Representing the Netherlands: Elize – Can’t You Feel It
Elize burst onto the European pop scene several years ago with Automatic, which is quite possibly my all time favourite dance pop song. That means it’s been difficult for her to impress me since, and sometimes (such as with the brilliant Into Your System) she has more than managed it, whereas others (like the strange and rubbish ?) were big disappointments. I’d say Can You Feel It is somewhere between the two: it’s better than a Velvet album track, but it’s no Chemistry or Fix Me. The comparison to Velvet is interesting, because Elize is definitely as good as she is, but being Dutch rather than Swedish means she gets rather less attention from Europop fans online. So, if you like Velvet, give this a listen, then go and rediscover Automatic for the zillionth time, like I plan to!
Representing Australia: Ben Lee ft. Missy Higgins – I Love Pop Music
This song’s been around for a few months, but it is from Ben’s current album, and I can’t avoid talking about it. It’s so jolly and ace, and obviously the sentiment is one I can wholeheartedly agree with! I was already a fan of Miss Higgins’ early hits but knew Ben Lee only by name before I heard this. He’s been performing since 1993 and apparently had a lengthy relationship with Claire Danes, and as her other boyfriends have included mega-hotties Billy Crudup and Hugh Dancy, that’s quite impressive! The only problem with this song is that Australia is notoriously rubbish at pop music. So much so that it took me 4 months to even notice this song’s existence, as I so rarely check their charts!
Representing Barbados: Livvi Franc – Free
In the light of Rihanna’s ever-increasing popularity, record execs inevitably looked to her home country of Barbados for similar acts who could turn one success into a trend. I’ve been hearing Livvi Franc mentioned for a while now as an up and coming Barbadian aritst who is working with some of the biggest name writers and producers, so it’s interesting to finally hear a single from her. Free is different to the style we get from Rihanna and other current stars. It’s cute, catchy and sounds as sunny as the video looks, but it would be wrong to compare her to today’s r&b poppets. Free is more timeless, somehow more natural, and although I’d obviously rather have another SOS or Just Dance, this is much better than any forgettably typical r&b song.
Representing the USA: David Cook – Come Back To Me
I thought this was completely dull and pointless when I heard David perform it on Idol two weeks ago, but when I discovered that it was written by the fantastic Norwegian popstar Espen Lind, I had to give it another chance. I can hear some charm in it now that I know Espen wrote it, but I think I’d like it much more if he was singing it. David’s bland rock voice does nothing for me and his persona is unappealing. Still, with David’s popularity it should be a big hit and earn Espen lots of money and, more importantly, the chance to work with more major international artists – hopefully some that I like!