Singles Releases 20/02/06

Is It Just Me? (The Darkness) - No Justin it isn't. We've ALL realised that the joke has worn sorely thin. Still, remember the good times. Like when you got invited to the Brits instead of having to watch them on TV. This is the final nail in the coffin I fear.

Ultimatum (Shaggy) - Well surprise surpise but this isn't that bad for a Shaggy tune. In fact the only bit that spoils it is Shaggy himself. Other than the fact he's rubbish at rapping and has an annoying delivery this is quite a good tune.

I Want You To Stay (Maximo Park) - Well I thought I didn't "get" Maximo Park when I heard their other stuff, but things seem to be going slightly downhill here. I just don't get what the fuss is all about and this does nothing to enlighten me. At least their other tunes had a bit of fun about them, this is just boring.

It's A Hit (We Are Scientists)- Another decent WAS single, completely outshone by the funny video. But I do get the feeling that this "wacky for wackiness' sake" shtick may well get tiresome before long.

Valentine (The Delays) - I can't work out whether this is entirely serious or not. Are they really serious? I mean MTV2 are playing the video so I suppose this really must be serious. But to me it's like a boyband trying to get credibility with a bit of an indie-disco romp...and failing miserably.

Put Your Records On (Corrine Bailey Rae) - Ah the curse of being hyped so much means that you really are stuggling to live up to the hype from day one. I can sense those that see this kind of thing as making a stand for "real" music will be lapping this one up, but I for one think there is a lot of work to do if Rae is really to stand out.

Sorry (Madonna) - Now Hung Up was good for a while but gradually got annoying, but not to worry becuase Madonna has some other crackers up her sleeve, including this wonderful slice of dance pop. Starting off like It's A Sin, before cascading off into further brilliance. This is the kind of modern pop song that should be held up as an example to all. And of course the wonderful Pet Shop Boys maxi-mix is just the icing on the cake.

In The Key Of C (Jim Noir) - Well if the Super Furry Animals were doing a children's television theme tune it might turn out a little something like this...which is pretty damn good. The cheerful tune makes a nice contrast to Noir's morose voice, and whilst I wouldn't neccesarily want to listen to this one over and over, I would recommend that you check it out.

Crazy (Simple Plan) - Well, this just isn't my thing at all. Those Blink 182 fans needing their fix could do worse than check this out, but the rest of us can steer well clear.

Amazing (Westlife) - Yes, it IS an up-tempo one from the boys. No, it's NOT amazing and in fact doesn't even approach passable. Although lets face it, it's still a million times better than You Raise Me Up.

After All This Time (Simon Webbe) - Seriously, what have we done to deserve this. Still none of the Blue soloists will be troubling us for long, and I think Simon's 15 minutes is just about up.

Rapture Riders (Blondie Vs The Doors) - Well as these novelty things go, this is entertaining enough and will probably be a smash cult hit (if it isn't already) but really it is a pretty pointless exercise all around. Still, any one who likes either song will be able to while away four or so minutes quite pleasantly.

Dont Stop Till You Get Enough/Thriller (Michael Jackson) - Ok, so we may not all be convinced about his personal activities, but forget about that for a moment and think back to the days when MJ was purely the most exciting music act in the charts. Don't Stop Till You Get Enough is the sound of MJ breaking through, Thriller is the sound of a man on the top of his game. You can argue all you want about the man himself, but you can't question his musical talent (at least for the first part of his solo career anyway).

There are a few more singles out this week as well I think, but I can't really be bothered trudging the bottom of the barrel anymore! :D