Basement Jaxx ft. JC Chasez – Plug It In
I’m a huge ‘NSync fan and I’ve loved this song since summer ’03 so I’m very pleased that Plug It In is being released as a single. It’s rarely off MTV Dance and already getting good radio play, so with the Jaxx’s refent Brit victory this has a good chance in the charts. The song is reminiscent of their ’99 breakthrough hit Red Alert but far better due to JC’s involvement. It’s catchy, sexy and couldn’t be further from Justin’s unimaginative solo route.
Michelle McManus – The Meaning Of Love
The reason Michelle won Pop Idol has finally become clear – like FA winner Alex Parks (and every other ace pop star around), she has a song written by Alisha’s Attic’s Karen Poole and this is it. She sang this on the final in a horrendous dress that even her biggest fan Simon Cowell commented on, and it was meant to be the b-side to All This Time until they realised they couldn’t find any other songs to suit her so this became single number two. It’s slightly more bearable than her first effort but still pretty painful.
The Rasmus – In The Shadows
This song was everywhere in Germany last year and although at first I wrote it off as a rock song, with more listens I realised it is actually an incredibly catchy number including the best “uh-oh”s since Beyoncé. I thought that it would do brilliantly in the UK, not just because it has been such a hit in Europe, but it sounds just like the type of ‘credible’ yet catchy and secretly poppy songs that the charts are full of. I’m going to predict a big hit for this track.
Travis – Love Will Come Through
Another dull piece of nothingness from the invisible band, but the video is still rather enjoyable due to the fact that Fran is looking more like fellow Scot Ewan McGregor by the second.