Spin It or Bin It 28/09/07

SPIN IT

The Go! Team – Proof of Youth - Memphis Industries
‘Uplifting’ is the word on the streets about this band. But are the
streets right?
Grip Like a Vice sounds like sitting in a room with the radio, the
record player and a cop show blaring on the tv, all at once, which
should sound atrocious, but is actually invigorating as the layers
wash over each other, and create a bright lively sound, that gets
more and more melodious on repeated listens. Doing It Right gives an
instant Northern Soul style hit, while My World recalls the theme
tune of an eighties American sit com set in a Boston bar, or a taxi
office. Fake ID, sounds a bit like a long lost Blondie song, and it
goes on, surprising, breaking ground with each track, and all the
time, being uplifting, as the streets said all along. 4/5 Rikki Wright

Journey South – Home – Upside
What does a struggling band do, when they’ve been schlepping around
for donkey’s years, and can’t break through to be heard by their
potential fans?
Do they make the Faustian bargain, and enter a tv talent show, or do
they keep going, keep slugging away until their ship comes in,
knowing that it might never happen?
Journey South have recorded a set of their own well written rocky pop
songs here, with a highly polished Eagles, Bryan Adams sort of sound
that will doubtless appeal to the easy listening pop market. I can
envisage it being a big selling album, and several hit singles,
particularly away from these shores, where their talent show
credentials are unknown. The loyal fans will love it, the general
music listening public will be surprised at the high quality of it,
and most of the music press will mock it mercilessly. But I won’t.
They have worked hard for their success, and I know that it really
doesn’t come easy for them, and those like them.
Journey South drank deep from the poisoned chalice, and only time
will tell if they can survive it, and the early success that sadly
seems to blight the careers of almost every tv talent show
contestant. 3/5 Rikki Wright

Angie Stone – The Art of Love and War – Concord
Angie Stone is a superb vocalist, with a fresh quality that keeps her
music contemporary. There’s something of the Barry White’s and the
Marvin Gayes’, the Aretha Franklin’s and the Stevie Wonder’s about
the musical arrangements, but she avoids the nostalgia pitfall, and
makes cool classy sensational soul music for a new generation. Play
Wit It, has that get up, get down and funk me feel while Go Back To
Your Life with its multi-voiced acapella beauty, is reminiscent of
The Roches, and demonstrates just how fine a singer Angie Stone is.
Happy Being Me says the final song. You should be Angie, you made a
lovely album here. 4/5 Jessie Allison

BIN IT

Samanda - Barbie Girl
I must admit I’d never thought of Aqua as a talented pop group, but this awful offering from the Big Brother twins makes the Scandinavian dance group sound like, well, like they can sing. The cashing in of reality TV stars after their 15 minutes of fame has become somewhat inevitable, but this is beyond a joke. 1/5

Jennifer Lopez - Do It Well
It’s hard to remember a time before J-Lo was the girl with the perfume deals, the fashion line and the occasional stint as an actress. Sadly it seems that she has forgotten what she does best, judging from this entirely forgettable offering. 1/5