Single Releases 30/04/07

I assumed someone was winding me up but apparently it is true. Elton John's Candle In the Wind 1997 gets a re-release this week. Why? Is it to commemorate Harry going off to war? Or maybe its to help Wills get over dumping Kate Middleton. Of course I am being frivolous, but what is the point? Even if it's for charity its a bad idea.

Right Said Fred finally get around to releasing I'm Too Sexy 2007 this week. I still reckon their first album was a relatively good one. This does them no favours at all.

I can do without Linkin Park's new video to be honest. Sure I'm positive young Chester and the boys think they are being hard-hitting and all that, what with the images of starving children and wars and all that nonsense but it's all done within the context of a video that probably cost more than the gross national product of a small African nation. Surely it can't only be me that is sick of being lectured to by rockstars about how I should be disgusted about the world at large. Of course that said, I quite like What I've Done as a song.

Still even all that is less offensive than Beverley Knight. Is there a more pointless "pop-star" working today? I don't think so. Personally I think she should bite the bullet, become the singer for the Brand New Heavies and then I'd only have to review one complete non-entity of a single rather than two.

Dolores O'Riordan makes a solo burst this week. I never was all that enamoured with the Cranberries, despite an old flat mate at Uni listening to them all day long - seriously you haven't lived until you've been woken up at 6 am on a Sunday morning by the Cranberries because your flat mate has gone away for the weekend and left his stereo system alarm on and you can't get into his room because he's locked it. (And by the way, the fuse box was in another locked room so we couldn't just turn the electricity off). Still they did some good tunes, and I quite like this solo effort, Ordinary Day.

After doing their solo thing, the Manics are back this week, in the company of my favourite lesbian Nina Persson. Actually this is a pretty retro round-up this week as it's bringing back a lot of memories of University. In this case that big discussion as to whether or not Nina Persson was a lesbian or not. Whether she actually is or not is hardly the point anymore. Anyway, I like the song, well at least until Nicky Wire joins in the singing.

I still am not that keen on Amy Winehouse. New single Back To Black doesn't make me any keener.

No amount of Popjustice shilling will make me like Booty Luv either. And it's a similar story with Dragonette.

Marion Raven is probably a bit shit on balance as well. But she's a bit fit. Never let it be said that I'm not shallow. If you liked the "old" Avril Lavigne, you'll enjoy Break You that's for sure.

LDN Is A Victim...an earth shatteringly brilliant, on the zeitgeist piss-take or a rather uneccesary dig at Kate Nash and Lily Allen? I'd go for the latter. Especially as one of the digs on the record is at Lily Allen trashing all her rivals. Erm...am I supposed to believe this is irony? I wouldn't mind if it was particularly funny. Still, no doubt because it was The Observer that first spotted Allen and Nash on a national scale, the Guardian love this one. And doesn't that fact tell it's own story...