1 Melanie Chisholm
Next Best Superstar
Mel C – or Melanie Chisholm, as she now likes to be known – has had solo album sales of close to three million copies and a string of top 10 hits. Whether you love her or hate her, she has kept on grafting to get recognition from the music industry. Surprisingly enough, the Scouser has co-written 11 number one singles.
Next Best Superstar is taken from her new album, Beautiful Intentions. The album is released on her own independent label, Red Girl Records – apparently inspired by her love of Liverpool FC and her propensity to blush easily. The album was written over a period of nine months and is typically pop/rock. The only problem with these up-tempo, high-energy rock numbers is that there are so many of them that some fall victim to blending into each other. There is quite a catchy R&B number on there which should have been released instead of this single, which is ironically probably the weakest from the whole album. It is extremely generic, the opening sounding exactly like Melanie’s own Goin’ Down, and fading into the back of your memory.
Next Best Superstar was not actually penned by Mel, that credit goes to Adam Argyle. The song is apparently a comment on celebrity culture and the perils of instant fame. There’s something a little irritating about the subject matter of this song, however. A faded pop star taking pot shots at the music business that gave her a millionaire lifestyle, record deal, celebrity profile and ability to release a song about how dreadful being a pop star is in the first place is a little rich, if you ask me. Especially when the star in question used to be part of one the UK’s biggest pop exports since the Beatles, and certainly wasn’t complaining about selling her soul or needing credibility at the time. It’s like being given an expensive car, a horse, and all the sweets in the world for your birthday and then moaning that all you really wanted was a hug.
2Anastacia Heavy On My Heart
3Ben Folds Five Landed
4Ciara ft. Missy Elliott 1-2 step
5Cliff Richard The Day That I 6Stop Loving You
7Daft Punk Robot Rock
8Delta Goodrem Mistaken Identity
9Elvis Presley The Wonder Of You
10Emiliana Torrini Heartstopper
Interpol C’mere
