Thursday 10 December 2009

I need a miracle!

35. Fragma - Toca's Miracle - 2000

One of the earliest, most influential, and biggest selling dance hits of the noughties. German danct act Fragma combined their 1999 #11 hit Toca Me with British singer Coco's minor 1997 top 40 hit I Need A Miracle and the result was the dance mash-up Toca's Miracle. The two songs fit together absolutely perfectly, the chillout Toca Me being livened up by Coco's brilliant vocals; her original had always been a bit weak due to the cheap sounding production. The two songs were fine on their own but together they were sensational and helped to kick start a craze of dance mash up's which has gone on throughout the decade. A deserved UK #1 single, out of the 42 UK #1's in 2000, it was one of only a few to manage more than a solitary week at No.1!!! Showing it's enduring popularity, an electro remix of the song was released in 2008 and returned the song to the UK top 20!!!



34. KT Tunstall - Other Side Of The World - 2005

Early 2005 was probably the worst three or four months for music of the entire decade. However, in February 2005, I decided to take a chance on Scottish singer KT Tunstall's debut album, Eye To The Telescope, having heard about her in various places. First time I listened to the album, I was instantly impressed by a number of songs but none more so than the gorgeous ballad Other Side Of The World. It went on to become a top 15 hit here, and launch her album to the top three where it deserved to be, but I still think that this song is hugely underrated. In a year when James Blunt's You're Beautiful got five weeks at #1, how come this beautiful song couldn't even make the top ten!?! Great singer, and this is her finest moment.



33. All Saints - Rock Steady - 2006

Talking of underrated, nothing was more underrated than the Studio 1, the fantastic 2006 comeback album of late 90's 'edgy' girl group All Saints. Lead single, Rock Steady, was thankfully a massive hit and the only thing that went well in their comeback campaign. Although considering it was beaten to #1 by Westlife's horrendous slaughtering of The Rose and U2 and Green Day's tragic take on The Saints Are Coming, maybe it wasn't such an achievement after all. A brilliant pop song, instantly catchy, giving all of the girls a chance to shine - particularly the brilliant Shaznay and Melanie Blatt. A brilliant typically fiesty video, it was like they'd never been away and I just wish it had been a much bigger hit!!!



32. Fragma feat Maria Rubia - Everytime You Need Me - 2001

A full year after hitting #1 with Toca's Miracle, Fragma finally returned in early 2001 with a much more poppy sound but still the subtle electro backing which made them so popular in the first place. Everytime You Need Me, which featured a different British singer, Maria Rubia, was less of a dance anthem and more of a glorious pop song. I first heard and loved this round about autumn 2000 actually so it took a long while to come out but I was glad when it returned the band to the UK top three. Follow up single You Are Alive was also a very decent pop-dance song, and their debut album was brilliant, but I haven't really been interested in anything by them since, and they are still going strong now!!!



31. Ian Van Dahl - Castles In The Sky - 2001

Summer 2001 saw the release of Belgian dance act Ian Van Dahl's debut UK single, Castles In The Sky. It featured guest singer Marsha rather than usual singer Annemie so was rather confusing when Will I came out to find out that curly dark haired Marsha was not in fact the lead singer!!! The song was an instant hit and became bigger throughout the summer climbing as high as #3 in the UK and quickly becoming a favourite of mine. Just an absolutely brilliant dance song, and undoubtedly one of the defining dance classics of the decade. It was absolutely everywhere at the time and I still hear it now.

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