12 October 2018 Presenting an unexpectedly different face, figuratively speaking, Bradley Cooper here becomes the first Hollywood A-lister to have a one-off chart-topping foray into music in quite a while - since Kate Winslet with 'What If' at Christmas 2001, in fact, if we discount the sustained pop career of J-Lo and 2011's 'On The … Continue reading Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper – ‘Shallow’ →

7 September 2018 Calvin Harris, with eight in total, is joint-fifth on the list of acts with the most number ones in Ireland, alongside icons like Elvis, Madonna, Britney and Dickie Rock. 'Promises' is the seventh of those eight and, after 'One Kiss' with Dua Lipa, the second for Harris in 2018 alone. What accounts … Continue reading Calvin Harris and Sam Smith – ‘Promises’ →

31 August 2018 If you wanted a hit single in 2017-18, clearly you first had to sound somewhat sad-to-morose, then steer a course between the dreary folk-pop of Ed Sheeran and the dreary trap-hop of Drake. George Ezra's groaning 'Shotgun' hugged the Sheeran shoreline; Post Malone's dumb 'Rockstar' dredged the Drakean shallows. Here, 'Eastside' still … Continue reading Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid – ‘Eastside’ →

29 June 2018 Are you a fan of Glór Tíre, Opry an Iúir and the rest of TG4's round-the-clock coverage of the country & Irish scene? Then you'll find the post-chorus part of 2018 chart-topper 'Shotgun' by George Ezra to be similar to the chorus of 2014 single 'Flowers In Your Hair' by Carlow country … Continue reading George Ezra – ‘Shotgun’ →

22 June 2018 Ireland's chart-topping singles of the mid-to-late-'10s have been mostly a litany of bland, basic, trop-house-flavoured EDM-pop. 'Solo' is similar in particular to Dua Lipa's 'IDGAF' earlier that year in serving up big talk and a timid chorus F-bomb. Clean Bandit know how to top the charts with innocuous dance-pop, though their trademark … Continue reading Clean Bandit ft. Demi Lovato – ‘Solo’ →

27 April 2018 This was the first new music released by Ariana Grande after the bomb attack outside her concert in Manchester on 22 May 2017. Twenty-two people were killed by the attack and over a thousand others were injured. The up-tempo electro-pop of 'No Tears Left To Cry' aims to be defiant and resolute … Continue reading Ariana Grande – ‘No Tears Left To Cry’ →

2 February 2018 Maybe the provocative video for 'God's Plan' was acknowledgement that the track was especially bland and needed an add-on to grab attention. The synth riff and trap beat are nice but slight. Drake's rap, though, is a contrail of nothingness, a swatch of beige and off-white shades you could paint your kitchen … Continue reading Drake – ‘God’s Plan’ →

26 January 2018 I feel defeated. 'IDGAF' must be one of the dullest tracks ever to top the charts. From its lack of a tune to its lack of a hook, the whole thing is resolutely dour and flat. The pitch is Dua Lipa serving up attitude, but her cursive monotone is a subdued mumble … Continue reading Dua Lipa – ‘IDGAF’ →