All the world will stop to watch you shine

Australian singer Shannon Noll became famous when he took second to Guy Sebastian on the first season of Australian Idol. Since then, he's gone on to become one of the franchise's more successful singers, molding himself into a pop-rock artist. Apparently he's just recently released his third album, which I've not heard anything from (nor, to be honest, have I looked for anything from it; I've got no idea if I'm missing out on anything). The song I'm posting today was the lead single for his second album, Lift.

Shine--the first time I heard this song, I really thought I'd heard it before, thought maybe it was a cover or something; in reality, it's not and I'm relatively sure I'd never heard it anywhere before--I think it just taps into that "instant familiarity" vein, which, in this case, is a good thing--it's comfortable and reassuring because of that, and really, that's what I'm looking for in an upbeat inspirational half-rocker like this. It's also really really catchy--just about anything that can possibly be turned into a hook is, though, once again, it's not an aggressive sort of catchy, just the sort that gets instantly stuck in your head and has you singing along or, at least, finding the song a good listen. The repetition of words or phrases ("get up get out get out," "c'mon c'mon," "go now go now go now," and "hey now hey now hey now" all come to mind) are definitely examples of hooks, but I think you get the best idea of what I mean when I say that it just throws all the hooks it can at you in the middle section (rising guitar parts, "hey" chant, the whole chorus). Yeah, the lyrics are basic, but if they were anything other, the whole simple upbeat feel of the song would be lost--it wouldn't feel like the great big anthemic singalong song it is otherwise.

To buy Shannon Noll's second album, Lift, go here (physical). I'd also recommend "Lift" and "All I Want Is More" from that album and "Drive" from the first, though I may be missing out on some good songs, since I've never listened to the full first album and haven't listened to the second all the way through in a while.

Next up: maybe a Portuguese group.

Here I go, just me and the radio

This is Shannon Noll. He was runnerup on the first season of Australian Idol. He makes pop-rock. Lots of it. And it all tends to blur together after a little while, I've decided.

All I Want is More--no, Shannon, we do not want more. This song will probably be enough for today. Maybe I'm being unfair; I've only been listening to his music for a day, so perhaps if I listened to it some more it would grow on me. I was a little put off by the song opening up on the word "and"--did I miss the song's beginning? What happened? Shannon's voice has a little bit of a rough edge to it, and the guitars are somewhat stronger than they were on yesterday's song. This is the sort of song designed to either be played while driving fast down the highway, or maybe be playing during a movie wherein said fast driving is occurring. It's probably more rock than pop, but it's still worth a look if you like your guitars but don't really care about credibility.

To buy Shannon Noll's first album, That's What I'm Talking About, or second album, Lift, you can go here.

Instead of spending lots of time on Shannon, let's look at some other sites featuring songs by Idol finalists.

Popsound, though written in Dutch, is featuring (South African) Idols finalist David Fourie. The song's in Afrikaans, but it's really good; nice and bouncy, with a little bit of guitar, but lots of good electronic effects.

Into the Groove has a gorgeous mid-tempo song by an Idols finalist from Holland, Jim Bakkum.

As mentioned earlier, Tip Tip Pop recently featured Christina Christian and a nice Latin-y song.

Finally, because I can't wholeheartedly endorse today's Idol contestant, here's a song I'm currently adoring.

Every Girl I've Wanted--Don't Stop the Pop introduced me to Jon, who was on a non-Idol TV singing competition in Denmark. This is the Jon vs. Musikk version of Jon's single "Every Girl I've Wanted," and it's perfect summery dance goodness. At some point while listening to this song, the thought crossed my mind that one could make a comparison between it and O-Town's "Liquid Dreams," because both compare the traits of the girl they love to the traits of celebrities. But really, the two songs aren't anything alike; for one, Jon doesn't sound creepy about it. For another, this song has handclaps, swirling background electronic effects, and maybe a hint of sort of "ethnic" flair (Latin?). Just try to listen to it without smiling.

To buy Jon's first album, This Side Up; second album, Today Is A Good Day (To Fall In Love); or any remixes, you can go here (physical format) or here (digital format).

Next up: not pop-rock! Onto the second season of Australian Idol.

(Apologies to Shannon Noll if I was overly harsh...it just took forever to upload his song.)

shannon noll australian idol jon