#43 Pussycat Dolls, "I Hate This Part"

We're drivin' slow through the snow on Fifth Avenue

Who'd have guessed the easy highlight of the second PCD album would be a ballad? A mid-tempo ballad, to be sure, but hardly the up-tempo attitude-filled dance-a-thon we've come to expect from the group. "Stickwitu" certainly left me with no desire to hear a ballad from them again, but then, suddenly, there was "I Hate This Part," a song with a genuinely affecting vocal delivery by Nicole and a fantastic melody, mainly backed up by a piano part and that four-four drum machine beat so popular over these last two years and yet used here in a way that doesn't instantly make you think of all the other songs that have used it. That fact may be in large part because the drum machine has been pushed further back in the musical mix; instead of being foregrounded, it's just one layer of a song also filled with strings, electronic swings, that aforementioned piano, and that vocal melody, which is never lost as Nicole narrates the end of a relationship. Catchy, winning, and emotional (as well as still danceable, if it comes to that), a perfect winter song--of course this would fail to take off as their other singles have.*

*Subject to change to "take off as quickly as their other singles have" should it continue to climb the U.S. charts.

Find it on: Doll Domination

You're coming with me, boy, no need to resist

I've decided I've got to dedicate at a minimum two days to the demos from this singer that have hit the Internet--I may end up extending it to more, but there are at least two fantastic songs I have to write about. Given the status of these demos, they'll be posted for a short time only. Side note: I'll add in the proper tags for these posts after I remove the songs.

The tracklisting for the Pussycat Dolls' new album Doll Domination is out and is appears that the songs CB submitted for the album, "Captive" and "Nasty Girl," haven't made the cut (though I guess it's possible that they'll show up as bonus tracks somewhere). I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that, given that we've got the demos Chris did for those songs; on the one hand, there are a few elements of the demos that I would've liked to hear ironed out, but on the other hand, I have trouble imagining I'd love the chorus of "Captive" any more if someone else sang it.

Captive--Chris really is showing signs of maturing into quite the little songwriter, isn't he? Co-writing the divine "Forever," the fantastic "Disturbia," heck, I even enjoyed his Olympic song "Dreamer." Add "Captive" to that list. The chorus of this is great and suits Chris himself, but you can see how the song as a whole has been written for the Pussycat Dolls, even beyond the obvious references to "PCD" and "Pussycat Dolls": that post-chorus flourish (after "the jungle") is a bit of a throwback to the Indian effects we got for "Buttons." Don't let that comparison make you expect a straight-through sexy pop stomper, though. The verses and the bridge--which, with its up-and-down beeps and catchiness, is worthy of its own mention--may go for that more seductive feel, but, lyrics notwithstanding, there's something much more solid, much more...expansive about the chorus; you could strut to it, but, unlike the chorus of "Buttons" (which I'm certainly not criticizing--I love it), it doesn't feel like that's what it was designed for. It's powerful, in a way--a way that a truly great pop chorus is, and with that low-level thrum and fast-paced clicking giving the fantastic mid-tempo melody a deep synth-washed feel, it's the sort of thing that sinks deep into your skin and refuses to leave, and the semi-choral (even if electronically created) chorus only contributes to that. In its best moments, "Captive" is a bit--dare I say, transcendent, or at least as sung here.

There's nowhere to buy this song, but you can support the artist by buying his most recent album, Exclusive: The Forever Edition here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: another demo, this one being possibly the cutest song I've heard all year.

This is my floor; you're just dancing on it

You know how iTunes gets celebrities to make up playlists of their favorite songs? Well, guess which Aussie singer they just got to make one...

Anthony Callea's Playlist--An Analysis

Bryan McKnight, "Back At One"--he sang this on Idol--no surprise that he likes it.

TV Rock, "Flaunt It"--I feel like I've heard of them before (maybe from Popalastic or I'm Always Right?), but I don't know if I've ever actually heard one of their songs before. The singer's (well, if he can be called a singer) voice sort of reminds me of the singer in Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy." It's completely unlike anything Anthony sings, but it was probably one of those songs that took over and everyone laughed about but loved.

Christina Aguilera, "Can't Hold Us Down"--is now not a good time for me to confess that I've never heard all of Stripped? I think I've heard this song before, though, and it's all right.

George Benson, "Give Me The Night"--I think I borrowed a George Benson CD from my parents once. That doesn't mean I know anything about him, though.

James Ingram, "How Do You Keep The Music Playing"--don't know this song either. This isn't too exciting so far.

Pussycat Dolls, "Buttons"--yes! I love this song, and I don't care what that says about me. Very pop--let's see if the list improves from here.

Nick Lachey, "What's Left Of Me"--Anthony says: "When I first heard this song, all I remember thinking is 'Why couldn't they write that song for me?'"
Gee, Anthony, if that's the sort of song you want to sing, why wasn't there anything like that on the album?!?

Robbie Williams, "Lovelight"--ooo, we're 3 for 3 for the last 3 songs--this is great as well. Plus, Anthony says "Robbie can just do no wrong lately," which a lot of people would probably disagree with, but it implies that he likes "Rudebox." I approve.

Kelly Clarkson, "Beautiful Disaster"--Anthony says: "Gee, this chick can sing."
No kidding. But he did choose a good non-single from her first album, which is a sort of promising sign in terms of his knowledge of pop.

Justin Timberlake, "SexyBack"--Anthony says: "Trust Justin to bring sexy back onto the scene. He just has too much talent. It's really not fair and should not be allowed."
Meh. "SexyBack" has grown on me, but FutureSex/LoveSounds never grabbed me as an album (though I might love the radio edit of "What Goes Around...Comes Back Around;" I haven't decided yet). So, if he has too much talent, he's an example of someone not channeling it properly (...).

Kylie Minogue, "Fever"--Anthony likes Kylie Minogue! "She is the ultimate female performer" (or it's just a token reference to a popular Australian artist, but I'm going to take it at face value). Anthony, you like "Buttons," Kylie Minogue--give us some sort of storming uptempo dance masterpiece! Or at least call up the folks who did Kate DeAraugo's "Faded" Reactor Mix or Stephanie McIntosh's "Mistake" Jewel & Stone Mix. Look, you even have pop-rocky singles now--that's what both of those songs originally were.

Scissor Sisters, "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"--see, Anthony, we know you really want to be doing fun uptempo poppy songs. I approve of this choice as well.

Augie March, "One Crowded Hour"--I don't know this song, I'm sorry. It sounds meandering (not necessarily a bad thing) and intimate from the preview.

Eskimoe Joe, "Black Fingernails, Red Wine"--OK, I know I've heard their name before, but I've never heard their songs. Sort of rocky--well, it's rock, but it doesn't seem rock-out.

Pink, "U + Ur Hand"--brilliant! I love this song, even if it does sound like the Veronicas' "4ever." Rocky pop that's still fun and poppy. Actually, now that I think of it, I'm sort of surprised there's no Veronicas on this list--I bet there would have been if he'd done it a year ago.

U2, "Beautiful Day"--I'm no U2 expert, but I do like this song of theirs.

James Morrison, "You Give Me Something"--this is the second time I've seen Anthony mention James Morrison; he compared the production on "Now You're Gone" to James Morrison's music. I like this song--not extremely exciting, but a solid ending.

In the end: it's no surprise to learn that Anthony likes sentimental ballad songs. However, though some of the songs he selected could be viewed as classics, there was a surprising lack of truly classical-esque songs. He also chose some rock songs, but the most rock-out of all of the songs was actually a pop song ("U + Ur Hand"), and it was the latter sound he was probably going for on many of the songs on his album. There were also a lot of songs that can't be viewed as anything other than complete pop, and were extremely catchy--I'd love to see some more like this on the next album; ballads, like "Rain," would be great--and we know he likes that style still, given his reaction to "What's Left Of Me"--but I'd also love to see some uptempo songs in the vein of "Into Your Heart" and "Wanna Be The One." Of course, my biases are well-known: from a selfish "what I like most" perspective, if Anthony wants to keep the pop-rock, that's fine, more than fine; I'd just like the other half of the album to be catchier and poppier--some ballads, and some not.

So, anyhow, today you all get the TV Rock song (it's definitely designed for clubs). If you don't like it, blame Anthony Callea.

Flaunt It

To buy TV Rock's album Sunshine City, go here (physical).

Next up: probably another day in Australia, but maybe some cute songs from Denmark.