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Pick at the pops: 31 March 2008

Our weekly round-up of the weird and wonderful world of pop music...

Isn’t it nice to see Simon Cowell doing well? Sorry, what’s that? Well, there’s no need for that sort of language. Anyway, I’m sure we can all raise a glass to his latest pop poppet and mini-Mariah, Leona Lewis, who has just become the first British female soloist to top the chart Stateside since cuddly gardener Kim Wilde managed it with a nasal rendition of The Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ way back in 1987. Ha, ha, Leona probably wasn’t even born then… Actually, she was already a toddler. Aren’t pop stars getting older these days?

Another British female making inroads “over there” is Thumbelina-sized rapper/warbler Estelle, who’s had to get US recognition to break big back home – and break big she has with No.1 single ‘American Boy’ outselling the competition two to one. Now, Estelle is a bit peeved it’s taken so long for us Brits to recognise real soul music when we hear it: “Adele ain’t soul; she sounds like she’s heard some Aretha records once and she’s got a deeper voice – that don’t mean she’s soul.” Never mind who’s got more soul, Estelle – that’s appalling grammar.

Estelle’s benefited hugely from being mates with US tastemakers John Legend and Kanye West, and it looks like Sugababes might attempt a similar shortcut to transatlantic success. Here’s second scariest ‘Babe Amelle Berrabah on another Yank svengali: “Timbaland is keen on us. He actually asked us to do stuff with him before we ended up spending a lot of time with him and Justin Timberlake last year.” Yeah, but was Timbo talking about music, Amelle?

No chat about British pop ladies would be complete without mention of Edwina Scissorhands herself, Amy Winehouse. Ames has been looking into buying swanky Berkshire recording studio Wheeler End, a former Oasis haunt. Current owner Suzanne Lee Barnes commented, “What I want more than anything is to see it sold to someone who intends to carry on using it as a recording studio.” Hmmm. Is “crack den” close enough?

Matthew Horton

Picture: Rex Features, PA Photos

• 24/03/2008: Rihanna the "new Britney"? >>
• 17/03/2008: Madonna in B12 shocker >>
• 10/03/2008: Bjork gets political >>
• 03/03/2008: Keef disses Led Zep >>
• 25/02/2008: Mark Owen gives KT Tunstall his last quid >>
• 18/02/2008: Aretha or Tina - just who is the Queen of Soul? >>
• 11/02/2008: We mourn the Spice Girls - again >>
• 04/02/2008: Winehouse and Spears - will the madness end? >>
• 28/01/2008: Oh no! Simply Red and UB40 have split up! >>
• 21/01/2008: Annie Lennox and The Verve won't pave streets >>
• 14/01/2008: Robbie and Coldplay turn on EMI >>
• 07/01/2008: Out with the old, in with the new >>
• 2007 archive >>
• 2006 archive >>