Nicola Roberts - Beat of My Drum



This is the debut single from Nicola Roberts, one of five members of Girls Aloud (other members are: Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Cole, Sarah Harding & Nadine Coyle). I have supported Nicola ever since I was young, and first saw her on Popstars: The Rivals. I remember sitting in front of the TV, hoping she would get into the band, and I was happy when she did. She is the youngest band member in "Girls Aloud", at just 16 she became part of the band, and the other girls sort of protected her (according to Kimberley Walsh), which kind of explains why she was more of a background person, within the group. However over the past few years she has proven herself that she belongs in the band, after many critics saying she is hardly there. She managed to sing some of the verses in the recently released Girls Aloud singles, and the critics have taken back what they initially said. Now she is hitting it big style, and attempting to fit her electro-pop music into our chart, and it's making the perfect impact she wants.

The song was written by Nicola Roberts, along with a few other people who would have helped her craft what she wanted, into lyrics. The use of "Baby in the corner" can link in with two things, one thing is that she was the youngest member of Girls Aloud, but also it links in with "Dirty Dancing" as it's one of the most commonly used well-known lines from the film, and people can't help but say that specific line in an attempt to copy Patrick Swayze's voice. I also like how she hits back at all the critics who said she doesn't deserve to be in Girls Aloud "Leader of the pack get on that track, swing your back and don't look back" which tells them that she's making the music she wants and it's making an impact on the chart, it also shows that she has come a long way from where she first was in Girls Aloud. And she is no longer the baby in the corner.

There is a lot of ways the lyrics could be moulded into an amazing video, however a lot of the lyrics come from very different sides. You could, supposedly, follow the dirty dancing theme that appears in the first verse, however the second verse is different singing about a "captain attending" and "I put on my marchin' boots". It shows she's grown up a lot and she is confident now because she loves the way her music has turned her into the person she always wanted to be. So instead of trying to create a narrative, they decide to do a typical electro-pop music video that is so good you can't help but watch it over and over again.

At he start you have two freestyle-dancers who dance to the beats of the song, which totally engages us right from the start, and you are aware that this song is definitely good. We then see Nicola up on a stage singing her song at quite a quick tempo, with speakers piled up behind her, this represents her and shows that she is a good singer. We see the letters "D-R-U-M" flash quickly by on the screen which gives the music video a different feel to it, as if there is more to it than meets the eye.

I like how in the second verse, when she sings "I put on my marchin' boots" she is walking a certain path, and she "marches" to an extent. And I like the showing of the drums, it also reflects in with the "marchin'" as it's a marching band. I think this is a clever idea and works really well with the song.

When we come near the end of the music video, Nicola has her hair up, I sometimes I have to do a double take just to make sure it's actually her. I also like the use of the cheerleader's pom-poms to make the letters of "L-O-V-E" and the use of Nicola as part of each letter is a great idea.

Overall, even though it is simplistic and doesn't look like it took a lot to make, there are a lot of intricate detail that you probably miss the first time around and some bits must have been really difficult to film, and although it doesn't follow the lyrics really well (which would've been difficult to do in the first place), it is a really good video, so I hope you all agree that my rating is fair.

Room 94 - The End

Room 94 is the new rock band from the block, they are becoming more and more popular on the music channels, and this song is probably played most often. They are the sort of band whose songs don't interest you right from the start, but the more times you hear the songs the more you like it, until you can't stop playing it.

The 4-piece rock band consists of Kieran Lemon, Dean Lemon, Sean Lemon and Kit Tanton. On the occasion I've seen this music video, I've always thought I recognise a few of the band members. Well Sean Lemon appeared in a band called "Saving Aimee", who I was a big fan of until they split up. So now I have a new band to follow, and this band is kind of an addiction. They are currently "unsigned" according to Facebook, but with their fan base growing and the frequent amount of YouTube hits, and a sold out gig in Manchester, UK, they could possibly become the sort of UK rock band we've all been waiting for.

The song lyrics create a picture of a relationship that is on the fringes of dying, and the guy is processing how much he wants to be with her "I walk the streets, I'll be screaming out your name", however he is aware that they can't save the relationship: "We thought we could save it, but we're far too late". This is perfect material to think up a great video to coincide with the song, especially since he said "As the night start to end, I won't go out without a fight", suggesting that one more chance and the relationship will work. However doesn't that contradict the fact that he's just said "but we're far too late"? Or is he just suggesting that she should give him one more chance rather than deciding there's no turning back? I may be completely wrong, but that's what I think the song's meaning is.

The video, as I have already said, has nothing to do with the song, well apart from the fact that it's a rock song, so you tend to get a mass of people jumping up and down. Although some of the people in the background doesn't really suit what the band stands for. But none-the-less, it isn't too bad a music video, but it doesn't express what the song is about, but then again not all music videos have a narrative storyline, for many different reasons.

I really like Dean Lemon's "I'd Do Me" T-Shirt, everytime I read it I can't help but smile, I'd definitely get one for myself if I ever come across one. I also like how you can expect people to act if you ever go to one of their gigs, especially since people are jumping about, which people do a hell of a lot of at concerts, and there is not much else you can do apart from jumping along with them as you are usually squished and because others are jumping you really have no other choice but to jump along with them.

I really think this band is pretty raw and individually different from other upcoming rock bands, I'm pretty sure they have their little place on our music chart, as there is a bit of a gap for rock bands, and I'm pretty sure it won't be long until Room 94 manages to fit into that gap.

Overall even though the music video doesn't reflect the song at all, it coincides nicely with it and they seem to be having fun although some of the people in the background clearly just wanted to stand out and be able to show their friends that they're in a music video, however they look out of place and really doesn't suit the band at all.

Ola - All Over The World

This is definitely going to be a scorcher if promoted enough. I could so see this song getting to number 1 when it gets released, although no release date has been revealed yet, I can't wait, as it is the most catchy song I've heard in a long time and I can't help but sing a long and dance it is an amazing song.

Ola is a Swedish dance singer, and has gained a lot of top hits in Sweden. By the looks of things this will be his first international release, and I really hope he does well. Sweden is releasing a lot of great dance superstars into the UK, we already have Basshunter, September and Swedish House Mafia. Let's hope Ola gets to be the next Swedish dance megastar, with the ever-growing fan base all over the world, I hope more and more people end up following him "All Over The World". This is probably already a big hit in the clubs, and it definitely is one that you could listen to over and over again.

The song is so catchy it is unbelievable, but I have to stop listening to it so that I can write this review just for you. The lyrics have been changed for the international release, and some Swedish people are surprised by that, however it is really common for lyrics to be missed out and edited for certain audiences. Ola sings about asking this person to follow him "all over the world", which suggests that this song is quite personal to him, especially since he'd go all over the world touring and promoting, if he becomes international, and he is sweetly asking a girl to go with him "next flight is your flight". his voice accompanies the song really well and you definitely can hear the emotion in it, which really gives this song the interest it deserves. I am hoping to at least see this on the chart sometime soon.

The first time I saw this music video, I thought Ola Svensson was actually Andrew Stone, as I had heard Andrew Stone was starting a music career, and I was excited when I first saw this, but then when I saw the banner at the bottom it said Ola, which confused me more, so after I looked it up on the Internet, I was surprised that it wasn't Andrew Stone, as they both look very similar.

I like how the music video has a feel-good feel towards the song, it shows that it represents the song, the genre and the lyrics really good and interests the audience in straight away. I like how it shows that they've just had a house party, with people lying here there and everywhere, and gambling chips are stacked on the table, and for some reason a guy has vampire teeth, maybe he thought it was fancy-dress?

When the girl goes into the bathroom,I really like the "Follow Me <3" message that she writes on the mirror, for some reason bathrooms tends to be shown as a sexy kind of place, which really doesn't make any sense to me, they're usually sleazy in my opinion, which kind of explains the blonde hair girl. I also like the chin-ups they do on the train, it's so unnatural and unexpected, it'll just be weird if anyone did that in a train here in the UK.

I also like the ending, and how it leaves it as a cliff-hanger, however again this would show in the daytime where children may end up watching it, were they wouldn't really understand what is going on, but since it's only subtle hints, it's not very noticeable.

Overall this music video goes well with the song, and is very catchy, and you'll probably end up watching it more and more often, like I have. I really do see this song being a big hit in the UK if it gets promoted enough, but we'll see.

New Release: The Wanted - Glad You Came

This is The Wanted's 5th overall single, but their 2nd single from the as-of-yet untitled 2nd album. The have been a big hit here in the UK, managing to already score a number 1 with their first ever single: "All Time Low", and their other singles have all managed to get inside the top 20. Could they get another number 1 from this single? We'll just have to wait and find out.

This boy band consists of five members who are: Nathan Sykes, Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Tom Parker.They all had their 15 minutes of fame before starting this group, but they wasn't in the lime-light for long. Now they are getting bigger and bigger, and people are becoming more and more aware of who these guys are. They will definitely become a well-known band. With boy bands such as JLS and One Direction, these boys have competition on their hands, but I think they'll stand their ground and get their worthy chart numbers.

So this song is called "Glad You Came", it's about having fun and being with the person you like and spending time with a party or out in the sun. They sing about being "glad you came" and "the sun goes down, the stars come out" giving the night-light appeal. However I like the fact that there is a hidden meaning to this song, the people who are old enough will know what I'm on about, and I really can't help but laugh whenever they say "Glad you came". Having two meanings is a really good idea, which will probably help boost this song to number one easily.

The music video has a lot of eye-candy in it, for both men and women. I definitely like the start, it's kind of like an introduction, this really represents the video, and although it was probably used to use up space on the video, it works neatly within the song as the song is slow-paced at the start. The editing from one shot to the next is dead on time to the beats in the background of the song, this gives it a fast paced feel that definitely represents the song.

I like how each band member is with a girl each, this way it shows they wasn't short on people, and it also made it easier to shoot, although some things are a little over-the-top considering children or kids may end up watching this, especially since it may turn out to be number 1 on the Singles Chart.

There is so much going on in the music video, it is difficult to keep up, and even though the fast-pace relies well on the song ad the music, it becomes difficult to follow, and towards the end you give up. But then it all slows down again, for the perfect little outro that suits the song and the music video really well.

Overall it's a catchy kind of song that will be hitting the clubs all over the UK. There are various scenes, from a club, to a house party, to the beach to the water. There are pillow fights and beach volley ball. But everything goes by so quickly that you only see some bits after watching it 3 or more times over. Which is probably intended to help raise the YouTube hits. Anyway this will almost definitely reach number 1 and I'll be surprised if it doesn't.
Buy on iTunes

Cascada - Everytime We Touch

This is one of Cascada's first ever songs and music videos. In their early days they released many covers and did a few cover albums, before they crafted some of the best original dance songs ever heard. This song takes the chorus of "Everytime We Touch" by Maggie Reilly, with original verses. This song was Cascada's biggest hit before "Evacuate the Dancefloor" topped the charts in 2009, "Everytime We Touch" got to No.2 on the charts, just missing the top spot, thanks to "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira. This song is still a big hit, as you can tell by the YouTube comments, and there are a load of remixes for this song, which just goes to show this song is a club classic, even though it's only 6 years old.

As I have previously said, Cascada is a 3-piece German Dance group who consists of Natalie Horler, Manian, and Yanou. They are well known now after a few big hits, and DJ Manian has released quite a few solo singles which doesn't make an impact on the charts, but definitely makes an impact in the clubs. Cascada has recently released a new album called "Original Me", which also has a "Greatest Hits" CD included, which features all their hits and more, including this song "Everytime We Touch".

The song is about wanting to be in a relationship with someone but something's holding them back, maybe someone's in the way, or they were friends before hand and don't want to break the friendship up. However Natalie Horler sings about how she likes to be with this guy and they should at least give it a go, because "Everytime we touch I get this feeling". The song is really catchy and should have got to number 1 but it just missed out.

The music video takes place in a Library, and Natalie is after a geek, it clearly shows that she likes this person, as it's probably not the looks she's after. I like how she messes up the library, and the guy follows her about trying to tidy it back up again. I like how she dances on the tables as well, as library's are supposed to be quiet, and no one would dare to play lots of music and sing and dance on tables.

I like how Natalie gets evils from the background characters, but then they too start dancing along, as if the music has empowered them and they just can;t help but move. However there isn't a lot to this music video, and only links in with the song slightly, I don't know how you could make it link better though.

Overall, it's a great song that should have got to number 1 on the chart, but none-the-less, the music video is okay and definitely deserves the rating I'm giving it, maybe I'm being a bit too generous. I hope there is more great Cascada hits on their way!