A post along these lines is way overdue. so here's a little glimpse of what's currently getting massive plays in the world of Pop from the Block...

Aphrodite. "I'm fierce and I'm feeling mighty!" Fierce and mighty are the two exact words I'd use in describing the title track (besides amazing, brilliant, eargasmic etc etc) to Miss Minogue's eleventh LP. It's THE power song of the album, and every time I hear it I have the urge to strut on my imaginary catwalk.


Sex and Violence. Taken from the Scissor Sister's 3rd longplayer, it's one of the most interesting tracks in Night Work and it's absolutely GENIUS from the captivating lyrics to the throbbing synths.


King of Anything. Ah, Sara Bareilles. After hearing snippets of some of her songs on the upcoming Kaleidoscope Heart LP, I'm buzzing with excitement (especially since there's a potential Gravity 2.0) and the first single is nothing short of a catchy, fun, fuck you pop number.


Misery. I have to admit, I didn't exactly warm to the song at first listen, but it gets better and better, especially when it's accompanied by a sexy, violent video where Adam's girlfriend toys with switchblades and rockets.


Cupid Boy. I am in LOVE with this track (along with erm, a 'couple' more). The guitar streak at the beginning sets the mood for the song, intense and sensual. Mmm...

Back in April I asked the hotly-tipped for success Roxanne Tataei aka Rox what we should expect from her debut album Memoirs, and she had this to say, "This album has many layers and textures. It's mostly about relationships and the emotional rollercoaster I went through." After hearing a couple of tracks including single My Baby Left Me and reading praises from a wide range of music websites and magazines, the bar was set high.

Memoirs kicks off with No Going Back, a track bursting at the seams with emotion. It's a gorgeous heartwrencher, with each verse building to a lush, moving chorus and the quite-vintage backing adds to its magic. Do As I Say has Rox going to higher octaves, and it has a beautiful, swaying feeling. The momentum of the track reaches its peak around the middle 8 with overwhelming intrumentals that just blew me away. I expected the album to die down a bit, but Page Unfolds proves to be goosebump-inducing, and here we get a real taste of Rox's authority and power in her music. It's an incredibly well-executed track, genuinely poignant.

I Don't Believe is a welcome change in pace which opts for a happier tune, whilst still full of soul and emotive. My Baby Left Me tells a story about a lover leaving but it's such an infectious, 'boppy' song that you would think otherwise. Rox pulls out the acoustics in Forever Always Wishing, a wistful number that ends the first half of the LP on a good note, despite needing a little polishing here and there. A diamond in the rough indeed. Heart Ran Dry tones it down as Rox sticks to acoustics, however an excellent ballad, it does nothing to stand out in the album. Breakfast in Bed suffers from the same factor. Though it's as catchy as some of the tracks in the first half, both the lyrics and the production do little to satiate.

As the UK pop scene sweeps us into an electrosynth-heavy world, Roxanne Tataei aka ROX sticks her foot in the door and sings a tune packed with so much soul, it's amazingly... amazing. The half-Jamaican, half-Iranian girl from Norbury has been tipped for 2010 success by various magazines and websites such as HMV, The Guardian, NME, MTV UK, and made the shortlist for the BBC Sound of 2010 poll.

Rox's music can be described as a crossbreed of Adele and Duffy's soulful vocals, Macy Gray-style song production, and Corrine Bailey Rae's laid back feel. The lyrics of My Baby Left Me screams with conviction as Rox croons, "so who’s to blame for the messy ending, you say it’s me but we’d be pretending, you work your dirt just like a pro..." but the song itself is a lively affair with a feelgood tempo which News of the World dubbed as "the bitchiest break-up song EVER." In contrast to this, No Going Back has a darker vibe with Rox pouring her heart out on these lines "no going back on this one... 'cos all the hurt has been done", resulting in an equally brilliant track.