
When Fraser asked me to review Leona Lewis' new single 'Happy', I thought he was having me on. No, I actually did. Because seriously, when has the word 'happy' EVER been associated with a Leona Lewis song??
Well, it turns out it wasn't, and still isn't, a joke (something I'm quite grateful for, cos I would have had to seriously re-evaluate Fraser's practical joke skills if it had been). For a brief moment, I got a bit excited. Has Leona gone all Alphabeat? Has she blown her 'I'm boring and have no personality' facade out the water? Has she finally decided she's HAPPY with her worldwide domination?
Has she heck. Guys, this is LEONA we're talking about. Only she could make being pleased sound like a chore...
Read the rest of this entry

This was never going to be an 'if' hit, it was always a 'when'. From the very first time Ke$ha got on that gold bike, her chart success with this dirty little ditty was only ever a matter of time. And no, that's not supposed to be a pun on the song's title.
I mean it would've been a good one if it WAS, but I didn't do it on purpose.
The fact that I'm writing this a few weeks before the CD hits the shelves, while in the sure knowledge that people are already downloading this in sizeable numbers is neither here nor there. It's a hit, a palpable hit, as Shakespeare would say.
Read the rest of this entry

No matter how helpful, no matter how well designed or crafted they may be, robots are always best when they're just a little bit rubbish. It puts them on a par with the rest of us.
It's a lot easier to think fondly of an automaton which walks stiffly, or can't manage stairs, or struggles to comprehend a relatively simple human emotion like hunger, than some sparkling metal über-person which is smarter than you, prettier than you, and learned to play boogie-woogie piano to a better-than-Jools-Holland standard in an afternoon. And this is because we all know people like that, people who excel in one area, but can't really get to grips with something most people find pretty straightforward. Y'know...NERDS.
Read the rest of this entry