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I failed to forsee the
surge in sales which took The Corrs past Limp
Bizkit (and Eminem) to the top slot last week.
Just before I fall onto my proverbial sword allow
me to redeem myself with this weeks analysis.
Hot favourite for this weeks top
slot is Ronan Keating. Undoubtedly a
talented man this song is well below his
capabilities and is a single which I find
disappointing. Not so long ago a
gentleman by the name of Gary Barlow was tipped
as the new George Michael and look where he is
now. Thankfully Ronan has Boyzone to fall
back on and he might need them sooner rather than
later. Mark Owen, Robbie Williams and Gary
Barlow all had top three successes early on in
their career and Boyzone fans might want to watch
the success of Keith and Shane from the band who
are rumoured to be covering Milli Vanilli's 'Girl
You Know It's True' as a duo.
As for Ronan he will top the charts by reputation
alone but on this form the slippery slope out of
the fame door may open with little in the way of
notice.
Much touted by this column,
Christina Aguilera's 'I Turn To You' is finally
released this week. Guaranteed top ten
success this displays her vocal talents to their
maximum potential but may be seen as a little too
American for the British radio hungry market.
It is perhaps ironic that after months in waiting
for this single this very day sees the release to
radio in the US of her next single 'Come On Over'.
Fans of Christina are often able to buy singles
on import long before their British release and
surely that is costing chart positions.
N-Sync are also back this week
with 'I'll Never Stop'. I was once told
that if you have nothing good to say then say
nothing at all. I will leave you to draw
your own conclusions of my opinion of the new N-Sync
single.
Strangest combination of the week
is Shaun Ryder from the Happy Mondays and opera
singer Russell Watson. They are backed by
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on their version
of Freddie Mercury's 'Barcelona'. Unlikely
to eclipse the top three peak of the original but
this could bring some much needed colour and
variety to the top 40.
Just as it is hard to see why Baby
D are rereleasing 'Let Me Be Your Fantasy' in
August it is hard to see what merit there is in
another dance remix of the Korgi's 'Everybody's
Gotta Learn Sometime'. Now simply known by
the lyrical refrain 'I Need Your Lovin' (Like The
Sunshine)' and credited to Marc Et Claude this
looks set to dent the top ten again. It's a
good version but certainly nothing out of the
ordinary. Perhaps it might be best to wait
for this to crop up on endless dance compilations
over the coming weeks.
Jeremy Healy and Amos' new club
project Bleachin should be big in the charts next
week. Taken from an album which looks at
drug addtion from start to despair to
rehabilitation this also takes the lyrical hook
from Fleetwood Mac's 'Big Love' and takes it
kicking and screaming into the new millenium.
Somehow this combination does work and watch out
for this challenging for a top five berth on
Sunday afternoon. Jeremy Healy has
certainly come a long way since his days with
Haysi Fantayzee in the eighties - remember his
top twenty hit 'John Wayne is Big Leggy'.
A vastly underrated young lady who
has been plugging away in the charts years before
Britney, Christina and Jessica came along is
Aaliyah. This will be her fourteenth hit
single since starting out as a schoolgirl back in
1994 with the top twenty hit 'Back And Forth'.
Her latest effort is boosted by it's appearance
on the soundtrack to 'Romeo Must Die', and dubbed
by some as the 'Anthem Of The Summer' this looks
set to be her first UK top ten hit.
Also aiming for chart glory this
week are Pearl Jam. They of course hit the
headlines for all the wrong reasons as eight of
their fans were crushed to death a recent
European festival. Their new single 'Light
Years' does not really redefine the boundaries of
their music. The fans will love it, and the
non believers will leave it on the shelf. I
will consider myself to fall in the latter
bracket.
Finally we should mention gothic
rockers Fields Of The Nephilim who return after a
ten year absence with 'One More Nightmare'.
I will resist any play on those words to
recollect that at the height of
their popularity they wore hats dusted with flour
to create a fashion statement. That about
sums them up, though this should keep Andrew
Eldritch fans happy .while they await the new
Sisters of Mercy album
So Ronan should triumph this week
- want to bet against me???
JHME Music Correspondent
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