to put their paws on your riches. If you got riches you got glitches, if you got glitches in your life computer turn it off and then reboot it now you’re back on.” It’s like Bob Dylan and Peter Griffin co-wrote it!
2. Caught Out There (Kaleidoscope – 1999)
Aka “I hate you so much right now”, Caught Out There was an instant classic. Catchy, marketable and an anthem for late 90s teens, the song welcomed Kelis into the music market as a hybrid of Beyoncé and Pink – she’ll serenade you into bed and tell you to fuck off in the morning. As for the beats – classic Neptunes that they arguably never bettered.
1. Trick Me (Tasty, 2003)
Milkshake hit a sweet no.3 on the US Hot 100, but it was the Dallas Austin (Sugababes, Madonna, Pink) produced stomper that had every other female R&B singer creating a plan B for life. A shit hot mix of R&B, ska and reggae, Trick Me is, almost a decade on, as amazing and fresh as it was then.
I have been known to dance like Kelis to this song after as little as TWO beers, it’s that good. I have no doubt that her inventive nature will continue, but if she ever does repeat herself, she can trick us twice any day.
Over the past 25 years, Kylie Minogue has amassed millions of fans, sold 60 million records, won BRITs and a Grammy (kind are kind of like ARIAs and Logies except people actually give a shit) and turned gay man dancing sweat into millions of dollars. Not bad for someone who apparently “can’t sing”, has been turned on by the public like Milla Jovivich by rabid inside-out dogs in Resident Evil and starred in THIS!
You know that scene in The Dark Knight where Batman has to choose between Maggie Gyllanhaal and the District Attorney? That’s NOTHING on choosing your favourite Kylie Minogue singles if you’re a fan. You start wondering how Light Years (1998’s “Light Years”) was not released as a proper single, despite being, pardon the expression, light years ahead of Madonna’s Confessions on a Dancefloor? Don’t even get me started on The One (2008’s “X”), easily one of her best tracks that was given a shonky release. Don’t expect to see Where The Wild Roses Grow or Kids either, as they’re both duets.
To commemorate “K25: 25 Years of Kylie Minogue”, her performance at the Queen’s Jubilee and the release of her latest single Timebomb, here are Top 10 Kylie Minogue Singles.
10. I Should Be So Lucky (Kylie – 1987)
Everything Kylie Minogue did before the mid-90s has aged as gracefully as Bridget Bardot.
However, in the same way something can be so bad that it’s almost good again, I Should Be So Lucky has aged so badly it’s almost fresh again. With synthesisers that make her scrunchie look modern and lyrics that repeat like your lunch after seeing her outfits in this clip, the Stock, Aitken & Waterman hit is still genuinely fun 25 years after it topped the UK and Australian charts. For another example of backward ageing, check out Tears On My Pillow.
9. Breathe (Impossible Princess – 1998)
If you don’t listen carefully, the brilliance of Breathe is easily unheard. Much like the “Body Language” Chocolate or the “Kylie Minogue” Put Yourself In My Place, the track is Kylie at her minimalist best. Breathe was never going to top the charts – it wasn’t intended to – but it perfectly displayed the Impossible Princess-era alternative Kylie that briefly ruled Triple J, before her next album Light Years shot her out of the pop stratosphere. Not to mention her best album was also the one she had the most creative input into, “Don’t doubt me just because I am quiet, I’m thinking, thinking about it all.” The song should have been called Gasp, because that’s what I do like a little bitch every time it comes on my ipod.
8. All the Lovers (Aphrodite – 2011)
Everybody so desperately wanted All The Lovers to be Can’t Get You Outta My Head Again. A Modest hit in Britain, it was the perfect representation of the sound of “Aphrodite”. More I Believe in You than Can’t Get You Outta My Head, it effortlessly seduces with an electro-pop chorus as epic as the accompanying video. Apparently, all the lovers are sex-crazed, naked, tri-sexual orgy enthusiasts that have some sort of white supremacist underwear contract!
7. Love at First Sight (Fever – 2001)
You might have heard of “Fever.” It contained single after single of disco amazingness (In Your Eyes, Come Into My World anyone?) and was about as popular as one of Justin Bieber’s pubic hairs. In amongst the global Fever for Kylie, Love at First Sight was like a giant crack rock of addiction. Coming across like an entry-level Daft Punk, the song was thrashed on radio like a Matthew Newton ex. And the clip? It’s so amazing and Kylie looked so ridiculously sexy that even cargo pants became cool again, until Dannii was briefly spotted in them a few months later.
6. I Believe In You (Ultimate Kylie – 2004)
When an artist releases a best of, it’s usually some desperate ploy to sell more of the same shit or occasionally includes ‘new material’ that involves about as much creativity and effort as a wank. What does Kylie do? She adds two of the best songs of her career (Giving You Up is criminally undervalued and I’m question its absence in this list as I type.) Jake Shears’ other project, The Scissor Sisters, might have to pay for dinner using welfare cheques, but co-writing this might just be his legacy. A new wave electro-pop masterpiece, it is as simple as it is spectacular.
5. Some Kind of Bliss (Impossible Princess – 1997)
Some Kind of Bliss is famous for three reasons. It signalled the official arrival of more alternative Kylie, was co-written by the Manic Street Preachers and sold approximately three copies, give or take two. In fact, despite being a lead single, Kylie didn’t even include it on “Ultimate Kylie.” Kylie reportedly never wanted the track to be released as a lead single, but the label pushed her. Unfortunately, despite being Minogue’s most impressive album, “Impossible Princess” sold terribly but earned Kylie something that she’d never been paid: respect.
4. Confide In Me (Kylie Minogue – 1994)
Confide In Me scared the shit out of a lot of people. These people of course, had taste and had to deal with admitting that they liked a Kylie Minogue song, which was one step above admitting that your favourite weekend activity is playing spin the meth pipe. The opening string arrangement was dramatic and unsettling (as was Kylie’s makeup), the video was dark and arty and almost every Kylie enthusiast would say this is their standout moment.
3. Did It Again (Impossible Princess – 1997)
I could go on about the unforgettably bitchy lyrics, the ahead of its time usage of Indian sitar in the chorus or its appearance in Triple J’s Hottest 100…but at the end of the day, it’s all about four Kylies, scratching, throwing chairs and kicking each other like skanks. And that’s all anyone ever really wants to see, isn’t it?
2. Can’t Get You Outta My Head (Fever – 2001)
I actually remember the first time I heard this track on radio. My reaction to the first five seconds were that the “la la la”s were ridiculous and that her career was over, by the end of it I thought it was one of the greatest pop songs of all time and my credibility was over. Sounding like a revamped Blue Monday (the mash-up is seriously amazing), the track went to Number One in approximately infinity countries, becoming the biggest song of her career and one of the Top 50 highest-selling physical singles of ALL TIME. It was also recently announced as the most played song in the UK since the year 2000. Unfortunately, the same popularity was not extended to white one-piece cat suits with hoodies, complete with slutty fabric tears and red lampshade wearing back-up dancers.
1. Slow (Body Language – 2003)
Controversial choice but hear me out! There’s always been two Kylies in her career. The global disco superstar (“Light Years”, “Fever”, everything before 1995) and credible Kylie that couldn’t sell an African baby to Madonna (“Impossible Princess”, “Kylie Minogue.”) Slow, and in a way “Body Language”, was the happiest of mediums. Crazy cool but shit hot, Slow is hands-down the coolest track Kylie has ever, and will ever create. It hit Number One in Australia and UK and more importantly, caused a 3 minute and 56 second erection pandemic around the world – See below.
Anyway, the whole purpose of this is to celebrate her latest release, Timebomb, featured below:
When Coldplay emerged with their debut single Yellow in 2000, they were merely a drop of water in the wave that was Post-Britpop bands making their mark. Bands like Travis, Stereophonics, Feeder, Starsailor and Snow Patrol desperately fought for the British rock throne occupation, held by Oasis and Blur.
Cut to just over a decade later and Coldplay have released five acclaimed albums and a plethora of singles, as well as shattered their mantelpieces from the sheer weight of accolades, including seven Grammys and six BRITs.
With tickets to their latest Australian tour on pre-sale tomorrow, we discuss the Top 5 Coldplay Moments that have taken Chris Martin and co. from wannabe Britpoppers to global stadium fillers.
But first, the worst. Speed of Sound is one of the dullest, most generic pieces of drivel released by this, or any other, band.
5. Don’t Panic (Parachutes)
As strange as it sounds, Australians, Brits and Europeans were first introduced to Don’t Panic as a pop/dance track, performed by Logo feat. Dawn Joseph. First appearing before the success of Yellow, the version couldn’t have been further from Coldplay’s acoustic stunner, but remarkably still held its own.
In 2004, Zach Braff’s Garden State became a cult phenomenon, largely due to film’s attached soundtrack, which led to a huge resurgence in Don’t Panic’s popularity. Second only to baristas as the must-have café accessory, the folky pop track is the single that never was, but should have been.
4. Viva La Vida (Viva La Vida Or Death and All His Friends)
The concept of Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends made a lot of Coldplay fans nervous. Despite making three solid preceding albums, Coldplay had never really tampered much with their sound. In fact, Chris Martin had declared the first three albums as a trilogy of sorts, meaning that fans were to expect something d-d-different (pure terror for boring people that never leave the comfort of their one music genre.)
With its infectious orchestral opening, Viva La Vida established itself as one of Coldplay’s best tracks in about 13 seconds. Despite the opening sentence, “I used to rule the world”, Coldplay showed no signs of losing their dominance over the world of pop music.
The song builds upon itself steadily until the triumphant climax, by then you’re most likely screaming ‘whooooaaaa’ along with them. From start to finish, Viva La Vidais a genuine classic.
3. Paradise (Mylo Xyloto)
Every Teardrop is a Waterfall was an underwhelming choice of lead single from Mylo Xyloto and the fans feared the new electronica direction could spell the demise of Coldplay. They needed more than a hit, they needed an epic hands-in-the-air anthem that reaffirmed why Coldplay rose to the top. Paradise was that…and then some.
Blazing, synthy percussion and a chorus that makes Rihanna’s Umbrella sound like a Christmas jingle, Paradise is deservedly one of Coldplay’s biggest singles to date and almost single-handedly resurrected their credibility in the eyes of critics and the public. It’s lucky the communists didn’t get hold of those chorus “whoa-oh-ohs” back in the 1950s, or we’d all be proudly wearing red today.
2. Fix You (X & Y)
Unless you’ve avoided the final episode of almost any TV drama of the last five years (most notably The O.C.), you’ve probably heard Fix You.
Fix You isn’t a great song, it’s two. Starting off as a gorgeous organ-led ballad with Martin’s trademark falsetto, the song transforms at the halfway mark into an emotional explosion of rock instrumentals and some of Coldplay’s most haunting lyrics, “Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.”
A tribute to everything from the 2005 London bombings, Sydney’s Sound Relief and Live 8, Fix You has snowballed into one of this generation’s biggest tribute songs.
1. The Scientist (A Rush of Blood to the Head)
There are two experiences with The Scientist. The first one is listening to the track, a heartfelt and piano-driven tale of a man’s helplessness. The second – watching the video clip – is an experience.
I remember watching the video clip for The Scientist as vividly as I remember witnessing September 11. The reverse narrative story had been done before, but never as compelling as working backwards from Martin’s girlfriends car related death.
While Chris Martin may have spent a month learning to sing the lyrics backwards for the video, hearing him sing it live will haunt you for a lot longer than a month. A permanent benchmark for Coldplay, or any other band for that matter.
Nelly Furtado today gave us a taste of her new comeback single Big Hoops (Bigger The Better), featured below.
Here are five reasons why you should be very, very excited.
Um, she’s Nelly Furtado…She’s the Canadian that makes up for Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne and anything Alanis did that wasn’t Jagged Little Pill.
The production team. Nas, Salaam Remi and Tiesto. This is a complex yet solid group, indicating The Spirit Indestructible will be as diverse as Furtado’s already existing catalogue. Nas (or ex Mr Kelis) is one of the most consistent names in hip-hop, while Tiesto’s partnership with Nelly Furtado has already proven a winner on their single “Who Wants to Be Alone.” Oh, you may have heard Salaam Remi’s work. 20 million others certainly did when he produced Amy Winehouse’s last album Back To Black.
It sounds like all three albums. Furtado has confimed this and the premise is a combination of head-scratching and pure adrenalin. The poppy feel of Whoa Nelly! meets the worldly folk of Folklore meets the hip-hoppy dance of Loose? Promises, promises.
It’s not in Spanish. That is all.
It’s been six years since Loose. That is a lot of time to excite (and potentially disappoint.) Furtado’s career has been one of the most interesting in modern pop history.She explodes on to the scene with singles that sound like nothing else on radio, selling seven million copies of her debut album. She follows this up with a credible but slightly obscure album that fails to reach the commercial heights but still sells a cheeky three million. Two years later she turns up in a tank top and makes blistering hip-hop/dance anthems that turn Loose into a squillion seller. Now what?!
And here are her Top 5 Greatest Moments:
5. Try
The sales figures might have looked like “Try” was going to send Furtado into an early and unintended retirement but the song itself is an equal parts haunting and stunning ballad, with a vocal climax that propels the song into the emotional stratosphere.
4. Turn Off The Light
Furtado’s debut single “I’m Like a Bird” was catchy as, well, bird flu. However the twee optimism was a bit much for some, whereas her second hit was darker, deeper and dirtier. It also contained a better scope for Furtado’s worldly sound. One of the main instruments is a sitar for fucks sake!
3. All Good Things (Come To An End)
This song was unyielding in its addictiveness. I’d go as far as to say that the combination of the guitars and Timbaland beat in the introduction is one of the best preludes I’ve ever heard. The track is dreamy, catchy and even survives having a video clip that makes La Toya Jackson’s career look memorable. Then there’s the chorus, “Flames to dust, lovers to friends, why do all good things come to an end”? They don’t if you play the song repeatedly.
2. Maneater
Even though Furtado had spread her hip-hop wings with previous single “Promiscuous”, there was a moment of “Are you fucking serious?” when this track first came out. With a beat so ridiculously aggressive that it reportedly blew up the speakers in Timbaland’s studio, Furtado delivers a monster electro rock track that I nearly lost friendships over from overplaying.
1. Say It Right
There really isn’t much to say here. The second the beat kicks in at 0:19 and Timbaland starts “eh”ing, you know something pretty special has been created. Too slow to be a dance track but too upbeat to be a ballad, “Say It Right” is the kind of song that every singer desperately wishes had been theirs. Pure pop perfection.
Adelaide songstress Sia Furler has had a career that the millions of mass-produced pop marionette dolls could only dream of. She has released a succession of critically acclaimed albums, written and guested on songs for some of the world’s biggest stars, been the key voice of UK chill out troupe Zero 7 and now her dominance of commercial radio looks set to be ongoing as she earmarks the release of her sixth album.
Though it took the better part of a decade, Sia finally found semi-fame when her heart-wrenching ballad “Breathe Me” featured in the final moments of the critically acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under. A slow and steady three years later, she released Some People Have Real Problems, arguably her finest album to date. Tracks like “Buttons” and “Lullaby” achieved international recognition and airplay, leading to an unforgettable performance on David Letterman – America’s doors were open.
In the gap between her third and fourth album, We Are Born, Sia concentrated on her song writing skills, writing for Christina Aguilera’s epic flop, Bionic. While her contributions were the album’s memorable moments, Sia saved the best for We Are Born. An electro-pop album with heart, it received critical acclaim and hosted track after track of exceptional work.
In 2011/12, we have been introduced to a different kind of Sia – the guest star. With David Guetta’s anthemic “Titanium”, Flo Rida’s “Wild Ones” and Skip-hop Hilltop Hoods’ “I Love It”, Sia came dangerously close to being on radio more than commercials. The first two even hit no.1 in the UK.
While hearing Sia’s inimitable voice on radio is welcome, her fans yearn for her sixth album, where her immaculate song writing, compelling lyrics and momentous voice can shine.
To commemorate the release of her Best Of today, here are my Top 5 Sia Moments: (Zero 7 tracks not included but if they are foreign to you, check out “You’re My Flame”, “This Broken Social Scene” and “Destiny.”)
5. Drink To Get Drunk (Healing Is Difficult)
As much as it pains me to feature a song without an official video clip, “Drink To Get Drunk” is just too good to refuse. From the almost awkward piano melody to the glossy hip-hop beat, to the eclectic mix of instruments that shouldn’t work, all the way to lyrics that are so stupidly simple yet so completely amazing – this is the Sunday morning hair-of-the-dog theme tune for those who aren’t quite sure if they’re coming down or going up.
4. Clap Your Hands (We Are Born)
“Clap Your Hands” was the quintessential track off We Are Born, perfectly encapsulating the electro pop sound of the rest of the album. With a typically Sia clip that was equal part bonkers and cute, “Clap Your Hands” found a home on both commercial and alternative sides of the fence, becoming her first Australian Top 20 single and polling 13th in Triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2011.
3. Soon You’ll Be Found (Some People Have Real Problems)
More about the performance than the actual song (which is still stunningly haunting), this was one of the biggest stepping stones in Sia’s career. Enhancing the lyrics with sign language (Sia has many deaf fans due to her lyricism and energetic shows), Sia charmed David Letterman and guests with this sensational rendition.
2. Day Too Soon (Some People Have Real Problems)
When typical pop stars write love songs, they are usually some rubbish about being the only one in the club, or thanks to Jason Derulo’s modern day poetry, “Much more than a Grammy award, that’s how much you mean to me.” Ugh. When Sia writes a love song, it involves epic vocal and emotional crescendos, lyrics that fly flippantly between triumphant strength and trembling vulnerability and well, the most ridiculous use of a swan since Bjork attended the Oscars in 2001. Bravo.
1. Breathe Me (Colour The Small One)
Since I’ve made quite a few references, it is fair to say that the majority of Sia’s appeal lies in her lyrics. Over the top yet completely relatable, we share her story. Fitting then that the final scene of one of the most loved television shows in history featured Sia’s masterpiece. I have posted Six Feet Under’s last six minutes but I sincerely recommend finding Mylo’s remix. I’m going to do the unthinkable and nominate it as the superior “Breathe Me”. *Cowers to avoid thrown rocks*. For more truly manipulative heart wrenching, check out Sia’s “Lullaby” in the final episode of the Bic C’s debut season.
You can hear Sia Furler on Tegan & Sara’s upcoming album, while her own album should surface by late 2012.
With a new (can you believe seventh?) Sugababes album looming, the ‘Babes are in a make or break situation. Their last album, despite being more than listenable, tanked without a trace. Worringly, new single Get Sexy is so desperate in its ‘nowness’, it sounds like Lady Gaga fronting the Black Eyed Peas – The result, while still tolerable, is their worst lead single to date.
The Sugababes are definitely a band taken for granted. When they emerged as fresh faced under-age poppets, the public had their 15 minutes set on the clock. What we weren’t ready for was Overload; a dark, moody and mature semi-ballad with a killer chorus. A decent debut album filled with potential followed and since then the girls have flippantly crossed genres, substituted ‘Babes and birthed some amazing pop tunes to become arguably one of the finest pop bands of the last decade. A band which most people unknowingly like their songs, but can’t name them.
In life-threating anticipation of whether their newest album will cement them as icons or have them in the next edition of Where Are They Now? columns, I wish to revisit the finest five moments of The Sugababes…
5. About You Now (From: Change)
How good was About You Now? So good that they renamed it My Life Would Suck Without You and gave it to Kelly Clarkson. Classic Sugababes vocal harmonies, rocking synth guitars and a chorus that could inspire a pandemic all came together to keep this song at no.1 on the British charts for a full month – A feat rarely achieved.
4. Round Round (From: Angels With Dirty Faces) Round Round wasn’t a great song, it was three great songs in one. A repetitively catchy chorus that could make a grown man chant along like a teenage girl, minimalist electro, softly sung verses and a ballady bridge so out of place that it somehow works for it. If you have no reaction to this song, chances are you are dead.
3. Overload (From: One Touch)
How is it possible that one of (if not) the best songs of 2000 was co-written by a group of teenage girls?! Overload managed to differenciate itself from almost every girl band theme with its brooding harmonies and infusion of electronica and acoustics. Critics and the public alike were silenced, not since All Saints had a girl band delivered a song so critically acclaimed, later being nominated for a BRIT award for Best Single.
2. Push The Button (From: Taller In More Ways) Most fans and critics will generally argue this to be the Sugababes’ opus. Push The Button was almost aggressive in its catchiness, employing synthetic promincence, instant danceability, a hilariously camp video and lyrics so simple they just had to work, “If you’re ready for me boy, you better push the button and let me know, before I get the wrong idea and go, you’re gonna miss the freak that I control.” Brilliant! Criminally the song lost the Best Single BRIT award to Coldplay’s Speed of Sound, possibly Coldplay’s worst single to date.
1. Freak Like Me (From: Angels With Dirty Faces) To really comprehend the mind-boggling brilliance of Freak Like Me, the following must be explained: The Sugababes (with the aid of Richard X) released a mash up single in 2002, before most people even knew what they were. More than that, Freak Like Me sounds as radio-friendly now as it did when it was released seven years earlier in 2002. How many pop songs can attest to that? Singing Adina Howard’s hit Freak Like Me over Gary Numan’s pulsatingly ’80s Are Friends Electric?, the Babes achieved their first no.1 from this synthy electronic masterpiece – A summer anthem so special, it’s only downfall is that the ‘Babes might forever be unable to top it.
I thought I should also acknowledge two things: The first is my intense appreciation for Stronger. On the surface it’s Oprah style self-help balladry. Really it’s a dark number infusing elements of electronica, string arrangements and lush vocal harmonies over a minor key tonality. It’s essentially a four minute, PG rated interpretation of saying, “Get the fuck out of my life you toxic prick.” Amazing! The second is that second single, the Red-One produced About A Girl will be such a hit, Get Sexy will just be forgotten so quickly you’ll have to check wikipedia just to confirm it was ever released…Check it out, it kills Get Sexy.
