Alexandra Burke - Heartbreak On Hold

"It's time to let it go"

It's a shame that 2008 X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke's second album seems to be stalling on the charts. Honestly, from a purely music business standpoint, it's not all that surprising. She operates in a genre that's heavily competitive and overcrowded, so I'm not sure why there was such a long wait between albums. People forget. Add to that a guest-judging stint on the last season of X-Factor that didn't particularly endear her to the public and a second single that's gone nowhere, success-wise, and you've got all the ingredients of a flop. However, with all of these things working against it, the album's actually quite good. In fact, though it doesn't pack as many obvious singles as her debut, it's stronger and much more consistent. She was wise to steer her career towards a more dance-oriented sound, demonstrated particularly well by the opening title track. This is dance-pop firing on all cylinders, kind of like a modern day Donna Summer. There are a lot of excellent tracks on the album, but this should be the next single.



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

Pop Blitz 1/26/12

Santigold - Big Mouth
This definitely has some bonkers M.I.A. influence to it. I like the production (especially that frenetic hook), but I wish there was a little more focus on melody. Still, a promising return. B

Alexandra Burke - Elephant
I would have never expected such a lush, electronic sound from Burke. It's a pleasant diversion from the more straightforward pop of her debut. In fact, it doesn't sound anything like her. She's following trends, but this totally works. A-

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
Lana's not the easiest artist to love, and the verdict's out on her album, but I really enjoy her singles. This has an epic atmosphere, though it's really pretty subdued. I love the hip-hop elements of the production and the melody's quite haunting and memorable in its simplicity. A

Chris Brown - Turn Up The Music
It's no surprise that he's continued to explore the clubby side of his music after his success in that genre, but unfortunately this isn't quite as strong melodically as past singles. Not bad, but not particularly memorable either. B-

Emeli Sande - Next To Me
Emeli's certainly going for the more serious side of pop music. This isn't particularly fun or innovative, but the melody's nice enough. Still, I can't say that this track would warrant my undivided attention if it came on the radio. It's pleasant. B-

Kelly Clarkson - What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)
To me, this is Clarkson-by-numbers. I like Kelly's music, but I have trouble picking this one out of the crowd. It's anthemic, yeah, but the melody feels recycled. It sounds like the commercial to some reality show. C+

Jason Derulo - Breathing
Shania Twain recorded a song a few years back with almost the same lyrics in the chorus. That's the thing about Derulo. Nothing ever feels new. He samples in nearly every single and the sample here (is it a sample?) is by far the best part. In other words, the parts where he's not singing are awesome. The rest... not so much. C+

Your Choice: What's your favorite Pop Blitz song this week?

Pop Blitz 1/26/12 Your Choice!

Santigold - Big MouthAlexandra Burke - ElephantLana Del Rey - Born To DieChris Brown - Turn Up The MusicEmeli Sande - Next To MeKelly Clarkson - What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)Jason Derulo - Breathing

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Pop Blitz 9/8/10

Alexandra Burke - Start Without You A RedOne production, which in itself is something to be thankful for because he compliments Alexandra quite well. This wasn't on the album, but should have been. It's got a bit of novelty to it with the Caribbean feel, but it's fun late-Summer pop. B+

Cee Lo Green - FU
He's finally found another track to rival Crazy! This is great, old-school soul (though the hook's foul-mouthed lyrics are bound to get him censored). A-

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are
Currently the number one song on US itunes, this is a slightly trancey ballad that's actually better than I expected. The melody's nice, if a little boyband. It sounds very current, in a way that's pleasant now but completely forgettable down the road. B-

Taylor Swift - Mine
And she's regurgitated the same single over again. Each time, the music becomes less charming. This targets her audience perfectly, but it's just grating for the rest of us. C

Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World)
It's back to uptempo dance music for Rihanna. This is a good thing, and this is a great song. There's a danger of this sounding like everything else out there, but she definitely puts her own stamp on it. A promising taster from the new album. A

Selena Gomez & the Scene - A Year Without Rain
Ends her string of great bubblegum pop singles. This is her trying to be serious, which results in a snore of a song that's more mood than melody. Too bad. It's her first big misstep as far as singles go. C+

Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go
He was a consummate song and dance man on X-Factor, but this dials down the showmanship in favor of a Jason Mraz sound. It's not annoying, but it's not interesting either. It's just sort of there. B-

Top 50 Singles of 2009: 45-41

45. Tinchy Stryder - Take Me Back



My sole hip-hop track on the countdown, this successfully fused an intense electro beat with unstoppable (and ungrammatical) hooks.

44. Alexandra Burke - Bad Boys



Proving that she’s more interesting than Leona, this track is so ahead of anything else she’s done that it may end up as both her opening salvo and career pinnacle.

43. Fibes, Oh Fibes & Kim Wilde - Run To You



The unexpected duet of the year, this was easily the most shimmering, romantic look back at the 80’s in a year full of retro singles.

42. Sebastian Karlsson - Serial Lovers



His most upbeat song yet, the instant melody and hook proved impossible to live up to on the subsequent album.

41. Salem Al Falir - Roxy



The most joyous sounding song about STDs that I can remember, this power-pop masterpiece redefined the genres of music that Fakir could pull off.