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I think I called Kylie ‘old fashioned’ a few weeks ago for releasing her single, Two Hearts to radio first. I was appalled at the time that a YouTube clip wasn’t even available.

According to the news today, Kylie has launched her own social network, called Kylie Konnect. I signed up to the site to get a feel for it, but I’m not impressed! Why?

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I got a friend request today from The Minority, a four piece band from Belfast who seem to be growing a substantial following on MySpace.

Their music is best described as psychedelic rock - thick harmonies, reverb and tremolo guitar effects and slow, shuffling beats. The band say their aim is to beat the musical mediocrity that has taken over the industry.

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…well, for musicians anyway. The grand old queen of rock pointed his tiara at the Internet today and accused it directly of crimes against music.

People in glass houses should never throw stones, Elton.

Yes, the man who wore some of the largest glasses in showbiz ironically claims that people sitting at home making their own records “doesn’t bode well for artistic vision”.

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I got an email this evening about Cushh - a relatively new act scaling the charts solely on downloads of their single Do It 2 Me.

Cushh stands for Creative, Unusual, Sensual, Hot and Happening, and features a singer known as Miss Nic’ola alongside rapper E². They’re an odd-looking pairing, but their music is being touted as the UK answer to Black Eyed Peas.

That’s a claim I find credible on image alone - sexy girl fronts group while original musicians take a back seat and lap up the success. Perhaps I’m being cynical, but Cushh aren’t quite as infectious as Black Eyed Peas. Do It 2 Me simply lacks that kind of all-round appeal.

Not that it’s a bad song. Au contraire, it’s a smouldering club track. Sensual, as the group describe. It should hit all the right spots, but for me it’s a little wide of the mark. Here’s where I go all Simon Cowell….

I found the vocals by Miss Nic’ola just a little bit off. There’s something unconvincing in the delivery - technically a decent performance, but not quite raunchy enough for the subject matter. The rap by E² toward the end raises things a little bit, and he does a passable job of playing the playa.

Again, the video for Give It 2 Me is a bit copycat. Full marks though for working a female mud wrestling scene into a pop video. Better directors have tried and failed. Hell, it was the pop video moment I’ve been waiting for all my life….

All the same, Miss Nic’ola doesn’t convince as a sex symbol. As she gyrates in her skimpies, she sings “I’ll show you what you ‘re missin’…..love and affec-shu-u-un”. Now I checked, and the dictionary definition of ‘love’ doesn’t mention lapdancing or mud wrestling….

Having said all that, I wish these guys the best of luck. I know it’s early days, but if they can polish their act and raise their songwriting game, it would be interesting to see a UK version of the Black Eyed Peas.

Back before we launched this music blog, someone recommended Stuart Revnell to me. Stuart is a singer/songwriter living in London. Prior to his current solo career, Stuart was the frontman for now-defunct Utopia Station.

These days, Stuart’s working on building up his own material with a view to getting a recording deal. When he’s not writing cracking tunes, he spends his time cultivating weird moustache configurations (only joking).

Anyway, I visited Stuart’s MySpace page and checked out some of his songs. What I discovered was a sample of some very chart-worthy pop-rock songs of an exceptionally high standard. Listen to Chain Reaction (one of my favourites) - a simple but effective love song with a crystal clear guitar sound and distinctive, memorable chorus.

Chasing Miracles is another outstanding tune - there’s a slight American tinge to the instrumentation, but that’s not a bad thing. Revnell’s vocals are gritty, but without being annoying or over the top. It’s amazing that he writes and produces this stuff himself.

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I got a friend request this evening from a London-based singer/songwriter called Mark Timothy. I love getting friend requests from musicians, because it’s nice to hear new music.

Anyway, from the first listen, Mark’s music and vocal style is very reminiscent of Damien Rice. In fact, reading his biography reinforces this notion. Tracks like Winter’s Gone employ a mix of acoustic guitar and brooding piano to create an oppressive, sorrowful tune. Mark’s vocals soar in places before dropping to a tender whisper. Read & comment »