A thing I wrote about Jamelia

Is Jamelia Britain's only bona fide R&B star? That would certainly seem to be the case, but you'd never have predicted that turn of events in 2000. Back then, she'd had just one 'proper' hit with the underwhelming Destiny's Child rip-off, Money (featuring celebrity homophobe Beenie Man). Her next single, Call Me, was unremarkable in tune and chart performance, and Jamelia seemed destined for dumperdom.

Things didn't improve with her second album, either. The lead single, Bout, disappeared without trace, largely because it was a tuneless mess. So what happened next was something of a shock...

Superstar - a much poppier track than Jamelia had ever released - entered the charts at number eight. And then it began to climb, and climb, and climb. Seven weeks later it was number two. And justifiably so. The song is a superlative slice of pop, with one of those tricksy choruses that seems unremarkable until you realise you've been whistling it in your sleep.

Jamelia's album was hastily repackaged to include a Chris Martin-penned ballad, and Jamelia was rebranded as a silky pop soulstress. It was a transformation equal to David Bowie killing off Ziggy Stardust. Or, perhaps more pertinently, when Robbie reversed his headfirst freefall into the dumper by releasing Angels.

But then - oh no! - Jamelia got pregnant. What is it with British soul singers and getting knocked up? Ms Dynamite, Monie Love, Neneh Cherry - they've all managed to stall a promising career by allowing a boy to put his man-gherkin in their private lady place. You wouldn't get that sort of behaviour from Beyoncé.

Praise be, then, that Jamelia is back from the maternity ward with a nanny (Leanne) and a truly excellent single. Something About You is a classy little love song reminiscent of Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone. You can tell it’s a top priority for record company Parlophone because they've spent money on the video (Jamelia wears four separate outfits, which is a key indicator of cash being splashed around like papery water).



PS Wouldn't it be great to see Jamelia do a duet with Lemar? A big old Marvin Gaye / Tammi Tyrell love song would be ideal. Perhaps we could petition the Mobos people and get them to do something about that.

Tweet

Dream Ticket

What's your fantasty concert line-up? Mine would be this:


Or perhaps:



You can make your own at says-it.com.

Have a go for yourself, then send your efforts to dream@discopop.co.uk (or add them in the comments box if you can work out how). I'll publish a the best ones on the site later this week.

[link via popjustice, who got it off of stereogum]

Tweet

Competition update!

It is now one week since I offered a free promo copy of Robbie Williams's ropey new single, Rudebox, to the first person who emailed me requesting it. In the intervening seven days, more than 600 people have visited this site, and I have received precisely no such requests.

With that in mind: May God bless you, each and every one.

Tweet

Video of the week: Nice Weather For Ducks

Warning! You will hate this song, but it will lodge itself in your mind like an unwanted house guest, or one of those creatures that sucks your brains out in that movie with the aliens. You will be singing it as you go to Greggs for a sausage roll this lunchtime. By the end of the weekend, you will have bought it on iTunes. At your wedding, you'll request it as the first dance. And when you die, you will have it as your epitaph. It is that catchy.

The song is Nice Weather For Ducks by UK dance act Lemon Jelly. It seems appropriate to choose it this week as the UK turns into one giant puddle.

Based around a sample from a nursery rhyme, the song is features an explosion of folk guitar, dance synths and funk trumpet. It literally sounds like nothing else on earth - as long as you discount the rest of Lemon Jelly's songs.

The video bravely attempts to recreate the psychedlic soundclash of the song, and makes a rather fine job of it. A mixture of live action and cartoons, it recalls the trippy animation of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine - but, thankfully, this is a full 85 minutes shorter.

It's the only music promo ever to be directed by Nigel Pay, whose day-job is creating adverts for the likes of Tesco and Fairy Liquid. Perhaps because he's been freed of the 30-second contraints of TV work, the video communicates the unabashed joy of the song perfectly.

Other noteworthy things about the clip:

Groundbreaking animation technique! A bit like the rotoscoping thing they've done to Keanu Reeves in his new film. The flying sequence is a bit patchy, though.

It has a social conscience! The song is sung by a tramp, thus demonstrating how we need to consider the plight of the homeless in a society where the divide between rich and poor has never been greater.

Retro! It's, like, totally based on the opening titles to kids' TV programme Rainbow. That tramp could even be Jeffrey.

Dancing ducks! Dancing ducks, for fuck's sake!

Watch it below, then sing it randomly 'til the day you die. You have been warned.

Buy the DVD from Amazon

See more of Director Nigel Pay's work at the Tandem Films website

Tweet

MP3 Frenzy

A new collection of music for your portable media player of choice.

The Killers - When You Were Young
This song is so good. From the 80's riff, to the major chord resolution in the final chorus - the whole thing is pant-wettingly wonderful. If you download this, you still have to buy it when it comes out, okay?

Basement Jaxx - Hush Boy
The first single from the London dance act's new album, Crazy Itch Radio. Going back to their Jackson Sisters-sampling early days, this is the sound of a carnival in your earphones. It even rhymes fajita with margarita. Genius.

Peter, Bjorn and John - Young Folks
This Swedish band have achieved the impossible - they've recorded a song where the chorus is whistled, and it's not even remotely irritating. It features Victoria Bergman, who walked out of The Concretes last year, and has some crazy-ass bongo slapping at the end. I like bongos, me.

Janet Jackson featuring Khia - So Excited
This is a great club stomper, replete with scratches and thumping orchestra hits. A massive improvement on Call On Me, praise the lord.

By the way - German Janet fansite Janet World has posted the official promo photos for Janet's new album, 20 Years Old, and she's looking quite beautiful (ie she has kept her top on for once). The gallery is here

Beyoncé - Ring The Alarm
There are rumours Beyoncé's dad/manager wants the record company to delay the release of her sophomore album, B'day, after underwhelming critical response. Apparently, there's a Shakira duet he wants to put on there. How odd. In any case, the album will sell by the bucketload even if it's decidedly mediocre. This song, the second single, is Kelis-style shouty brilliance and is not mediocre at all.

Kelis - Goodbyes
Speaking of which, here's a Dr Dre-produced track from the singer's fourth album, Kelis Was Here. It's nothing like the deranged single Bossy (see the video here). This melancholic summery ballad is a surefire single. Maybe she'll survive her split from the Neptunes after all?

Outkast featuring Khujo Goodie - N2U
One of my favourite tracks from the Atlanta duo's new album - which is the soundtrack to their film, Idlewild. A quick listen to the CD's interludes reveal the film will be a cocktail of corny jokes, bad acting and unbelievable misogyny. The music, however, is sublime.

Robbie Williams - Rudebox (Dirty Radio Edit)
It's still awful, but I keep listening to it. What's that all about, then?

Tweet

Step to it

I don't think much of the new OK Go single, Here It Goes Again, but the video is the best thing I've seen in months:



I'm off to the gym right now to see if I can do this, too. Anybody else?

Tweet