Charles Hamilton & Rita Ora - New York Raining

Collaborator extraordinaire Rita Ora is back with her new mate Charles Hamilton and their romantic ode to retro R&B New York Raining, a song that she sings acapella on the new Samsung phone advert on the telly. It's a lovely number, Rita's vocals soulful and flawless throughout her stint on the chorus. Maybe she can hurry up and release her next solo album now because time (pop fans) wait for no one. 

4 / 5

Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea - Pretty Girls

The Britney Spears of yore is gone, we need to accept that. We'll never have a charismatic, intricate dance sequence ever again, just a repetitive array of hair flips and arm movements. It's a sad time. However, as a recording artist, she's still popping out some decent radio friendly tracks and her latest outing, a duet with untalented Australian deliverer of lyrics Iggy Azalea, is about as radio friendly as pop gets.

It's a bit of a poor man's Fancy, the brilliant Charli XCX collaboration that put Iggy on the map last year, however it's the most engaged Britney has sounded in a long time, particularly when she harks back to her vocal glory days (well...) with some harmonising over Iggy's actually quite enjoyable middle-eight. It all feels a little too contrived though and as I suggested, a rehash of what's come before as the duo 'sing' "All around the world pretty girls/ Jump the line to the front/ Do what we like get what we want/ We're just so pretty..."I'm sure it's all tongue in cheek, like the ridiculous music video, but in this world you never know.

2.5 / 5

Charli XCX feat. Rita Ora - Doing It

Charli XCX had quite the 2014. She snatched her first major hit with the astoundingly catchy 'Boom Clap' (with a shockingly shit music video) and she notched up a collaborative worldwide hit with sometimes talented rapper Iggy Azalea on 'Fancy' (with an awesome music video). Thankfully, music video budgets have been bolstered for her upcoming single, the third release in the run up to her new opus Sucker, 'Doing It'. 

Rita Ora has a verse and does some singing here and there, cementing her status as an amazing collaborator and average solo songstress. 'Doing It' retains the 80s vibe of Charli's last album True Romance but it's a more poppy affair that would have slotted perfectly into the late 90s pop boom. This is a frivolous, infectious romp and the laws nature stipulate that you enjoy it.

4 / 5

POP PILGRIM'S TOP 30 SONGS OF 2014

Ah pop music was good in 2014 wasn't it? The latter quarter didn't really offer anything particularly revolutionary other than an amazing collaboration between Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (not in the countdown although it should be shouldn't it?) and of course amazing future popstar Fleur East who will no doubt become huge in the coming year(s). However, the early to middle parts of 2014 contained some pretty incredible stuff. Katy B had her biggest hit to date. Ella Eyre hit the top 15 without a DJ holding her hand. Taylor Swift made a spectacular comeback, almost pipping Britney Spears' Oops! I Did It Again for the highest first week sales of all time by a female artist (she lost out by like 8000 copies or so). There were huge hits from Ella Henderson, One Direction, and Jessie J. There were also career takeoffs from the likes of Iggy Azalea who had Rita Ora clinging on for dear life, British singer of lovely song Sam Smith who couldn't let go of his one night fumble (could be about a bag of chips after a night out) and of course teeny tiny Ariana Grande who is older than anyone thought making many men feel a lot less guilty about their sordid fantasies. 

This year's countdown is from 30 to 1. I've gone for 30 this year because when I tried to do 25 again I struggled like Lindsay Lohan in Boots Pharmacy. So many great songs didn't make it through no fault of their own. Well, if they'd been a bit better then sure they'd have made it, so it is their own fault really. I'm sure there will be some controversy in here. If you have a complaint about a song not being here or not being placed high enough or too high then please send this grievance to poppilgrim@couldntgiveafck.com. Enjoy!

30

Ella Eyre - Comeback

At 20 years old she's featured on Rudimental's behemoth number one 'Waiting All Night', collaborated with Naughty Boy and Wiz Khalifa, cowritten 'Changing' by Sigma and Paloma Faith and won a MOBO award. Not bad going. I've only got a few silvers from my primary school sports days and writing credits include, well, everything on this blog. Anyway, her third (but really first because I can't recall the other two) solo single 'Comeback' launched to number 12 in September. It's a thumping pop track with a retro soul vibe and an enormous singalong chorus. 

29

Katy B - Crying For No Reason

Katy's sophomore album Little Red didn't get the same rush of applause her debut On A Mission received. It's not a bad album, it just lacked the punch of her first outing. That being said, it did offer it's own fair share of brilliance. '5 AM', a wonderful, heady dance number and of course the album track 'Aaliyah' which featured Jessie Ware, was the strongest song on offer. In the spirit of keeping this countdown about singles, I have to relegate the wonderful 'Aaliyah' and opt for another amazing song 'Crying For No Reason'. This is kind of a 'cool' power ballad with an escalating arrangement which erupts in the final chorus with thudding synths and an array of electronic bleeps and shudders. It proved to be Katy's biggest single success to date and is the most emotive and vocally powerful she's ever sounded. Now, back to 'Aaliyah'. 

28

Indiana - Heart On Fire

Her debut single 'Solo Dancing' hit number 14 in 2014. An array of synth shakes and rumbles below a half-spoken vocal arrangement, the song proved a hit with the more 'alternative' radio listeners out there. However, the follow up 'Heart On Fire' is where the magic happens and if this song were two people, sparks would fly. Things start of slow but once the chorus kicks in, an uptempo marvel is unveiled and the vocals burst into a sumptuous falsetto that sticks in your head for days. If British pop continues on this track we're in for a treat.

27

Kiesza - Hideaway

Not many had heard of Canadian born Kiesza before her debut single shot to number one in April. It's a solid debut, establishing her sound as a 90s dance influenced electro-pop artist. Her throaty vocals couldn't be more distinct and the trend continues on the follow up single 'Giant In My Heart', which is also brilliant. How enjoyable a full album with her vocal tones would be, I am yet to discover. However, Kiesza couldn't have burst onto the scene with a more infectious, well produced track than 'Hideaway' and it looks like in ten years it'll be an Ibiza classic, propelling people to make involuntary pops and slides.

26

Foxes - Let Go For Tonight

You may not know this but Louisa Rose Allen AKA Foxes was the featured vocalist on Zedd's hit single 'Clarity' in 2013. Her second solo single became her biggest hit to date, 'Let Go For Tonight' is an upbeat, exhilarating pop ride with a gorgeous piano intro followed by an escalating pre-chorus. It's that chorus that pulls you in though, an explosion of electronic synths, keys and a stunning vocal performance as Foxes questions "Let love in your life baby, Who needs sleep tonight?". It's wonderful and whether she can trump this release remains to be seen, but for now let's just soak up the awesomeness. 

Iggy Azalea - Fancy (Feat Charli XCX)

Neither of these artists have had the success they deserve, but all that could be about to change with Fancy. A hip-hop pop party anthem with a ratchet beat that serves as an ode to the glamorous lifestyle of the rich and famous. It's packed with sassy lyrics about drinking all your alcohol straight, flying from L.A to Tokyo, and being so swag you couldn't possibly shop in a department store. Basically, she would die before setting foot in Buchanan Galleries. The collaboration works well, the biting rap by Iggy supported by the Charli chants on the chorus and middle section where she sings "Trash the hotel/Let's get drunk on the minibar... Chandelier swinging/We don't give a fuck". It all comes together to form one of 2014's most distinct and entertaining commercial hip-hop moments. 

4/5