One Call
Boybands are certainly back in the UK, so it’s only a matter of time til the USA catches up. Who will be the BSBs or *N Sync of this decade? Despite being signed to Jive I’m not sure it’ll be One Call, but they are one of several new boybands doing the rounds in America at the moment. None of the groups I’ve seen stand a chance of making it, but purely their existence suggests that a major new US boyband could be on the way soon. But back to One Call for now: their songs are highly unoriginal but still very sweet. We Are One, their song for Haiti, is quite uplifting in an unassuming way, while new single Black Light is a bit more up to date. It might have even seemed quite innovative two years ago! Still, it’s not awful and I will be keeping tabs on them, but I don’t think there’s enough money or belief in them to turn them into the phenomenon that a successful boyband has to be.
Hit potential: 23% Poptasticness: 71%
Ed Sheeran
Ed is an interesting case as he’s a very talented 19-year-old singer with great connections in the music industry but he really does not look like a popstar, so whether or not he makes it will be a good test of just how shallow music consumers are these days. His sound is very much like Jason Mraz, which isn’t a bad thing in my mind (although I’m Yours is extremely irritating, his first few albums were brilliant), but he sounds like Jason did a decade ago. I have to wonder if Ed is only getting any exposure or acclaim at all because he knows the right people. His puffy face, wispy ginger hair and songs that reference crack pipes aren’t exactly a recipe for chart success. Maybe he’ll never be any more than the guy that features on people’s songs and supports them on tour, cos I just can’t imagine how he fits into the music scene today. Still, I’m interested to see how he tries to do so.
Hit potential: 40% Poptasticness: 59%
I dig Ed Sheeran