Jayelldee
Formerly part of Welsh female rap duo The Binary Kids, Jaye Dickens is now signed to a major label under the name of Jayelldee and working with amazing pop writers such as Biff Stannard and Tim Powell. As a keen follower of those writers’ work, and a big fan of female pop-rap in general (I’m eagerly anticipating Cher Lloyd’s debut album), I have high hopes for Jayelldee, but she unfortunately hasn’t fulfilled them yet. The demos on her MySpace, stemming from her work with Tim Powell, are pleasant enough but quite underwhelming considering how cool and fun her photos make her out to be. Hopefully her debut single, when it comes along, will be a lot more exciting.
Poptasticness: 60% Hit potential: 48%
Cover Drive
I was very excited this afternoon to receive a tweet from the aforementioned Tim Powell informing me that it’s not just him who is currently in the studio with Bajan foursome Cover Drive, but also Tim’s ex-Xenomania colleague, Miranda Cooper! It’s great to hear that they are working together again, and especially on a project which I’m already very interested in. Cover Drive, led by charismatic singer Amanda Reifer, have won fans around the world thanks to their Bajan-style acoustic covers of current hits on YouTube, ranging from Hey Soul Sister to Do It Like A Dude. This had led them to sign a record deal with Geffen in the UK and they’re now working on their debut album which will include original material written by the likes of Toby Gad and Wayne Hector. I’ve only heard one original song so far, the charming Blush, but with this line-up of top writers and such talent to begin with, I have faith that their album won’t disappoint.
Poptasticness: 77% Hit potential: 58%