Singles Reviews

Not a particularly exciting week, even with the return of Massive Attack. Click below to read the full reviews.

Wisemen - James Blunt (4/5)
Another Place to Fall - KT Tunstall (4/5)
Whole Lotta History - Girls Aloud (4/5)
Live With Me - Massive Attack (4.5/5)

Wisemen - James Blunt (4/5)

James Blunt's last 2 singles seemed to demonstrate his range of speeds--"High" being the fastest we've heard from him and "Goodbye My Lover" the slowest. "Wisemen" lands somewhere in the middle. It's what we've come to expect from Blunt, guitar-driven, clever, but edgy, but not exactly bland either. Like "High," this is actually a re-release, having first charted at #45 early last year before "Your'e Beautiful" made him a star. (Out Mar. 13)

Another Place to Fall - KT Tunstall (4/5)

"Another Place to Fall" is Tunstall's 5th single from Eye to the Telescope and upholds the consistent quality of the previous four releases. It's amazing that she keeps coming out with them, considering that she's never had a top 10 hit ("Suddenly I See" came closest at #12) and the last, "Under the Weather," made a piddly #39. But the girl can sell albums, and certainly she deserves a top 10 hit--maybe this will finally be it. This release is darker than her previous ones. Low, minor electric guitar chords with acoustic guitars overlain forms the basic structure. I think there might be some accordion in there too. Reminds me of Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery." (Mar. 13)

Whole Lotta History - Girls Aloud (4/5)

Girls Aloud have struggled to score a major hit off their latest album Chemistry, which scores that rare feat of actually working better as an album than as a collection of 4-5 singles with filler. "Whole Lotta History" is another ballad, and although I would say Girls Aloud's strong suit is campy uptempo, this track works very well. Think Spice Girls' "Too Much." I like it a lot better than "See The Day," which I think may qualify as their worst release. This song has a sexy swagger, retro feel, strings, acoustic guitars, and keyboards. (Mar. 13)

Live With Me - Massive Attack (4.5/5)

Massive Attack are back on track, after the misfire of their last album, 100th Window. "Live With Me" swirls in like dark smoke, with the sexy bass vocals of Terry Collier. This is the new track from their upcoming greatest hits collection, and it should fit right in, like it could've come from Mezzanine. (Mar. 13)