Single Reviews 15/07/12

Sorry for the sparse updates these days – we’ve been so busy organising the London 2012 Olympic Games, coaching Andy Murray on how to express emotion in public, and masterminding Hard Rock Calling. By the way, Macca and The Boss, apologies for that thing with your mics the other day, but hey: when your phone needs charging, it doesn’t matter what’s plugged in. Anyway, Single Reviews, anyone?

First up, it’s Kasabian. For a band whose sound is so quickly-identifiable, it’s a surprise – and a good one, at that – to hear something that takes such a bold step away from the norm. Switchblade Smiles proves a much more desk-twiddled affair than previous material, understated and dark, with Tom Meighan’s vocals just sitting above the unremitting white noise. Somehow, it works. Whether it heralds a whole new direction is unknown, but it’s a pleasing departure all the same.

Daniel Powter – of all people – makes a comeback this week, with the inoffensive melodies and cheesy strum of Cupid. And yes, it inevitably does rhyme ‘Cupid’ with ‘stupid’. There’s very, very little to say about it. It’s every bit the hackneyed Jason Mraz sound you’d expect, and the few ears that might actually respond positively won’t even hear it, as you’d be hard pushed to find a single radio station that might consider it relevant. *disappears in puff of smoke*

Single of the Week is bestowed upon one of the few genuine talents in last year’s X Factor, the refreshing Misha B. Her debut release Home Run begins life as a gushy, soul-heavy Jennifer Hudson tribute, but kicks in after mere seconds with a fistful of pure attitude and an electro-dancehall backdrop. No wonder Tulisa turned to underhand tactics to deny Misha of viewer votes – Home Run absolutely tears the diabolical Young to shreds without even breaking a sweat.

And finally, an act who are about as country-and-western as the UK will allow, and even then, it takes a Gary Barlow/Cheryl Cole rendition to get noticed. Yes, it’s Lady Antebellum, who try to hurry things along from Need You Now’s resurgence with the AOR ballad Wanted You More. It’s hardly groundbreaking stuff, but a slightly rockier, larger sound, complete with grand strings and an engaging piano riff bring the whole thing to quite an impressive climax. Who saw that coming?!