This week in music - 23rd Jan 2010

This week we saw a rare all-star musical event that will go down in history with the likes of Live Aid and Live 8 – the “Hope for Haiti” concert, raising $58 million for quake-stricken Haiti. Performers included Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, U2, Jay-Z and Shakira, with the standout performance coming from the ever-flawless Beyonce, singing an acoustic rendition of her smash-hit ‘Halo’. A further highlight came from newcomer Matt Morris, who performed Leonard Cohen’s (no, not Alexandra Burke’s) ‘Hallelujah’ together with Justin Timberlake. Morris’ heartfelt and pure vocals soared over the rousing classic, prompting many viewers, I’m sure, to run to their computers and Google who this unknown was, and why we hadn’t heard of him until now. In case you were wondering, Morris is signed to Timberlake’s record label, having grown up starring in “the Mickey Mouse Club” together, alongside the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. All performances are now available to purchase on iTunes, and I would thoroughly recommend giving Morris a listen.

It was also announced that Simon Cowell, at the request of Gordon Brown, is co-ordinating a charity single to help raise further funds for those in Haiti. The single will be an all-star cover version of REM’s heart-wrenching classic ‘Everybody Hurts’ – a choice which, in my opinion, doesn’t deliver the message of hope that should come out of a venture like this. Yes, it definitely pulls on our heartstrings, but a song with a more positive tone could potentially appeal to a greater audience. The initial acts announced - Leona Lewis, JLS, Cheryl Cole and Rod Stewart - were certainly sub-par, bearing in mind Cowell’s worldwide celebrity status – it was recently reported that he was the most famous person on the planet, beating God (!) to the number one spot. However, since then, reports have tentatively suggested that the list now includes: Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Bon Jovi, Wyclef Jean, Take That, Mika, James Blunt, and Michael Buble.

On a cheerier note, “girl power” fans around the world– myself included of course – will be rejoicing with the news that a stage production based on the Spice Girls and their music is being created by Mamma Mia! producer Judy Craymer, with the help of music mogul Simon Fuller, who used to manage the girl group. It’s working title is ‘Viva Forever’. Craymer said she planned to "create a unique celebration of the band and its music, with its own flavour and joyful message". I can’t wait.

I will leave you with my tip for the week... Theophilus London. This Brookylnite’s sound is so fresh that he made it on to half of the ‘Sound of 2010’ lists with only one track and a few beats up on his MySpace page. Having performed at Mark Ronson recent NYE bash, and been billed to performed at this year’s Pre-Grammy party in LA, Theophilus is one to watch – he is destined for huge things. Check out his track “Humdrum town” on www.myspace.com/theophiluslondon

Theophilus London - the next big thing?

Cheryl Cole at the Brits - 16th Feb 2010

Weak? Limp? Lifeless? Cheryl Cole’s Performance at this year’s BRIT awards.

The big news in music this week was, of course, the BRIT awards 2010. The big winner of the night was an emotional Lady Gaga, who deservedly picked up 3 awards. The major low point of the night – and I feel guilty as I write this– was Cheryl Cole’s literally shocking performance of her number one single “Fight for this love” (which by the way, contains probably my favourite worst lyric of all time – “Now every day ain’ gon’ be no pic-nic”). My feelings of affection and overwhelming sympathy for Cheryl - who according to backstage sources was tearful and emotional throughout the day following the revelation that her husband, footballer Ashley Cole, had been involved in yet more scandal by ‘sex texting’ other ladies – by no means outweighed my utter disbelief that Cheryl Cole...Cheryl Cole!!! had been chosen to represent the British contingent at our national awards show. This, in contrast to the American musical legends like Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Lady Gaga who took the stage, showing us Brits what music is really all about, how it should be done. Cheryl’s performance can only be deemed an embarrassment.  Whilst the American contingent performed live – we would expect nothing less - Cheryl (like her X-factor associates JLS) attempted to mime her way through the performance. But to no avail. Cheryl’s lips were moving totally out of sync with the backing track and we could hear her recorded vocals 2 or 3 seconds before she started miming the line she was singing. She was lucky that the edge was taken off by the sympathetic audience, aware that the lyrics “You’ve got to fight for this love, if it’s worth having it’s worth fighting for” must have been excruciatingly painful to perform to the nation. Only days previously, Cheryl proved how personal those lyrics were to her by telling Hello! Magazine, “If it’s worth fighting for then fight. And in the case of me and my husband, it’s worth it.” As she left the stage, host Peter Kay quipped, “You’ve got to fight for this love - never a truer word spoken”. It was an awkward watch.

Cheryl does not have a strong voice. This is why I am literally baffled to relate to you that a friend working at Cheryl’s record label Universal Records, home to artists such as the Kaiser Chiefs, Jack Johnson, Scissor Sisters, the Saturdays, and Lil Wayne, revealed to me that they have made Cheryl a global priority for 2010. This means that not only is Cheryl being set up for global domination, she is also receiving one of the biggest budgets that the label has to offer. When you take a step back and realise that Cheryl unfortunately struggles to hold a tune, this really is one of the most baffling stories within the music industry right now. I don’t know about you, but I think Cheryl should stick to presenting (and to Girls Aloud). Performances like her one at the Brits will only serve to tarnish her otherwise pretty sparkling reputation.

Weak? Limp? Lifeless?