For a song that oscillates between slowed down versions of The Monkees’ ‘Daydream Believer’ and Womack and Womack’s ‘Teardrops’ it’s actually pretty good and his best solo offering so far. The mix of the two musical styles really suits the song and keeps your interest, and even though it’s as downbeat as you’d expect from […]
Author: Philip Lickley
Single review: Bruce Springsteen – ‘American Beauty ‘
If you’d ever wanted to know what Bruce Springsteen would sound like if he had four Jagerbombs, three pints and a half-bottle of wine and then went into a karaoke bar to record a song then fear no more because he’s helped you imagine it by recording ‘American Beauty’. It’s difficult to listen to one […]
Single review: Afrojack feat. Wrabel – ‘Ten Feet Tall’
Borrowing a few tips from Avicii’s book of songwriting, ‘Ten Feet Tall’ is another example of stirring, lifting club music with lyrics designed to empower and resonate before the dance-friendly and overly familiar chorus kicks in. It’s far better than some of the more recent genre-mirroring songs but outside of the simpler, lyrically more notable […]
Single review: The Kooks – ‘Down’
It’s a slight change in style for the Kooks who return after a couple of years away with this more experimental sound mixing in unusual percussion, a skat-influenced chorus, crowd shout-outs and a freer way of doing things. It’s not going to be a winning track for them like their most famous hits, but you […]
Single review: Indiana – ‘Solo Dancing’
With a throbbing, bassy backing that has echoes of Muse’s ‘Madness’, ‘Solo Dancing’ is a building, electronic, Moloko-inspired number with a strong beat, especially when emphasised by the clever, watchable video. With several shifts in tempo amongst the relentless electronic backing, it’s a song that doesn’t employee a central chorus or memorable moment but comes […]
Single review: DJ Cassidy feat. Robin Thicke and Jessie J – ‘Calling All Hearts’
Cassidy teams up with two heavy hitters of the music world with Jessie J being the primary contributor here, her wobbling vocals lifting the song to more heights with Thicke feeling the lesser of the contributors, his verses being a little bland. The seventies Earth, Wind and Fire feel will bring in an older audience […]
Single review: Molly – ‘Children Of The Universe’
It’s that time of year. Yes, when our Eurovision track lands. Sounding very unlike a typical cheesy Eurovision song, Molly wisely drops her surname on this release to bring a bombastic number that balances a percussion-focussed bridge with a striking verse and ethereal, Florence and the Machine-like chorus. It’s not as immediately catchy as our […]
Single review: Alicia Keys feat. Kendrick Lamar – ‘It’s On Again’
Taken from The Amazing Spider-man 2 soundtrack, ‘It’s On Again’ is at its best when Alicia Keys is singing, so much so it’s worth skipping the first thirty seconds of aggressive rap to get to the more central part of the song, the opening proving to be Lamar’s only contribution to the piece which should […]
Single Review: John Martin – ‘Anywhere For You’
“I am titanium….” Oh sorry, wrong song. But Martin’s soaring dance-ballad ‘Anywhere For You’ certainly has shades of that Guetta song in its verses, though thankfully the chorus treads its own path even if it quickly grabs the expected moments in a club song from the speeding up drum path to the breakout dance section. […]
Single Review: Jermaine Jackman – ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’
Though he sounds more like a Jackson 5 tribute artist by name, this is a very soulful cover of a Jennifer Hudson song. Jackman can certainly hit those big notes, living up to the ethos of the talent show he has sprung from. Backed by some soaring strings this is a very good cover of […]