A number of major pop names are staking their claim for the summer’s first big anthems this week – but which are successful and which should be forgotten? There’s a lot to choose from, but don’t panic – MP! are here to guide you through which singles deserve your hard-earned 99p.
Cover Drive – ‘Sparks’
The Bajan quartet return with the follow-up to their January chart-topper ‘Twilight’, and ‘Sparks’ is a slightly mellower tune with another lovely vocal performance from Amanda. But, truth be told, we’re not big fans of the excessive auto-tune effects, especially on the boys’ lines and, much as we love the band, we can’t help but feel like ‘Sparks’ would be better off as a decent album track rather than a big hit single. DITCH
Tulisa – ‘Young’
The lyrics are repetitive, the production is a bit like Calvin Harris on an off day, and Tulisa even sounds slightly aggressive on the verses… but roll down the windows, turn up the volume, put your hands in the air and you have an instant summer anthem. OK, its chances of winning any awards are about as distant as Matt and Sueleen’s odds of winning The Voice, but sometimes the amazingness of pop is totally inexplicable. DOWNLOAD
Rebecca Ferguson – ‘Glitter & Gold’
R-Fergz’s third single from her album Heaven has a lot more bite to it than you would expect from one of The X Factor’s nicest ever graduates. Written about some of the fame-hungry attention-seekers she encountered on the show back in 2010, it’s got a dark edge to it that isn’t a million miles away from Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’, and though its lack of radio support makes it an unlikely contender for chart glory, it helps cement the Liverpudlian’s status as one of our favourite talent show contestants of recent years. DOWNLOAD
Starboy Nathan – ‘Who Am I’
“I was down like four flat tyres,” sings Starboy Nathan on what we can only assume is his all-important make-or-break single. ‘Who Am I’ follows the disappointing chart performance of Wretch 32 collab ‘Hangover’, and it’s an incredibly honest midtempo R’n'B-flavoured nugget with lyrics about facing up to obstacles and refusing to give up. It’s nothing particularly ground-breaking, but its relevance to Nathan’s difficulty in hitting the big time is kind of what makes it endearing. So for the sake of making sure this isn’t the last we hear of the hard-working singer-songwriter, we strongly suggest that you… DOWNLOAD
Tom Jones – ‘Hit Or Miss’
And the first coach from The Voice to use the exposure as a platform for new music is… Sir Tom! ‘Hit Or Miss’ is taken from the veteran hitmaker’s forthcoming album Spirit In The Room, and as much as we respect the man’s status as an utter musical legend, we can’t see ‘Hit Or Miss’ shooting to the top of our iTunes Most Played list any time soon. Sozza, Tom. DITCH
