The King, The Tenor and The Drummer Breathe Life into Stagnant Chart

With the top four singles clinging to their positions for a second straight week, the UK singles chart has a surprising déjà vu feel.

Sean Kingston sits tight at number one with ‘Beautiful Girls’ while Plain White T's hang on to the runner up spot with ‘Hey There Delilah’. Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ holds tight at three and James Blunt remains at four with ‘1973’.

50 Cent featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland climb three spots with ‘Ayo Technology’ to claim a new peak of number five. Rihanna stalls at six with ‘Shut Up And Drive’, while Girls Aloud slip to seven with ‘Sexy No No No’.

A pair of former number ones fill the eight and nine positions. First off, the brilliant dance record ‘With Every Heartbeat’ by Robyn with Kleerup and the infectious ‘The Way I Are’ by Timberland. Rounding out the top 10, Scouting For Girls slip one notch with ‘She's So Lovely’.

Just below the top ten at 11, retro groove singers Booty Luv jump 31 – 11 with their third R&B remake ‘Don't Mess With My Man’. A fine tune that deserves all the attention.

Up 12 spots from where it debuted on the charts last week, the death of Luciano Pavarotti nearly guaranteed a chart re-release of his most famous work, ‘Nessun Dorma’. Performed at his funeral last week, this single climbs the chart based on downloads alone. This chart performance marks the great tenor’s first posthumous hit.

Two slots down Elvis Presley, no stranger to chart hits from beyond the grave, returns with ‘Party’. This somewhat obscure chart single from the late fifties comes as part of the campaign to re-release all his chart singles to coincide with the King’s 30th death anniversary.

White Stripes are still alive and kicking, however, they are probably kicking themselves over the poor chart performance of latest single ‘You Don't Know What Love Is’ which limps into the charts at 18.

Down four, Armand Van Helden mixes Taylor Dayne’s ‘Do you want it right now’ from her 1987 debut album into ‘I Want Your Soul’, the second cut from his gender bending album ‘Gettoblaster’. A must on any dance floor.

Continuing the retro trend this week, Phil Collins makes an impressive return to the charts with his first solo single from 1981, ‘In The Air Tonight’. This classic Collins track climbs up on downloads alone after featuring in a series of television commercials.

Two new tracks enter in the mid twenties. In at 26, Taio Cruz moves in with ‘Moving On’ while at 27, the Chemical Brothers dip in with a rather ridiculous concept song, ‘The Salmon Dance’. After one spin, you’ll wish you could swim upstream to get away from it.

New at 31, Andy Lewis & Paul Weller with ‘Are You Trying To Be Lonely’. An odd choice for a single in this decade, it sounds more like a talent show gimmick from a late seventies variety show. Completely awful.

Inching up three places from last week, the brilliant Peter Bjorn & John bring their summer influenced ‘Young Folks’ deeper into the top 40.

By all rights, this song should go top ten for at least a month. Considering this is the re-release of said single, the probability of this happening is slim. Still, a killer tune no matter what its chart performance.


Dave Spoon Ft Lisa Maffia dance into the top 40 at 36 with ‘Bad Girl (at Night)’. Not a bad dance track but as a single it sounds too close to wallpaper to truly enjoy.

Hi Tack, the remixers behind last year’s dubbed version of the Paul McCartney/ Michael Jackson team up on ‘Say Say Say’, return to the charts at 38 with ‘Let’s Dance’ based around the David Bowie song. Not a bad dance record, if a little too faithful to the original for a new production. Strip away the electric beeps and you essentially have the eighty’s recording.

Last but not least, Akon debuts at number 40 with an open letter to the people he’s hurt due to his huge success amassed over the last year.

‘Sorry Blame It On Me’ sums up the chart nicely this week.

My New Favourite Song: James Blunt - 1973

James Blunt dropped into the world’s lap in 2005 with the heart wrenching “Your Beautiful” and the solemnly gorgeous “Goodbye my lover”. His songs raced to the top of the chart, radio played them to the point of saturation and both newly weds and the newly single found solace in his lyrics.

Back with “1973”, Blunt once again muses about love. On his brand new single, he recounts the story of lost days, this time reminiscing about his true love and the best time he spent with her in kitschy discos 34 years ago – when he was but a glimmer in his father’s eye apparently since Blunt is only 33 years old.

Regardless of the soap opera history, Blunt’s new single indicates a new direction for the singer/songwriter. One that is more tightly focused, more musically complex and less sappy – less sappy for a man who builds his albums around sap. Instead of relying on simple voice and piano to express the emotion, “1973” builds to a funk driven chorus with stronger vocals that sound less winy.

A great new single that should establish Blunt with a larger audience than lovesick housewives and the heartbroken.

Timbaland Ends Rihanna’s Reign

After a history making ten-week reign atop the UK Top Forty, Timbaland dethrones Rihanna with ‘The Way I Are’.

Two and a half months after securing the number one spot, ‘Umbrella’ slips to number 3 leaving Kate Nash, and most of the rest of the top ten cemented in the same positions they held last week.

Numbers 4 to 7 are none movers; Fergie’s ‘Big Girls Don't Cry’, Enrique Iglesias’ ‘Do You Know’, Hoosiers’ ‘Worried About Ray’ and Avril Lavigne’s ‘When You're Gone’ all remain where they sat seven days ago while the bottom three of the top ten is completely brand new.

Groove Armada dances in to the top ten at number 9 with ‘Song 4 Mutya while Mika’s ‘Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)’ gives this new artist his third top ten single out of three releases. Amazingly, six months ago no one had ever heard of Mika.

Brand new single ‘Autumnsong’ gives the Manic Street Preachers their second top ten single in a row from their latest album and this week’s highest debut. Five places down, new artist, Newton Faulkner debuts at number 16 with his folksy acoustic guitar rocker ‘Dream Catch Me’.

While she may not have the number one single in the country anymore, Rihanna can smile easily knowing her second single ‘Shut up and Drive’ pulls in at number 18. One parking spot behind her,
Green Day come back fresh from Springfield where they punked up the Simpson’s theme song and land another download only top forty hit.

Making their UK Chart debut at 26, folk-rock outfit from Chicago Plain White Ts score with ‘Hey There Delilah’, an open letter from a guy to his girl now living in New York.

Already a top ten smash in the States, this stripped down guitar and strings number sounds even more wholesome and original sandwiched between R Kelly & Usher’s awful ‘Same Girl’ at 28 and Kelly Rowland Ft Eve’s hyper boring ‘Like This’ at 25.

Sounding like a banana boat boy on a Mediterranean cruise party, Yves Larock skips into the chart this week with ‘Rise Up’. Not a bad track but I just can’t help but think I’m listening to Harry Belafonte and it makes me long to hear a Day-O, if just once.

Funeral For A Friend leap into the top forty at 40 with their new track ‘Walk Away’. This slow guitar driving modern rock track builds to a powerful chorus and makes a great ending to an otherwise slow week in a slow summer of new songs.

Rihanna Clocks Ten Weeks at Number One

Rihanna makes UK chart history this week as she manages to chalk up a tenth week at number one. Only a handful of singles have ever managed to remain at number one for longer making ‘Umbrella' one of the greatest singles in history.

Some may argue that Umbrella doesn’t deserve to have that kind of recognition alongside classic from the Beatles, Whitney Houston and Bryan Adams.

However, in today’s world where every single song (album track or not) eligible for download competes for potential chart success, the fact that Rihanna’s song has outsold some 5 million tracks on iTunes for ten straight weeks is nothing short of outstanding and rightly deserves its spot in the history books.

Rihanna’s stronghold on the top spot means Kate Nash, up one spot from number 3, must wait one more week to see if her single ‘Foundations’ can hit number one. Also waiting for a chance at number one with his follow up to ‘Give it to me’, Timbaland climbs to number 3 with ‘The way I are’.

Fergie falls to number 4 with ‘Big girls don’t cry’ while Enrique Iglasias remains at 5 with ‘Do you know’.

Breaking into the top ten this week, Mark Ronson featuring Lily Allen jump from 12 to 8 with ‘Oh my god’ making this the second straight top ten song for Ronson.

Top debut this week comes in at 12. Scottish singer/ songwriter Amy Macdonald brings her folksy style of pop to the charts for the first time with ‘Mr Rock & Roll’. Sounding like the love child of Joni Mitchell and the Beatles, Amy has a style that is both retro and modern. A catchy tune that blows the rest of this week’s debuts out of the water.

Down 5 at 28 Reverend & The Makers – bop in with ‘Heavyweight Champion Of The World’. Their sound echoes that of the Bravery and The Rapture, a tinge of rock over a sliding disco beat. Not a bad single, nothing groundbreaking. However, the repeated anthem ‘Just be like everybody else’ is quite catchy, if somewhat disturbing.

R Kelly & Usher land in the top forty at 32 with ‘Same Girl’. They could have called it same song as it sounds like so many other boring R & B tracks about a girl gone astray. This song totally wastes a listener’s time, even the artists themselves sound bored. A complete disaster and waste of vinyl. How records like this make it to the charts boggles my mind especially when there is so much better music out there from which to choose.

Sunfreakz Ft Andrea Britton dance into the chart at 37 with ‘Counting down the Days’. With a backbeat that sounds almost tribal, this track sounds familiar, like an old dance cut from the nineties that you haven’t heard in a while. Not a strong vocal sitting overtop of the wall of sound. If this is all discoland has to offer, we’ll all be counting down the days – until we hear a good dance track.

New at 38 on downloads alone, Amerie works it on ‘Gotta Work’. She’s looking to dethrone Rihanna as this year’s queen of pop and while this single seems rather throwaway, it has landed top forty before its official release which guarantees at least a top twenty single in the coming weeks.


Coming back to the top 40 at 40, after a few years away, Thrills returns with ‘Nothing Changes Around Here’. A simple guitar driven slow burner that doesn’t go very far, reminiscent of an early Travis B-side or Thrills earlier hits. The title says it all really, their sound hasn’t changed at all. Still, not a bad single to finish off the top 40 in a very slow week of hits.

Jail Term a Real Thriller

Paris Hilton did her face during her two-minute jail term. Martha Stewart taught her cell buddies how to colour coordinate. But these inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines not only learned to dance, they now star in their own remake of Michael Jackon’s landmark video for Thriller. Best bit – Looks like they hired Paris to do the drag queen’s make up.

My New Favourite Song: New Young Pony Club – Ice Cream

New Young Pony Club’s debut single ‘Ice Cream’ leads off with a beat reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s classic ‘Beat it’. And the 80’s influence on this group doesn’t stop there.

Sounding like a cross between Ladytron (themselves influenced by the 80’s new wave movement) and broody New Order material from the pre-Substance days, New Young Pony Club fit nicely into the new-new wave club alongside teamsters Peter Bjorn and John.

While lyrics such as “I could make you ice cream/we could be a sweet team” don’t make poetry worth pondering and this single having missed the chance to advance further than 40 on the UK Chart, it won’t rewrite the history books as one of the best songs ever. But who cares, its fun, its spunky and it sounds like nothing else on the charts today – the perfect car song for those summer road trips.

My Favourite New Song: Prince – Guitar

Prince’s new single may not have the pizzazz of former hits like “Let’s go crazy”, “U got the Look” or even “Diamond and Pearls” and it certainly doesn’t touch on world topics as did “Sign O’ the times”.

But in keeping with his new-found consistency for crafting great (if embarrassingly un-commercial) albums such as 2004’s ‘Musicology’ and 2006’s ‘3121’, his new track “Guitar” romps through musical genius and comes out smelling like diesel. No artist today makes a guitar sound as sexy as Prince does, and on this new single, his instrument smokes and purrs like anything from his generous back catalogue.

Sounding as fresh as he did back in his 80’s heyday, Prince declares his love for an unmentioned attention grabber, telling her he loves her “But not like I love my guitar”. 80’s era Prince would have amped up the sly sexiness of this song causing much sought after controversy.

Today’s Jehovah’s Witness Prince, however, concentrates on the Bible, only stirring up controversy in England where he has decided to give away copies of parent album ‘Planet Earth' with each copy of the Mail On Sunday newspaper. This bold marketing move has ruffled the feathers of local retailers who claim that giving away music draws attention away from their stores and potential buyers of new albums.

Oh the marketing genius of Prince should never be doubted. Now if he could only score a hit.

Umbrella Ties Crazy for Longest Number 1

Rihanna officially ties the record for the longest number one reign this decade as ‘Umbrella’ sits nicely atop the UK singles chart for a ninth week. That makes it only the second single to do so since Gnarls Barkley did it last year with ‘Crazy’. To find a chart single that spend that many weeks atop the chart you have to go back 13 years when Wet Wet Wet crowned the chart for nine weeks with ‘Love Is All Around’ in 1994.

Climbing six places to take over the number two spot from Kate Nash whose ‘Foundations’ slips to number three, Fergie inches even closer to the number one spot with ‘Big Girls don’t cry’. That means that Avril Lavigne must wait yet again for a UK number one. Current single ‘When You're Gone’ slides 3-6.

Timbaland brings ‘The way I are’, bad grammar and all, to the number four slot and The Arctic Monkeys break into the top ten at 5 with ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’.

In a relatively slow week for strong single debuts, the highest new entry comes in at 13. Kings Of Leon lead the way with ‘Fans’ followed three slots down by Groove Armada with new dance single ‘Song 4 Mutya (out of control)’. This track features lead vocal from none other than Mutya Buena (thus the name) while her own single ‘Real Girl’ slips to number 30.

Travis try to prove their relevance with new single ‘Selfish Jean’. However, a number 30 debut does nothing to solidify their grip on a fickle audience.

After missing the singles charts back in 1962 upon initial release, the remix of ‘Beggin'’ by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons lands in the top forty this week at 32. There seems no logical reason for this remix, as it is neither a great dance track nor a special remix for a compilation album. Curious choice for a summer single as the song hasn’t aged well, the remix adds nothing original and the singing sounds dated.

Bouncing in at 33, Mika delivers his latest ‘Big Girl (you are beautiful)’. Not an obvious choice for a single, given the other more radio-friendly cuts on his first album, but a fun, breezy ode to the larger ladies out there nonetheless.

The last debut in the chart this week comes from none other than the Foo Fighters whose two-year-old single ‘Best Of You’ returns to the chart after the group's headlining performance at Live Earth.

Here’s hoping that things shake up next week or summer 2007 could go down as the dullest, chart-wise, in a while.

Umbrella Casts Long Shadow Over Top Ten for Eighth Week

For the second straight month, Rihanna crowns the official UK Chart with ‘Umbrella’. One more week and she’ll tie the record set by Gnarls Barkely last year.

Holding on to number two despite stiff competition from some heavy debuts, Kate Nash keeps ‘Foundations’ around for one more week. This year’s Lilly Allen, Nash proves her MySpace success wasn’t a fluke.

Just below her, Avril Lavigne charges into the top 3 with new single ‘When you're gone’ up from 17. ‘Girlfriend’, the first single from her third album stalled at number two over several weeks do to the staying power of ‘Beautiful liar’ by Shakira and Beyoncé. Could she face a similar fate with current single hitting the chart at the same time as Rihanna’s powerhouse?

Man of the hour, Timbaland, has his hand in more than one pie this week. New single ‘The way I are’ from current solo album ‘Shock Value’ surges 18-6 while just six places below sits ‘Lovestoned’ a track he produced for Justin Timberlake. ‘Anonymous’ credited to Bobby Valentino and Timberland rockets into the top forty at 25 while his former number one, ‘Give it to me’ featuring aforementioned Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, hangs on at 27.

Speaking of Furtado and Timbaland, jumping back into the top forty from 54 last week, her performance at the Diana concert propels ‘Say it right’ back up to 26. Furtado now has the biggest download-only single in British UK chart history and currently one of the longest running singles. She even manages to bring back last summer’s ‘Maneater’ at 71.

That makes no less than six chart entries on the official UK chart this week, either credited or understood, for Timbaland.

Up from 49, Natasha Bedingfield crash-lands the top ten at number 7 with ‘Soulmate’. This stripped down ballad counts as her sixth UK top ten, but after one spin you’re happy she found her mate, maybe now she can move past it and make some better singles.

Right behind Bedingfield, Fergie sheds no tears as ‘Big girls don’t cry’ jumps 20 places to land at number 8. Contrary to the previous single, Fergie proves that four tracks into an album, an artist can still keep the best for last.

Mark Ronson had a top ten smash earlier this spring with ‘Stop Me’ and now teaming up with oft-studio partner Lily Allen, brings a cover of the Klaxons’ ‘Oh my god’ into the top 20 at 20. A full on jazzy affair this single breathes nightclub air while remaining grounded in Allen’s little girl gone bad vocals. A classic in the making.

The Artic Monkeys continue to struggle with that difficult second album. First single ‘Brainstorm’ didn’t make top ten until its official physical release and while the hype was huge, they never managed to conquer the charts when every track from their latest album became eligible to chart this spring. Now second single ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ misses the top twenty, at 23. If everything goes as history predicts, they should have no problem making a top ten placement next week when the CD single hits the shelves.

Interpol land at 31 with their new single ‘The Heinrich Maneuver’. Sounding just as British as ever, this new single spins a sound reminiscent of early REM. While not the best product they’ve ever pumped out, this new single at least gives them another top forty performance.

Re-entry of the week goes to Puff Daddy. New at 32, the hit he brought to the top of the charts a full decade ago, ‘I’ll be missing you’ featuring Faith Evans, bullets back into the top forty on the heels of his performance at the Diana Concert.

New at 34, Alibi, who has remixed such singles as ‘Beautiful liar, teams up with Rockefeller to bring a dance version of ‘Sexual Healing’ into the chart. Hardly recognisable as the song Marvin Gaye made famous, this new version sounds more like a throwback to 80’s dance than a modern single worthy of chart status. Frankly a disappointment given Alibi’s past success.

Debuts inside the top forty cap off with New Young Pony Club whose first single ‘Ice Cream’ rockets from 197.

Rihanna Defends Chart for Sixth Week

In a week of strong debuts and stiff competition, Rihanna manages to rack up one more at the top with ‘Umbrella’. Now it its sixth week, the longest number one so far this year gets closer to tying Gnarls Barkley’s nine week performance with ‘Crazy’ in March 2006

Just under Rihanna’s umbrella, Lee Mead’s dream of a number one single stalls at number 2 as ‘Any Dream Will Do’ rockets from 18. Meanwhile Enrique Iglesias freezes at 3 with ‘Do You Know’.

Other than the Editors who leap into the top ten at number 7 from 30 with ‘Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors’, the lead single from their forthcoming second album, the top ten remains stale.

Thirteen tracks begin their run on the chart this week lead by Hoosiers ‘Worried About Ray’. Right behind them, Take That, serenade the charts with another ballad, ‘I'd Wait For Life’.

Muse charge in to the top twenty at 18 with download-only track ‘Map Of The Problematique’. A true guitar workout, it does not rewrite history, but as a mostly instrumental album track, it fares better than some of the proper singles released this week.

Justin Timberlake cracks the top forty once more with a fourth single from his ‘Futuresex / Lovesounds’ album. ‘Lovestoned’ smokes at number 21 where it’ll smoulder for the next seven days until it burns into the top ten next week. Unfortunately, Gareth Gates’ return causes less of a flame. New ballad “Angel on my shoulder’ does little to solidify his comeback and this weak track blends quickly into the background and probably wont be around in two weeks time.

Other new tracks include Jack Penate who rips up number 25 with ‘Torn On The Platform’, Air Traffic takes over the number 30 spot with ‘Shooting Star’, Paramore come in right behind them at 31 with ‘Misery Business’ and new at 31, Ash returns with ‘Polaris’.

In a week of massive chart debuts, none is as spectacular as the return of 65-year-old Paul McCartney. ‘Dance Tonight’, a folksy acoustic guitar-inspired tune from his Starbucks promoted new album, shines as a stripped down ditty sounding more like former Beatle-mate George Harrison than anything Sir Paul has released in the last 5 decades of charting. He’s the granddaddy of pop this week and still kickin.

My Chemical Romance courts the charts again at number 34 with an angst filled guitar pounder ‘Teenagers’, the perfect sing along for stoners. You can almost smell the smoke rise from the basement as this one spins on the player. Good times.

Simon Webbe from Blue comes back to the charts with another solo hit. With a track from the Fantastic Four sequel soundtrack, ‘Ride The Storm’ shares the spotlight with the second A-side ‘Grace’. Fuelled by strings, a gospel choir backing and a vintage diva howling ‘Grace’ every other beat, ‘Grace’ could easily be mistaken for his hit from 2005 ‘No Worries’. The songs sound so similar, Webbe must have decided not only to do a sequel soundtrack song but an actual sequel to his own hit.

New at 37, Fergie brings her ‘Big girls don’t cry’ to the UK chart. Already top ten in her native US, this song marks a departure from her usual sexed up affairs. ‘Girls’ tones down the music to little less than a few strings and a mild drum beat, focusing more on the vocal than instrumental wizardry. Surprisingly Fergie is more than just a pretty face – this single proves the girl from the Black Eyed Peas famous for chanting about her humps can sing with emotion and substance.

My Favourite New Song : Rihanna – Umbrella

An old school beat drops and Jay-Z begins an unnecessary rap. But once the boys finish their tacked-on interference, this song sizzles with enough summer heat to outlast beach season. An understated dark guitar drives this track where Rihanna summons her lover to weather out the storm under her umbrella. The best part of this track comes during its silly chorus; an infectious repeat of syllables (under my umbrella ella ella ella ai ai ai). ‘Umbrella’ in a very short time has stormed to the top of the charts in the US, UK and Canada, and one listen reels listeners in to the point where humming ella ella ella ai ai ai comes naturally. Sounding nothing like anything else on the radio at this time, Rihanna has hit pay dirt with this risky pop classic, the first true hit of summer 2007.

My Favourite New Song : Enrique Iglesias– Do you know (the ping pong song) / Dimelo

Using a ricocheting ping-pong ball as the base for a drum line sounds like a bad idea. But Enrique has taken this hallow sounding bounce and propelled it into an international smash. The song follows the brokenhearted formula as a pre-kiss off song (Do you know what it feels like loving someone that’s in a rush to throw you away) and doesn’t stray far from the dancy Latin influence of his other tracks, so it takes barely a listen to feel comfortable with this one. With a great beat and a sing along chorus, its guilty pleasure feel makes it one to pump up as you get ready go out on a new date leaving that loser well behind.

My Favourite New Song : Mutya Buena - Real Girl

What happens when you mix a little Lenny with lots of suga? You get ‘Real Girl’ from ex-Sugababe Mutya. Getting a jumpstart on her solo career last year with the brilliant ‘This is not real love’, a song she sang with George Michael, Mutya finally takes the plunge as a full blown solo artist. Ripping the familiar opening arrangement from Lenny Kravitz’s “Its not Over ‘til its over” and morphing it into an echo repeating throughout the whole jazzed up affair. You can’t help but move your body to the sway. The problem with this song also makes it great. The familiar feel reminds you too much of Lenny’s original and you long to hear that version, forgetting that Muyta is singing something about how she’s strong and real. A great track, destined to be the biggest number 2 song ever.

Dark Tourism Continues to Fascinate Travelers

On my recent road trip through New York my list of hot spots to see seemed to grow with each mile I drove. By the end of my trip the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, shopping on Fifth Avenue (love the glass Apple store), Trump Towers and Central Park all sat neatly behind check marks on my ‘to see’ list.

Though it was great to visit such famous landmarks, the emotional blow came when I emerged from the subway and caught my first glimpse of Ground Zero.

Ghastly shadows lit from behind moved slowly along a chain fence. The ceiling closed in on me and the air became a little staler as I neared the edge and peered into the deep hole where two giants once reigned.

Essentially a mass grave for thousands who perished in the destruction, the hole left from the towers’ demise drew me in. The area feels heavy. Silence befalls everyone who nears the hole.

My mind conjures up memories of the disturbing images the world witnessed that September morning, beamed around the world on satellite TV.

As a human it saddened me, as a world explorer I questioned travelers’ addiction to Dark Tourism; ‘the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which has real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme’.

While in no way a new phenomenon, Dark Tourism continues to thrive as an underlying purpose for many travelers. Upon my return from New York I identified other places of tragedy visited during my travels. Images of the Agent Orange-soaked badlands of Vietnam, the battlefields of Kentucky and the slave port of Ouidah, Benin seeped into my mind – all unconnected to the World Trade Centre, yet oddly intertwined in our collective history.

Though I had never been to New York prior to tragic event of September 11, 2001, it made me realize how fast things change and how important it is to explore the world’s treasures before any more are destroyed.

Love Alone is not enough at the Top

Little action affects the top spot this week as Beyoncé and Shakira rack up a third week on top. Just below them, the Manic Street Preachers bullet 26-2 with ‘Your Love Alone Is Not Enough’, their first top ten in ions and the single predicted to take them to the top. A mere 5000 copies separate them from ‘Beautiful Liar’ but for this week, anyway they’ll have to settle for a respectable number 2.

Gym Class Heroes move into the number 3 position with ‘Cupid's Chokehold’ and the rest of the top ten reads much like last week until we get to the lower portion. Groove Armada Ft Stush plough into the top ten at 9 with ‘Get Down’ the song they debuted with last week at 32. This placing gives them their biggest hit ever despite being around since 1999 when they debuted with 'If Everybody Looked The Same' from the soundtrack to Madonna’s film “The Next Best Thing’.

Right behind them at 10, Hellogoodbye attack the entire chart with ‘Here (in Your Arms)’. From California, this band vocodes, bleeps and spins enough sunshine to overpower any other hit on the chart. This single sounds like nothing else on the entire 75 single chart. A cross between Daft Punk and Cher, and Sonny and Cher splitting a coke, this track bubbles with enough fun to claim summer anthem status a whole month and a half before beach season arrives.

While long considered a possible one hit wonder, Amerie climbs 28 – 13 with ‘Take Control’ a guitar strumming romp through super powerful woman land. She belts out her vocal with enough attitude to make you soon forget that this song is about absolutely nothing. A sure-fire top ten in a week.

New at 18, Dada Ft Sandy Rivera & Trix sweeten up the top 20 with ‘Lollipop’. Dada first charted with Deepest Blue a few years back but now along with club track singer Sandy the trio have their first dance chart cross over hit. While not necessarily a subtle single about enjoying the desserts of a lover, the beat infects and makes a great kick off to the summer club scene.

New at 37, crooner Michael Bublé flies the maple leaf along with fellow Canadians, Avril Lavigne (5) and Nelly Furtado (4 - Give It To Me and 27 - Say It Right) with his new single ‘Everything’. Not to be confused with the single of the same name that Alanis Morrissette charted with in 2004, this original recording is surprisingly only Bublé’s second. ‘Home’ his first hit charted in 2005 peaked at 31 but became such a huge hit on radio, stayed around for what seemed forever.

Snow Patrol return to the chart this week with ‘Signal Fire’ from the Spiderman 3 Soundtrack at number 50. Meanwhile eternal flame ‘Chasing Cars” moves up two to number 45 this week.

New at 56, Right Said Fred comeback to the chart with ‘I'm too Sexy 2007’ as if it wasn’t all bad enough. Could those two shirtless Maawdolls have what it takes to shake it at the top 15 years later or is the modern listening public to sexy for this song?

The last new noteworthy track bumps in barely at 74. DJ extraordinaire, Armand Van Helden returns with ‘NYC Beat’. Another summer potential.

Arctic Monkeys Settle for Less; Beautiful Liar Holds On

While the week started off hot with many predicting a full 18 songs charting by the Arctic Monkey, Beyoncé and Shakira head the pack with ‘Beautiful Liar’ for a second week. The monkey’s great new single proper ‘Brainstorm’ slips all the way to number 7 possibly because all their new tracks became available for download as singles according to the new rules.

They do, however, have the distinction of the only act with three new tracks on the chart including ‘Brainstorm’ as well as Fluorescent Adolescent (60) and 505 (74).

Up one notch each are last week’s 3 and 4, Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake with ‘Give it to me’ and Avril Lavigne with ‘Girlfriend’.

NeYo edges up to 4 with ‘Because of you’ while Mark Ronson Ft D Merriweather hold steady at 5 with ‘Stop me’. Apparently, their song was self-predicting.

Mika lands a second straight top tenner with ‘Love Today’ jumping all the way up from 18 to 6. This move proves he is no one hit wonder. To confirm the power of this greatest new discovery, former number one ‘Grace Kelly’ clings to the number 25 position while ‘Lollipop’ returns to the top 75 at number 73.

Gym Class Heroes has one of the highest movers this week with ‘Cupid's Chokehold’ up 24 – 8. Natasha Bedingfield slips 2 with ‘I wanna have your babies’ while Travis returns to the top ten with ‘Closer’. I never would have predicted a 26-notch jump for Travis since the song is mediocre at best, but then I did predict a number one for the Arctic Monkeys.

Two great debuts clock into the top forty this week. Dame Shirley Bassey makes a dramatic return to the top forty at number 38. Last heard on the Propellerheads fantastic track 'History Repeating' in 1999, Shirley makes yet another comeback.

More or less known as the dame that sings the Bond tunes, this song is neither a celebrated collaboration nor a soundtrack song. It's unclear really why the woman with the unmistakeable voice chose to come back now, unless it was to celebrate 50 years in the biz, but for this week at least she brings her special touch of class to the chart.

'The living Tree' is a slow burner that winds up to a belting chorus as Bassey begs to 'dance till her shoes cry" she howls for freedom and redemption over a tightly performed string arrangement. A beautiful Bond song this would make, in the meantime it’s the 27th chart single for this powerhouse who first hit the charts all the way back in 1957.

My second favourite debut comes from everyone's favourite drama queen. Amy Winehouse, caps off the list of impressive debuts this week that includes new tracks from The Manic Street Preachers (26) and Amerie (28) as well as the returns of Groove Armanda (32) and Lostprophets (34).

At 40 Amy strolls back into the charts with the title track to her international smash album 'Back to Black'. A song of tortured endearment, Amy comes to terms with the death of her relationship. "You go back to her and I go back to black". Truly tragic, truly magnificent. Someone pour this girl a glass of wine – she needs it more than anyone.

Beyoncé and Shakira Sit Pretty at Number One

This week the all-star pairing of Beyoncé and Shakira takes over the top spot. It was a prediction that anyone could have easily made. The only surprise was that it took several weeks for 'Beautiful
Liar' to reach the summit. In all honesty, it should be a great single. Unfortunately, the best parts of this whole collaboration are the rain soaked bum shakes in the video and the Freemasons remix that all but shakes the girls out of the song.

Right behind the girls and ready to claw into the top next week, The Arctic Monkeys jump 11-2 with their brand new single ‘Brainstorm’. Ironically the band that became so big on hearsay and the internet last year had to hold out for a physical release of their new single before cracking the top ten. This song should be around for at least a few more weeks as parent album "Favourite Worst Nightmare" sees the light of day this week.

Dropping from 1-3, the all star collaboration between Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake loosens the grip its had at the top for the last two weeks. While an awesome groove accompanies the track, ‘Give it to me’ remains little more than Nelly giving the kiss off to all those who called her a sell out, Justin giving the kiss off to all those who said sexy never left and Timbaland giving the kiss off to everyone else while reminding us all of how good he is.

Just below fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado, Avril Lavigne drops one with ‘Girlfriend’ leaving her number –one-less again this week despite strong sales.

At number 4, Mark Ronson Ft D Merriweather drop with ‘Stop Me’ a perfect summer sing-along dance track containing a smashing sample of 'You keep me hanging on’ – More the Kim Wilde version that The Supremes original.

Natasha Beddingfield lands another straight top tenner with her less than coy new single
’I wanna have your babies’ jumping 15-7. Very different from her last, more introspective hit 'Unwritten’, her new track is a fun ditty with a silly read-my-mind chorus and a funny
flute sound that just makes you feel happy. I’d love to hate this song given the inane title but it somehow works and has grown on me.

One spot below Natasha, Enemy pounce on the top ten with their track ‘Away From Here’ leaping 52-8.

Behind these hot movers, Peter Kay, Matt Lucas and the Proclaimers drop to number 9 while Gwen Stephanie loses her grip on the top five and falls four spots to number 10. If there is a God this song will nosedive faster than Gwen’s navel ring and we’ll be rid of it forever.

The highest of many debuts this week jets in at number 16. Ash haven't been in the charts for ions and would have loved to return to the top ten their first time out but as the title suggests 'You Can't Have It
All'.

Mika's 'Love Today continues to rocket up the chart 32-18 while former number one 'Grace Kelly' Hangs on at 22.

Former boy band Busted member, Matt Willis, rocks in at 31 with 'Crash' a brilliant remake of the The Primitives track from the 1995 soundtrack to Dumb and Dumber. Completely faithful to the original, Willis cashes in on his appearance on the British reality television show 'I'm a celebrity - get me out of here' and makes a comeback. But the brilliance of this song makes his paint by numbers cover a welcome return to the top 40. I only hope it doesn't burn up the lower regions before slipping into musical abyss.

At 32 Just Jack returns with 'Glory Days'. He must have last January in mind when he actually had a good single on the charts.

The lower reigns of the chart seem oddly late nineties. Ocean Colour Scene flow in at 34 with 'I Told You So' an odd piece of 60s throwback mixed with electric guitars - or in other words it sounds just like every other one of Ocean Colour Scene's 17 top forty hits.

The boys from Oasis once declared Black Rebel Motorcycle Club the best new band in the world. They were wrong of course and the 'Club soon fell off the radar after a few minor tracks that cracked the top 40, the titles of which I can't even remember or bother to look up. This week they motor in at 35 with 'Weapon of Choice' - my choice is flick the mute button on my stereo.

Travis returns to the top 40 at number 36 with 'Closer'. It’s been well over two years since Travis has had a hit. Unfortunately, this track does nothing to propel them into the midst of modern music, sounding oddly like a cast off from 'The Man Who" circa 1999.

Dancing in at 39 is a great new track from Meck Ft Dino. 'Feels Like Home' feels like a great clubber for the summer with its thumping sample from Felix's 'Don't You Want Me’. I hope that this track
makes the top regions of the top 40 home for a while but then I also hope some warm weather comes soon. But like spring in Canada, anything can happen on the UK Charts.

UK Chart snoozes in spring

The once obscenely volatile UK charts keep calm this week. The Proclaimers, Peter Kay and Matt Lucas lock on to the top spot for a second week with ‘I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)’.

Just below them Avril Lavigne, moves ‘Girlfriend’ into the runner up spot. With no signs of the number one track slowing down, Avril may just have to wait patiently for a few weeks before taking over the top.

However, since momentum will have slowed by then, ‘Girlfriend’ could remain a number 2 victim.

Gwen Stefani moves back up a notch with the worst song of her career, or ‘The Great Escape’ while Sugababes vs Girls Aloud plummet 2-14 with ‘Walk this way’. One more week ought to do it before their ship has completely sunk.

Just outside the top ten, ‘Last night a DJ saved my life’ by Seamus Haji Ft Kayjay rockets 38 to 13 while Kings Of Leon make an equally dramatic upward move 50-18 with “On Call’. Expect to see them in the top ten next week.

Former Spice Girl, Melanie C, returns with a blah version of ‘I want candy’ at 24. This song could have been named I want money since it sounds so ridiculous and half hearted that the ploy to cash in before she gets too old, comes screaming through every bar of the track.

Faithless dance back into the chart at number 38 with ‘Music Matters’ Ft Cass Fox while Mika jumps in ten doors down with ‘Love Today’.

Still clinging strong to the top ten with ‘Grace Kelly’, Mika's unofficial follow up ‘Lollipop’ climbs to 68 making him the artist with the most songs inside the top 75.

Of note this week, Snow Patrol remain in the top 40 with ‘Chasing Cars’ while follow ups “Set the fire to the third bar’ and ‘Eyes open” have completely disappeared from the rankings. This song may just have another summer run before it drives away.

Some golden oldies re-appear as towards the bottom of the barrel. Cat Stevens plants firmly at 52 with ‘Wild World’ while Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ takes off at 62. And to a lesser degree, Justin Timberlake brings ‘Sexyback’ to 72.

The Proclaimers, Avril Lavigne make chart history

As predicted, The Proclaimers, Peter Kay and Matt Lucas whip into the top spot on the UK chart with their remake of their 1988 hit ‘I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)’. While it’s hard to knock a number one track – this one gets mighty old after several listens. After the initial humour wears off, you’re left with a longing for the original.

That said, the track sold 120, 000 copies this week and claims the title of biggest selling track so far this year. Better still, on its tail, the original moves up 11 notches to number 26 this week. With that move, The Proclaimers make chart history as one of only a handful of groups with two versions of their same song in the top 30.

Sugababes vs Girls Aloud must therefore settle for a lone week at the top of the heap with their version of ‘Walk this way’. There is justice after all, it seems, as the girls bounce Gwen Stefani from the runner up position with “The Great Escape”, which slides to number four.

Another history making record rockets in at number three. Canadian rocker-wife, Avril Lavigne, claims top debut this week with ‘Girlfriend’. Her track originally debuted on the survey several weeks back at number 73 in the week of March 7, and then mysteriously disappeared.

iTunes suppressed the track and its physical release was pushed back ultimately giving the track a low peak outside the top 40. But with the re-release of the digital track, the song becomes eligible to chart once more making this song the highest re-entry on the survey in history.

Call it marketing, call it what you like – the song, (essentially sk8ter girlfriend,) jumps into the top three poised to take over the top spot next week.

‘Destination Calabria’ by Alex Gaudino featuring Crystal Waters swims up from 18 to five while Maximo Park zooms in at number nine with ‘Our velocity’ to round out the biggest movers inside the top ten.

Otherwise, the chart sees little action. With no less than ten debuts outside the top 40, things should heat up next week.

Comic Relief laughs at the top of UK Chart

This week marked comic relief in the UK. In that spirit both the official and the unofficial songs claim the top spots of the chart.

Sugababes vs Girls Aloud plough into the chart at number one with their Aerosmith remake “Walk this way”. Considering the girl bands, that have had a slew of number one between them, recorded the track as a charity single, one can excuse them for it being such a stinker. The girls’ version has none of the urgency of the original or the brilliant Run DMC remake from the late 80’s. But all’s not lost, in a few weeks this song will be but a distant, albeit an unfortunate, memory.

Speaking of stinkers, Gwen Stefani continues to clog up the top two with her “The Sweet Escape”. This song sounds like cardboard scratching styrofoam– the vocal is forgettable, the screaming, unbearable and unless you read the label, the guest spot completely obsolete – a completely useless piece of pop plastic. On a higher note, it is better than the previous three minutes of nonsense of her previous hit.

Clambering in at number three, The Proclaimers remake their hit from 1988 with assistance from comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas to re-chart with ‘I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)’. This marks the second of two comic relief singles in the chart this week. Better yet, the original jumps in at number 37.

The single hasn’t been re-released in the original format and its top 40 debut may be due to an error as thousands of Britons downloaded the wrong song thinking it was the comic relief version. That said however, ‘500 miles has been hovering in the lower ranks of the Top 100 on downloads alone since the new chart rules began earlier this year. It’s this week’s top three redeeming feature, even if the comic sketch stitched into the song rings a little inane.

Calvin Harris jumps seven notches to round off the top ten at ten with ‘Acceptable in the 80’s’.

At 18, Alex Gaudino lands his first hit with ‘Destination Calabria’. The track features vocals by none other than Crystal Waters of ‘Gypsy Woman’ fame. Who knows what disco she’s been dancing at since she last surfaced in the early nineties with 100% Pure Love, but she sounds as good as ever. Maybe Crystal has what it takes to bring real dance music back at the top of the chart.

Now may be time to make your escape, Gwen!

Take That Shine on, Robbie needs a polish

This week’s top three remains unchanged except that Gwen Stefani and the Kaiser Chiefs have rotated positions at two and three respectively. That means Take That rack up a second week at number one with “Shine”.

Justin Timberlake leaps into the 4th spot with “What comes Around”. Should he land a number one with this one he’ll be six for six on the UK Chart with his string of solo singles that started back in 2003 with “Like I love you”.

My favourite DJ du jour Fedde Le Grande lands another top ten with “The Creeps” featuring Camille Jones. If there is any justice this freaky crawler will repeat the success of “Put your hands up for Detroit” (at number at number 71 this week) and top the chart.



Rounding out the top ten at number ten, Nelly Furtado climbs one notch with “Say it right”.

Robbie Williams debuts this week at number 16 with “She’s Madonna”. The song credits the Pet Shop Boys, adding yet another top twenty to their already extensive list. While the Boy’s album of last year “Fundamental”, one of their strongest in a long time, failed to produce a sizable hit, here they are backing another English phenomenon.

Robbie celebrated the release of this single with his own release from rehab but even his newsworthy status could not keep this gem from achieving a higher debut. His latest album, chalk full of interesting singles and remakes, ranks way up there as one of his best (minus the horrid title track where this former boy band singer attempts rapping – Hey Robbie, leave that to white guys who know better – like Britney’s ex). Unfortunately, Rudebox has been ill-received and this single suffers from the fallout. Shame really as it blows away his old band mates number one “Shine” by a mile.

While we’re on the topic of blow-out albums and The Pet Shop Boys, The Killers slip to number 21 with their latest effort “Read my mind”. As a whole, parent album “Sam’s Town” falls flat of the energy and style that made debut album “Hot Fuss” such a treat. I thought their career was over with the terrible second single “Bones” but they’ve redeemed themselves with this stand out track. “Read my mind” sounds fresh, contemplative and new when separated from the noose of the album.

And what was the connection to the Pet Shop Boys? Not only do The Killers credit them as one of their influences (I would have guessed Duran Duran – but what do I know) but the singe includes a Boys reworking, stripping a little guitar for a few fancy synths and of course Neil Tennant’s backing vocals. One of the best singles of the year and one that may be around for a few months to come if the chart gods are paying attention!

At 28 Joss Stone peeks in with her latest single “Tell me ‘bout it”. Tired of having people tell her what to do, she’s dumped former boxed package and has set out on her own. Based on her schizoid two minutes as a presenter on the Brit awards, I’m not sure Joss Stone knows who she is now that no one is telling her who she is and what to do.

Speaking of the Brits, show openers Scissor Sisters still can’t shake off the curse of their dynamite single “I don’t feel like dancing”. Two singles later and “She’s my man” barely limps into the top 30 at 29.

At number 74, The Arcade Fire enter the chart with their first single from their smashing new album Neon Bible. Unfortunately, “Keep the car running” has had a hard first chart week. With any hope next week they’ll drive up the chart to a position more in line with the greatness of this Montreal band.

Take That on top once more

The only thing predicable about the UK charts is their unpredictability. A few weeks back it seemed the lights had gone out on Take That’s second single from their comeback album. But this week said single “Shine” jumps from ten to land at the top of the heap.

This latest number one marks their tenth number one out of their last eleven to do so. Take That’s former number one from last December sits comfortably at 14, one step up from last week.

“Ruby” slips to number two for the Kaiser Chiefs while Gwen Stefani climbs to number 3 with “The great Escape”.

Debuting inside the top ten at number 8, just below the brilliant “Standing in the way of control” by Gossip, Cascada arrive with their third top tenner. “Truly Madly Deeply” sits at 48 while Everytime we touch climbs 71-65 in its two millionth week on the chart.

That Cascada’s latest track should be titled “Miracle” seems slightly ironic considering it is nothing short of a miracle that this German 80’s revival euro cheese group has managed to chart with more than one track. While not a horrible song, “Miracle” doesn’t rewrite history exactly and remains slightly less than “Everytime we touch” but less memorable.

At 16, Camille Jones teams up with Fedde Le Grande on “The Creeps” a funky bass driven dance track complete with bleeps and pumps in all the right places. Jones whispers-stutters-sings about going down to the creeps, a place she and she alone knows but it sure sounds like she likes to get her groove on there. Anyone checking out this track will be wise to follow.

Two ladies make their comebacks this week in the very bottom of the chart. Avril Lavigne drops in at 73 with “Girlfriend” (the English version – no less than six language versions exist) while two spots below Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl fame charts with “It’s all True”. Thorn’s new track comes from her second solo album, the follow up to her first project, all the way back in 1982.

Record Review: Mika – Life in Cartoon Motion

Beirut born, English raised Mika gave the finger to the record industry in the form of single “Grace Kelly”. No company would touch this flamboyant, classically trained pop sensation so he went ahead wrote this song, released it as a download and next thing you know it tops the UK chart for no less than five weeks.

So it was with great curiosity and anticipation that he released his debut record. Second track “Lollipop” has already reached the lower portions of the chart despite it being so sugary sweet it hurts my teeth. But all is not lost, after an acoustic guitar driven third track, Mika morphs into Robbie Williams and breaks out onto the dance floor with killer disco jaunts “Live Today” and the ultimate highlight “Relax”.

But then he dips into some odd territory with the next two tracks,“Billy Brown” a cabaret-like tale of a suburban man with a wife, some kids and a male lover (scandalous!) who must take off to Mexico to get his head…straight.

“Big Girl” continues with the un-PC tone with Mika singing big band style about girls with a lot of back. “You take your girl and multiply by four,” Mika coos about this rather large girl who eats nothing but pizzas and diet coke.

There’s no describing Mika really. The lead single sets a tone that is never followed up. Instead it’s as if each track was recorded by a different version of the same man. Though on paper it should never work, Mika’s brilliant personality is tight enough to shine over each of these tracks making the whole project work like some completely bizarre cartoon.

Kaiser Chiefs gleam at number one with ‘Ruby’

While not exactly earth shattering, a change has come atop the UK charts. Mika slips to number two as “Grace Kelly” runs out of steam. The track held the top spot for the past five weeks, a good run for any song but as a debut single from a debut artist, it’s more than impressive.

Kaiser Chiefs polish their act at number one with “Ruby”, their first number one single. The track is cut from their album “Yours truly, Angry mob”. And down at number three, Kelis pops into the top ten for the first time in three years with a duet with one half of Gnarls Barkley, Cee Lo.

But the biggest leap into the top ten comes at number 8. Sophie Ellis-Bextor scores the biggest move in the entire top 40 with “Catch You”. It looked as if this would be her lowest chart entry but the CD single release of the hit has helped the song become her sixth top ten single.

Take That finally crack the top ten at number ten with “Shine”. This is the follow up to their number one smash “Patience” which continues to hold on at number 15 this week.

One place below Beyoncé settles in with “Listen” her single from the Dreamgirls soundtrack and the song that proves one thing – this girl’s got a nice booty, great hair and a beautiful face, she can scream like a siren and spew attitude like a house on fire, but as a balladeer she just can’t cut it. This single is not sensual, not sweet not even romantic – it’s boring and grates on your nerves. Deservingly it will be her weakest hit ever. Oh… where’s Jay-Z? Oh, there he is with that Hudson girl…..wasername, the Oscar winner!

Luckily there the chart brightens at number 20. Junior Jack remixes one of his own hits and brings “Stupidisco” into the top 40, three years after the original hit the European clubs. Hopefully his summer friendly track signifies that better things chartwise will hatch as spring approaches.

Brit Awards fuel older tracks

Award shows may not have the same draw they once had but if this week’s chart is any indication, the Brit awards had at least a little influence on the British record buying public.

No change at number one as Mika racks up yet another week at number one. Five weeks in total, making Mika a shoe in for at least one Brit award next year.

The UK’s best band of the moment, Snow Patrol, whose hit “Chasing cars” has been around since early last year, clock up another week in the top 20. This week the track tears up from 23 to 12 in an impressive move, undoubtedly fuelled by their stellar performance of the track at the ceremonies. Meanwhile their new track “Open your eyes” soars 56 to 26.

Amy Winehouse also profited from her performance on the Brits bringing “Rehab” back to 22 from 49. In the meantime follow up track “You know I’m no good” stalls at 42.

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers also see a spark of Brit power fallout from their performance as new track “Desecration Smile” marks the week’s highest debut at number 27.

Surprisingly the Scissor Sisters didn’t get the same treatment. “I don’t feel like dancing” opened the show with a killer, disjointed leggy performance, yet said track only climbs six places to 33, proving that even in this new era of everything goes, some things still don’t make any sense.

Nelly Furtado dances back to number one

While the fourth single form her ‘Loose’ album, “Say it right”, continues its climb in the UK, Nelly Furtado manages to knock Beyoncé from the top spot in the US.

Beyoncé had been seated at the throne of the Hot 100 for 10 weeks with the aptly titled “Irreplaceable” but her reign finally came to an end when the unstoppable Furtado switched positions this week 2-1 to claim her second number one single in the US in six months.

Furtado topped the chart last summer with “Promiscuous”. “Say it right” took 14 weeks to ascend to number one.

As icing on the cake, Furtado also debuts in the lower regions of the chart alongside Justin Timberlake on Timbaland’s “Give it to me” collaboration from his upcoming album due in March.

It’s been a stellar year for this Canadian diva and its not over yet as she gets set to host the Juno awards from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Sunday April 1st, 2007.

Mika makes chart history once more

Mika spends another week at number one. That makes one whole month at the top of the heap for this former download only single. A full four weeks at number one makes an impressive track record, but Mika makes chart history this week for another reason.

"Lollipop", the second track on Mika’s just released full length album, bounces in at number 62 on downloads alone – could Lollipop be about his colourful candy-like clothing taste?

The debut of this track marks the first time an album only track cracks the top 75 in the UK and therefore hints at the beginning of what I expect to be a usual occurrence once the record companies stop serving up their crappy mid winter duds in favour of the spring must-have albums.

And remember, Apple and the Beatles just settled their disagreement – could a Beatles chart invasion be just around the corner once their tracks get the iTunes go ahead?

Very little movement over all on the rest of the chart this week. Kaiser Chiefs debut at number 2 with their new single “Ruby” while Just Jack clings on to the third spot for yet another week.

Down at number 19, Nelly Furtado rises from 37 with her fourth cut from her loose album “Say it right”. Should Nelly continue to climb next week into the top ten she will have a fourth top ten single from her best selling third album. Whoa Nelly!

UK chart shows signs of winter freeze

In the not so distant past, the UK Charts held as much surprise from one week to the next as the best whodunit movie. Unpredictability remained the only thing predictable. Fast forward to 2007, a new year and new chart rules having just the opposite effect of what one would expect.

The chart hasn’t become more volatile, instead it’s become more regular. Same number one song, Mika’s “Grace Kelly” as last week, and the week before that, means not much going on in the top portion.

The chart has very little activity until the first debut all the way down at 22 with Kasabian and their new track “Me plus one”.

Sophie Ellis-Bexter returns to the charts this week at number 28 with “Catch You”. By far more edgy than her previous dance floor friendly retro romps, this track still has all the high energy dance beats in the right places but with a heavier guitar riff. Not exactly the track of the century, but it must sound great on the dance floor.

Take That, after dominating the number one position for the remaining month of last year, make a rather dim debut at number 30 with “Shine”, with a few patience we may see this one climb higher but for now it seems like the year’s best comeback has begun to lose steam.

Nelly Furtado continues to steamroll the chart with yet another cut from her summer jam “Loose” album. “Say it Right” is already top 3 Stateside and it enters the UK charts at 37 while former top tenner “All good things” continues to cling on four steps higher at 33.

Snow Patrol continue to climb the chart with their smash song “Chasing Cars” up 32 to 24 while new track “Open your eyes” bows in at 52. Finally Fratellis make the third group to claim double status on the chart this week. Although in their case it’s not an older hit and a brand new track but rather two new tracks making their chart debut the same week at numbers 41 and 43.

Interestingly, former married couple and members of the ever growing “who cares” pile, Nick Lackey and ex-wife Jessica Simpson both debut with their versions of the nasty divorce. Nick comes in stronger with “What’s left of me” at 47 and Jessica sticks her bubble gum under the seat at 52 with “Public Affair”.

Switches prances into the lower ranks of the chart with their track “Drama Queen”. With a title like that I was expecting and over the top, campy parade of clichéd lyrics and a startling commentary on some pressing issue. Instead the track is a forgettable indie rocker reminiscent of Blur’s “Song 2” but only the screaming part. A rather mess, I wish this band had switched on a bit of originality. unfortunately this song sounds like a classic rock by numbers cut. Just hearing it I can imagine the band recording it in someone’s garage.

At 63 the Noisettes enter with “Sister Rosetta” which tragically sounds like the female version of Switches, and that is being generous. In all a rather bland batch of debuts. It makes the number 56 return of Jackson 5’s “I want you back” all the more welcome.

Madonna – The Confessions Tour

There’s no stopping Madonna. “She’s got herself a universe” and its one big dance party from the time the disco ball drops in the opening scene to the last notes of “Hung up”.

Her brand new CD/DVD package features the entire “Confessions Tour” recorded live in the United Kingdom at Wembley Arena during her sold out, record breaking concert in summer 2006. Uncut and uncensored, unlike the watered down version that NBC played last November, Madonna struts, swears, flips the bird, insults the president and hangs from a mirrored cross with tireless conviction. She also does a bit of singing and dancing, belting out some oldies but mostly concentrating on newer material from her last “Confessions on a dance floor” album.

The choreography dazzles, brought to life by a team of talented dancers who at times seem more like acrobats in search of a circus than dancers on a stage at a rock concert. But that’s what makes a Madonna concert so great. As much as I hate to admit it, Madonna is not the best live vocalist, but what she lack in the lips, she makes up for in the hips. This forty –something-year-old mother of two has more moves ups her sleeve than artists half her age.

The CD portion of this package collects some of the more memorable songs onto one live disc. From the first notes of “Future Lovers” your toes begin to move until you can’t help but break out of your seat and “Jump” along to the thumping beats.

However, abruptly and without warning, Madonna sings the first notes of “Live to tell” on track four followed by a series of confessions from youths who’ve lived disturbing lives at the mercy of others. While their stories are poignant, going from a full on disco romp to hearing about some poor boy nearly choked to death at the hands of his father is a bit of a downer at any party.

Minus that exception and the plug for her “Raising Malawi” charity (which does great work for children orphaned by AIDS), the entire package delivers the strength and energy felt at the live show. It relives the highlights for those wealthy enough to have attended and allows the rest of us to experience it in our own living rooms.

The music sounds great with less interruption from rowdy audiences than one would expect, giving the CD a polished quality rare in live recordings. Oh, and the booklet full of images is absolutely Madgenificent.

Mika graces top for second week

The top four UK singles remains relatively untouched this week. Mika settles nicely into a second week at number one with his download only single “Grace Kelly” followed by Just Jack who stalls at number two for a second week with his track about burn out talent show chart toppers a la American Idol.

Jumping a massive eight places to land at number three is the club banger “Exceeder” by Mason while Jo Jo spends a second week at number four with “Too little too Late”. It may be a week off but if Mason continues to sell by the bucket loads for another seven days they may just dance atop the chart a week from now.

Fall Out Boy land in at number six with their new smash “This ain't a scene it’s an arms race”. Predicted to be the top selling single of the whole year, Fall Out Boy can already claim their biggest charting single with this one. Expect to see it rise even higher next week.

Two more singles land inside the top ten. At number seven are the Klaxons with “Golden Skans” and right behind them are My Chemical Romance who plough over 30 spots to land at number eight with “Famous Last words”. Seems this once obscure American band can claim alternative status no longer, at least not in the UK, this being their second single from their latest album to top ten.

Elsewhere on the chart it’s a rather bland mash of the old and the ordinary. Surprisingly two of the biggest charters of last year limp into the top 75 with brand new hits. Justin Timberlake makes a poor debut with his third single “What goes around comes around”. Meanwhile his previous hits are still going strong with “My Love” at number 39 and his number one hit from last summer “Sexyback” swinging at number 71. Sitting one row below Justin at number 60 is Beyonce with her new track “Listen” while “Irreplaceable” remains unshakable at number 25.

Will these latest singles by two of the biggest hit makers have what it takes to overcome the top three next week or will it be a third week in a row for Mika and both new artists following him in the top three slots?

Album review : The Good, the Bad and the Queen

Fresh off the heels of a massive album with his other side group, Gorillaz, Blur lead vocalist Damon Albarn delivers his latest mega group project. The Good, the Bad and the Queen is more organic than the last Gorillaz album but that is not to say this is a lesser quality album. Nor is it an album that is easy to categorize. Hats off to Albarn for releasing such a great album in the dead of January when music is at best forgotten by spring thaw. It would be a shame for that to happen to this album.

Lead track “History Song” sounds like it could have been scraped off a Blur album circa 1997 with heavy strings and laden piano yet with a sound that has evolved over the last ten years. The thumping bass throughout the entire album has Danger Mouse written all over it and “80s Song” could have been ripped from the Mulholland Drive Soundtrack. In fact the whole album has a sort of soundtrack feel to it, like it could have easily accompanied a David Lynch epic.

First single “Herculean” sits tightly halfway though but its brilliance seems to be buried when listened to as an integral part of the album. Second single “Kingdom of doom” paints a darker image of modern life with lyrics “Drink all day / ‘cause the country’s at war” and strange scratches overlapping pounding piano. While this record will in no way shape radio’s idea of what makes a great record, it is a hopeful sign, a glimpse of more brilliance to come from Damon and co. even if that brilliance is somewhat darker than one may think.

Second download only song tops UK chart

The UK has a brand new number one single making history this week. Mika takes the top spot with his song “Grace Kelly” in its second week on the chart. It has been three weeks now since the UK charts has allowed songs to chart without a physical single in the shops and Mika’a assent to the thrown makes it only the second time that a download only song has hit the top.

Just Jack moves up to take the number two spot while View jumps 11 to 3 with ‘Same Jeans’.
The highest debut this week was at number 11 with Mason charting with ‘Exceeder’ a huge club track this summer finally getting the chart success it deserves. An alternative version exists with leading vocals by Princess Superstar, but in my humble opinion, they do nothing but add a tired rap to a thumbing dance track. It’s a given that this track is a little darker and heavier than the usual three minutes of pop fluff normally landing this close to the top ten, but times are changing fast on the chart landscape.

Good, the Bad and the Queen romp in at number 20 with their second hit ‘Kingdom of Doom’. What is essentially Damon Albarn’s side project from Gorillaz, which is his side project from Blur has been gaining a lot of momentum since it released its first single ‘Herculean’ at the end of last year. The full album comes out this week and should prove to be one of the breakout albums of this year.

For weeks now I’ve been predicting the resurgence of former hits in the top 75 and finally this week two golden oldies return to the charts. ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor roars in at number 51 on the back of the new Rocky movie publicity and two slots down Jackson 5 bring ‘I want you back’, back to the countdown.

Is this a sign of things to come and will the singles chart reflect a healthy dose of old and new tracks? It is likely. Things like this are hard to predict but with songs getting tons of publicity in commercials and movie trailers, basically any song can now chart, for one week at least. Last week’s flavour of the week, Koopa, who charted despite not even holding a record deal are nowhere to be seen on this week’s chart. It’s still anyone’s guess as to where all this will go.

Unsigned artist ploughs into UK Top 40

In the second chart week of 2007 an unsigned artist claims a Top 40 hit. Koopa jumps in at number 31 with "Blag, Steal & Borrow". Though not a major label signed band, Koopa has been around for a while and owe much of this success to radio and commercial play.

This feat would have been impossible just two weeks ago, but with the changes to the new rules, all songs, as long as they sell enough copies at monitored download sites, can claim their spot on the official UK Chart. While last week's chart didn't do much to distinguish the old chart rules from the new, this week history has been re written and it may just be what it takes to bring the shake major labels off their high horses.

This is the third year in a row that the traditional single has been challenged. Last year narls Barkley scored big with “Crazy” tipping the scales on downloads alone and a year before it Crazy Frog leaped to number one with a remake of “Axel F” after beginning its life as a ring tone.

Elsewhere on the chart it was a slow week, Leona Lewis remained at the top with her rendition of “A moment like this” and Eric Prydz locked down another seven days at number two with “proper Education”

Two new artists had big first weeks. “Grace Kelly” by Mika danced in at number three while Just Jack had “Starz in their eyes” one row below. Otherwise the top ten was basically unchanged. It is interesting though that Jo Jo continues to move up with “Too little too late”. The physical release of her new UK single ships this week. Will it be too late to bring this tune higher than its current peak at number six?

An interesting debut at number 12. Freemasons featuring Siedah Garrett bows in with “Rain down love”. In case you’re wondering this is the same Siedah Garrett who scored a number one with Michael Jackson in 1987 with the tearfully Bad ballad “I just can’t stop loving you”. With Michael in the studio making the comeback record to prove all comeback records and Siedah hanging around the top 20, could a reunion song be just around the corner...

At 54 is the fabulous DJ Shadow, ever the innovator and master of new sounds with often less than stellar results. This week the man is back with what deserves to be his biggest hit ever. “This time (I’m gonna try it my way)” takes a page from Moby’s book of how to deliver a fine vintage vocal on a new track, but the Shadow ups his ante and delivers a strong performance that by all rights will ascend into the top ten. Oh and if you know who the vocalist is, give the Shadow a call he’s saving royalties for you.

Apple introduces iPhone

Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs had a great day on Tuesday (January 9, 2007). His company’s music site, iTunes has racked up its 2 billionth download and now leads the digital sales market ahead of long time online music retail leader Amazon.com.

At 5 million songs everyday or 58 songs every second it shows no sign of slowing down and only reinforces the idea that downloadable digital music is here to stay.

At Tuesday's annual Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco he also unveiled the highly anticipated iPhone – a fully functional touch screen phone with integrated iTunes – like an iPod you can talk through.

But Jobs is not stopping there. He also gave the world a glimpse of how he sees television in the future. The Apple TV is a box that will allow users to send video data from
their computer to their television screen. These little boxes promise big and should change the way television is watched in 2007.

If everything goes as Jobs plans consumers will download their favorite movies and television shows from iTunes and stream them on their Apple TV, iPod or iPhone.
Who said the digital revolution was over?

Snow Patrol crash their car at number nine

The 2007 chart year officially began in the UK on Sunday and with it a batch of returning songs. As previously noted, the Official UK chart changed its rules allowing any song, regardless if it was a preconceived single or album track, new or a golden oldie, to chart as long as the sales sufficed.

Returning to the top ten in style is a song that has been around for nearly all of 2006; none other than “Chasing Cars” by the Snow Patrol. If there was a success story of 2006, Snow Patrol were definitely it. After nurturing Indy status on a couple of well received but undersold records, Snow Patrol broke the mainstream in 2004 with the haunting track “Run”.

This spring they returned with a new album and a new single but “You’re all I have”, though mildly successful, hardly managed to confirm their status as a force to be reckoned with. All that changed when monster track “Chasing Cars” was released this summer, driving into the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic. But for all its success, it was deleted early this fall when third single “Set the fire to the third bar” was released. But now with old rules no longer in play, the top ten welcomes “Chasing Cars” back at number nine.

Besides that the Top Ten remained less volatile than previously expected. Eric Prydz vs Floyd danced into the number 2 slot with “Proper Education” a song that heavily samples Pink Floyd mainstay “Another brick in the wall (part II)”. A great dance record filled with enough bells and whistles to keep it fresh but not overbearing and remains true to the original. By far a better single than Prydz’s previous number one from September of 2004 “Call on me” which sampled non other than Steve Winwood in a loop that was enough to drive even the most hardcore fan from the floor screaming. And screaming is what hardcore Pink Floyd fans must be doing these days what with the campy remake of “Comfortably Numb” by the Scissor Sisters and now the dance remake of ‘the wall’.

U2 popped into the Top Ten at number 4 with “Window in the sky”, the second of two token new tracks to push their otherwise bland Christmas cash cow greatest hits collection.

But outside the Top Ten things started to heat up. Two former summer number ones crashed back into the chart thanks to the new rules, “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado and “Crazy” by Gnarles Barkley both still selling enough to keep them in the top 40. Automatic returned with ‘Monster’ at 33.

The biggest surprise this week, however, was the lack of older tunes returning into the chart. The picture may have been a little different had the rules been in effect just after Christmas when thousands of people were filling up their new iPods. But as it is the only golden oldie returning for a second run is “Mad World” by Gary Jules in at 58, possibly because of its use in the Xbox commercials. Regardless, it was a Christmas number one in 2003 and is therefore the oldest track returning to the charts since the new rules have come into effect.

The chances that it remains the only golden oldie are slim as rumour has it the entire Beatles catalogue is set to debut on popular download sites this year leading to the possibility that the band that won’t go away could break even their own records and become the first band to fill the entire top ten with their songs. That remains to be seen. For now it has been an exciting week of change and it can only get better from here.

The Crazy UK Charts

My last post, originally written in February 2006, hinted on the terrible year in music that was 2005. That post begged the question “Are the charts still relevant?”. Ironically the month after I wrote this article, the Official UK charts changed their format allowing downloads to chart a full week before the release of the physical single in shops.

Then along came a little record called “Crazy” by none other than Gnarls Barkley and history was made. Crazy became the very first single to debut at number one in the UK on downloads alone. It smashed all records and glimpsed at what was to come.

It was only a matter of time that the powers that be decided to acknowledge what music lovers have known for a long time, that downloads were here to stay. And so it was announced in late 2006 that as of the first week in January 2007 the Official UK chart would rank songs based on sales alone, whether downloads or physical product in the shops.

What does all this mean? It’s simple really. Literally any song that sells enough in one week is eligible to chart. That means that a predetermined single or an album cut can potentially hit number one in any given week.

The UK chart then went one step further and deleted the 52 week rule as well. In essence a single used to be ineligible to chart if it had a shelf life longer than one year. Now starting this week any song, no matter how recently released or how old can chart.

The chart dated Sunday January 7, 2007 will reflect what music fans in the UK are truly listening to and buying. With an already volatile chart, the UK embarks on what could become the craziest chart ever. Will Billboard follow suit?

The State of the Music Industry

With record sales flogging and viewership down for awards shows like the Grammy's, it leaves one to wonder if they and music charts still relevant.

Once upon a time people bought records, I'm not talking about shiny plastic CDs read by a laser, but rather thick black vinyl that crackled and popped before the needle sunk into the groove and the first riffs began playing your favourite song. And it was your favourite song because it was all they played on the radio. But today the whole world is a juke box.

You hear a song on the radio and boom, seconds later you have a (often illegal) download on your laptop which you immediately transfer to your MP3 player and hit the streets, which are filled with everyone else listening to their MP3 players or iPods or Minidisc players filled with their favourite songs. The whole process takes maybe two minutes. There’s no planning to go to the record shop, there's no lingering for hours talking trash about your buddy's favourite group or shuffling through stacks of records to find that rare treasure or the latest hit single. All the latest hit singles as well as those rare gems are now but a click away.

So with all that simplicity and choice is it any wonder that U2 won record of the year at this year's Grammy's for an album that came out in 2004? That’s two years ago folks. Does that mean that 2005 was a bummer year for music and that as music format technology improves, the music just seems to get worse?

Other than U2, Mariah Carey had a stellar year with her opus "The Emancipation of Mimi' proving there is life after a world class stinker like "Glitter". Since her record came out, hardly a week goes by she isn't up at the top of the heap, often in collaboration with the best artist to emerge this decade, "Featuring". In fact hardly a song is released anymore without Featuring, featuring somewhere in the title.

Kanye West (featuring Jamie Foxx) also stuck gold at the top for many weeks with his unashamedly catchy single (can we still call them singles?). So how come a record such as U2's 'How to dismantle an atomic bomb' despite it apparent brilliance, which produced no chart topping singles, recorded by a group of guys in their forties won record of the year?

Most young people who downloaded U 2's 'Vertigo’ probably don't even realise that this band didn't always do commercials for iPod but in fact were playing music before the invention of the CD, otherwise known as the stone age.

In our fast food world, people want what they want, when they want it. So with all those crappy albums out there is it any wonder people no longer feel inclined to shell out 20 bucks for an album with one good song and 30 minutes of filler?

And if people can click on a button and have instant access to old Temptations songs as well as the latest offering by 50 Cent, how can singles charts remain relevant if the listing does not realistically reflect what people are truly listening to?

In England recently, The Artic Monkeys came out of nowhere to debut on the single's chart at number one with their first two singles, all because of the power of the internet and P2P file sharing. Literally unknown by the industry, their singles floated around the internet for nearly a year. They didn't even have a record deal when 'Bet you look good on the dance floor' tipped the scales at number one.

Recent changes to the Official UK chart have permitted downloads to chart as long as there is a physical product available in stores. Even more modifications this week allow a single to chart based on downloads only for one week before the product is available as a single. But one must remember that the British chart is solely based on sales, not a mixture of sales and airplay as in the US. On top of that, come March a single in the UK will be deleted from the chart once the physical CD single is no longer available, leading one to think this is nothing more than the industry manipulating sales instead of a true ranking of what people are buying and listening to.

Digital downloads are here to stay like it or not. Brand names like iPod have become synonymous with the new expression of freedom. Mixed tapes used to be the optimal way to articulate you musical tastes, now thanks to the internet and all it has to offer, the whole world is a mixed tape. People don't want to be told what to listen to anymore. So with all this music so easily available, how can the CD format survive?

On the rare occasion that I buy a CD these days I barely have it out of the plastic wrap before it is inserted into my hard drive then transferred to my minidisc player where I can shuffle it with the hundreds of other songs I enjoy, leaving the bulky plastic disk to gather dust on my shelf. And judging by the amount of white headphones I see strolling around the streets I'm not the only one to do the same. The CD, like vinyl before it is a product of limitations in a world without limits. Today we can store hours and hours of music on an object the size of a deck of cards and play it in any conceivable order.

Therefore is a Grammy category like ‘Album of the year” on the brink of extinction along with the CD? Organisers of this year's Grammy's show seemed to understand this new musical “mixed tape” trend much more than in the past, by nearly bypassing all the award presentations completely and focusing on what people really want; music and musical variety. Performances were varied and included great mash ups between Madonna and Gorillaz as well as U2 and Mary J. Blige and a stellar all star tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. If there hadn't been the odd commercial and award presentation, the whole show would have come off as a live "playlist".

But change is not always easy. Back in the 1980’s when vinyl records were being phased out in favour of the CD, much hoopla was made that CDs couldn't produce the same kind of cover art their 33rpm cousins could. Now it seems liner notes and cover art or even full length albums aren’t even that important anymore.

At the 2003 American Music Awards, a huge fuss was made over the Britney/Madonna kiss, but does anyone remember which song won top honours? The point being with music, especially pop music being as throwaway as it is today, MP3’s and their Sony and Apple equivalents are the perfect format. In one click a song can be deleted from your playlist and you don't have stacks of plastic collecting dust in the corner of your bedroom.

The music industry must clue into this if it is to survive. Most music fans these days don't loiter for hours in the record shop searching for music but they will spend hours getting tunes off the net. Record companies and music distribution sites must now learn to work together to harmonise this new reality, come up with a universal format (as they did with 33rpms, cassette tapes and CDs) instead of all this confusion over ACC, MP3 and ATRAC, develop emerging artists through this new medium and let consumers decide, just like in the golden days when one could walk into a record shop and check out the Top 40 in 45s.

As for the charts, until they evolve into what they used to be, a reflection of the choices people are making and the music they are listening to, they are completely irrelevant and until record companies think outside their 'jewel box', the whole industry is in peril. Suing a few fans for a couple of illegal downloads is not a solution to anyone's problems.