Parallel Reality

I am rather excited for this, I loved all her singles, and most of 'English Rain'. 'Home' is sublime so I'm looking forward to seeing what she's going to come up with this time around! :wub:

To be fair, 'Burn' and 'How Long Will I Love You' may be more "sell out" and generic, but IMO 'Goodness Gracious' is very Ellie, and although isn't perhaps as personal and as deep as the tracks on the original Halcyon release, it sounds relatively fresh in the chart at the moment. I think Ellie's distinguishing feature is actually her voice - And because it's distinctive people will always be able to identify with it. I think it's important to have a good balance between slower songs/covers, massive (maybe slightly generic) anthems, personal tracks and then tracks that fit her niché (and even better if these overlap), and I think she's demonstrating very well that she is capable of all four, which is why I think she's become so popular. Like others mention she's now catering for casual listeners as well as her fanbase, and as long as she still has the 'very Ellie' tracks on her albums, I can't complain! I think her third album will really dictate which direction she is going to go in. I hope it's not the Jessie J route (though I did love 'Thunder'). I think her image has changed slightly, but I don't think that is a bad thing at all.

So Ellie sang this recently on Graham Norton. Although I am a big Ellie fan, her life performances can be a bit hit and miss IMO but this was definitely more hit than miss! dDGIW-89GA0

I'm not convinced it's a good idea. I enjoy the UK chart as it's based on sales only - what people like enough to buy. I think, had streaming been included, novelty hits like "The Fox" etc would be far bigger than what they were (although I did like 'The Fox'), I don't think it gives an accurate representation of popularity - interest and curiosity don't always mean people like the track enough to buy it; just to see what it's about. How long will it be before airplay gets included too? It's going to make it increasingly difficult for acts who aren't able to actively promote and are more independent to get respectable places in the chart IMO - it all seems to be going far too corporately based, to benefit the big companies and labels - which I think is going the wrong way personally. Also, I don't like how, say, if someone bought a CD album, and then streamed a song from the album online just out of convenience, it would count, when listening to a track from the CD wouldn't, when in theory it's a similar thing.

Ahh, I was just going to post this cover here, then I saw you beat me to it! I agree, it's absolutely incredible. She's incredible!!

Pleased XO is now doing quite well! Still loving 'Drunk In Love' too. Glad 'Crying For No Reason' is still doing so well. Here is Katy B covering 'Drunk In Love' in a mash-up with 'Vulnerable'. DKIf5C5xshU

Now I've heard 'Once Upon A Dream' I can say I really love it!! I was never THAT keen on 'Young and Beautiful'. I need 'Ultraviolence' in my life NOW.

YES! I really hope that 'Trash (Miss America)' (as a bonus track) and 'Kinda Outta Luck' end up on an album one day!

Pixie's facial expressions when singing 'Nasty' on Jonathan Ross... :rofl: :rofl:

I agree, 'Stay Awake' is instant and sounds like a hit, as well as being single-worthy. Although I have recently grown to really like 'Goodness Gracious' however but it took a little while for it to get there.

One credit I really wanted to see happen was Becky Hill featured on 'Afterglow' by Wilkinson. In fact, I am still unsure as to why it wasn't.

I hope Nathan can get some sort of solo success - He has a really great voice and is probably the most likable from The Wanted IMO.

I don't think they're over at all - 'Loving You Was Easy' bombed but I think they could quite easily release some strong material towards the end of this year and it would do well - They (well, the majority :lol: - Only joking!) are still young, attractive and can sing well, it's just waiting for the right moment and material for them to properly break through to the UK as I don't think they're that well known yet, which could still happen. I think the problem is they are stuck with the boyband image and having to release songs that their management think appeal to that demographic of fans, you can see from the covers they've uploaded on Youtube that they are capable of so much more.

Imagine if every artist that contributed to 'All Of The Lights' by Kanyé West got a feature. :lol: Kanyé West feat. Rihanna, Drake, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj* (?), Tony Williams, The Dream, Charlie Wilson, John Legend, Elly Jackson (of La Roux), Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie... * - I don't know if she actually features but there is a female rap in the version I have that sounds a lot like her. I kind of think the OCC should list two maximum, even if there are more.

I am so happy that the release for this is going very well so far - I do think she's done a good job building up to the album and with her single peaks getting stronger and stronger, hopefully it means 'Little Red' can perform similarly to 'On A Mission'. I'd be great if they add an acoustic version of 'Crying For No Reason' up on iTunes too, at some point as it's different enough to the original to generate a lot more sales I think. A few years since her debut, Katy B is STILL one of the most exciting acts in UK music IMO. :wub:

I really hope they push 'Heart Cry' for the second single.

I buy albums physically - I like the artwork and lyrics as well as the CD - then I put it into my computer and then add the songs I want to my iPod - I have downloaded a few albums when they've been cheap but I usually end up getting them on physical anyway.

This is so good :wub:

Rihanna's part is definitely the best in the song IMO. The chorus is growing on me too - I can see this being a top 10 hit in the UK if it gets a proper push.

It's nice to hear something a little different, though I'm not sure if I like it yet or not. Parts do sound very 'Blurred Lines' but I can see this as being a grower.

This better be good! Love that cover!

What an interesting song! It does sound like it was made for Christina, and it does feel a little out of date, but I can imagine it doing quite well. I prefer 'Heart Cry' more but 'Nasty' sounds like quite a big record, even if Pixie does go a bit OTT in places!

Very excited for this! :D

The backing is growing on me a little. I think Ellie is lucky in the way that she won't ever sound like a generic female vocalist, as her voice is so unique - She's just been losing it slightly for me with 'HLWILY' and now this. 'Burn' wasn't her best but I can see why it was popular - Her breaking into the mainstream whilst still having her fanbase behind her, I think it's how she's going to maintain that in the future. 'Figure 8', 'I Know You Care' and 'Anything Could Happen' are sublime, as is most of the original 'Halcyon'. It will be interesting to see what direction she takes with her next album!

I may be a little bit excited for this.