No. 4 Be There (Unkle Featuring Ian Brown)
This song may only have been released in the UK, but in these days of the web what does that matter? It's one in a line of recent works which make me feel cold no matter what the weather (first was "Mmm Skyscraper I Love You" by Underworld).
Production is superb; Ian is accompanied by a choir of modern-day monks who would definitely have been too busy whipping themselves in preparation for the day of reckoning to appear on any Enigma singles. I think there are some scary bells too.
On the surface of it Ian makes no effort to sing in any other than his laid-back Manchester voice, but in fact his singing suggests things to your subconscious (now you know, beware in future!)
No. 5 Every Morning (Sugar Ray)
On a brighter note...and I've got a picture for this one!
It didn't instantly suggest itself as a tune of the year, but it's got some of that Mavericks Magic (good brand name!), ie repeated hearing leads to uncurable infection of the musical cortex.
Not many memorable lines, but some very memorable Spanish-style strumming, and that bit where it disappears into cloud cuckoo land (Whoa, whoa wha-oah...)
And Sugar himself (I thought that was a boxer?) must be cool, because he has a reckud-scratching sidekick. Leading me onto...
Put that scanner out to grass!
No. 6 No Pigeons (Sporty Thieves)
Anyone man who has an interest in what bands with something to say have to say (what did you say?) will have listened with interest to the song "No Scrubs" by TLC, in which the Tender Loving ladies put down that type of man who is all front with no capital behind him. Well, of course we all laughed at that, because what Scrub would acknowledge "Yes, that song is about me, after all I'm lookin' like trash"? Of course they do exist and maybe they needed putting in their place, but the sheer righteousness of the song was setting up for a fall.
Anyway, just to avenge the male population the song was released with NO alteration to the original musical track (how do you get away with that?), but with some male right to reply. Hilarious lyrics about facial hair and desparate attempts to fake that classy appearance.
No. 7 Just Looking (Stereophonics)
The picture sums it up nicely. Kelly sings every song like it was his last, right from the pyloric sphincter (no, that's the stomach, good grief).
Stereophonics songs don't tend to be mindbending to listen to (or brainstraining to write, I wouldn't expect), but there is power and a play-till-we-die mentality at work which is what makes them. Mixed with that "pub band made good" aura, just a bunch of Valley lads havin' a hearty strum.
Note: they didn't drop the "g" from "Looking". I thought it was a law!.