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Singles Bar - Nicola Roberts vs Lydia Baylis vs Susanna Westwood; Singles Bar - Nicola Roberts vs Lydia Baylis vs Susanna Westwood
Topic Started: Aug 23 2011, 06:35 AM (510 Views)
zeitgeist
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Singles Bar

Nicola Roberts vs Lydia Baylis vs Susanna Westwood

NICOLA ROBERTS - Beat Of My Drum

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I'm a bit behind with this one, because I really, really wanted to like it. After all, Nicola was my favourite Girls Aloud, and she was given the rep of being "the one who could sing". But on this showing, that seems to have been a lie.

It's like a bad Toni Basil meets Lene Lovich hybrid that squeaks it way along, with no redeeming features whatsoever. Bar one. It's still better than anything Cheryl 'Bruiser' Cole has punted oot. But that's not much of a saving grace. The remix is better, but the extra track 'Disco Blisters & A Comedown' only lives up to the second half of its name.

Buy CD From Amazon


LYDIA BAYLIS - Starman

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Now, see, that's cheating. You can't say anything bad aboot this tune. Despite being written in homage to David Bowie. Because it's part of a fundraising campaign for the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal. Lydia was born in the army town Aldershot, to an army officer serving father. Her father Peter and uncle Hilarion were aboard the Royal Navy landing ship, Sir Galahad, when it was destroyed in June 1982 during the Falklands War.

But I won't anyway, because it's actually pretty good. It's a wee bit Dido, but with some emotional oomph in place of icy coldness. It's plaintive, heartfelt, and will have you reaching for a hanky. Have a listen for yourself via the video below, then head off to her website.



http://www.lydiabaylis.com/


SUSANNA WESTWOOD - Live Like This

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This is quite nice. The début EP from Susanna Westwood is a very old fashioned slab of soul tinged pop, with a few jazz licks thrown in for good measure. There was a lot of this aboot in the eighties, and it's quite nice to hear it again.

There's the poppy title track, the jazzy 'When I'm With You', a funkified cover of the Al Green tune, 'Tired Of Being Alone', which really shouldn't have happened, and a jaunty little dancefloor filler in the shape of 'Crazy Little Thing'. Miss Westwood is a good singer, rather than a great one, but the songs and the arrangements more than make up for that. Music for people who have everything that Swing Out Sister and Sade ever released. We liked.

Download @ Amazon
Edited by zeitgeist, Aug 23 2011, 03:15 PM.
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