27. Kate Nash, My Best Friend Is You
Standouts: 'Later On', 'Paris', 'Do-Wah-Doo', 'Kiss That Grrrl', 'Mansion Song'
'My Best Friend Is You' sounds like a really cute title for an album, but this record is way more than that, at times it has an indie sound, other times Kate flirts with more commercial melodies, sometimes sounds like garage-rock, and other times something that could be heard in the radio. This album is hard to describe, but something that maintains constant throughout is Kate's signature vocals. 'Paris' sets the tone for the rest of the album, while she shows an honest concern about what society sees as perfect and a little bit of jealousy in the lead single 'Do-Wah-Doo' and 'Kiss That Grrrl'. Other highlights include the simple yet very clever 'I Just Want You More', which has Nash repeating the title over and over again to the point where just bursts into screams and moans by the end of the track. 'Mansion Song' showcases Kate's songwriting abilities, half of the song is a spoken poetry piece, it features Nash angrily spitting lines such as
"I wanna be ****ed and then rolled over, 'cause I'm an independant woman of the twentyfirst century". The world is currently wondering what's Amy Winehouse's next move or when is Lily Allen's new record coming out, instead they should turn their attention to this British talent which is pretty much a combination of the two.
26. La Roux, La Roux
Standouts: 'In For The Kill', I'm Not Your Toy', 'Bulletproof', 'Tigerlily', 'Cover My Eyes'
Somehow a 2009 release always manages to make my chart a year later, but if it wasn't for the irresistible 'In For The Kill' which caught my attention this year, I wouldn't be writing about this album right now. La Roux has something that many other artists which they have, it takes just a few seconds in a song to determine is La Roux that you are listening to, their sound is completely odd yet extremely catchy, but ultimately is the way Ely Jackson interacts with these electronic beats that make this album so unique. 'Bulletproof' got the world's attention and I don't blame them, it is almost impossible to resist to this electronic gem. Ely's superb vocals shine in the weird yet brilliant 'Tigerlily', one of the clear standouts. The album is centered around the break-up of a very strange relationship, the catchy 'I'm Not Your Toy' and 'Colourless Colour' or the beautiful ballad 'Cover My Eyes' are a few examples of this. With this record, La Roux establish themselves as one of the most exciting new pop acts of recent time, I'm desperately looking forward to their next project.
25. The Black Eyed Peas, The Beginning
Standouts: 'The Best One Yet (The Boy)', 'Just Can't Get Enough', 'Whenever', 'The Time (Dirty Bit)', 'Don't Stop The Party'
The Black Eyed Peas rushed the release of the follow-up to their multi-platinum album 'The E.N.D.' and they are already paying the consequences for this. There were two major issues with this album for me, at least I felt this way after my first listen. One, it sounded like a collection of leftovers from 'The E.N.D.' and second off all they made a terrible mistake, they decided to feature Fergie, the most important part of this group, as least as possible. However, this record still has some brilliant moments that at the end outbalances this issues. First single, 'The Time (Dirty Bit)' samples and old classic and it works, it takes a few listens to get it, though. I wouldn't have minded more tracks like the mid-tempo 'Whenever', which showcases Fergie's flawless voice. Other great moments include 'Don't Stop The Party', with one of the sickest beats that I've ever heard or one of the most obvious choice to get the single treatment, 'The Best One Yet (The Boy)'. 'I Just Can't Get Enough' is another standout that proves why this band is still together, they complement each other so well. 'The Beginning' is another party album from the Peas, and while it doesn't come close to their prior effort, it's still delivers some great songs worth a listen.