I'd like to say hello and welcome you good day. Bonus points if you know what song those words open... anyway, gosh it's Wednesday already. I'm feeling a bit better this afternoon after a not so good morning. But what can ya do?! After all, I'm just a love machine (no points for knowing where that comes from...) And i'm surprisingly disinterested in Britney's upcoming second divorce. I think, like Mariah, Whitney and Janet, my interest in that particular career has sailed. Until she comes back with something that will need to be 100 times better than My Prerogative, then I may reconsider. By the way, double chocolate whips from Marks and Spencers are delish, we like a bit of D'Luv with make up and my piano playing is coming along nicely...
.
THE NEW S CLUB JUNIORS/8:
.

Pop can be very incestuous can't it? Particularly if you have ever got involved within the Simon Fuller/Cowell circle of power. Here I am, grieving the loss of S Club/S Club 7/S Club 8/S Club Juniors, particularly after such storming songs like Sundown and Don't Tell Me You're Sorry, and desperately wanting at least some of the 8 to come back and sock us with their modern take on pop, but nada. Just the usual few pervs on FMForums drooling over a slightly grown up Aaron Renfree and Calvin Spunks. Phrrt. But Simon Cowell of course has spotted that gap in the market. You can almost see his line of thinking. "Il Divo are successful around the world. I did that, even with that bloody G4 nipping at their toes. Like Jack Frost. Hmmm, I wonder what I should get Sinitta for Christmas" and all this lead to him creating Il Divo Juniors! But with girls! So they look a bit like S Club 8! And called them Angelis! Genius! It really shouldn't work, especially as it's clear Simon has picked songs he has had success with for some of his other artists (Westlife have already covered Angel; Shayne Ward has done Somewhere Over The Rainbow; the inclusion of Walking In The Air is a bit obvious though) and turned them into mini operatic-classical pieces. And it no doubt will be a huge Christmas seller. I kinda like it - it's fairly inoffensive, relaxing and somewhat hypnotic :) Viva Il Divo Kid Bopz style...
.
LINK: Purchase the Angelis cd
MP3: Angelis - Angel (Sarah McLachlan cover)
MP3: Angelis - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
.
THE SECOND CHANCERS:
.

Sigh. Although I am more than happy with Eton Road in this year's X Factor, it's a bloody crying shame that Avenue got kicked out of the show. Not only were they the superior vocal group, no one really cared whether they had a management deal or not. And ultimately the producers shot themselves in the foot. Louis should have put through Eton Road and Avenue and had the two boybands competing directly against each other. Sure, it's a risky strategy as it may have split the vote, but it would have forced top notch performances out of both groups, providing the viewers with some scintillating television and musical tunes. Now that would have been daring, exciting television. But no. Rules are rules. Unless ITV want to change them. So Avenue are tragically no longer in the competition, but at least I came across their myspace site today and they are still going. Hurrah. But what else can you expect from a band that contains Jamie Tinkler from the other big hope of mine, Pop!? Below are a couple of suggestions of tracks Avenue could record - one uptempo, one slow...
.
LINK: Avenue's myspace site
MP3: JoBeth Taylor - Have Things Changed (just crying out for a boyband cover - penned by Deb Gibson in early 90s...)
MP3: Abba - Kisses of Fire (so in need of being a huge millenium pop hit...)
.
THE NEW FEELING?
.

I have to give kudos to Nick and Zeon for alerting me to the general marvelousness of this new band. And both of them have written much more eloquently about it than I am about to... the group wears its 70/80s rock-pop influences on it's glitter jacket sleeves and in frontman Ludwig Andersson (son of Benny, abba) has a lead singer every bit as flamboyant and addictive as Jake Shears. The tracks on their epononymous debut album seem quaintly vintage, and have a warm familiarity about them, yet the music is blistering, somewhat autobiographical and a whole lot of fun. Nick was right in his review when he said that as a whole album, it gets a bit dull (sometimes you just want them to get on with it!), but overall it is a great piece of work that i know i will listen to a whole lot more...
.
LINK: Ella Rouge's myspace page
LINK: Buy Ella Rouge's debut album
MP3: Ella Rouge - Eldorado High
MP3: Ella Rouge - Weary
.
THE COVER UP:
.

Good lord! While i was revisiting 80s popstress Tiffany for my 90s lost pop post, i discovered a couple of things. One - Tiffany has put out 3 albums that you can't really class as great (Dreams Never Die; The Colour of Silence; Dust Off And Dance), but have some really good individual tracks on them. Two - Tiffany wasn't quite as rubbish as I remember and Three - she seems to have contributed to every single bloody tribute album out there. U2! Shania! Cher! Tina Turner! Blondie! As well as her performance of Love Machine on Baby One More Time (I love how that's another example of incestuous pop now that GA are covering ITWAN...)! I mean, whatever next? Will she contribute to a All Star Tiffany Tribute Album. Watch this space ;) (A fuller tiffany post is somewhat forthcoming, if i can muster anymore enthusiasm for it...)
.
MP3: Tiffany - Love Machine (live)
MP3: Tiffany - The Beat Goes On
MP3: Tiffany - Whats Love Got To Do With It?
MP3: Tiffany - New Years Day
MP3: Tiffany - You've Got A Way
MP3: Tiffany - Call Me
.
THE CALL FOR HELP
.
I am on vacation from 25th November til 3rd December. I have plans for posts from 1st -3rd December that i will post while away, but i thought it might be fun to invite people to be guest writers for that week. if you are interested in doing something, even if it's just a short article, either leave a comment or email me and I will definitely get back to you :)
.
BLOG WATCH/QUICK BITZ:
.

~ I didn't even know there was a Vogue for men, and it's just the type of magazine I would love. So i'm slightly disappointed that it was rubbish, apart from the lovely Hugh on the cover. In a tie. RAR!
~ Let me tell you why I am almost definitely positively over Heat - a magazine i have had a few letters printed in too. I cannot take one more skinny celeb cover/pete&nikki story, and now the writers seem very up themselves. It just annoys me more than it entertains me. Plus, while we are on about Pete from BB7 - an autobiography? Already?! He must have put a lot of time and effort into that...
~ Blog comes full circle. I posted a rare Deb Gibson track a few days ago, which was spotted by an eagle eyed Australian reader, who then emailed it to my friend Ricky who then emailed it to me to see if I know about it ;) YAY!
~ Brillo blog I'm Always Right shed some antipodean light on the new McFly album and that Heat interview...
~ As it is now only 47 days til Christmas it is absolutely right and proper that Zeon rave about Sarah McLachlan's festive single River (i think he said Aimee Mann's Christmas opus was a keeper too and he was right). It is killing me saving all my Christmas songs for my 24 days of Christmas posts (coming December 1st!!)
.
Coming soon: Another "Should've Beens" feature; something on the Magic Numbers; Jean; more myspace up and comers; more should be greatest hits; some stuff on books and what soundtracks should go with them; Life On Mars - looking at the best of the tv season so far; Lois and Clark's brush with greatness; the 24 days of Christmas music; more 7 in 2007 updates...