As you all know, “Delusional” by Simon Curtis has been monopolizing my chart since before the holidays, and Simon continues a 4th consecutive appearance (that’s 8 weeks!) at the top this week (and just you wait till you hear his upcoming ‘mixtape’ 8Bit Heart!! – more surprises than a barrel of monkeys happy with lots of bananas!). But Mika’s glorious “Rain” moves to #2 and is about to become a worthy successor to “Delusional” in what looks to be a year of Pop Pop Glorious Pop! If Lady GaGa can open up the Grammy Awards telecast and have a duet with Sir Elton John in tow (image below), then 2010 looks to be an unforgettable year in Pop Pop Glorious Pop music!
Speaking of Ms G, “Bad Romance” isn’t budging from the Top 5 yet, while the magnificent “Speechless” hustles its way into the Top 10 and pulling “Teeth” seems no mean feat as the song ties as the Fastest Riser on the chart, moving 24-18.
Lifehouse is in Top 5 territory for the first time in almost 5 years as “Halfway Gone” inches up to – #5! Nelson Clemente’s entry for Microsoft’s Playlist 7 contest ties for Fastest Riser as the many moods of “90 Days” climb 17-11. The Crystal Method’s Grammy nominated CD has yielded the pairing with Metric’s Emily Haines on “Come Back Clean”, while Dragonette’s “Pick Up The Phone” and John Mayer’s “Heartbreak Warfare” are on the upswing.
Not to sound deliberately like Yoda 
, but 4 debuts have we this week.
I thought Blake Lewis’ first album Audio Day Dream was unique and showed a lot of promise, but it honestly didn’t grab me much beyond some initial curiosity. I thought the trend was continuing with just-okay songs like “Sad Song” and “How Many Words” arriving to promote sophomore effort Heartbreak On Vinyl. Then comes the title track – and I melt! Perhaps unknowingly, the song speaks volumes for my generation which is just in the process of losing midsize-to-small record stores across North America, allowing us to shed a few deserved tears as testament to the power they once had. This vital song debuts at a strong #21. Good on you, Blake!
Next up, and equally vital in obvious ways, is the stunning performance that is “Hallelujah” by Justin Timberlake and protege Tennman Records signee Matt Morris, along with veteran guitarist Charlie Sexton. The Internet came along too late to chart Jeff Buckley’s essential version of Leonard Cohen’s poetry for me – though I could have in retrospect if I wanted. But this new version fits the moment and shows the diversity that is now Justin Timberlake. I’ve heard some of Morris’ debut release but it’s understated in a Joshua Radin-kind of way, so I think I have to give its songs another few listens because I’m probably missing something I didn’t think of at the time. And Sexton is deservedly upfront after years of behind-the-scenes work – I still have his 1985 debut album, and you don’t have to look past the pop gloss to see the superstar guitarist in the making at age 17.
Then we have Norwegian singer Annie, who’s had some Scandanavian success during the past 10 years. At age 31, she reinvents herself for the world with the Pop Pop Glorious Pop of the danceable “Don’t Stop” (and yes, it rhymes) at #26. Lastly, Jason Derulo proves that autotune does not a sole hit make (there’s that Yoda again…). ”Whatcha Say” is nice enough, but “In My Head” delivers the real goods, and this 20 year old bows at #27 on the chart.
And with images of the latter two below, don’t forget to view the entire chart right here or click on the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right.
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