007 Chart Commentary

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are is the new #1

US singer songwriter Peter Gene Hernandez goes straight in at #1 under his stage name of Bruno Mars with his first full solo release Just The Way You Are. The title is not to be confused with Billy Joel's hit of the same name. Bruno Mars is of course no stranger to chart success, featuring on 2 major rap hits this year, namely BoB's #1 Nothing On You and Travie McCoy's #3 Billionaire. He co-wrote both of these hits as well as for Alexandra Burke, Brandy, Sean Kingston and Flo Rida. There was a digital EP released entitled It's Better If You Don't Understand which hit #97 in August ... well I understand perfectly well! This dethrones Alexandra Burke's Start Without You which broke the 10 week run of single week #1's, however next week it is likely to be dethroned by Tinie Tempah or Labrinth then Robbie & Gary.

Emma's Imagination - Focus enters at #7

This week, Glasgow singer songwriter Emma Gillespie was crowned winner of Sky TV's Must Be The Music talent show. Off the back of that victory, Emma's Imagination gets this week's highest new entry at #7 with Focus, the song she sung on the final. This follows on from This Day entering at #10 a fortnight ago, which she also performed this week and subsequently climbs back up 6 places to #25. There is also a full length track entitled Stamp Your Feet which enters at #65 this week, so I think we can expect big things from Emma when she is fully launched.

Shontelle - Impossible clumbs to #9

Barbadan singer songwriter Shontelle Layne returned last week to prove that a second top 10 hit is not impossible for her, climbing a further place this week! Shontelle first charted in 2008 with her #6 debut single T-Shirt, then in 2009 she hit #23 alongside Akon on Stuck With Each Other but lack of promotion meant that nobody heard her Battle Cry as that track made #61. All of these tracks are taken from her debut album Shontelligence, which came about after a game whereby words were made from her name.

Alex Gaudino - I'm In Love (I Wanna Do It) enters at #10

Another act getting a second top 10 hit his week is Italian DJ Alessandro Fortunato Gaudino, known as Alex Gaudino. Alex is pehaps best known for his 2007 mash-up Destination Carabria featuring vocals from the track's original singer Crystal Waters. However prior to this, he has produced hits for Robbie Rivera, The Temperer and Black Legend amongst others. In 2008 he scored a second top 20 hit with vocalist Shena on Watch Out, now he hits #10 with new track I'm In Love (I Wanna Do It).

Enrique Iglesias feat Nicole Scherzinger - Heartbeat enters at #13

Spanish suerstar Enrique Iglesias has teamed up with former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger for his new single Heartbeat and enters at #13 this week, following a performance on Paul O'Grady's new chat show. This follows Enrique's #4 hit I Like It and is now his 14th top 20 hit in total since his 1999 debut, his biggest hit in the UK is Hero, his only #1 so far. Both Heartbeat and Hero share their title with numerous other previous chart hits from the acts as diverse as Buddy Holly, Steps, Futureheads and Mariah Carey.

Charice feat Iyaz - Pyramid enters at #17

Filipina singer and Glee actress Charice Pempengco gets her debut chart entry alongside US singler Iyaz this week with Pyramid in at #17 this week. Charice is perhaps best known for playing recurring character Sunshine Corazon in the internation hit TV series Glee. As another artist who is known simply by her first name, Charice rose to fame through YouTube and can now lay claim to a top 20 hit single. She is helped by Iyaz who of course had a huge #1 hit single with Replay this year followed by a #3 Solo then last week his latest single could only make #40, ironically titled So Big!

Mark Ronson & Business Intl - The Bike Song

UK guitarist, music producer and record label owner Mark Ronson gets his 7th top 40 hit this week as The Bike Song enters at #21, following a performance on Later with Jools Holland. Mr Ronson first hit the singles chart with 2003 #15 hit Ooh Wee featuring rappers Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg and Trife, this was taken from his debut album Here Comes The Fuzz. He then hit it big in 2007 with his covers album entitled Version, which spawned the #2 hits Stop Me (with Daniel Merryweather) and Valerie (with Amy Winehouse) as well as Oh My God (with Lily Allen) and Just (with Phantom Planet). Earlier this year he scored a #6 hit with Bang Bang Bang (with MNDR and Q Tip), from his forthcoming 3rd album Record Collection. Prefering to credit his collaborators with the universal name Business Intl, the Bike Song enters at #21, this time Kyle Falconer & Spank Rock provide the vocals and rap respectively.

Saturdays - Higher enters at #23

UK girl group the Saturdays get another top 40 hit this week as new single Higher enters at #23, expected indeed to go higher in the coming weeks leading up to the full release. This full single release is to include a new version which features rapper Flo Rida, who has twice denied them a #1 at the last minute. Higher is now the girls' 9th UK single release since their 2008 debut, with all but 1 of these making the top 10 but yet to have that ellusive #1 single. Will this one go higher than the rest?

Missing Andy - The Way We're Made (Made In England)

Here is another act from Must Be The Music in the form of Missing Andy, who are an English (as you may have guessed) rock band who were just beaten by Emma in the final. The band get their second top 40 hit in as many weeks, last week they entered at #36 with Sing For the Deaf, this week they enter at #38 with The Way We're Made, also bearing the subtitle of Elton John's hit Made In England.

Phil Collins cilmb to #1 in the albums with Going Back

Last week Veteran Phil Collins entered at #4 with his new album of Motown covers aptly named Going Back, this week following on from his TV show One Night Only he rises to #1 to claim his 12th #1 album. This is at the expense of the Manic's who were leading the way all week only to end up at #3 with their new album Postcards From A Young Man, following on from their single (It's Not War) Just The End Of Love which only made #28. Maroon 5 are another act with an album chart new entry off the back of an underforming single, Misery only hit #30 but third album Hands All Over does rather better by entering at #6, if short of the #1 peak of their first 2 albums. Other new entries of note this week come from Seal, rockers Black Country Communion, Santana, Taio Cruz and Usher amongst others.

Opinion

I am happy to see Bruno Mars get #1 as I really like Just The Way You Are especially since it does not contain any rap, one complaint is that it has once again taken them so long to release this after months of airplay. Emma's Imagination is brilliant, although I do prefer This Day to the rather slower sound of Focus. I don't like Alex Gaudino's song much, mind you I don't like much from that genre anyway. However I do love Enrique and Nicole's Heartbeat as is it such a nice song with a nice piano arrangement, Pyramid by Charice is also really good. Not too sure about The Bike Song yet, its ok if a bit wierd in places and doesn't go anywhere much for me. I quite like Higher even if it's not the best Saturdays song, that honour would have to go equaly to Ego and Up.

Edited September 28, 201014 yr by loudjamesbond