It looks like he's holding a very long pipe here but actually it's his tie, and there's a little blue girl walking along it. Interesting! I wanted to post something new from Vincent's album, but in the end decided I had to go with this even though it's his most recent single, because I don't think the majority of you will have heard it and you really really should. Vincent is a bit like Christian Walz, but less squeaky voiced and he has more than one great song. This is definitely as good as Wonderchild.

Private are my obsession of the moment. I just reviewed their album on Dirrrty Pop and now I'm going to prove their excellence by offering up one of their most fabulous tracks for your listening pleasure. They are a 3-piece Danish band, perhaps the Danish BWO since there's a male lead vocalist, a female vocalist and a male guitarist - well, that's what Wikipedia says but I'm not sure the point of a guitarist in an electro-retro-pop band. Private is really all about Thomas Troelsen, who both sings and produces the music, and has contributed much to the Danish pop business in previous acts such as Superheroes. I only wonder why he's currently sporting the greasy gothic look. I could compare them to everyone from The Attic to Prince, Madonna to Junior Senior, but really Private are just making brilliant pop music, just how it should sound in 2008, but equally how it could have sounded in 1988.

(Left click to download) It may have taken me a couple of months to actually get this CD (I thought I should leave something for my mum to get me for Xmas) but I'm really pleased with it, and was spoilt for choice when deciding on a song to post here. I guess there isn't anything quite as brilliant as I Want It That Way, but considering that's one of my absolute favourite songs ever, it's no big criticism. I wonder if it is even possible for the BSBs to make an album I dislike? I'm sure if Westlife recorded all the same ballads, I'd think they were rubbish. Just the sound of the BSBs singing holds so many nice memories for me that I'll always be a bit biased towards them. Still, I do really think their new album is good, and here is one of the fun uptempo songs from it.

(Left click to download) The first song on his MySpace, Cottonmouth, was pretty unappealing, but something made me give him a second chance and listen to the next song, and thank goodness I did, cos it's rather ace! He seemed to be a typical American modern soul artist, then on comes this song and I start to wonder if Kylie will be calling him in to duet on her next album, which is obviously quite a contrast to my original expectations. And if you're tired of 00s electro-disco-pop (well, I don't know, it could be possible...), you can listen to the other remix of this song on his MySpace, which sounds like it's genuinely from the 80s or 90s. Meanwhile, his self-titled track S.A.M.S.P.A.R.R.O sounds like people in the 80s would have expected 2008 to sound. And if Sam is a success, I guess they will have been right! Back to Black And Gold, I can only describe it as joyously sassy manpop, and I think you'll agree that it's excellent.