Who hasn’t released an album recently and How good is it? Questions existing.
Last year Nelly Furtado gave us the finest album of the year with Loose. Anything that followed would surely pale in comparison, However once we add in the distortion of perspective that is the passing of our solar annus and we’re ready to crown a new album of the year.
Last year Nelly Furtado gave us the finest album of the year with Loose. Anything that followed would surely pale in comparison, However once we add in the distortion of perspective that is the passing of our solar annus and we’re ready to crown a new album of the year.
10) Avril Lavigne: The Best Damn ThingThis isn’t my tenth favourite album this year, its not even creeping close, -it is the tenth best of the big female popstar releases and that’s what counts here- its one of the worlds best sellers and yet it gets little airplay from me. It’s nothing new from Avril, and its one album too far stuck in the same musical vein.
9) Amerie: Because I love ItThe underdog deserves to be recognised as the equal if not the better of her peers, well lets face by that we mean shes cuter, nicer, and altogether better than Beyonce. Yet the good tracks on here don’t outweigh the tedious.
8) Mutya Buena: Real GirlDistsancing herself from the Sugababes by becoming a mature artiste wins her no favours. Groove Armada gave a ‘Song for Mutya: Outta Control’ because of her Babes persona a move they may regret now she’s shed that skin in order to reveal the real bland girl shes become. Give her a summer number one curtesy of the Armada, avoid the bad press by forgetting the bandwagon jumping of the Winehouse release and get ‘Strung Out’ attached to a Richard Curtis xmas movie now and she may live to be real another day.
7) Dragonette: Galore Representing a new strand of DIY pop. Pop by people happy to make, and be seen to be happy to make it. Surely about to be left on the shelf, theres enough great songs here to rise higher in my esteem, but the playcounts already slowing down and release dates way out of sight.
6) Kelly Clarkson: My DecemberThe most controversial album of the pop moment. It is a bad pop album it has limited radio appeal, and doesn’t have the zeitgeist stance necessary to make it top 5 on this list. Yet I quite like it and it’s a solidly good album, but if its not pop what is it? people loved the hooks from Breakaway but fell in love with the vocals, and fans will lap this up for sure, whether itll convert new fans im not so sure, and Kelly may just have given up pop for a lifetime of self penned easy listening soft rock drive time schlock. This may be looked upon as the personal album before the perfect storm of album number 4, but it may just be the last we hear from her.
5) Hilary Duff: DignityGet past trying to decipher, which of her relationships she’s name-checking, Daddy or Joel, Stalker or Nicole, and this is still a pleasant album. While it’s a little too long its length has kept it sustainable months after its release. If a minor pop princess can do it, imagine how good the big shooters, like Britney and Christina could be if they tried.
4) Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Trip The Light FantasticShe returns and her fans have evidently been waiting in the wings, a successful album with plenty of radio friendly dance-along gems. Finally there are plenty of icy cool songs to suit the vocal attributes of this reenergised popstarlet.
3) Rihanna: Good Girl Gone BadIts summer, lets party, lets skip the ballads n dance all night. Hand in hand chest to chest and now ur face to face with a truly outstanding pop album. This years international definition of a smash hit pop record, and still only at number 3. if you don’t know the songs by now u soon will, a remix album and bonus tracks keep the fans sweet cos this one is gonna be overplayed but it certainly isn’t being overhyped.
2) Robyn: Robyn Euro dance returnee popstar to british shores with a heap of good songs shes been collecting lots of hooks lots of soul crunching lyrics humour and pathos fused into robyn this is the pop album that should be overriding all others, and yet its not. Possibly cos the collection of songs are a little old but far from dated and possibly cos even pop fans can be eurosceptics theres enough charm here to override any doubts.
1) Siobhan Donaghy: Ghosts
Siobhan sings backwards indecipherably and it’s still the best song of the year. Well that’s a lie, the last four songs on this album are pure perfection and taking you soaring amongst the clouds makes it impossble to pick a favourite, as each successive song gets left in the dust. Theres a selection of radio friendly singles here sometimes or twelve bar blues? but so far shes stuck to the album opening intros to her opus. If success elides her this album will be all the better for it and it can long live a personal highlight but what about the career and the future loveliness she can create? Time will concoct her up good and proper.
Siobhan sings backwards indecipherably and it’s still the best song of the year. Well that’s a lie, the last four songs on this album are pure perfection and taking you soaring amongst the clouds makes it impossble to pick a favourite, as each successive song gets left in the dust. Theres a selection of radio friendly singles here sometimes or twelve bar blues? but so far shes stuck to the album opening intros to her opus. If success elides her this album will be all the better for it and it can long live a personal highlight but what about the career and the future loveliness she can create? Time will concoct her up good and proper.
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