Wednesday 27 July 2011

Kim Wilde - Snapshot tracklisting revealed

Here we are folks, the dream we've all dreamed of. Green-fingered goddess Kim Wilde has revealed the tracklisting for her covers album Snapshot and, as far as these stopgap projects go, it is not too shabby. You can be the judge:

01. It's Alright (East 17)
02. In Between Days (The Cure)
03. About You Now (Sugababes)
04. Sleeping Satellite (Tasmin Archer)
05. To France (Mike Oldfield)
06. A Little Respect (Erasure)
07. Remember Me (Diana Ross)
08. Anyone Who Had A Heart (Dionne/Dusty/Cilla)
09. Wonderful Life (Black)
10. They Don't Know About Us (Kirsty MacColl)
11. Beautiful Ones (Suede)
12. Just What I Needed (The Cars)
13. Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone) (Buzzcocks)
14. Kooks (David Bowie)


Originally released by the Triga-chic East 17, It's Alright reached #2 in Kim's main market Germany so I guess she is picking some clever songs. This version may be slightly tame, but it does the trick. Kim has recorded 2 other music videos: for Sleeping Satellite and To France.

If you can't wait for the album, try reading some of my previous in-depth, track by track Kim Wilde album reviews here.

Friday 8 July 2011

After All Is Said & Done

Above: not even a flop could stop Eddie Gorniak (having one and one and one more plastic surgery after the other - looking good, girl).

I have long been obsessed with the 90s wintry dance-ballad hit One & One by the gorgeous Robert Miles and sung by English singer Maria Nayler (was her school nick-name "nail her"?), and so when I finally looked it up on wikipedia my jaw dropped lower than my trousers when I realised it was in a fact a cover. Written by the ever-reliable Billy Steinberg and Rick Nowels (one day you'll make it big guys), Polish Eurovision has-been and dance-pop surgery-addict Edyta Gorniak recorded it first, but was slow off the mark and didn't actually get around to releasing it herself until it was far too late. Her own version could only limp in at #79 in Germany (get that smash, girl). Major disappointment. Gorniak has a great set of pipes, and gives it some welly alright, but the fragile, almost Ladytron-like vocals of Nayler's more expressive and shivvery (although perhaps a tad mannered) outting remains the definitive recording for me. Now that I have discovered this song I can't wait for my copy of Gorniak's 2002 album to arrive through my box, which she recorded with the producers of the Spice Girls (although apparantly it sounds nothing like Wannabe and 2 Become 1). However, after all is said and done, Gorniak does have the better video, delivering beautiful male torsos, her own androgynous crew cut that would made Ellen leave Portia for, a jawline that could slice through timber and eyebrow movement Kylie would kill (her botox Dr) for.


Rachel Stevens - Nothing In Common (New Leak)

As has been revealed on one of my very favourite blogs Black Melody, the long known about Come & Get It outtake (that's the 2005 album by Rachel Stevens) called Nothing In Common has finally been leaked. By none other than Mr Richard X himself (that's the song's producer who also gave us Some Girls and Finest Dreams featuring Kelis). The song is a plaintively detached ballad with a silky synth-washed tempo that is similar to the stoic melancholia of I Will Be There. Perhaps the song was too Chic and elegantly mature to be included on the album, which although houses some killer songs also has more than its fair share of duds (even a song I like a lot called So Good was faintly embarassing and dated at the time). Anyway, it's out there. Here in fact. The line "all dressed up to be let down" seems quite fitting here, and on a personal level articulates my frustration at being on holiday with someone who clearly felt differently towards me than they once did. Yes, I'm making this all about me... so did Rachel on another song she once sang. Her dutiful vocals are lovely, but just a bit more personality would be appreciated - she is every much the blow-up doll pop star, completely at the whim of whatever her producers pump through her.

Whigfield - C'es Cool (New Video)

Looking like Kate Ryan's younger sister, 41 year old Danish dance dealer Whigfield has premiered her new music video for the comeback single C'est Cool. Yes, I know she has never really went away, but it feels like ages since the Saturday Night legend has had a song this emphatic and naggingly catchy. The song is available to download now!