Have your say...

If you wish to comment about those singles reviewed here, then why not have your say, we would be happy to hear from you - contact us [HERE].

Yo! Majesty - Club Action (Domino) 23/09/2008

T: "Fuck dat shit, fuck dat shit, fuck dat shit, everybody say fuck dat shit"...something tells me this is not going to be on heavy rotation on mainstream radio. It almost makes me want to get a job at one of those local stations who think Robbie Williams is the cutting edge of music, and play this at twice the recommended level. And if I inadvertently kill some of their listeners through shock, good, that'll bring their ratings down and I won't have to listen to their inane crap at work anymore.

N: Got a chip somewhere? Seriously, lyrics aside, this is a heavy mash of seriously groovy shit, whether it be ...... up or not.

T: It sounds like Salt 'n' Pepa having a row with their parents.

N: What was wrong with the girls?

T: They were shit.

N: Fair enough, is that your judgement of Yo! Majesty?

T: Fuck dat shit.

N: Ok, anything that corrupts the youth of today in their suburban homes, it's ok with me.

T: Yes, in the Pistols kind of way; however this is rather less subtle. What are we, twelve or something?

N: I can no longer pass for that and neither can you. Pity no one told the record company bosses here. A little repetitive and although laden with a soupy sound mix, lyrically this is no Shakespeare, or Lydon come to that. 4/10

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Micah P Hinson and the Red Empire Orchestra - We Won't Have To Be Lonesome (Full Time Hobby) 22/09/2008

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Thea Gilmore - Come Up With Me (Fruitcake) 22/09/2008

N: Ooh this is horrible adult orientated rock, isn't it?

T: Actually I really like it. I'm quite partial to Ms. Gilmore's laid back acoustic style, and I'm doubly impressed that she has chosen not to milk her recent album "Liejacker" dry, but has released an entirely new single instead. It clearly isn't intended for the teens 'n' twenties market, sounding, as it does ,rather like a Stevie Nicks composition, but hey, I'm receptive, even if you're not.

N: Fibble. 6/10

(I am aware that the video featured is not this single (as this was unavailable at the time of publishing), but might give you a general idea. Actually I can now hear what Tone was so insistent about.)

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Big Life Desire - So Inclined (Platform) 15/09/2008

T: This reminds me of Ian Dury's "Profoundly In Love With Pandora". Either that or B.A. Robertson anyway...

N: A debut album nestles just around the corner, on the 29th of this month and from this, not exactly trail blazer, it's interesting enough to pose some questions.

T: Like "Oh, is that the time?" and "Are there any other releases?". No, to be fair, it is actually quite enjoyable in a laid back eighties retro kind of way. 7/10

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Infadels - A Million Pieces (Wall Of Sound) 15/09/2008

T: Jumpy, bumpy and lumpy. Not to mention dumpy and thumpy. What do you think?

N: I'm not entirely certain about that, but then again, it sounds as if the band are uncertain too.

T: I meant that I liked it. It sounds like Elbow at about 4 times their normal speed.

N: The A-side was a little pedestrian for my liking, something I can't level at the 2nd track 'Shanghai Melissa' available on the CD single.

T: Fair enough. We're both happy then. 7/10

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Queen + Paul Rodgers - C-lebrity (Parlophone) 08/09/2008

T: "Wishing Well" is one of my favourite songs of all time. The Free one that is, not Terence Trent D'Arby. Now, with Rodgers fronting Queen, I'm really hoping he's not going to kill the memory of that old fave for me. And to be fair, he hasn't, but at the same time, the band doesn't sound like it's moved out of the seventies at all. Background music that would offend nobody. I'm sure I saw a cow listening to this on his iPod in a field yesterday.

T: Yes, quite. I'm not entirely sure that Taylor and May necessarily needed to use the crown of Queen to get away with this. As you've said, nothing offensive, but one might have expected more from such a supergroup. 6/10

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dorp - Pigs Do Fly / Cops And Robbers (Caned And Able) 08/09/2008

T: Intense rocker from the enigmatic Anglo-South African-Parisian band. Both tracks on this release clock in at exactly 3 minutes and 30 seconds, and both of them tick like a timebomb throughout, energising the listener and leaving a persistent tang in your mouth. A banquet of music that only lasts seven minutes but holds enough depth to keep you going all week.

N: Both numbers featured possess a thump in the chest that rather than uncomfortable, get to the heart of the matter with an immediacy that is soon felt. If we had to choose, "Cops And Robbers" would get our vote and possibly find itself in a Guy Ritchie soundtrack. 8/10

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Duffy - Stepping Stone (A&M/Rough Trade) 01/09/2008

T: It's been a good year for the Duffster. Her album is STILL in the top 5 on the UK album charts, having never left it since "Rockferry" was first released back in March. Fact is, she's a bloody good songwriter and has a captivating voice, as is showcased here on another desperately sad ballad that further proves her talent.

N: With Duffy, you get another female singer with a soul present in her voice to contend for the crown of Modern Queen Of Soul, although in this case, Duffy might well have found herself higher than any other of recent years. 8/10

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