Let Us Remember: Siobhan Donaghy

Every now and then there are some musicians who never quite get the recognition that they deserve and (having recently reviewed the first single of Sugababes 4.0) I thought it would be good to say something about the first 'babe to try and make it solo. Ms. Siobhan Donaghy.

It would always have been hard for someone to try and escape the stigma of being in a girlgroup such as the Sugababes and be taken seriously as an artist in your own right. For Siobhan this appears to have never really happened, for whenever people speak of her the thoughts of the original and brooding Sugababes that donned the cover of One Touch is never far from your mind.

This was all meant to change in 2007 when she unveiled her sophomore album Ghosts, a blend of aetherial pop that had critics noting comparisons to the Cocteau Twins, Massive Attack and Kate Bush. However, a series of blunders occured with made multiple copies unsellable, due to a manufacturing error, as well as a shockingly bad marketing campaign where the best appearance was her miming on Loose Women.

After the album just scraped it's way into the Top 100 the push, however small and insignificant, was disbanded with third single Medevac never finding a release date. This all occuring in spite of there being a unanimous praising of her by all critical publications that gave a review. Siobhan then tried her hand at acting in a reimagining of Rent, a production that was critically panned, as well as becoming a DJ.

With an announced third album we at Manganese Music hope that maybe the third time is the charm and Siobhan can take her rightful place at the forefront of the Kate Bush inspired acts dominating the charts, a place where fellow redhead Florence Welsh finds herself currently without peer.

So let us remember her for the single that never was:

Happy, An Exercise In Irony?

Since I predicted last week's number one I'm gonna call it oce again with Leona's new single Happy. Not really as if the number one position in the last month and so has been a tad predictable but hey, take your victories where you can snatch them.

When you first take a gander at the title and sleeve you would be excused to think that for once she's taking the optimistic route with a more uptempo song. But no, here she is with yet another ballad. It begs the question as to why someone should bother changing tactic if they are still selling millions of records...

I am not here to argue against the absolutely amazing vocals that she exhibits on this release, you can tell that with Alexandra's debut she felt as if she had to up the ante. However as songs go this isn't as good as it could have been.

This is mainly due to the first chorus. Something that Leona should have learnt from her cover of Run is that in order to have the optimal effecrt you need to try and built the song into a cresendo so that by the finale all hairs are standing up on the back of your neck. However, in the latter half of the chorus she has already begun to bring in the backing vocals of some form of mans choir. After this, no matter how much they try to build it up it doesn't feel as if there is much further to go and as such feels to me as a rather flat ballad.

Someone really needs to tell Leona that Mariah does upbeat songs every now and then (All I Want For Christmas Is You being the obvious one) so Leona needs to try her hand at this to avoid being further pidgeon-holed as a one-trick pony. As such I recommend that people should listen to the Jason Nevins Remix that appears as the b-side, which in my opinion is a lot better than the original radio edit.

Original Verson - 6.5/10
Jason Nevins Remix - 8.0/10

New Challenger Enters: Jade Ewan

There are very few weeks when such a number of modern pop leviathons simultaneously decide to release a single. Instead of doing what I did last week by reviewing three singles in one post the best course of action in my mind was to split them up.

As such today I am reviewing the new Sugababes single About A Girl.

For the purposes of evidence that could be used in a court of music I would like to state for the record that I have been a fan of the Sugababes since they first released Overload.

If this blog had been around at the time that Keisha was booted out you will have seen a huge 'Leave Britney Alone' style post as I was strongly affected by the loss of the final orignal member (although to be fair Heidi is a de facto original in my eyes). So on the release of Jade's first single as the sixth Sugababe it's interesting to hear how the harmonies have changed. In the past, with the addition of Amelle, they have avoided changing it too much as they found someone with a similar style of voice to the recently departed Mutya.

The answer is... I have no idea how it's changed as there is no sizable part where they all sing together. This idea will be resurrected upon the release of Sweet 7.


As pop songs go this is a fantastic second single to a now rather controversial seventh album. For the first time since Round Round the Sugababes have decided not to release a ballad or after-school special song as a follow-up and this plays to their advantage. While I am a true Sugababes fan I have never agreed with the songs that they release as singles since they apparently forget to release some of their best songs (such as Conversation's Over and Ace Reject). With the addition of About A Girl to the collective discography I am actually hopeful about how amazing their next album should be.

There isn't much to complain about this song, apart from the RedOne shout-out, as it's one of those songs that is simultaneously a classic Sugababes song and yet it doesn't sound like anything that they have released before. Sadly though, I miss Keisha's vocals which does detract from the amazingness...

8.5/10

An Open Letter To... Lady GaGa

Dear Lady GaGa,

Upon the announcement of your Fame Monster reissue I started to lose a lot of respect for you, as I do for anyone who tried to cash in on their success by reissuing their albums a gazillion times without actually releasing any sizable new material.

This all stems back to my first expericance with Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Read My Lips where she decided to release two more singles from her debut album and as such I had to buy the new singles as I didn't fancy having to buy the album again.

However, the recent announcement that The Fame Monster will now be released as an album in it's own right (and is now actually your second full studio album) I would like to announce my extreme and unadulterated apology for badmouthing you and I personally will ensure that a copy of it sitting next to my rather scratched copy of The Fame (yea I dropped it a few times, then finally down the stairs... don't know how).

Keep on doing what you are doing.

Yours,
The people at Manganese Music.

p.s. Thank your management too, I heard they were something to do with ths mini-music-miracle.

I'm Talkin' 'Bout A Bad Romance

You would think that it would be relatively simple to find an online list of new single releases wouldn't you. Albums? Easy. DVDs? Childs Play. Singles? Deceptively hard! Well after half an hour of consecutive googling I finally found a site, so I personally would like to thank The Daily Record for being the only site to do this.

So without further hesitation here is this week's singles review:

Lady GaGa - Bad Romance - 8.0/10

I put my hands up here, I am a bit of a GaGa fan since finding her last August after some random blog surfing. So here she is releasing her 5th single in a year, no mean feat, and is the first thing that people will hear of The Fame Monster. As songs go it isn't bad, always a good start. It is definately a grower too since upon hating it on the first listen I am actually beginning to really like it. The only slight issue I have is the close resemblance with Poker Face, in both the chorus and the 'ma-ma-ma' hook. However, on multiple listens the resemblances begin to dissolve into the ether and the song really begins to come out to play. Lady GaGa is here doing what she does best and at least she is making some form of attempt to give the reissue it's own unique personality unlike others I could mention (e.g. Duffy).

JLS - Everybody In Love - 8.0/10

Unlike most people I wasn't exactly wowed by Beat Again, apparently this is a cardinal sin in my social circle. The fact that I found this likeable on the word go probably means that everyone else will rate this song as complete crap. For the first time, in my opinion, JLS finally both look and sound the part of the new boyband taking Britain by storm. We may finally have another name to add to the pitifully short roster of post-talent show acts to suceed afterwards. Also, as this is basically assured the number one spot tomorrow it is worth the listen.

Laura White - You Should Have Known - 5.5/10
(Download Only, Physical Release on Monday)

Remember this young woman? Well she was on X-Factor last year and caused a bit of a controversy when she was booted off the programme for playing a piano. Ok, that wouldn't have been the real reason but hey it could be. This song isn't unlikeable, really saved from complete mediocrity by the strong performance by White herself. Then you realise she wrote this song and suddenly the whole thing makes more sense as it's robbed of a decent hook and could have been written by ay Amy Winehouse soundalike. Am still waiting on the new release from Ruth Lorenzo myself. That'll be aces!

Annie, Please Don't Stop

It has been 2 and a half years in the making but Annie's sophomore album finally got a release a few weeks ago, and did not make a dent on the UK Charts. Needless to say that the excitement that filled my heart when I saw this plonk onto my doormat (co-incidentally on my birthday) has been building since I first heard about Don't Stop in Feburary 2008.

As I have waited such an immense time for it, and have been playing the leaked tracks on repeat for the better part of a year it is only fair that I give a rating to each and every track that has made it through the wilderness and onto general release:

1. Hey Annie - 8.0/10
   
   
2. My Love Is Better - 8.5/10 - Originally posted as a long-awaited collaberation between Annie and Girls Aloud, but due to some feud it was never meant to be.
   
   
3. Bad Times - 9.0/10 - This song has become a bit of a mantra of mine. Actually about an off-and-on relationship that Annie is hoping will work out somehow this song to me has become one I play when I feel overwhelmed The optimism and light beats that meander their way through this song cannot help but lift the spirits. Also I have a video of it in my mind of Annie in Hyde Park and everyone is dancing with parasols.
   
   
4. Don't Stop - 8.0/10
   
   
5. I Don't Like Your Band - 9.5/10 - This is the Chewing Gum for 2009. The ultimate kiss-off track to the boyfriend who fancies himself as the next Matt Bellamy. Just look at the lyrics:
   
   
   I don't like your band, your style, your sound
   No I don't like your band, it's tired not now
   I don't like your music, I'm just not into it
   It's not you, it's not you, it's not you
   I don't like your band
   
   

   Fantastic, this is the track that Girls Aloud were desperately trying to write when they came up with Hoxton Heroes. At least someone released it.
   

   
   
6. Songs Remind Me Of You - 10/10 - The highlight of the album. Words can not express how amazing this track is. I recently had a conversation about this with someone and in an attempt to discribe it I could only muster this 'it's like an electronic device orgasming underwater'. Makes no sense right?
   
   
7. Marie Cherie - 7.5/10
   
   
8. Take You Home - 8.5/10 - After Heartbeat, what could be one of the best songs of the decade, Annie left us wondering about how the story ended. A song full of longing and electricity has now been followed by the 'what happened that night' song. By the sounds of it Annie dragged this guy home with her (and then made him breakfast if the next track is anything to go by).
   
   
9. The Breakfast Song - 8.5/10 - Completely crazy and lyrically lazy (ew I rhymed) but somehow this morning marching-cry ticks all the right boxes. It's good fun to march down the streets to and the music video really writes itself, pity it won't be getting one.
   
   
10. Loco - 8.5/10 - Hear that guitar? That's the lead-singer of Franz Ferdinand no less. When you look at all the people on the staff list of this album it just boggles the mind. This is another nifty pop-track which has what has now become the standard Annie-sound. Not a bad thing there, actually it's pretty great.
    
    
11. When The Night - 7.5/10
    
    
12. Heaven And Hell - 7.0/10 - Yes, this is without a doubt the weakest track on the album, but when it comes to the tracklisting this actually makes more sense as a closer as it did on last year's leaked track listing
    

So yes, as you can see this is one pretty immense album. Something that is not mentioned here are the extremely high calibre of the songs that did not make it to the final cut of the album. This isn't entirely uncommon, an example being Sophie Ellis Bextor's Colour Me In, but in the case of this album Annie had the common sense to include these outtakes on a bonus CD. So if you do go out to buy the album make sure it comes with the bonus. Only then will you own the following outtake highlights (This doesn't even mention her cover of Two Of Hearts that I had on repeat this summer and didn't even make it to the bonus disc):

1. I Can't Let Go (9.5/10) - A duet with Annie and Fredrick of Datarock-fame. Tells of an obsessive relationship to a grinding electro-beat. This song just oozes sex and it still boggles my mind as to why it wasn't included
2. Anthonio (9.0/10) - This was actually released as a single in May but somehow did not make the cut. Here Annie takes a different take on pop, which I am reliably informed is Italo Disco. This whistful tune tells of a summer romance between Annie and Anthonio on a trip to Rio, and it has one hell of a kicker of a final line
3. I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me (9.5/10) - How the lead single can not be on the main album doesn't make much sense to me, then ago we are talking about a release date in April 2008 so I guess it makes some form of sense, still it is a pity not to see it on the main album.

The final cut of this album shows how much of an artist that Annie is. By substituting some tracks for others she has been able to make this oft-leaked album still sound new and refreshing to the die-hard fans who have been sending hatemail to Island Records. It is true I was one of those who has owned a leaked copy since last August, so the moment this album got an actual release date, and it snazzy new cover, I had to have it.

This isn't just pop. This isn't just smart pop . This is the definitive pop album of the decade and it is one that no one will probably ever hear. Which goes to show that there is not true justice when it comes to great music.

p.s. I apologise that I didn't write a summary for all tracks but I have to leave for a seminar in 27 minutes so I had to try and do this in an hour.

VV In N.Y.C.

When it comes to Twitter there is no artist more prolific than Ms V.V. Brown. With like 8-10 tweets a day it almost feels like she is my new internet best friend.

So when she posted her latest video of her trip to New York and the Teen Vogue photoshoot that went along with it, well it demands some immediate attention.

We have learnt:

1) She doesn't eat wheat
2) She knows how to play chess
3) She wears hats to bed (it is an amazing hat -->)
4) She like Tropicana
5) She is a Santo(i)gold fan
6) Her amazing debut album is out in America next Feburary

Fantastic.