JHME - Chart Chat

Three weeks at the top would normally be a tall order but the popularity of the Kitten's coupled with a lack of major releases this week could see the dream become reality.

While it would appear that there are a fair number of new releases this week, there are very few which really manage to capture the imagination.

Possible contenders for the number one spot are So Solid Crew who release '21 Seconds'. Featuring an amazing ten MC's, each with just the 21 seconds to get their point across, this is set to be one of the biggest dance anthems of the year. You WILL have heard this record, even if both title and artist may seem unfamiliar. This will get inside your head just as DJ Pied Piper did to good effect on 'Do You Really Like It'. With Atomic Kitten sales down to just 75,000 last week this week should see a low target to get to the top, hence the So Solid Crew must have a good chance.

Another artist who is set to benefit from a quiet week on the sales front has to be Missy Elliot who follows up 'Get Ur Freak On' with the equally funky 'One Minute Man'. She has been the backroom boss behind so many hits that its only fair that she gets her own slice of top five action!

MOP scored a massive debut hit in the UK charts with their Foreigner sampling 'Cold As Ice'. Just as that song begins to fade from the charts the band are back with an aggressive slab of hip hop entitled 'Ante Up. Featuring the combined talents of such stars as Remy Martin and Busta Rhymes this is sure to see them back inside the top ten, if not back inside the top five.

One contender for the highest new entry at the weekend is Jennifer Lopez. She returns with the follow up to 'Play' entitled 'Ain't It Funny'. The video has been getting good coverage on the satellite channels and while the Latin feel to the song may encourage comparison's to Madonna's 'La Isla Bonita' or possibly Geri's 'Mi Chico Latino', the song stands up as a good pop single in its own right. Every bit as catchy as 'Play', and with very few big names choosing to release new singles this week it should enter the top ten quite comfortably.

Radiohead follow up their top five success 'Pyramid Song' with their new single 'Knives Out' this week. It's not quite as dark and moody as 'Pyramid Song' and as such may not do as well in the charts - 'I Might be Wrong' would have been a better choice in my opinion. That said Radiohead have a strong following which their recent homecoming gig in Oxford will have done nothing to harm. A two CD single format means that their hardcore fans can make a difference to the end chart position though my hunch is that this will only make the top twenty.

I remember seeing Bjork support U2 at Wembley Stadium some eight years back and being asked by the Gentleman to my left as to who she was. Back then she was known to some as the lead singer of The Sugarcubes, but it took her debut self titled album to introduce her to the masses. It's been four years since her last album and her new single 'Hidden Place' is a welcome return to form for Iceland's favourite export. After such an absence it can be hard to judge exactly how the public will receive her but I hope to see her back inside the top twenty on Sunday.

Simple Minds are one of the bands you would least expect to see influencing the club scene but thanks to an old album track of theirs they have done exactly that. 'Theme From Great Cities' has been fused with a sample from 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to create Raven Maize's new single 'Real Life'. Raven Maize may be a new name to most of you but when I reveal the man behind the mask you'll know exactly who I'm talking about - it's none other than Joey Negro! Just as Norman Cook has appeared on the chart under a number of bizarre alias's Joey has already charted this year under his own name and Jakatta (who hit the top five with 'American Dream' back in January). Who knows where he'll pop up next!

The charts have been full of strange combinations over the past few months, and none more so than this weeks Tall Paul vs INXS combination. The song 'Precious Heart' is in fact the vocal from 'Never Tear Us Apart' laid over a thumping back beat, and while INXS purists may be far from happy it seems that clubbers up and down the country can't get enough of this tune. Initially cobbled together by Tall Paul while DJing in Australia he never intended it for full release but the demand has grown to the extent that a full single has been put out. A possible top ten outing for this one on Sunday.

'Not Even Gonna Trip' failed to make the top twenty for the Honeyz earlier in the year despite being taken from the soundtrack to The Nutty Professor 2. Now they have diversified away from their r'n'b grooves and headed for a more poppy sound on their new single 'I Don't Know'. Some critics have branded it their strongest release to date but with Destiny's Child and Misteeq well ahead in the r'n'b girl band stakes I would be more cautious when predicting exactly where they will enter the charts. This should see them back in the top twenty but maybe not quite the top ten.

Next week should be interesting as we view the return of New Order, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Five, Anastacia, Jamiroquai, Eve & Gwen Stefani and Fun Lovin' Criminals. Also planning releases later in the month are Embrace, Stereo MC's and Ian Brown so maybe the Summer is finally beginning to improve!

So can Atomic Kitten spend a third week at the top? It would be impressive considering none of their first four releases made the top five. Sales in week three can be hard to maintain and with a strong release from the So Solid Crew to contend with I think it may be curtains for the Kittens!

See you in seven days time for more debate.