Pop Blitz 6/17/11

Black Eyed Peas - Don't Stop The Party
I'm not sure that BEP has released any singles from this latest album that I've liked. This definitely doesn't break the pattern. It's not as irritating as a few of the others, but it's not as effortlessly catchy as their best work. The production's better than the hooks. C-

Selena Gomez & The Scene - Bang Bang Bang
Not technically a single (just a promo release), but I wanted to include it because I (surprisingly) have really fallen for this song. It's like a tween version of La Roux's Bulletproof. I LOVE the synth production and the general laid-back coolness of this. She's growing up! A-

Nicole Scherzinger - Right There (ft. 50 Cent)
It's not up there with the prior two singles (particularly the brilliant Don't Hold Your Breath), and I hate the unnecessary 50 Cent feature, but this has grown on me. I like the hook, and that's about it. Problem is, it doesn't have much of an impact when all's said and done. B-

Eric Saade - Hearts In The Air (ft. J-Son)
It's not as strong as Popular, but this is still a decent follow-up. The verses are better than the chorus (which sounds a little too familiar). It's enough to get me excited for the album, though. B+

Shania Twain - Today Is Your Day
It is so GOOD to hear Shania again. This gets instantly higher marks just for that. The song itself is pretty underwhelming... not one of her better ballads. But she sounds great and there's a catchy guitar hook buried somewhere in here. B

Jason Derulo - Don't Wanna Go Home
This is probably the most important single for him as far as longevity is concerned. The multiple samples used make this more of a hodgepodge than an actual original song, but the production's reliably glossy. I think the jury's out. All this has done is confused me. B-

Cher Lloyd - Swagger Jagger
Oh, how I loved Cher Lloyd in X-Factor last year. However, this track is all of her worst tendencies thrown into one song. Whereas I'm not sure about the Jason Derulo song, the sample here (Oh My Darling Clementine? Really??) does not work at all. What the hell did they do to her? D+

Pop Blitz 3/17/11

George Michael - True Faith
Michael comes back with a midtempo track (a cover of the New Order hit) that overuses vocoder effects. He's got one of the best pop voices of all time, so what's with the electronics? And why can't we get something more uptempo (or at least with a better melody)? C-

Glee Cast - Loser Like Me
Glee remains as frustrating as it is entertaining. There's more potential than this radio-friendly track displays, but it's not bad, either. Next time, they need to opt for a more unique sound that capitalizes on their use of choral harmonies. B

Selena Gomez - Who Says
It's a brief (hopefully) pit stop to "uplifting" Taylor Swift-esque material for the Disney star. It's actually not as bad as I feared. The production's catchy enough, but I wish it was in another language so that I couldn't understand the lame lyrics. C+

The Wanted - Gold Forever
They're really building up a strong set of singles. This is the exact direction I was hoping they'd follow -- more electronic, more dramatic and uptempo. It's a promising sign for their second album, whenever they decide to release it. A

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello
If this is what it takes to give Dragonette a world-wide audience, I'm totally okay with it. It's not the band's best track (and yeah, I know it's Solveig's song, but it sounds enough like Dragonette to be classified as such), but even their average material is heads above most everything else. A-

Jessie J - Price Tag
Honestly, isn't the chorus to this exactly the same as Pink's "F**king Perfect" (another song that completely underwhelmed me)? I just don't get the hype over this. It's dull, predictable and forgettable. What am I missing? C+

Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough
How can one band be responsible for both some of the worst songs and best songs on the past few years? This isn't close to their low point (that would be previous single, the vomitatious "The Time (Dirty Bit)") but it's no "I Gotta Feeling," either. It's simply alright. B-

Pop Blitz 10/22/10

Black Eyed Peas - The Time (The Dirty Bit) Okay, so it's basically just a cover track of the Dirty Dancing song with some obnoxious sound effects (and even worse rapping) in between. Lazy, which wouldn't be so bad if this was listenable. D

Take That - The Flood
A strong comeback, with a lot of Robbie time. It's as majestic as modern radio pop gets, with a huge chorus and "sing it from the mountain tops" verses. Not quite as good as Patience was, though. A-

The Wanted - Heart Vacancy
Another boyband... from an old to new. The Wanted had a surprisingly excellent debut single. This is less excellent and far more in keeping with the genre, but it's pleasant enough. Still, they should be doing better.C+

Duck Sauce - Barbara Streisand
My god, the things they make songs out of these days. Take a riff from an old Boney M song and repeat a name over the top and that's it. Literally, that's it. It's a testament to how strong the riff is. Without that, this would be nothing but a name. B

Pet Shop Boys - Together
It's always nice to hear something new from PSB. On first listen, I wasn't sure if this was more of a hit or a b-side, but it's grown on me. The layered chorus is gorgeous. It's a very dense dance track with a lot to listen to. B+

Ke$ha - We R Who We R
Well, she's got a formula and she's sticking to it. If you've heard any of her songs, you'll know what this sounds like (maybe with a little of Taio Cruz's Dynamite thrown in). It's a dreadful concoction she's got going on. Lowest common denominator. (but still not as bad as that BEP song) D

Willow Smith - Whip My Hair
The whole Smith family nepotism thing drives me insane, so I came into this already annoyed. I just find it all a little creepy and... lifeless, somehow. This song was long-rumored to be a Rihanna track and thank god it wasn't because it's irritating as hell. Whatever happened to melody with some staying power? D+

Pop Blitz 2/3/10

Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood
I'm still not entirely in love with Marina's voice, though that's more of a personal thing. However, the song's quite nice. Subtle in a way... it doesn't really hit you over the head the first time. It's a real grower. Hopefully that means longevity. B+

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
I'm not a country fan but I can see why this is taking America by storm right now. Somehow it sounds more like a big 80's ballad than anything. There's nothing like it on the radio right now. Very pretty. A-

Jedward - Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) (ft. Vanilla Ice)
I'd probably hate this if I hadn't followed John & Edward on X-Factor. As it stands, it's a super fun slice of novelty pop. And it does the impossible: makes Vanilla Ice tolerable! B+

Pink - Glitter In The Air
Her performance at the Grammys catapulted this non-single to hit status and unearthed a buried gem. It's one of her most delicate ballads. Reminds me of the late 90's. A-

Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be
This is absolute crap, and represents the worst side of BEP. It's not a song. It's noise. The military could use it to drive Bin Laden out of hiding. F

Iyaz - Solo
Horrible. Basically, he took a classic song, changed the lyrics and sang it horribly. I can't believe that something like this could even be deemed radio-worthy. D-

Jason Derulo - In My Head
Maybe he won't be a one hit wonder, after all. This sounds a hell of a lot like Chris Brown, and possesses exactly 0% originality, but it's pretty catchy. Could've been a LOT worse. B

Top 50 Singles of 2009: 35-31

35. Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling



Ubiquitous this year, and more maddening each time it was played, it’s easy to forget that when this first came out it was instantly the group’s high point. I just don’t want to hear it again for awhile.

34. Aqua - Back To The 80’s



A shamelessly nostalgic dance track composed of little more than a list of 80’s high points. It should have been horrible, but the melody keeps it in epic territory.

33. Erik Hassle - Hurtful



The only song on this list that I think still has a chance of crossing over big in the States. Not usually my type of thing, but the sum is greater than its parts in this case.

32. Gossip - Heavy Cross



Primarily a showcase for Beth Ditto’s howling vocals, this muscular funk track surprised me this year. There’s something almost primal about it.

31. Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla snälla




Usually the type of song I hate to see in Melodifestivalen, this 70’s-styled ballad took the competition by storm and won a place in my heart. Very endearing.