James Bay - Best Fake Smile

One of Britain's 2015/16 success stories, James Bay's done alright for himself. A number one album here and hitting number 15 in the US with The Chaos & The Calm and his mammoth hit 'Hold Back the River' have established him as one of the county's indie-pop front runners. Now with a Brit award under his belt he's released new single 'Best Fake Smile', one of the album's stronger cuts. It's more of the same though, paint by numbers uptempo guitar strumming backed by a toe-tapping drum beat and the often monotone rasp of Bay's voice. He's got talent, he's got an appealing voice, but if you're not an indie-pop zealot you might find this a little too repetitive.

3 / 5

Rihanna - Love On the Brain

Rihanna - Anti

Where Beyoncé was the supposed exposé of Beyoncé as a true artist, Anti is Rihanna's attempt at the same thing. The main difference is it's not as filth filled as the Queen's, instead it's a dancehall, pop/r&b infusion with some of Rihanna's most impressive vocals to date. We've been waiting for years for this album and I won't sugar coat it, a lot of fans will be distraught at the departure from her previous chart friendly sound. It's an album without a dance floor smash, an album with a dark and brooding backdrop, an album that at times feels dispassionate when it should be overflowing with emotion.

Opener 'Consideration' deals with Rihanna's rejection of her record label's desires, her bajan accent snapping "I got to do things my own way darling" and "Let me cover your shit in glitter / I can make it gold". It's a solid start to Anti, reminiscent of old skool Fugee beats and featuring a pleasant turn from SZA. It's followed up by the 1:12 filler 'James Joint' where Ri sings about wanting to be smoking weed whenever she breathes and it's moments like this where she loses the plot and you feel a little embarrassed by this try hard attitude. It's not the only awkward track on Anti. Lead single 'Work' (feat Drake) is ridiculous, annoying, uninspired drivel and could easily win the crown for the worst track of Rihanna's career. Preceded in the charts by the amazing 'Fourfiveseconds', 'Bitch Better Have My Money' and 'American Oxygen' (none of which made it onto the album), this move makes you wonder if Rihanna is really ready to make her own marketing decisions. Then there's 'Woo', a melody-less, inaudible piece of nonsense and even now I'm not sure what it's about. 

Sia - This Is Acting

You'd be forgiven for feeling that Sia's faceless campaign for her last behemoth album (first major commercial abum) 1000 Forms of Fear was a little bratty. Facing away from the crowd as your perform didn't seem like the best way to win new followers, however, somehow she nailed it. With incredible songs like 'Chandelier' and 'Elastic Heart' it would be impossible not to fall in love with the new, pop heavy version of the once odd ball, indy-pop artist. 

A leap has been made for new album 'This Is Acting', Sia now faces the crowd and reveals her mouth but covers the upper half of her face with a black and white wig. She's also flaunting some incredible pins but that's neither here nor there (they're really good legs!). I digress. This new album is even more commercial than its predecessor, but for good reason. The clue is in the title; this is Sia as 'Sia the Popstar'. This is Sia singing a collection of songs she'd never normally sing herself, ones she wrote for other major artists that either rejected them or in some cases she actually asked for the song back. This is the reverse of conventional musical experimentalism, where the likes of Beyoncé dabble in new noir sounds, Sia is striding on into the pop spectrum to fill her place.

Poppilgrim's Top 10 songs of 2015

I've been extremely tardy when it comes to blogging over the past 12 months. A lack of inspiration, too much other 'life' stuff going on and a good ol' dose of 'cba' really lowered my pop music blogging productivity. I've had a rest and now it's back to b'ness.

This is overdue, but here's the top 10 from what I had planned to be a top 40. That top 40 is redundant now and also too time consuming. So in my baby steps stage here you have it, my top 10 from 2015 and note it's in reverse order so the best is saved for last:

Zayn Malik - Pillowtalk

Almost one year on since he abandoned his One Direction bandmates (or enemies if you believe the tabloids), Zayn Malik's dropped his debut solo effort, 'Pillow Talk'. I can't imagine any of the other band members having the same solo appeal, perhaps because Zayn's voice has always been (perhaps with the exception of Harry Styles) the outfit. Appeal aside, no one expected his first outing after his musical divorce to be so bloody good. It's anthemic to say the least, meeting at the intersection of RnB and pop perfectly. Singing about pissing off his neighbours having what I can only imagine is very loud and obnoxious sex, the thick beat is soaked in x-rated imagery and the production is far more grown up than you might expect. If he keeps this up he'll have so many hits under his belt he won't ever need to regret his decision to chuck all that future 1D cash away.

5/5

Fleur East - Love, Sax & Flashbacks

Fleur East is a pop star, and she was as soon as she stepped out on stage in week one of 2014's Xfactor live shows and knocked out a brilliant rendition of Meghan Trainor's mildly successful 'All About That Bass'. Now one year on since she finished with a silver medal behind nice guy Ben Haenow she's back with her debut album Love, Sax & Flashbacks.

Preceded by the epic single 'Sax', you know it as the Asda Xmas ad soundtrack, the album is packed with energetic, frivolous pop fun. If an album is supposed to be an expression of an artist's true self, their experiences and their current state of mind then Fleur has been living the life for the past 12 months. She sings about being ditched in a club by a love interest on 'Breakfast', then potentially pulling one of his attractive friends to end the night on a high note. The song is laced with mild 80s influences, a sound that explodes on 'More and More', a pop masterpiece that echoes Whitney Houston from start to finish.

The entire album has a retro flavour, the aforementioned 80s numbers more so than anything else, but there's nostalgia throughout. Classic pop smacked together with the horn arrangements that made Sax so punchy shine bright on 'Gold Watch', the album's strongest chapter. Fleur chants 'What's the time Mr Wolf?' above a thumping pop arrangement so exhilarating it could become a staple party hit, should her career continue on for years to come.

Fleur's voice isn't powerful, but it is distinct, smoky and pleasant. Her vocals are solid throughout, she knows her limits, however when she raps its glorious. When she bites on 'Love Me or Leave Me Alone' it's brilliant and her turn on the verses of Jackson 5 sampling 'Kitchen' is convincing, before the middle eight kicks in and she chants 'Tina Tina Tina Turn-up'. Given what I said re her vocals, her best performance is on 'Over Getting Over You', a pop-dance campfest with synths and chants in abundance; even a reference to the youtube sensation 'Ain't Nobody Got Time for That'.

Love, Sax & Flashbacks isn't perfect and at times the production comes off a little cheap. It is fun though and it's refreshing to have someone take it back to the dance floor and approach the industry as a performer. Whether this is a strong enough album to connect with the Ed Sheeran, Adele loving British public remains to be seen but one thing is certain, it's the birth of a star.

3.5/5

Cloves - Frail Love

Being out of the loop for a lot of 2015 I’ve missed a lot of very good music. Now I’m in a pile up of gorgeous vocals, synths, FKA Twigs’ thrashing experimentalism and the cherry, or should that be the clove on top? 19 year old, Melbourne born, songstress Cloves (real name Kaity Dunstan) sits somewhere between the noir queen quirks of Lana Del Rey and the soulful serenades of Adele. Her debut single ‘Frail Love’ dropped on Soundcloud back in August and it’s breathtaking. Amidst the long flowing brunette locks and supermodel proportions, there’s a significant vocal force. Every lyric feels just as important and emotional as the last and Cloves performs atop sorrowful piano keys with a self assurance that sets her decades ahead of her actual experience.

Sigma - Coming Home (Featuring Rita Ora)

Sigma blew up the charts when they hit number one with 'Nobody to Love' in the spring of 2014. The song went on to become a summer anthem and then they got hold of Paloma Faith, stuck her incredible vocals atop 'Changing' and BOOM, had themselves a second consecutive chart topper. Since then they've collaborated with 'Earthquake' hitmaker Labrynth and Xfactor contestant Ella Henderson, but now it seems they've got the top spot in their sights once more with new single 'Coming Home', featuring vocals from talent show judge adulteress and occasional song releaser Rita Ora.

Ora's donated her vocals (she's probably paid very handsomely) to the likes of Iggy Azalea, DJ Fresh, and Charlie XCX in the past with great results. Coming Home is no different. It's a heady, escalating Drum & Bass - pop concoction with a sweet sentiment and Ora's vocals are emotive, emotional and convincing throughout. The song really comes into its own on the chorus, easily identifiable as a Sigma arrangement with Ora's voice layered atop a choir (or lots of very good backing singers) as the beat drives you upward into space. Very good stuff.

5/5

Fleur East - Sax

When Fleur East finished second to Ben Where Haenow in the 2014 Xfactor final I wasn't as angry as I thought I would be. I expected sparks to fly from the foot shaped hole in the flat screen, but it remained unscathed. The format has a habit of crowning winning failures and its eliminated alumni surpass the performances of their vocal chord stretching assailants (ref. Rebecca Ferguson). I knew, when that silver medal was handed over (there are no medals), that this was in fact a win for Fleur's future in the music business and going by how amazing she is as a pop star in training, a win for pop fans all over.

Now she's finally here, with her first ever single 'Sax' in tow. Lifted from her upcoming debut album Love, Sax and Flashbacks, it's a euphoric brass explosion, bursting with sass, snappy verses and a breakdown Mark Ronson would be proud to call his own. It's certainly reflective of 'Uptown Funk', a song Fleur actually put on the map (kind of), but the similarity isn't an issue when it's such a brilliant result. It'll be interesting to see if this is a one off success, because it will be a success. I really hope it is a sign of great things to come though.

5/5

Miguel - Wildheart

Contemporary R&B and Hip Hop is male dominated, let's not pretend it isn't a male directed genre. Yes you've got the commercial powerhouse of Nicki Minaj and the questionable talent of Iggy Azalea, but although these women may be raking in the moola for their craft they exploit their sexuality to garner attention. They play into the hands of misogynism, perhaps without realising and to an extent in complete denial. They are not exempt from the derogatory message sent by Chris Brown's 'Loyal' and the tacky sexual charge of Jeremih's 'Down On Me'. Miguel's always been a little left field as far as conforming to the ideals of the genre and his inability/refusal to fit in is no clearer than on 'what's normal anyway' from his third studio album Wildheart. The song features the lyrics "Too immoral for the Christians/ Too moral for the cut throat/ Too far out for the in crowd..." and his soulful harmonising emotes a genuine desire to fit into some archetype, but all the while he challenges this with the poignant "don't let them change you'. He wants to fit in but isn't willing to compromise his morals and more than anything, his musical direction.

New Single > Little Mix > Black Magic

On 10 July you'll be able to buy the new Little Mix song 'Black Magic'. You should do this because it's brilliant and will no doubt make you feel fulfilled with every listen. As far as reality tv acts go, the Little Mixers are a pretty incredible pop group, their last album Salute was/is an absolute triumph from start to finish. Seriously, it is pop perfection. 

'Black Magic' has a retro pop flavour, the girls' soulful harmonies perfectly executed atop a light and fluffy pop arrangement that could force even the stoniest of faces to crack a smile. If their upcoming fourth album follows this quality we'll all be put under their spell once more.

New Single > Demi Lovato > Cool for the Summer

Demi Lovato's 'Cool for the Summer' is here and fans everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief as it's very good. It's the most radio friendly, chart ready single she's released since 'Heart Attack' and it's bound to pick up heavy airplay with its thumping, roaring electro synth laden chorus and confidently lyrical delivery.

There are echoes of Katy Perry here and apparently it could be about a lesbian tryst: "Take me down into your paradise / Don't be scared cos I'm your body type / Just something we wanna try cos you and I/ We're cool for the summer." Lesbian jiggery-pokery or not, this is great. I love it, you (should) love it and everyone loves it so that's the end of that chapter.

You can listen to it here.

Alert > Demi Lovato > Cool for the Summer

Can we all just stop what we're doing and look at this?

Here are five things we can gather from this artwork for Demi Lovato's new single 'Cool for the Summer' which, by the way, debuts next week (!):

1. Demi's going down a sex to sell records route. It was bound to happen sooner or later. 

2. The song will, more than likely, be very good, fun and summery (hazardous guessing).

3. It will get a remix with Nicki Minaj.

4. It will precede an album of other very good pop songs.

5. The video will feature Demi covering herself in factor 50, the advocate for skincare that she is. 

Watch this space. I'll be reporting back with a review of 'Cool for the Summer' next week on July 1.

New Song > Lianne La Havas > What You Don't Do

Another song has dropped from Lianne La Havas' upcoming second album Blood, which is out July 31. It's called 'What You Don't Do' and it's just as likeable and infectious as its predecessor 'Unstoppable', except this time it has a little bounce in its step. You can get this song automatically when pre-ordering Blood. Pre-order here.

New Song > Janet Jackson > No Sleeep

Seven years it's bloody been, yes seven since Janet Jackson sister-of-Michael released an album. Her last opus Discipline wasn't her best and really, none of her material has been particularly ground breaking since The Velvet Rope and some of All For You. With the announcement of her 11th album Unbreakable, due this Autumn and a supporting world tour I'm surprised I am still alive to post this. 

The first single to drop from Unbreakable is 'No Sleeep', a lovely R&B slow jam with smooth production and a solid middle-eight courtesy of longtime producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis who have produced 9 of Janet's #1 singles. It's a little reserved for a first single but it echoes the likes of 'That's the Way Love Goes' on Janet and some of the softer tracks on The Velvet Rope with its seductive delivery. This new album is really important to maintain her status as a relevant pop act, and with Madonna floundering around in desperation to fit in with a younger generation of stars there's a spot in the market for a legend to rise again. 

Flashback > Mutya Keisha Siobhan > Flatline

It's been almost two year since this came out. Can we all just take a moment to remember how excited we were to hear the preview on Soundcloud? I'm taking my moment now... 

Album Track > Mutya Keisha Siobhan > Back In The Day

This little blighter dropped onto Youtube back in February and I did not know anything about it until recently. Mutya, we exchanged glances and a wave at your gig in 2013, I expect to be kept informed of these major events. Anyway, it's time to forgive and forget. Rumors have been flying all over the place since MKS / The Original Sugababes made a comeback in 2013 with the ridiculously high quality 'Flatline', a song that criminally staggered to number 50 in the charts but should have spend a year at number one. That's life. Since then it's all been quiet but some people say they're holding off the release of their complete 'debut' album until Amelle, Jade and Heidi give up and head down to the job centre so that MKS can ditch the shit name and take back what's rightfully theirs.

The album track that's come to light is 'Back In The Day', a stunning ballad not far from the style of their original debut album One Touch, with a simple arrangement and those staple harmonies that other groups wish they could master. Siobhan's voice stands out and it really gets you excited to hear the bound-to-be-fantastic album that's just crying out for a release. 

New Single > Sinead Harnett > She Ain't Me

I'm a little ashamed of myself for not spotting the talents of London singer/songwriter Sinead Harnett sooner. She's been knocking around since 2013, releasing her own cuts like the gorgeous 'Got Me' and 'No Other Way', as well as making an appearance on Disclosure's Settle on the understated 'Boiling' and Rudimental's Home on the escalating 'Hide'.  She's been penned as the 'experimental Adele', but honestly I don't hear much vocal similarity and let's leave Adele as Adele. I hear echoes of Jessie Ware, the stripped and throbbing R&B inspired beats merged with a James Blake esque electronic experimentalism. 

Her voice hums with raw emotion and this is conveyed perfectly on new single 'She Ain't Me'. You'd  be forgiven for presuming this would be a run of the mill R&B assault on the upper echelons of the charts, but actually its reserved production and haunting vocal echo make this one of the most exciting tracks I've heard in 2015. I can only imagine when an album does surface that it will be glorious.

New(ish) Single > Florrie > Too Young To Remember

Florrie (known on her Passport as Florence Arnold) is a brilliant pop star in the making, but already a great pop star in her own right. With an armory of brilliant pop songs and an obvious knack for writing, producing and singing words it's criminal she hasn't cracked the top ten yet. Then again, as long as the music's great what does a chart placing matter eh? 

Her latest single Too Young To Remember dropped from the musical womb a couple of months back and I missed it in my blogging hiatus. It has something to do with H&M and an ad campaign I'm sure. What a catchy number to miss, what a fool I was/am. It's a step back to her pure pop ways, away from the loosely structured electro-synth-artsy brilliant EP Sirens in 2014. It's playful, has a killer hook and it's one of those pop songs that slaps a smile right on your miserable f*cking face. It's also got a doo doo doo bit in it. What's not to love?