Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be....GIRLS ALOUD

Youtube has been creating mini celebs for a good five year now. The sheer volume of content that now resides on the site is astronomic. Not an often covered band commercially, there is a plethora of amateur performers impersonating Girls Aloud on youtube. Some of it is fascinating, some of it is dire and most of it is half-hearted, but i have picked out a few of my favs below:

Absent Elk - The Loving Kind
Girls Aloud goes brit pop. One comment on the video noted it sounded like The Verve, and i have to agree. It's got a northern, late-nineties feel to it.


Remitocoko - Can't Speak French
A cute little french guy does 'Can't Speak French', as ironic as when the girls did their french version.


Rudi Douglas - The Loving Kind
Another cover of 'The Loving Kind', this time more melodic and restrained. Reminiscent of the candlelight mixes of well known club tracks.


Little Boots and Mrs Chinaski - Sexy! No No No
Before she became 'Little Boots - Voice of 2009' this is a somewhat hap-hazard version of 'Sexy! No No No', but it has some brilliant moments.

Going GaGa for Kylie

Everybody is talking about Lady GaGa and whilst the critics are comparing her to the obvious - Madonna and Aguilera - it seems her inspiration has come from an all more unlikely source. Namely that of Kylie Minogue. It was the video to GaGa's next single, 'Poker Face' that alerted me to this. Then, after considering 'Just Dance' i soon realised that there were several similarities to Miss Minogue. Odd, i know, but bear with me.

First off i would like to draw attention to the video in question which bears a few similar themes to those Kylie used in her 'On A Night Like This' video. Whilst i am not suggesting it is a carbon copy, as Kylie's is a homage to Seventies chic, GaGa surely cements herself in an 80's throw back. However, some highly contentious pictorial evidence of some unexplainable matches is presented below.

First off we have the 'exiting the swimming pool' shot, the Minogue doing anything to gain the attention of her older male clients, whilst GaGa is presumably just trying to get attention from anyone.


Both dripping wet they then remove an item of clothing from their bodies. In fact they both remove an item of clothing from their bodies and hurl them - with GaGa it is her mask, Kylie, though, does one better and takes her whole flipping dress off!


A bit later on we have both of our ladies entering a highly stylised party. Kylie prefers a more high end James Bond type location, whilst Lady GaGa slums it in a plush rich-brat pad.


Both girls then enjoy a bit of gambling.


And show off a rather fetching bit of ring-bling.


So yes the video's ARE very similar. But what of the songs? Well if we go back to Kylie's 'Light Year' days, from which 'On A Night Like This' is taken, we see her first cut from said album (the greatest comback of the year 2000) 'Spinning Around' as an infectious, dancefloor filler that hit the UK top spot. It had a video that, again, was highly styled around a certain era (in this case 70s) and created a full blown fashion trend (bringing hot pants back).

Ring any bells? Of course, Lady GaGa's debut, the infectious number one dancefloor filler that is 'Just Dance'. With it's highly stylised video that paid homage to a certain era in time (the 80s) and led to a new fashion trend (ridiculous sunglasses) it's hard not to see so many similarities.

With the follow ups, 'Poker Face' and 'On A Night Like This', they both toned down a poppier disco sound, and traded it for a grittier and much more sexier sounding song.


Need anymore reasons to convince you that Lady GaGa really, actually does wants to look like Kylie?

Here's one:


And another:


One more for luck:


So there we have it, there is nothing new about Lady GaGa's image she has simply turned 70's Kylie into 80's GaGa, whether she knew she was doing it or not is another blog post altogether!

Oh, and here, enjoy the videos (both are killer songs!)

Lady GaGa - Poker Face
Uploaded by LadyGaga

Kylie Minogue - On a night like this
Uploaded by MovieFanQS

A song from Jazmine Sullivan

I've only heard a bit about Jazmine Sullivan, but found this song and have really started to love it. Nominated for Grammy Best New Artist this year, she has already made an impact in the US. Her name has been buzzing round the internet for a while now. I guess they are just waiting for the right time, or right song to hit the UK with.

'Lions, Tigers and Bear' could perhaps be a bizzare song title, but the plucky, orchestral music combined with her yearning vocal make the song altogether interesting and mesmerising.

It's not Danny, but it's still a 'La Roux'

Recently heavily featured in the annual 'New Faces of....(in this case 2009) lists'. It's La Roux. An electro pop dance band who site Goldfrapp and Eurythmics as the blue print. Namely a highly stylised front woman with a penchant for quirky clothes and extravagant dance moves masking a reclusive genius male producer. Both equally brilliant, co-existing in perfect pop harmony. Their first mainstream release is the strutting, slinky, sexual 'Quicksand'. With it's James Bond's opening credits go to Ibiza and meet Tilda Swinton-esque video featuring a giant Pineapple, i have them pined down as appealing to a cretain defined demographic. Whilst the song isn't immediately mainstream, it has fashion show and cult following written all over it. A supporting spot with Lily Allen won't do them any harm either.

The Liberty X Factor

Since Michelle Heaton is living it up on Celebrity Big Brother, i felt it timely to write about Liberty X. Of course they were a flash in the pop pan, but for me they left a heavy mark. I was a huge fan back in the day and 'Just A Little' was my favourite song from that era. Their second album is deffo worth a listen as it contains some brilliant tracks. Like the ballads 'Forever' and 'Maybe'. If you ever find yourself in the company of said album, titled 'Being Somebody', then give it a listen!

Untouchable by Girls Aloud IS sonic perfection// Quote - Unquote

I recently stumbled across this Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=34299827163&ref=ts) which summerised how i felt about the best track on Girls Aloud's new album and their second best album track EVER (after 'Black Jacks'). It takes a few listens to get into, but once you hear that KILLER verse by Nadine regarding lonley dancing robots being beautiful (see 4.51), every time you listen the thrill of the moment that vocal appears will never leave you!

Beyonce - B'Day: A Re-Assessment

Since her number one last year, and an amazing pair of performances on the X Factor finale, Beyonce has once again been thrust into the Great British consciousness. Having religiously bought her solo albums, i generally have been a sinful singles follower and not paid as much attention to the album tracks. One of my favourite things about music is the 're-discover'; when a song that you once skipped or missed out first time round somehow re-emerges itself to you and you are forced to seek it out. An I-Pod resurrection occurs and suddenly you become very familiar with a song that is often a few years, sometimes decades old.

With this in mind i always keep an ear out for old songs that i may have not 'got' (or been alive) first time round. This happened with the British public and Beyonce in December regarding 'Listen'. I had always liked the song, being a 'Dreamgirls' fan, so it doesn't really apply to the above theory. However whilst watching our newly fitted Sky + (yes, Jersey really is years behind the UK!), i was skipping through the music channels when 'Suga Mama' from Beyonce's second solo album 'B-Day' popped up. I stopped in my tracks to be mesmerised by the final minute of this black and white romp of a video. Riding a bucking bronco, rolling her head like a snake with hair flying everywhere; Beyonce was wailing like she was singing in a gospel choir. It was a case of me experiencing the best part of the video and realising i just HAD to listen to that song again. Although the song was never released as a single, the bootylicious one had created several extra videos from a re-released of said album during 2007.

'Suga Mama' is a forceful, sassy, bombastic belter, sounding just enough like 'One Thing' to be similar without being a copy. It has some excellently ludicrous lyrics about Jolly Ranchers and Waffle cones, that fits so well with the 70s funk feel of the track. When i fished out my copy of the re-release i watched the video again, realising that it had perhaps inspired her work for the recent 'Single Ladies', the black and white video, the back up dancers.

Beyonce - Suga Mama
Uploaded by EtienneEvolution

During the time re-equainting myself with the video package, i also happened to flick to 'Upgrade U', which also immediately then proclaimed its place on the 'Loving at the Moment...' playlist on my I-Pod. A year or two ahead of it's time, 'Upgrade U' now sounds like Beyonce doing Lil' Wayne, when in fact he later covered the song and then went on to rule the American airwaves in 2008 with beats not dissimilar to those on 'Upgrade U'. Take away Beyonce's dominating trumpet and your left with the 'popping' and whistling which are very 2008. The video is another sexually charged shot of pure sugar coated gloss, including Beyonce impersonating Jay-Z (who features on the track). These two tracks are about two and a half years old and quite frankly proof that she really is on top of and ahead of her game. May Queen Beyonce's reign, for now, continue.

BEYONCE - UPGRADE U [feat. JAY-Z]
Uploaded by JNUELZ

# 1 - Top 20 Singles 2008

Duffy - Warwick Avenue
(written by Duffy, Hogarth & White; 2007; UK #3; May 2008)

And so to the best single of 2008. Whilst the list is ballad heavy, it really has been the women's year. From Blue Eyed soul, to R'n'B beats, Electro pop to Retro pastiche, 2008 was the year the girls would dominate. From the first note 'Warwick Avenue' is captivating. It's the ode to what could have been, the last chance, the last goodbye. It's retro, and it's moving and it's epic. With a video so simple and so fitting for the song, real emotion like this had not been seen since Sinead O'Connor confessed that nothing compared too you. 2008 was Duffy's year, with the biggest selling album of the year, 'Rockferry' a million seller, she will have to work fucking hard to beat this beauty of a song.

Best Lyric: "When i get to Warwick Avenue/ I'll tell you, baby, that we're through"

Duffy - Warwick Avenue (HQ)
Uploaded by wonderful-life1989

# 2

Rihanna - Take A Bow
(written by Smith, Hermansen & Eriksen; 2008; UK #1; May 2008)

Since Umbrella, Rihanna has barely left the UK Top 40, her songs have permeated the UK market for over a year a half now. She has released eight songs from her album 'Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded', and all of them has peaked higher than number 30, seven in the top 20, and five of those hit the Top 5. This was her second number one, and her best effort since that song - 'Umbrella'. A scornful, powerful and excepting ballad, it showed Rihanna's softer and vulnerable side, utilising her roboticesque vocals to great effect. Written by Ne-Yo who also wrote 'Unfaithful' and collaborated with her on one of the albums tracks. 'Take A Bow' was the best R'n'B song of 2008.

Best Lyric: "And the award for The Best Liar, goes to you"

Rihanna - Take A Bow
Uploaded by Rihanna

# 3

Adele - Make You Feel My Love
(written by Dylan; 1997; UK #26; November 2008)

On 5th May 1988 Adele Adkins was born, 9 years later singing legend Bob Dylan achieved his critical comeback with the album 'Time Out Of Mind', then, in 2007, when working on her album '19' Adele would stumbled across 'Make You Feel My Love' from said album. Whilst not wanting to include cover versions on her debut, she felt compelled to include her version of this song. 'It summed up everything i wanted to say' Adkins is quoted as saying, and thank god it did. The tone and style of her voice fits the song perfectly, as with 'Hometown Glory' there is a deep sense of emotion about her subject. Even though the song was over ten years old, it fitted perfectly with the rest of Adele's set and was the live lounge performance of 2008. Captivating, emotional, raw and utterly beautiful, this was the year's best and most profound cover.

Best Lyric: "I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue/ I'd go crawling down the avenue"

# 4

Sam Sparro - Black and Gold
(written by Sparro & Rogg; 2007; UK #2; April 2008)

What is it about 'Black and Gold' that makes it so infectious? With an Existentialistic theme it posed the age old philisophical question about the world and life, but as an electro dance pop masterpiece. Unforgettable, inescapeable and uttlery blooming brilliant.....oh yeah and in case you're wondering black and gold refers to the night sky and the stars.

Best Lyric: "If vision is the only validation/ Then most of my life isn't real"

# 5

September - Cry For You
(written by Von Der Burg, Bhagavan & Von Der Burg; 2005; UK #5; April 2008)

The Swedish do good pop, fact. With ABBA, Robyn and even A*Teens cracked out a few pop gems, the scandinavians walk the fine line separating cheese and credible pop. Riding the crest of the some what 'Chavvy' dance music that is continually lapped up by the alcopop swilling lads and ladettes of Great Britain, 'Cry For You' is dancey enough to be played in the clubs, whilst being pop enough to actually be any good. It's the kind of song that heard in the background sounds awful, but listened to at full blast in the confines of one's bedroom, it's real charm is revelaed. Once you give it a chance you find it hard not to like it. Featuring a Bronski Beat sample, first recorded back in 2005, it was remixed and updated for it's 2008 UK release. All in all it is a brilliant kiss off record.

Best Lyric: "You'll never see me again/ No matter what you do"

# 6

Girls Aloud - Can't Speak French
(written by Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Coler, Lei & Williams; 2007; UK #9; March 2008)

With their tongue firmly placed in cheek, Girls Aloud's third and final release from 'Tangled Up'. Sounding nothing like either 'Sexy! No No No' nor 'Call the Shots', 'Can't Speak French' was still pure Girls Aloud genius. With bizarre, quirky lyrics, a Marie Antoinette inspired video and even a version sung in French, this was Girls Aloud at their most post-modern.

Best Lyric: "I can't speak french/ So i'll let the funky music do the talking"

# 7

Adele - Hometown Glory
(written by Adkins & White; 2007; UK #19; July 2008)

'Hometown Glory' is Adele's love song to London. It's her magnum opus, and although 'Chasing Pavements' was a bigger hit, it will probably be the song she is still known for in years to come. It's special because it is so simple, yet so emotional. The crescendo of the instrumental is perfectly complemented by the rising passion in her voice. It's haunting, and beautiful, it's unlike anything else on her album, yet it's so instantly recognisable as Adele, and it was the most mesmerising moment of season 2 of Skins. All in all it is unforgettable.

Best Lyric: "You get the people and the government/ Everybody taking different sides"

# 8

Girls Aloud - The Promise
(written by Cooper, Higgins, Resch, Jones & Williams; 2008; UK #1; October 2008)

Anything you can do, Girls Aloud can do it better. That was the message to several bands who decided to try their hand at the retro vibe that has swept the UK music scene since Amy Winehouse released 'Back to Black'. 'The Promise' almost saw the girls each embody a different star from the era. Sarah Harding was of course playing Twiggy and anyone whose seen the video will agree, whilst Kimberley Walsh would be the Dusty Springfield due to her husky tones. The rest, well Cheryl Cole played Sophia Loren (the looks), Nicola Roberts became Lulu (the ginger) and Nadine Coyle was Ronnie Spector (the voice). An insanely catchy hook, a sweeping middle eight and a key change were all in a day's work for the song that saw Girls Aloud claim there first non charity number one since their debut. It has been apparent for a few albums now, but is there anything Xenomania cannot do?!

Best Lyric: "Giving up just looking into windows, yeah"

# 9

Alesha Dixon - The Boy Does Nothing
(written by Dixon, Higgins, Cooper & Xenomania; 2008; UK #5; October 2008)

'The Boy Does Nothing' is what you get when you cross Strictly Come Dancing champion/ Rapper MC Alesha Dixon channeling Lou Bega with Girls Aloud writer, producers, craftsmen Xenomania. A jazzy, saucy, dancy, cheeky, infectious, brassy slice of Mambo ensued, quickly followed by a Top 5 chart position and the reawakening of music career that just over a year ago seemed left for dead. All in all a triumph.

Best Lyric: "And if the man can't dance, he gets no second chance"

# 10

Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight
(written by Erikson, Hermansen & Smith; 2008; UK #11; September 2008)

Jennifer Hudson is the most successful reality TV contestant ever. In 2004 she came 7th in American Idol 3, less than three years later she had a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Oscar. 2007 became a year she would never forget. 2008 she released her debut album and it became another year she would never forget, but for entirely different reasons. Starting the year off with a gutsy and endearing performance in 'Sex and the City The Movie', then the release of the stellar 'Spotlight', her year quickly turned tragic when her mother, brother and nephew were all found murdered in October. 'Spotlight' itself is a slick, plunky, piano based confessional. It's definitely a grower, not a shower, and after a few listens it draws you in and finds it hard to leave. The release of the albums second track has been put on hold whilst Hudson comes to terms with her devastating loss.

Best Lyric: " Well, i don't like living under your spotlight/ Just because you think i might find somebody worthy"

# 11

Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes
(written by White; 2008; UK #27; May 2008)

Not a song in french, but L.E.S. stands for Lower East Side, a hip and trendy area of NYC. Santogold came to the attention of the nation due to the use of her track 'Creator' in the VO5 commercial, and instantly recognisable due to the insanely catchy hook. The follow up was a song almost in two parts with a funky broken verse giving way to a soaring emancipating chorus. Recently Santogold, real name Santi White, has been working with Pharrell and releasing her debut album.

Best Lyric: "You don't know me/ I am in introvert an excavator"

# 12

The Saturdays - Up
(written by Romdhane, Larossi & Wroldsen; 2008; UK #5; October 2008)

Whilst the Sugababes were off sampling Ernie K. Doe and Girls Aloud were busy channeling Spector, the UK's up-and-coming girl band slotted in to whip up the electopop sound that was currently lying vacant. Single one was a Yazoo sampling robotesque gem, but it was song number two that propelled them into the UK top 5 and became one of the most recognisable singles of the year. Consisting of two former S Club Juniors who were crafted by the hand of Simon Fuller, it would be hard to discount them as a two hit wonder.

Best Lyric: "This is the crossing at the main intersection/ Up is where we go from here/ Finest selection/ This could take us anywhere"

# 13

Solange - I Decided pt 2
(written by Knowles & Williams; 2007; UK #27; August 2008)

Whilst Beyonce is forced to pander to commercial tastes, her younger and some what more funkier sister Solange is able to push a few of her boundaries. Part 1 is a hand clap sampling romp that out Motowned Motown, but Part 2, remixed by the Freemasons, is a dancefloor filling epic that should have been more popular than it was. The songs' parent album is also full of retro inspired fare named 'SoL-AngeL and the Hadly St. Dreams', and includes credits from Mark Ronson, Cee-Lo Green and The Neptunes.

Best Lyric: "You were running running me down/ Telling me telling me, wait"