STUCK RECORDS

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

Lady Gaga – ‘Bad Romance’

Such is the demand for new Lady Gaga material that Stefani Germanotta has been shoved in the studio to record half an album to tag onto the end of debut ‘The Fame’. This is the first new single and continues the extraordinary run of 2009 Gaga releases. The fantastic “Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah. Roma-roma-ma. Ga-ga-ooh-la-la” hook is vaguely reminiscent of ‘Poker Face’, and as we’ve now come to expect, the shamelessly proud uptempo electro-pop (just listen to the Euro-trance influences in the intro) is jammed full of memorable lyrics – “I want your ugly, I want your disease”- instantly fit to join the ranks of disco sticks and bluffin’ muffins. Expect it to explode up the charts following a rather muted download release…

RUNNER-UP SINGLE OF THE WEEK

Ladyhawke – ‘Magic’

An epic, pulsing electro track from New Zealand’s Ladyhawke, who managed to crack the top 20 albums chart earlier this year. Lyrically this is an ode of longing (“I’ve left my heart to you but it’s not fair, cos you’re taking me for granted baby”) though the top-notch production gives the song a striding, almost euphoric aura. Despite packing a killer chorus, chances are this release has been left too late in the album campaign to have any serious impact. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic track and further proof of the potential for a proper breakthrough.

Westlife – ‘What About Now’

It always seemed odd that this track was never used to launch rock band Daughtry in the UK. The wheels seemed to be in motion when, over a year after its American release, the track became a staple soundtrack to the2009 X Factor auditions (and subsequently reached #11 in the chart just a few weeks ago). However the price Daughtry pay for dragging their feet is that Westlife have nipped in and recorded a by-the-numbers karaoke cover version to launch their latest album. The only minor difference being Chris Daughtry’s huskier vocals, which suited the track more than the lightweight delivery here. Yet this is the group’s best single in years (not much of an achievement, admittedly). The uplifting, epic rock ballad remains faithfully intact and despite scoring 0/5 for originality, Daughtry were never likely to release this “properly” in the first place. So fair play to Westlife for rescuing this shortly before it slipped into the black hole of pop.

Jay Sean feat. Lil’ Wayne – ‘Down’

‘Down’ not only ended the Black Eyed Peas’ six month reign atop the US chart, but also earned Londoner Jay Sean the honour of being the most successful UK male urban artist in American chart history. Unsurprisingly then, big things will be expected of this song, which is relentlessly bouncy, endlessly repeats the title (“Baby are you down, down, down, down, down”), throws around vocodered ad libs throughout, and features a cameo from Lil’ Wayne. It’s not bad per se, but it’s far from original and actually feels a bit nondescript for a song with so many accolades – not that that matters; with such success already achieved, it’s hard to imagine anyone at Jayded Records caring that much whether ‘Down’ goes on to become similarly massive in the UK or not.

Armand Van Helden + A-Trak present Duck Sauce – ‘aNYway’

A deliciously funky slice of reworked 70s disco, the source track coming courtesy of ‘I Can Do It’ by Final Edition. The song is treated to modern day Armand Van Helden trademark mixing, stop-start, fade-in-fade-out layered vocals and a slick beat, which almost perfectly complements the vocals. However, hearing the near-identical original shows this up as little more than the product of a DJ showing off on the decks in his spare time. Enjoyable, but completely frivolous.

Tinchy Stryder – ‘You’re Not Alone’

A release that will no doubt divide musical opinion; heavily sampling Olive’s #1 hit from 1997, Tinchy Stryder adds his vocals to what is essentially an instrumental of the original song, whilst retaining the chorus which is still as effective as ever. There’s a small urge to criticise the unnecessary bastardisation of a song for a quick rush of euphoria, particularly when Tinchy has shown much flair this year for being able to create his own from scratch. But it’s hard to resist when the end result is a track which honours its inspiration and retains what made it so great in the first place. Not that it’ll ever convince music purists mind.

Miley Cyrus – ‘Party In The USA’

Whilst Disney stars releasing albums are ten-a-penny in America, Miley Cyrus has had almost free run of the UK charts for around a year, having scored four top 20 singles – two of which fell a place short of the top ten. The main problem is any attempts to establish Miley as a genuine popstar in the UK feel faintly half-hearted. Having knocked around the American chart for months, ‘Party In The USA’ is now released with little fanfare. Swapping pop-rock guitars for synths and a plethora of blips and bleeps, it’s not what you’d first expect to hear. Yet as ever, the lyrics are delivered with a mix of simplicity and sincerity as young MIley struggles to adjust to life with the rich and the famous (“So hard with my girls not around me, it’s definitely not a Nashville party, ’cause all I see are stilettos, I guess I never got the memo”) . Given her massive success in America, it’s not hard to see why the UK is little more than an after-thought. However, any country that suffers the indignity of granting ‘Hoedown Throwdown’ a place in their hit parade deserves more than such a complacent attitude.

Florence and the Machine – ‘You’ve Got The Love’

Yes, this is a cover of The Source/Candi Staton track, having taken something of an old-school route to be released as a single. Originally a b-side late last year, and having received a download release in January 2009, the song has received positive media coverage and established itself as a live favourite. Hence it is finally awarded a physical release. As covers go, it’s fairly straightforward. Florence Welch’s vocal delivery suits the song down to the ground, giving it a slightly more gravelly tone but capturing the inspirational message behind the track. In fact, this feels more of a complementary homage to the original, delivered with respectful passion.

Craig Herman