Shaggy is matching them well
at number two while Westlife
are enjoying their second biggest hit of their career at
number three. Even Atomic Kitten must be surprised
to still be at number four.
Even with a 56% drop in
sales last week Hearsay
are still well clear of the pack. I would expect
them to keep at the top for a third week, though I
wouldn't expect them to stay much longer. Hoping to
topple them this week are...
Crazy Town. Slightly
softer than Limp Bizkit (though don't say that to their
faces - these boys are tattooed and musclebound!) while
still retaining that rap / metal sound, this latest export
from the US of A have enjoyed vast exposure on the
satellite video channels and even appeared live on Top Of
The Pops last week. It's a good piece of pop / rap /
rock which should see them high in the top ten.
Listen out for the album which is coming soon.
Usually you know about a new
Britney song months in advance! However 'Don't Let
Me Be The Last To Know' has sneaked out in comparison to
her previous releases. It's still an excellent slice
of pop and it shows her reproducing exactly what she does
best. I'm sure the video is sassy, sexy and well
produced and I think this will keep up her run of seven
consecutive top ten hits in the UK.
A band that has been around
longer than Britney has been alive are the Bee Gees, but
even so they look set for a return to the top ten ahead of
her on Sunday. 'This Is Where I Came In' contains no
falsetto vocals or Kenny Everett style chest wigs.
Instead the song is an acoustic styled slab of pop which
allows the brothers Gibb to show off their incredible
harmonies once more. It's a joy to have them back -
can't wait to hear their new album.
In fact while on the subject
of comebacks there are a number of artists coming out of
the closet over coming weeks. Elvis
Presley, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Deacon Blue, Echo
and the Bunnyment, Depeche Mode and Jimmy Nail all have
singles due to hit the shops over the next month.
Chante Moore looks set to
score her biggest UK hit to date with her new single
'Straight Up'. Chante is not short of attitude, nor
is she short of poise, talent and a fantastic voice.
With artists such as Mya already flying the flag for the
American soul scene this will serve to create yet more
focus on events across the water. Hopefully a top
ten hit come Sunday evening.
Also hoping for their
biggest career hit are Australian band the Avalanches.
I have heard high praise about their current album, but if
the single is anything to go on I await to be impressed.
It does stick out as being different to a lot of the stuff
which is in the charts at the moment but for now I'm not
sure if that is a good thing! Buy it though and
judge for yourself.
They enjoyed the biggest hit
of their career thanks to a Jason Nevins remix but Run DMC
return on their own two feet this week with 'Rock Show'.
Worth buying if only to remember the heady days of their
fame back in the late eighties, this booms along as if
they had never been away. I understand they were
fantastic at LA2 last weekend and with this kind of single
release there is no reason why they should not be back in
the top 40.
Other singles out this week
worth a mention include former Crowded House frontman Neil
Finn with 'Rest Of The Day Off', soul diva Jill Scott with
'A Long Walk', Ocean Colour Scene with 'Up On The
Downside' and Hi-Gate with 'Gonna Work It Out'. Not
exactly a vintage week but with such stiff competition at
the top some record companies are choosing to hold back
their major artists.
So it looks like a third
triumphant week for Hearsay, though their real success
will be judged this week with the release of their debut
album 'Popstars'. I'll see you back here in seven
days to see if they have held off the competition.
