Samantha Jade - What You've Done To Me

"Feels like my feet can't touch the ground"

Samantha Jade has what might be the best X-Factor story yet. She's the (very well-deserved) winner of this year's Australian XF, despite being in the bottom two in the VERY FIRST WEEK and TWICE after that. For those longtime XF-watchers, this is pretty much unheard of. It's a real come-from-behind story. I assume viewers initially confused her polish (and semi-popstar background) as arrogance or aloofness, but throughout the competition she proved that she is one of the most talented, professional acts ever to grace the XF stage. For those who are fans of Kylie Minogue (and really, who isn't?), you must check her out. I can easily see her being Kylie's successor, as her voice and stage presence are very similar. What You've Done To Me is easily the best winner's single the show has ever had, mostly because it sounds nothing like a winner's single. This infectious piece of anthemic dance-pop could go global. It's that good.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Vin Goodwin - Swim the Wild Water (Bitrocka Remix Radio Edit)

"Let the water crash right over me"

Vin Goodwin is a UK-based singer/songwriter of the indie, acoustic variety. Usually, this would not interest me at all, but one of his tracks has been remixed into a dancefloor anthem and it's actually amazing. There's something about the melody of the verses, sped up against the electro beat, that really gets me. On one hand, it kind of reminds me of the sort of music I liked in the 90's, but on the other hand it's completely revved up to fit with our modern times. I wasn't 100% sold the first time I listened, but now I'm obsessed. Like Matt Cardle's remixed It's Only Love a few weeks ago, this is a really pleasant surprise.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Dangerous Muse - I Can't Help It

"You must have put a spell on me"

Dangerous Muse was amongst the first bands I wrote about in the beginning years of this blog and I'm so happy that they're still at it. Though they've yet to release a full album, they've been churning out singles and EPs for the last seven years. Now they're back with this excellent free track, which has totally gotten me obsessed with them again. I Can't Help It keeps many of the band's sensibilities intact. It's dark, sexy, electronic and ultra-catchy. But, there's something extra in this track that I haven't felt from the band for the past five years. It really feels like a return to form (not that they've ever released anything bad). I don't even know what it is exactly--just that elusive "it" factor.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their music here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.