gooddelta

Bravo Hits 133 tracklist is here, out 23rd April. https://goldesel.bz/audio/sampler/773711-va_-_bravo_hits_vol-133-2026-nogroup They got Bruno Mars and Alex Warren (plus the new Take That song). Before complaints are made about Now choosing not to include Bruno and Alex, it's worth bearing in mind that Bravo retails new for the equivalent of £20, whereas Now is still £14, so they can probably splash out a little bit more on licensing than Now (and yet still huge hitters Harry, Taylor, Dave etc are absent). Also the tracklist will have been finalised a little later (clearly for Take That to be on here), so that might have opened up licensing for a couple of songs.

It's a pretty good album but with some issues. The vocal processing ruins it a little for me; there are some really nice songs and productions on here like True Love and Set Me Free that I'd appreciate even more if the vocal was clearer and less effects and processing had been applied. Also the latter suffered from the usual issue of being so short. I appreciated that there are a couple of slower moments on here though, Where Do We Go From Here was an unexpected but nice opener. It made me laugh how many songs open with the same kind of intro sound as Tattoo. That song really stands out above the pack for me, but I still love Feels Like Heaven too. Agree that Is It Love feels like it's from another project.

We missed the chance to once more enjoy Cher's duuuuub on the track.

First dibs on The Beatles for Season 3.

Definitely would be early for The Winner Takes It All to show I’d say. Chiquitita makes sense, the No.1s firing out now, I think I’d have actually loved to see Slipping Through My Fingers, one of my favourite ballads ever lyrically. But I appreciate a non single at this stage is a major risk. I don’t know a few of these so will be good to hear them. Piece By Piece is a good choice, I had wondered whether that might show now as other Kelly ballads have that winning sound for later. Obviously a great choice for Scissor Sisters that should lift them out of trouble. Atomic Kitten is expected but should see them through definitely - sure they are running out of hits after that but nice to see them go as far as possible. Not Me, Not I another classic from Innocent Eyes and underrated with a No.18 peak here but did get to No.1 in Australia. Very beautiful track and vocal with a great build. Hmm at Lily, not really my definition of a ballad either. I think I was expecting Littlest Things but ofc Somewhere Only We Know feels like the obvious one. Avoiding covers at this point is probably a good move however.

Zone 1 To 6000 from Summericia?

Prada was released ON Ministry of Sound, so perhaps MoS wanted to hold it as an exclusive for The Annual to give people more of a reason to buy that – as it wasn't exactly full to the brim of huge dance hits that hadn't otherwise been on Now. Again, we have no evidence that they "chose not to include" it. This is assumption and not fact.

Secret Smile did so well for a non top 10 hit in the sales era, I imagine if streaming had been a thing in 1999 it would have been in the chart for a year, peaking in the top five on its 30th week or something 🤣 As radio would not stop rinsing it. I remember at the time thinking it was odd that Sporty Thievz had debuted outside the top 20 and then was a non-mover the following week – as this was so highly unusual in the frontloaded era. It makes so much more sense now we know that it was actually heading down from No.16.

It could be but it's a major 18 magnet as it's just so striking. So say it gets 10 18s (which is quite realistic imo), going by the points of some recent winners it only needs another 100 points from elsewhere to take it, which feels more than doable. Pop bloc as always are spoilt for choice and will dilute each other unless they can agree on one to crowd behind. Agreed though that Ojnoj sounds big, and République d'Áskorza is certainly a major contender, being cut from the Annalisa cloth and having a big headstart from being third in Sanremo so has a decent fanbase here already. Also realised I forgot Altyr in my odds as was only looking at the semis and missed the AQ, but I'd slot them in the top ten mix. Remove Chieron I guess... ☹️

9PM (Till I Come) ❤️ It's a tale as old as time but I'd gone into Virgin Megastores with £3 that week to buy either S Club 7 or Jewel's Down So Long, went over to check the new singles on the listening post first, heard 9PM and without any hesitation spent my money on that instead. It was the first time I'd ever heard it and I was blown away. Genius trance, the bendy synths were otherworldly, it's amazing and fully deserved that it sold so high. Vengaboys is of course a great No.1 too, I didn't expect it to get to No.1 at the time - pretty sure I assumed Britney would with Sometimes as she was so huge (even though the track is nowhere near as good), or that failing that S Club 7 would get a second week. I remember the day before on CD:UK, once they got past No.2, I couldn't even think what was left as I hadn't remembered the Vengaboys song was even out that week, let alone that it would be a No.1 contender. Anyway, it was a super fun one to sing and imitate the robotic 'Vengaboys are back in town' part to at school, and of course it has become an all-time classic, which I'd have not expected at the time. We were truly spoilt with a a raft of future classic No.1s in summer 1999. It was fun to see *N Sync on the same show as Britney, and really nice that both gave live vocal performances. I Breathe Again by Adam Rickitt and Be The First To Believe by A1 were both really good, hi-NRG camp pop songs, backing up my point that 1999 was maybe the most fun, carefree year in pop. Shame we didn't get to see Eurovision winner Charlotte Nilsson doing Take Me To Your Heaven at No.20, the first Melodifestivalen winner/Swedish Eurovision entry to reach the chart here since Waterloo 25 years earlier, although many have done so since. It's a great schlager song in the mould of ABBA (and imo I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by Wizzard), and really rode the ABBA revival/Mamma Mia musical launch hype of 1999. Some superstar performances too from Jennifer Lopez and Whitney Houston, I still love both of these singles, a superstar debut from the former while the latter was on top form. I loved in 1999 how so many types of genres and artists colluded each week. US superstars, Europop, trance, cheesy British pop, indie (Suede), rock from Lit, fantastic R&B, garage, we had it all and didn't realise.

Both great songs. That was quite some debut from Rachel and she did well to score such a huge hit when S Club had been on the fade for at least a year prior to their split. Another masterclass in songwriting from Cathy Dennis and it deserved to go to the top but then maybe we wouldn't have got the immortal Some Girls line 'dreams of No.1 last forever, it's the only way to make you feel better'. Complicated was a moment in time, commercial radio absolutely rinsed this back in the day, it just reminds me of my journey to school in Year 11. I loved her phrasing and emphasis in this song - 'Laugh out when you strike your pohze'. I always wonder what it is about late 2002 that meant we were READY for pop with guitars, what with Avril and Busted suddenly smashing after a diet of Will and Gareth and Atomic Kitten all year. And with that in mind, why did Michelle Branch not hit bigger? A few months too early?

Struggled a bit with this theme as my act aren't exactly known for ballads. Confirmed though.

I thought it was really good too, so there’s another fan. Was the first I had heard of TOMORA too somehow, seeing as I’m a fan of AURORA (or so I thought). The artist name portmanteau also made me laugh.

Time for the joke/story to be shared with the class for those of us who couldn’t make it!

Adore these two. I definitely would have loved to hear some stuff from that album but understand why you stuck to a single in this round, it was competitive.

"Surrealism. The washing does your mum." It's taken 183 contests but BJSC has finally peaked lyrically

Oh really? I couldn't make it to gauge the reaction so was going by the names involved with the TOMORA project (and it seems like a striking entry too). Maybe drop it to 20/1 then

RontBet out with some early winner odds (mainly to reverse the prior odds last prediction for Fljótavík), just a top 20 for now, will review it for the final: 2/1 // Fljótavík // Joshua Idehen // Mum Does The Washing 3/1 // République d'Áskorza // Ditonellapiaga // Che Fastidio! 5/1 // Cheiron // TOMORA // RING THE ALARM -------- 9/1 // Cor Lupus // ena mori // 19 Underground 10/1 // Hendinia // Baby Jane // Starry Eyed 12/1 // Neliönoir // frutiger dillon // big chemistry ♡ 14/1 // Mothertopia // horsegiirL // only the best 14/1 // Ojnoj // Charlotte Cardin // The Way We Touch 16/1 // Bronzil // Cult Of Venus // Sinner 18/1 // Aeroche // KREZUS & Surreal_dvd // Skins 18/1 // Bøtanikkä // Yseult // FREAK 20/1 // New Lexico // Channel Tres // Medicine 20/1 // FARC // sim0ne // freaky 22/1 // POPHub // Emerson Azarian // Lucky Stars 22/1 // N DNTN // Art School Girlfriend // L.Y.A.T.T. 24/1 // Juranabaijan // Ally Salort // I've Never Met Her 24/1 // The Spodic Empire // HALLOWS // Catalyst 25/1 // Taahino // aleksiah // The Hit 25/1 // Danæviia // Anna Von Hausswolff // Stardust 25/1 // Baleghde // Emilia // La_Playlist.mpeg

La Bamba is such fun and joy, I love it and used to hear it a lot growing up. I guess my dad would have played the Ritchie Valens version a lot. Not keen on Who's That Girl, very middling for a Madonna No.1, considering some of her classic 80s No.2s especially.

I can already imagine the choices from some of these artists, who have about two ballads in their repetoire

Oh gosh Paddington! It does make sense. Well done on getting Corrs so far ❤️ Dan was Nelly the week that Tiesto song showed up! An interesting and brave play for an iconic artist looking at those songs chosen.

Wardy for Corrs and Dan for Nelly Furtado I’d say.

Even their 80s flops are iconic!

Nooooooo. She could have gone all the way! Just shows that song choice is everything. Always the golden rule.

I hope the public vote said it right.