Stupid Girls

Certainly not. Girls made most of the best music in 2006. Where other genres disappointed, Dirty Pop dominated. The Swede's (Stargate and Max Martin), Mark Ronson and Timbaland provided the guidance for the girls but they kicked it this year....



P!nk

The most under-rated singer/songwriter today. No-one knows where to put her, she has long since turned her back on her Babyface driven R&B roots. She isn't hard enough to be a full on rock chick. She is P!nk pop, delivered a classic album and the tour of the year in 2006. 'Dear Mr President' is one of the few occasions where a pop icon goes political without making you want to switch off. Sadly not used as a single but it probably would have resulted in career suicide Stateside.




'U and Ur Hand' sits nicely as a female response to the City Bankers 'Abacus' Anthem 'Gold Digger'. 'Stupid Girls' wasn't the best single but had a fantastic video. Here is the coolest performance of the year; go to 1 minute 50 Seconds



Regina Spektor



Spektor didn't deliver a classic but there is hope for that later. Her Joni Mitchell inspired songs made grown men weep (DH)

Jamelia



Nobody cared that she was back. Very sad because her album is excellent, perhaps with a couple more decent singles the British public might wake up. Jamelia is as good as anything the yanks throw at us.

Nelly Furtado



Certainly her year. She somehow managed to get away with being a loose promiscuous maneater. Two of the biggest songs of any year backed up by a strong LP.

Christina Aguilera



The curse of the double album. If this girl had any sense she would have stripped out half of the Linda Perry rubbish and only released the first CD with a few amendments. But Xtina is a brat and has no grip on reality. Harsh? No, listen to 'Thank you (dedication to Fans...)' never has anybody destroyed such as fantastic beat. Dj Premier must cry at night when he hears what she did to it. It is the worse song of 2006, so far beyond self-indulgent that it would make Michael Jackson cringe. The album shows how weird she is, the track 'F.U.S.S' (For u Scott Storch) is a diss to the washed-up producer but why is it on there? This album is the most upsetting of 2006, it has some amazing pop on the first CD and could have been a classic. Dj Premier, Mark Ronson and Kwame blessed her with wonderful production but her 'beautiful' Linda Perry mentality spoilt it.



Amy Winehouse


This was the most pleasant surprise of 2006. The ashtray mouthed drunk singer released the best soul album I can remember. Its length is perfect, short and sweet. The Ronson production is as fantastic as ever and the vocals are glorious. Well done Amy, you proved me wrong.

Beyonce

Boring live and a weak album on first listen. But, time has been kind to B-Day and on reflection it is not bad, far better than her first album. Get rid of Swizz Beatz and I will love you a lot more.


'Deja-Vu' was not well received in some quarters but for no decent reason, its a brilliant pop record; as is 'Irreplaceable'.

Ciara

The Janet Jackson killer. Good second album, dreadful interludes though.


Kelis

Mrs Jones made a solid album, even managing to get some good work from Scott Storch but really needs to get back into bed with the Neptunes




Lily

Wonderful, more please. See earlier blog below.

Kingdom of the Dead

2006 was an amazing year in music but not for hip hop. Sales dipped (only Jay-Z and T.I have comfortably gone platinum), critics yawned, Timbaland gave up on it, the streets birthed little and 2007 doesn't look much brighter.....

The most anticipated LP's of the year belonged to President Jay and Nasty Nas. Jay's album is an event but it side steps the streets; it is not a hip hop album, he has become hip pop. And why not I say. He has given us 10 years of joy. 'Kingdom Come' is a great album, just dont expect another 'Reasonable Doubt' or 'Blueprint'. The dude is worth $300 mil, would we really take him seriously if he still rapped about crack and bitches? He is too honest for that. Let him penetrate the pop charts and make us and our girlfriends dance. His album is still avenues ahead of all most of the washed-out competition. You have to go back to the 'Black Album' to understand the root of 'Kingdom Come'.















'Hova the God nigga blasphamy
I'm at the Trump International
Ask for me
I ain't never scared
I'm everywhere
You ain't never there
Nigga why would I ever care
Pound for pound I'm the best to ever come around here
Excluding nobody
Look what I embody
The soul of a hustler I really ran the street
A CEO's mind
That marketing plan was me
And no I ain't get shot up a whole bunch of times (50 Cent)
Or make up shit in a whole bunch of lines (Nas?)
And I ain't animated, like say a, Busta Rhymes
But the real shit you get when you bust down my lines
Add that to the fact I went plat a bunch of times
Times that by my influence on pop culutre
I supposed to be number one on everybodys list
We'll see what happens when I no longer exist
Fuck this man

(What more can I say?)























Nas' album, released under Jay's umbrella initially disappointed me but I have grown to like it. He still fails to deliver another classic but there are some wonderful highlights ('Can't forget about you', 'Black Republicans Ft Jay-Z). Hip Hop is not Dead its too much of a monster to die but it does seem to be in remission.

The problem is that the whole 'money, crack, cash, ho's, gangsta' mentality is saturated; we done heard it all before. Its not healthy that the bleak landscape has demanded a new Jay-Z album when he has already given the culture and music so much. Why are we still hoping for Nas to be 'illmatic' again? It ain't going to happen and we can't blame him for this. Why is no-one coming through to take over? People are not inspired by todays sad crop of Jadashit, Paul Wall, Jeezy, Busta, Camron, Dipshit (none of them deliver great albums) etc. The Clipse are fantastic rappers but their second album is ruined by their continued crack addition. I don't give a shit about you selling crack, you battered that concept to death on the first LP; think of something new to say. Ghostface, why did you release a second album this year? That was just dumb; nobody knew about it and as a result it bombed - as if Def Jam will give you the promotion budget twice in the same year; come on you are not doing yourself any favours....

2007

Rap needs to evolve away from repetition. You released watered-down clones then you will get watered-down CD sales. Its sad that Talib Kweli (new album in 2007) doesn't move units. Lupe Fiasco and Rhymefest released strong, interesting albums but only a small part of the market listened. Little Wayne is hardly a conscious rapper but has great potential, can he keep his ego in check and sit down to record a great solo record? Kanye is back in March, lets hope he has been saving his best beats for himself because the few he has given out this year have been weak. In 2007 lets hope a crop of young, new, interesting rappers emerge to push hip hop forward again because its lost in the crack smoke and its no longer Shawn Carter and Nasir Jones' place to drag it out....

Lupe Fiasco - Lu Myself

Jay-Z - Hustlin'

The Game - Sound Scan (G-Unit Diss)

Nas - Where Y'all at

Lil Wayne - Georgia Bush

Jay-Z - Show me what you got (Chops Remix)

Lupe Fiasco - Cold War Fiasco

Keep up with the Williams’

The two brothers from another released erratic and controversial albums in 2006.

Robbie’s ‘Rudebox’ (what happened to the ’74?) sparked derision for his unique and generally ‘wack’ rapping techniques. The album was unleashed only year after the weak and uninspired ‘Intensive Care’. It was a break from the obvious and safe for Bob.

Pharrell’s ‘In My Mind’ was released about two years too late and seemed unsure of itself. By the time it eventually hit the shops most of the excitement had petered out. The whole project was poorly handled by Skateboard P and his various record companies. There had already been three singles before fans could buy it, one of which (Mamacita) was touted on radio and performed on American television only for it to be scrapped as a single and not even put on the album.



Both albums are divided between the boys rapping and the boys singing. This was the first mistake as it makes it difficult for either album to flow. The Williams' share wonderfully flawed singing voices, the fact that they are not perfect vocalists adds to their appeal and individuality; unfortunately this doesn't translate in their rapping. They both obviously love rapping but really they should stick to their strengths.













To their credit there are some spectacularly satisfying tracks on both albums: Lovelight, Angel, King of the Bongo, Number One.

Pharobbie are actually on the same label. I propose EMI re-release a combined version of the albums called 'RudeMind'. It could be a classic

1. RW - Lovelight (Brilliant cover of innocuous Lewis Taylor track)
2. PW - Angel (Short and sweet)
3. RW - Keep On (Mark Ronson and Lily Allen make Robbie's rapping work)
4. PW - Number One Ft Kanye West (Totally under-rated gem)
5. RW - We're The Pet Shop Boys ( Basically a good PSB song)
6. PW - Our Father (Lyrically forgettable but lovely arrangement and vocals)
7. RW - Bongo Bong (Sped up cover with Lily to the rescue again)
8. PW - Best Friend (Classic Neptunes and signature P drumming)
9. RW - She's Madonna (Another PSB effort, fun topic)
10. PW - Young Girl/I really like you FT Jay-Z (Nice cameo and Stevie Wonder inspired second half)

Given the bi-polar nature of the albums they could also release the worst album of the year 'In My Box' (to the left, to the left)

1. RW - Louise (Worse than bland)
2. PW - That Girl Ft Snoop (Pure, refined shit. It fails horrendously at whatever madness they were trying)
3. RW - Viva life on Mars (painful)
4. PW - Keep it Play Ft Slim Thug (Shut up)
5. RW - Burslem Normals (Sounds like a B-Side to the Clockwork Orange Soundtrack)
6. PW - Can I have it like that? Ft Gwen (What a waste. If you are going to use her, at least make her sing)
7. PW - You can do it to (Dull preaching)
8. RW - Kiss Me (No excuse for this)
9. RW - Never touch that switch (Stupid record)
10. RW - Summertime/Dickhead (Poor and forgetful)

It will be fun to watch where these 30 somethings go from here: Do they look to keep their fans or themselves happy? Although their albums were all over the place I was grateful for them. Especially the bizarre Rudebox, lets have another one Robbie. Pharrell, go find Chad Hugo and finish the third N*E*R*D album. Go on, what are you waiting for children?












Here is a strange one, its Pharrell Singing Justin Timberlake's Like I Love you


Here is the third single that never was, Mamacita.


And here is the instrumental for 'I really Like you'

Lily Space

2006 - Internet killed the Video Star?

Arctic Thom Boyz

Poor Sandi. Did anyone really watch her yelping out her fluffy pop from her Tooting flat? Do you know anyone that would admit to it? Do you know anyone that watched and then went and bought the song? If it were true and people really felt enough love for her to tune into to her webcasts that surely it would have translated into long term album sales and megastardom? The truth is that it was a wonderful piece of PR making the average ‘Joe’ (not ‘Joey’, no ‘Joey’ is average) think she was cool. The single was catchy enough for people to enjoy it for a little while.

The Result: A number one single after a blanket of publicity about a webcast no-one admits to watching. Unfortunately for Sandi the initial buzz soon became a whimper and she is not likely to sustain a pop career. She is probably destined to be a mere footnote in British pop music.

Now the Sheffield bandits, The Artic Monkeys, a band I really do not like. I never have, the first single annoys me. I dislike Alex Turner and his voice. However that doesn’t mean I don’t think they are good. They certainly do make interesting, catching and challenging songs.

They are a band ‘made popular on the internet’. That’s what the music press would like us to believe but in what sense is that true? The Artic Monkeys were not on Myspace for ages and claim to never use it. They may have raced to a million record sales in the UK in double quick time but this not really a result of the internet exposure. Most of the people that fell in love with them on the internet, rather than the radio, would not have been the people who actually went down to HMV and dropped £12.99 on the counter for monkey music.

By the time the album had come out most of it had been on the web for months and months. Those vaguely savvy enough to track it down were either bored, had moved on to the next fad or were happy to keep their elicit demo MP3 download by this point. Very few of the ‘early adopters’ will actually own a legitimate copy of the album.

The internet played its part in their rise but it more down to the ‘cool’ factor. Every supposed trend-setter jumped on the mysterious monkey train and told the masses this was ‘the next big thing’, ‘they are huge on the internet’, ‘Myspace made them’. Myspace did not make them. What made them was the myth that Myspace birthed them. In truth their hype probably made Myspace in the UK! The masses thought it was ‘cool’ and a people’s movement. They naively believed that the public discovered them, independent of the evil music industry and the internet support was pure and organic.

Of course not, they just became cool through hype and mystery. People like Jo ‘I don’t have a fucking clue’ Whiley built them up because they wanted to be ‘hip’ by association. The Arctic bandwagon snowballed and poor old average Joe who doesn’t know what a blog is or how to use Myspace was duped into believing the hype and buying the CD to be in the ‘it’ (not ‘IT’) crowd. Well done to the Monkeys, their label, PR and management. They, unlike Sandi will live through the ‘invisible viral storm’ because they are talented.


So onto the best new British artist of 2006: Lil Lil Allen. The hype created around her surrogate father (MySpace) and her D-list celebrity (biological) father was thankfully justified. Lily’s relationship with the internet was similar to that of the Monkeys but she seems to have embraced the internet more herself personally. The blogging community certainly seems to have helped create a healthy buzz for her in the USA. Unfortunately Lily and her record company wont have the bizarre draw of Kieth Allen to use over there.

In reality the internet didn’t kill the video star it just moved it onto youtube and beyond. People are spending more and more time on the web; either bored at work or through increased use of broadband. Its less appealing to watch the 47 MTV channels that are filled with synchronised Ad breaks and repetitive reality TV; its no wonder MTV are expanding into the web and mobile so much.

In 2007 Lily will release her debut album stateside including this wonderful Mark Ronson Remix of ‘Smile’ from his podcast.


Lily Allen Knock 'em Out (live)

Lily Allen Vs Jay-Z 'Song Smile'

Just Daft Ice Punks - Dance Music in 2006

Daft Punk released a Greatest Hits this year, why?

They only have three studio albums, the third of which was only made public a year before they dumped out the premature hits collection. I can only guess, but, the nature of the third album (2005's Human After All) suggests that perhaps they were desperate to get out of their record deal with Virgin.

Evidence for this would be the slew of dodgy releases in the last few years: The live Alive CD from a 1997 concert, The Daft Club Album, This stupid Hits collection and arguably 'Human After All'. Human After All, made in six weeks was the most disappointing album I have ever heard, you can tell it was rushed. Discovery (which was better than Homework) took two years and is almost a perfect album.

The title, Human After All, is perhaps the key. Did they make a shoddy album on purpose? Were they trying to shake the record label, industry and fans off their backs? Are they now free agents with the Virgin deal expired? Who knows? Were they that keen to get rid of the 'man' that they spiked their own recording legacy? Or did they just lose the musical plot? Releasing a Greatest Hits is often the signal of the end of a record contract but Daft Punk are meant to have one of the most respected record deals in music. My understanding is that its pretty much a distribution deal where they retain control of the output/marketing/design and get an healthy number of the points on their records. In essence they get freedom, don't have to do interviews and get serious cash from Virgin. So what to make of it?




The strange thing is that the weaker third album has almost become a cult album because of its ambiguity and a couple of compelling tracks that would have fitted onto the debut 'Homework'. Apple's iTunes Ad and Busta Rhymes' re-working have exposed the joy of 'Technologic'. A song, which at first sounded like a rip off of Mylo's 'Destroy Rock and Roll' (very worrying to start with). A Handful of other tracks on the album have sort of become 'acceptable' Punkster tracks in the past year; tracks that were initially spurned in disgust at the come-down of 'Human After All'.

Why am I talking about Daft Punk in reference to 2006? Well, they isn't much to get excited about in dance music today; sadly. People name drop Justice and Erol Alkan but when the dust settles it will become apparent (if it isnt already to those not on drugs) that they are shit. Justice Vs Simian is the best dance record of the last two years. A radio friendly ode to Daft Punk that was as catchy and well produced as you could hope. But, and its a big BUT, they offer nothing else. All their other records are dreadful and are filled with the grating sound of electronically distorted guitars played at the wrong pitch; pretty much un-listenable. Their remixes of Britney and Daft Punk are painful. Erol has a cool name and appears to a nice chap but he has done nothing to cheer about, the Franz Ferdinand Remix never goes anywhere and has absolutely no imagination. I hope they prove me wrong but I doubt it. We all flirted with Uffie and Cansei De Ser Sexy but they never lasted in my heart

In 2007 we can have hope. Madonna's criminal world tour is over and hopefully this will release her 'musical director/alleged Whammy partner' Stuart Price to make some music. All I have registered from Lu Cont this year is his remix of The Killers which is enjoyable but uninspired. He said a year ago he didnt want to be a remixer or even a producer for others, lets have another Les Rythmes Digitales album please Squire. The Chemical Brothers are coming back in the Spring and I hope Basement Jaxx will too.

In 2007 I pray the electro/minimal scene finally dies; its not as if it had any life in it anyway....


Here is a link to an mp4 of Daft Punk 'Around the World' Live; cant remember where I got it from but its cool and rare.