Song reviews

As bright and breezy as you like, Australia’s Mia Milan easily evokes the perfectly formed pop music of the Brill Building with “I Won’t Cry”. It’s a singalong summer song, without a doubt.

Danny Darko does not stray far from his dance floor roots with “My Favourite” sounding more like a remix of an original than an actual original song and it is Jova Radevska’s girlish, yet worldly, voice that actually gives the song its sonic appeal

You can’t keep a good funk rock band down and London’s Palumbo and the Funk duly get down on it with “Get It Right”. The playing is in the groove, right enough, but the song needs a more distinctive lead voice if it is ever to escape the wedding reception dance floor.

A middle of the road pop song, “Little Fun” shows that Theo Altieri lacks neither energy nor clean living charm and I wouldn’t be surprised if the song found a home on what is left of daytime radio.

One of the few bands in Glasgow to look forwards rather than backwards, the Girobabies hit another one into the back of the net with “Equinox” and, when you think about it, you can’t really go wrong when you have lyrics that are sharp and intelligent, jagged guitars and a manic beat that just calls out to your feet. In fact that fact is so obvious that you have to wonder why more bands don’t follow the same path. Most bands aren’t the Girobabies though.

Immaculately presented, as we have come to expect of Miss Lola Lamour, “A Little Of What You Fancy” takes us so far back in time that any gentleman would feel obliged to remove his hat in deference to this spirited three minute revival of fifties glamour. The lady is a star.

They would have to be French. What other explanation could there be for successfully adding vintage style to hip hop without actually appearing contrived? “Somehow” shows that Smokey Joe and The Kid know that being lyrically street wise doesn’t necessarily stop you from being high on life.

Nicely retro in outlook, as any good dance song seems to be these days, London’s I Am Harlequin puts her electro heart into “Dance With Anyone” just like Whitney Houston would have done back in the day and, if I had a handbag, my feet would be shuffling round it right now. Whatever happened to Stacey Q anyway?

If your dose of Prozac for the day has kicked in then “Simply Depressed” will be just another example of Scottish bedsit electronica but, if your needle is still clean, then this transfusion of a Tina Turner song into the veins of The Ladywell Lout will likely overwhelm you with its downbeat, near Wagnerian, introspection. It’s a West Lothian thing, without a doubt.

“Let It Be Love” is a convincing example of a song in the urban pop style by former Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta and, while the generic production attempts to sink the song into the mud of mediocrity, Ms. Sutta instead throws her heart into her performance and manages to save the day.

Although categorised as a Swedish Americana band, “Mud” makes The Wife seem more of an alt-rock band with a fondness for Ry Cooder style musical reinvention and Natalie Johansson’s world weary voice makes a compelling case for giving them closer examination.

Convincingly doing the white boy funk thing, Misun put their song “Justice” on the retro groove train and take it to the end of the line. Robust female vocals and a guitarist with a loop fixation keep the song right on track.