10 Jams I Only Heard In London

Welcome back to CMN, everyone!  Yes, I spent the last four months in London, and no, I didn’t update the blog even once.  Sad face.  But, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t keeping my eyes peeled and my ear to the ground, making sure I had my finger on the pulse of pop music (how ‘bout that for use of cliches).  Only during these last four months, I could reasonably claim expertise on the music scenes of two different countries (although they’re remarkably similar these days).  So, here are 10 jams that have been hot only in the UK the last few months.

DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora- “Hot Right Now”: 

DJ Fresh is one of the few drum+bass/electronic acts to find massive pop success in the UK, and this song is a great example of why.  Featuring up-and-coming singer Rita Ora, “Hot Right Now” will almost definitely get you moving if you’re hearing it on a good sound system.  But, it’ll almost definitely never cross over, because mainstream America is not at all ready for this sound on the radio.  Right?

DJ Fresh feat. Sian Evans- “Louder”: 

Here’s another hit from DJ Fresh, and this one will absolutely shred your speakers if you’re not careful.  But, it still manages to keep things fairly safe and mainstream, meaning it was a big-time club jam in London this spring.  But be careful when the tempo picks up at the end, or you’ll be left completely out of rhythm.

Tinchy Stryder feat. Pixie Lott- “Bright Lights”: 

There are a lot of UK-based rappers trying to make their way to the big-time (aka the US) right now, and I think I’ve managed to include most of them in this rundown.  Tinchy Stryder is one of the titans of the British rap scene, as shown by his ability to land one of the hottest British singers, Pixie Lott, to sing the hook on this particularly catchy midtempo track.  But, again, with no American presence on the track, it will likely be contained to the British Isles for eternity.  Could do worse, I suppose.

Cover Drive- “Twilight”: 

To be fair, this one was a hit much earlier in the year, and Cover Drive is Barbadian, not British.  But this song topped all the charts in the UK, and nobody over here in the States has ever heard of Cover Drive, so why be particular?  It’s good enough for me.

Rizzle Kicks- “Mama Do The Hump”: 

Another song that was big earlier in the year, but it was so inescapable that it left a mark on the entire time I was in London.  These guys have a fun vibe and clever rhymes, and the beat is produced by Fatboy Slim, so how much more can you really ask for?

Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah- “Earthquake”: 

This one may have gotten some playtime in the US, I’m not really sure.  It’s such a great pump-up jam that I wouldn’t be surprised if it was well-known worldwide.  And it’s got Tinie Tempah, another of the British rappers who’s huge over there but has only gained a little bit of traction across the pond.  To be honest, he doesn’t do a whole lot here; the song really belongs to its producer, Labrinth.  But it will fire you up, I think.

Olly Murs- “Dance With Me Tonight”: 

Olly Murs was a contestant on The X Factor (The original, British version) where he placed second and became a heartthrob nationwide.  He followed that up with a series of cheery pop power ballads, particularly this one, which features a lovable video, filmed mostly in London, that probably made teenage British girls’ hearts melt.  But, for whatever reason, Olly hasn’t been able to ride the British-teen-idol wave over to the US just yet.

Taio Cruz- “Troublemaker”: 

This song has been around for over a year (it was originally called “Believe In Me Now” and was never officially released) but it has only recently hit the charts.  The video is almost impossibly stupid (standing still while two cars crash into the wall next to you?  What point does that prove exactly?) but the song remains a top-notch club jam that, given Taio’s popularity in the States, will probably cross the Atlantic at some point.

Tulisa- “Young”: 

Unless you read gossip magazines, you’ve probably never heard of Tulisa Contostavlos, but she’s basically been the hottest tabloid/entertainment story in the UK this spring.  Basically, she was part of a fairly successful pop group from London called N-Dubz, but she decided to break off and start a solo career last year.  Well, that just so happened to coincide with the leak of a sex tape starring her and her ex-boyfriend, and just like here in the US, it proved to be a path to superstardom, as well as lots of supposed shame and embarrassment.  Now, she’s an X Factor judge, and she has a #1 single of her own in “Young,” which starts by saying “Forgive me for what I have done, ‘cause I’m young.”  Somebody’s been taking pages out of Kim Kardashian’s playbook...

Emeli Sande- “Next To Me”: 

R&B crooner Emeli Sande has risen to stardom in the UK with a shockingly old-school skill set: she can sing and play piano.  She’s sort of like a British Alicia Keys, but she’s a little more edgy, or at least her hair is.  The voice is undeniable though, especially as she sails into the chorus on “Next To Me.” If you like uplifting R&B, you’ll absolutely like this song.

So there you have ten of the biggest UK-only hits I discovered this spring.  There are more, but those are perhaps the best, or at least most accurate of what was really hot in the streets these past few months.  But I didn’t turn a blind eye to US music, either- stay tuned over the next couple days for the 10 Most Important Songs To Come Out Over The Last Four Months, and the 10 New (Or Sort-Of New)Dance Jams You Have To Hear Right Now!