LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER

Ronan Keating

Radio 2's Record of the Week? Says it all, really. This is a cute furry panda of a song - cuddly, instantly familiar and not at all threatening. However, I believe this sort of song, unlike the pandas who are blameless, should be hunted to extinction. Basically, this song is so middle-of-the-road it could be installing cats eyes. Co-written by The Man With The Hat out of the New Radicals, this anaemic guitar pop ditty bears a passing resemblance to You Get What You Give, realises this and then steers a safe passage all the way to Number One - it's so easy-going Ronan's voice contains little hint of the growling noise employed on his ballads. It's all too predictable, isn't it? Still, some people don't want something new and exciting, they just want what they're already familiar with. That's fair enough, I suppose, there has to be room for all sorts of music. It just annoys me that it has to include his.

TIME TO BURN

Storm

On occasion, you hear a song that has absolutely no right whatsoever to be any good at all and yet it sounds stunning. You know the sort - no lyrics, repetitive riff, loud beats, goes on forever, the whole shooting match. Here then, is another one that does the business. It's a mad little house number - at least I think it's house, I'm not too good at keeping up with all the different types of dance music - that defies any rational sort of explanation other than the brief summary supplied above. Still a top tune, though.

BREATHLESS

Corrs

As blatant attempts at breaking the American market go, this is the undisputed winner. When they went away, their musical sound was as distinctive and Irish as Guinness itself and now they're back, unfortunately the Corrs sound is as Irish as Thanksgiving. This is not a good thing as it means they've now descended musically into the ranks of all the other American driving rock outfits - to give you an idea of what I mean just imagine how easy it would be to picture somebody like Belinda Carlisle or pre-nineties-disco Cher belting out this song. Sadly, all too easy. Fair play to them for getting to No1 at last, just a bit of a shame it took a routine slab of formulaic rock to do it.