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And so the Spice Girls
triumph again - no real surprise there.
They may have their critics but it seems that the
record buying public at least seem to like them.
Meanwhile this weeks battle with Westlife should
give us an interesting preview to next weeks head
to head album battle between the two bands.
There are some notable acts who
release singles this week but bearing in mind
that the Westlife single is brand new it is
pretty much guaranteed to enter at the top.
The boys must be worth a mint at the minute with
this set to be there seventh number one, there
sixth number one still in the top twenty, a new
album out on 6th November and a potential eight
number one due out on December 18th! As far
as the song goes its not a radical departure from
their previous hits - its a ballad by numbers but
I'm sure they'll all look very cute on their
stools on Top of the Pops and the girls will
swoon accordingly. Not my cup of tea but they are
obviously doing something right!
 If you
wanted an outside bet to edge out Westlife then
you would have to pin your hopes on the Corrs.
'Irresistable' is the second single and title
track from their new album and seems to me to be
quite bland. As with Westlife I'm sure the
band will look fantastic in the video but the
question that we have to ask ourselves is are we
being sold poor quality music in a glitzy package?
The answer when you look at the top ten is surely
yes!
Christina Aguilera however
continues to buck this trend with her catchy new
single 'Come On Over'. Britney may have
enjoyed more UK chart success but those who dig
below the surface of the press built rivalry will
see that it is Christina who has the better vocal
talents, and for my money is far more pleasing to
the eye! Her explosive performance at the
recent MTV awards will have done her standing no
harm while her Spanish album 'Mi Reflejo' has
helped her to extend her appeal to a whole new
audience. The charts need Christina - I
urge you to buy this single now!
The man who helped her to stage
such a show (Fred Durst) is also hoping for chart
glory with Limp Bizkit's 'My Generation'.
Don't worry, it's not even a distant cousin of
Roger Daltrey and co's classic 60's anthem.
Instead its another rap rock crossover taken from
the curiously titled 'The Chocolate Starfish and
the Hotdog Flavoured Water'. If you haven't
worked out what that title means I won't spoil it
for you, though I will give a hint that this is a
family column! The song is not too bad,
though it remains to be seen to what extent the
UK audience will take to what is often referred
to as 'Sports Metal'.
Louise has shortened her hair for
her new single 'Beautiful Inside' - but that's
not the only new direction she has taken.
The song samples hip hop legends Wu-tang Clan and
is much more powerful than her usual poppy
outings as a result. The time taken out to
nest build with husband Jamie Redknapp has
obviously provided her with time for reflection
and time to come back with some of her best music
to date. With Eternal's popularity
diminishing by the week it would seem that Louise's
solo move was an inspired one.
There have been few brother /
sister duets that I can recall in recent history
but this week sees the release of Eagle Eye and
Neneh Cherry's collaboration entitled 'Long Way
Around'. While I am a big fan of both
artists separately I have to say that Neneh's
rapping does spoil this record somewhat.
Eagle Eye might like to keep big sis out of the
recording studio next time she offers to lend a
hand.
Mansun continue their
disappointing comeback with 'Electric Man'.
They seem a shadow of their former glories with
the bite taken out of their guitar fuelled songs.
This does nothing to add to their appeal and you
can only hope that their third album will bear
better fruit.
A welcome comeback however is Sade
who returns with 'By Your Side'. It's
exactly what you'd expect from her, but when she
has been away for so long it certainly is good to
hear from her again. And do you know what
else is strange - she doesn't look a day older!
 Others
worth a passing mention this week include De La
Soul, childrens favourites The Tweenies, Sinead O'Connor,
the Doves and the Bluetones (though their CD
format does not qualify for the singles chart.
They should all be top forty bound on Sunday.
So just as it was obvious the
Spice Girls would triumph last week, Westlife are
guaranteed the crown this week. I can't
take much credit for getting it right, but then
it should help to push my average up!
See you again next week.
JHME Music Correspondent
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