New Pop on the Block

Backstreet Boys – Straight Through My Heart (Soldier Down) (Clip)
I have been excitedly waiting to hear the new single by the BSBs, on which they have worked with super-producer RedOne, and finally it is here. I wouldn’t say that anyone who is familiar with the RedOne sound would be surprised by this song, as it does sound very much how you’d expect a BSB/RedOne collaboration to sound, but since none of RedOne’s collaborations with boybands have been hits yet, that shouldn’t really be a problem. From this clip I think it’s probably the best song RedOne has produced for a boyband, as his work with acts such as NKOTB, Varsity and Menudo has not been of the same standard as the songs he has given female artists, while Straight Through My Heart bears the typical RedOne poptasticness. I don’t see it being a huge international hit, to be fair, but I like it and I’m excited to hear the rest of the album.
90% Poptastic!

Taio Cruz – Break Your Heart (Listen)
Hooray! Taio Cruz has a new single! His last album was utterly brilliant and extremely underrated, and with the increasing trend for electro-R&B music of late, I’m hoping his second solo album will be as successful as his first should have been. Break Your Heart is so dancey it could easily be mistaken for a summer Eurodance hit, which is surely a good thing when massive US stars are sampling acts like Eiffel 65 and The Underdog Project these days. I’ve never been proud of UK R&B before but acts like Taio have really outdone their US equivalents in this electro-R&B trend. It seems like while carefully balancing between R&B and dance, Taio has fallen into the pool of pop, because this is the most poptastic thing he’s done yet! It’s grown on me with every listen, and you know it’s something special when I’m giving a Taio Cruz single a higher mark than the BSBs…
97% Poptastic!