So here’s the deal: I was extremely busy all week trying to get my school work finished so I could enjoy this weekend without worrying about how to fit all of that work in with my Pride/Halloween plans. I managed to finish everything yesterday, but the 5SF got cut because of it. However, there are NO rules against doing it a day late! So here’s the first, and hopefully last 5SS; 5SF’s will go back to their regularly scheduled day after this week! Now, let’s get to the music!
The Saturdays – Here Standing
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_thesaturdays-herestanding.mp3]
I know that I was gushing about how Lose Control was the best song on the new album by the Saturdays, and while it is AMAZING, I think I might have been wrong. THIS is the best song their new album. It is amazing. It evokes the same feeling of another amazing track, No Air, and has me breathless after each listen. I still cannot get over how amazing their sophomore album is; it is even better that their debut (which was stellar, btw). The Saturdays have made some brilliant pop, and this is sitting pretty atop the rest right now; this song is epic, and totally beautiful. I am PRAYING that they release this as a single, because there is no way that it wouldn’t be number one. Seriously, this song is EPIC. BRILLIANT. AMAZING. LOTS OF WORDS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. This record is amazing, and I can’t seem to say it enough.
Kaci Battaglia – Crazy Possessive
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_kacibattaglia-crazypossessive.mp3]
WARNING: This song says fuck in it like 65 times; you have been warned. I opted not to go for the radio-friendly version, because I love the tenacity with which she screams fuck in each threatening line of the chorus. This song is a total guilty pleasure, one that uses an arrangement that borrows heavily from Soft Cell’s Tainted Love; but it is almost as if she borrowed the arrangement from Rihanna’s SOS, which borrowed its arrangement from Soft Cell. Interesting. The result is a great back beat with a fierce song about fucking up a bitch who comes after your man. Don’t fuck with Kaci; she’ll cut a bitch!
Ke$ha – TiK ToK
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_kesha-tiktok.mp3]
GUILTY PLEASURE ALERT: I resisted the shit out of this song. No way was I going to concede and like someone who thought it was cute to spell her name with a dollar sign in it. However, far too many of you suggested this song to me to ignore it any longer; and what better time to post it during Pride weekend. This song is a true banger, and I am sure that it will be loved by gay boys all over; including this one. Yes ladies and gents, I give in. I love this ghetto fabulous track by Miss Kesha… I’m sorry, I mean Ke$ha. Ugh, I still don’t like that, though. Also, what the hell is up with the line, Now, the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger/But we kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger? Someone needs to let this little cutie know that she can do better than guys that look like tired old Mick. I’m just saying; Ke$ha, don’t sell yourself short, doll.
Cascada – Evacuate the Dancefloor
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_cascada-evacuatethedancefloor.mp3]
LOOK! IT’S THE GAYEST VERSION OF JUST DANCE SINCE JUST DANCE! Seriously, I tried really hard not to like this complete rip on Lady GaGa’s amazing first single, Just Dance, but I just couldn’t resist. Cascada has danced her way into my heart again, and I just can’t resist any longer. Yes, this song is pretty much a spot on remake of Just Dance; it follows the exact same formula that Lady GaGa perfected with Just Dance. However, isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery? If that’s the case, Cascada LOVES her some Lady GaGa, and she made this little homage so we could all get out on the floor and keep the dance party going. I have been playing this one for a few months now, probably way more often than I should, and I thought it was perfect for a Pride 5SF, so here it is. You win again, Cascada! Gays rejoice! Dance music for the masses!!
Lisa Scott-Lee – Electric
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_lisascott-lee-electric.mp3]
Oh how much I love Lisa Scott-Lee; let me count the ways… a song consisting of nothing but hyper sexual double entendres, the fact that she was in the amazing pop super group Steps, and THIS… oh Lisa. This song should have been a massive hit when it was released back in 2005, but probably due to the stink that was still left on everyone’s mind about the break up of Steps, it tanked. She probably shouldn’t have promised to quit the music business if it failed, but she did, and well, it did. Regardless of the stink that surrounded this song, I have always loved it, and wanted to feature it this week; especially since I have been paying more deserved attention since reviving it during the British pop explosion I did a few weeks back. I have say, I do think it’s interesting (as D’Luv pointed out last year) that this song got cloned and turned out to be a moderate hit for Ms. Jackson, which I guess speaks to cyclical nature of the music biz. I hope the Lisa Scott-Lee reemerges someday and gives another brilliant pop gem like this one. I know of at least a couple other gay boys that would be rejoicing right along with me.
Well, I want to apologize for getting this to you a day late, but it’s better late than never. I couldn’t go another week without giving you something to listen to. I hope that everyone has a happy Halloween, and a very happy Pride weekend if you are in Atlanta. Let me know what you thought of this week’s selections, and as always, tell me what you are listening to as well! Take care!
Clea were a band that came together after the girls met each other during the auditioning process for Pop Stars: The Rivals. While they didn’t win, they managed to release some pretty great pop music together. Clea had some issues with getting an album out, but when they finally did, it was filled with cheesy pop that has been a guilty pleasure of mine for years. This is my favorite song from the album Trinity, and even though Clea are long gone from the music scene, I still absolutely love this song. It is dance-tastic, and is just the type of cheesy British pop that I can’t get enough of right now. 
Rachel was in a fantastically cheesy-but-brilliant pop band called S Club 7 (who I completely and utterly adore!), and after the band broke up (*sad face*), she went out on her own, and released some pretty great solo stuff. Anyone who has been following this blog for a while now knows that I am a sucker for a great cover song, and this one is nothing short of fantastic (even though it isn’t on any of her albums!). Surprisingly, they actually played this on So You Think You Can Dance (last year I think) during a disco routine, and at the time, I was reminded of how much I love Rachel, and miss her contributions to pop music. My recent resurgence of interest in early 00s pop music wouldn’t be complete without a little love for Rachel and the rest of the S Club crew. 
As is the case with many British pop bands, the formula of releasing cover songs is pretty much a standard, and V are no exception to the rule (this is a cover of The Jackson 5’s hit of the same name). However, even though it is a cover, it is cheesy boy-band pop at its BEST (which is probably why that formula is followed so predictably). Around the time the US was pining over The Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC, the UK had a slew of boy bands popping up left, right, and center. V was one of the bands that managed to have a few hits, only to disappear into near obscurity overnight. It’s interesting to me, that right now, there is 
Many of you probably know Emma better by her stage name, Baby Spice; a name that she was given to her when she was in the Spice Girls. However, a lot of you might not know that every one of the Spice Girls kept working on music once the band broke up (a lot of it is brilliant!), and Emma’s second solo album is one of the best of the bunch; there isn’t a bad song on it. Emma was on the early end of the currently growing trend to harness a throwback sound; and in her case, as exhibited by the theme of this album, it was the swanky sound of pop music from the 60s. She had moderate attention in the states with her hit Free Me, which was remixed and made some waves on the dance scene, but Maybe was always my favorite from the album. Hearing this again made me realize just how much I love that whole album, and I’m glad to feature it today as one of my all time favorite British pop songs. 
Arguably one of the biggest of the songs featured on today’s 5SF, this massive song by pop super group Steps pretty much embodies the uber cheesy heart of British pop of the early 00s. Steps were insanely huge when they were making music, and caused quite a stink with their fans when they disbanded; mostly because they had reassured everyone they wouldn’t when the rumors of a break up started flying. Because I didn’t find out about Steps until after they disbanded, I was shielded from any bad feelings about them, which is good, because I truly love some Steps. They are like a cheesy ABBA disco tribute band gone completely over the edge with bubble gum pop goodness. This is my favorite song by Steps, and it really is a shame that they didn’t continue on, because they made some really great pop music together. I’ve always thought this song was the perfect song for a Friday, because it’s all about getting ready for the weekend, so I thought it really worked for today. 