Put them hot jeans on

Thank goodness for Darin. Really. Both of his previous albums, The Anthem and Darin, were great, and consistently so, and he hasn't disappointed with new album, Break The News. The generally tossed-around phrase to describe his music seems to be "one-man boy band," but, while that's often used to signify songs in the vein of Westlife or Nick Lachey, here it should reflect a closer similarity to a (on this album, slightly more electronic) 'N Sync, at least in attitude and predilection for up-tempo, danceable songs. The fact that he's able to release each album so quickly after the former one astounds me, and really proves the lack of necessity of the cross-country song-swapping that so often goes on in the world of pop; to my knowledge, none of Darin's songs have been covers. If Darin was to launch himself internationally, I still think one of the songs from his previous albums might work best as lead single (I would love to hear "Step Up" on the radios here, and it would probably have a better chance than "Money For Nothing," though success would still be extremely iffy), but as a whole, I think I like this album even more than Darin.

Saturday Night--those searching for Darin's next party anthem need look no further than this (though there's some other contenders on the album, too). It's poppy but with a hint of electro-rock; there's even a guitar break, but Darin talks over it, preventing it from getting boring. Incidentally, this completes my set of paired weekend songs (the Click Five and McFly both have a song called "Friday Night," and now McFly and Darin both have a song called "Saturday Night," though that's one of my least favorite McFly songs from their debut album). With a song like this, who wouldn't want to go out with Darin on Saturday night?

Everything But The Girl--with a title like that, you know this could be really awful or really excellent; luckily, it's the latter. This is how to do big (though not genre-busting; for that, listen to Gregory Lemarchal's "Je suis en vie" or "Je t'ecris") pop ballads (and it's much better than Darin's previous ballad with "girl" in the title, "Who's That Girl"). The lyrics may be cheesy at parts, but the chorus more than makes up for that; by the time Darin is saying "I have everything but the girl," with perfect build and emotion, you're hooked. There are strings, but they aren't overwhelming, instead being present just enough to give the song a tiny bit more melody and drama.

To buy Darin's third album, Break The News, go here (physical) or here (digital). It is definitely worth it, as it's filled with great pop songs.

By the way, my CD came with a sticker boasting that Break The News contained "the hits 'Perfect,' 'Desire,' and 'Everything But The Girl'" (ah, confidence; they all should be hits, though). I'm a bit surprised to see that, as I presume those must be the future singles, but "Desire" is a good song, so hopefully it will do well.

Next up: the beginning of a Christmas special. It probably won't last more than a week, and they'll all (as it's currently planned) be pop songs, often ones I find myself listening to in the middle of summer. First up will be a Swedish singer who's been a member of two groups but is now solo.

(By the way, I've had the thirty second iTunes preview for "Stranded," one of Anthony Callea's new songs, stuck in my head all day, and having thirty seconds replaying in your head when you don't know the rest of the song is apparently pretty frustrating! I may also have a zip file labeled "A New Chapter" sitting on my desktop right now, taunting me and daring me to open it...)