Singled out
Kelly Rowland featuring Travis McCoy – ‘Daylight’
Poor Kelly. She’ll never escape the shadow of you-know-who. It doesn’t help that she’s got a technically sound voice with no obvious character to go with it, but the biggest issue is no one seems to want to give her any decent songs. Perhaps they’re saving them for, erm, someone else. Even when she put in a much-trumpeted performance on last Wednesday’s National Lottery Draws, the first question Kelly was asked was about Destiny’s Child. It’s not all that fair, because ‘Daylight’ is a charming piece of modern dance-pop fluff - a 21st century cousin to Shanice’s ‘I Love Your Smile’ ditty – and barely features Travis McCoy (of Gym Class Heroes, but you know that, right?) at all, so some relief there.
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Martina Topley-Bird – ‘Poison’
Tricky’s former collaborator has hardly been prolific in releasing her own solo work. We had the critically loved (it gained a Mercury Prize nomination) but commercially shunned debut Quixotic in 2003, and since then, nothing. Snagging the skills of production guru Bryan “Danger Mouse” Burton, one half of Gnarls Barkley, is certainly a savvy move that should see her commercial currency rise. But, judging by this taster from second album The Blue God, it’s also taken the edge off her sound. So, while ‘Poison’ passes along pleasantly – all groovy soul and tidy guitars – it’s nothing particularly special. Let’s hope the album has a few more ideas on it.
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