1. Leona Lewis - "Happy"...
This song is LOVE. No other way to describe how I feel about it. Leona re-teams with "Bleeding Love" creator, Ryan Tedder, for this exquisite empowering anthem. From her forthcoming album Echo.
2. The Saturdays - "Forever Is Over"
Britains girl group of the moment, The Saturdays, lead off their second yet to be titled album, with "Forever Is Over". The song assaults all your senses and leaves you wanting more when it wraps up in less than three and a half minutes. Totally catchy and totally addictive.
3. Natalie Imbruglia - "Want"
While Natalie Imbrublia has been missing from the pop music scene for many a years, she returns with this haunting, electronica inspired jam. Coldplay's Chris Martin co-wrote the tracking, further cementing his affinity for Australian pop stars, having worked with Kylie Minogue on "Lhuna" last year. "Want" is from Natalie's upcoming album Come To Life. Since her last two releases, (Counting Down The Days and Glorious: The Singles 1997-2007, went unreleased in the United States, it's uncertain if this will be unleashed here.
4. Alexandra Burke - "Bad Boys" (feat. Flo Rida)
Current "X-Factor" champ (Britain's much better version of "American Idol"), Alexandra Burke, starts right out of the gate with an American sounding tune that could be a hit stateside. Not unlike Leona Lewis, (an "X-Factor" winner in 2007), Alexandra's people are looking to launch her worldwide and Flo Rida's appearance on the song almost guarantee her a shot at U.S. radio.
5. Cheryl Cole - "Fight For This Love"
Current "X-Factor" judge and Girls Aloud member, Cheryl Cole, unleashes her first solo song and upon first listen, the song isn't much. By far not the best vocalist, but lying beneath the Pet Shop Boys mashed with RedOne beats is a killer hook and chorus. Not quite on the level of the phenomenal Girls Aloud tracks "The Loving Kind" and "Untouchable", "Fight For This Love" is grower, not a shower type of song, that gets better listen after listen.
6. Alphabeat - "The Spell"
Alphabeat lead off their second album with "The Spell" which is an homage to the 80's and 90's. Take part of Black Box's "Everybody Everybody", part of "Touch Me All Night Long" by Cathy Dennis, and add a hint of early 90s house music and you get this amazingly kick ass song. Too much for simple words, this may be my #1 song of the year.
Download "The Spell" here: ---> Here
