Rihanna – Umbrella (Video)
I loved SOS so much but never thought Rihanna would do anything aywhere near as ace as that, yet she’s come pretty close with this utterly fantastic new single. It’s brilliant in an entirely different way – while SOS was amazing pop music to sing and dance to, Umbrella combines a pounding beat with emphatic, emotional singing and great lyrics. It has the emotional immediacy of a ballad, but it’s also great to dance to on a night out – a song for every occasion! I may not be into r’n’b very much but every so often a female r’n’b singer brings out a song that completely blows me away, and Umbrella will be following SOS, Crazy In Love, 1 Thing and Irreplaceable onto that list. Now I must stop playing it on repeat full volume before my ageing neighbours start complaining!
98% Poptastic!
The Ark – The Worrying Kind (Video)
This is their Eurovision entry as well as their new single, and it’s kind of exciting and depressing at the same time. I’m excited that The Ark, one of my favourite bands in the world, are going to be in Eurovision this year, but I’m a bit sad because it’s not their best song. It’s still better than all the other entries I’ve heard so far, but nothing on their previous single Absolutely No Decorum or other big hits such as One Of Us Is Gonna Die Young or It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane. Still, it’s groovy and ABBA-ish and will hopefully do quite well and gain them plenty of new fans, so I won’t complain. Also take note the similarity of this video to the new one by the Scissor Sisters – great bands think alike!
87% Poptastic!