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Gabriella Cilmi - 'On A Mission'

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Fraser McAlpine | 10:39 UK time, Monday, 22 February 2010

gabriella_cilmi_600.jpg

Well, Jools Holland isn't going to like this AT ALL, is he?

Gabriella's defining hit to date, 'Sweet About Me' was a gentle swinging meander around the Real Music playpark, where she got to impress everyone with the surprising maturity of her voice, and play some new music which sounded a lot like old music. It was a pretty little pop song dressed up in its mum's clothes and make-up, and getting away with it on sheer charm.

Which is fine if you want a pat on the head, but being precocious is no fun if you can't let your hair down and get a little stupid from time to time, right kids?

Right. Well this is Gabriella's moment.

(. It seems to have been filmed inside a Little Boots video.)

First, and most importantly, this is aimed foursquare at the dance floor, where the young people are. Instead of being dusty and warm and authentic, it is shiny and synthetic and plasticky. Suddenly Gabriella doesn't sound as mature any more, cos she's too busy striking pop star poses and ranting about how she'll "never give up" like she's in High School Musical.

If the grown-ups wanted to try and butt in at this point, it might be to conclude that, yes, the verses really DO feature the bass line to 'Stepping Out' by Joe Jackson, with the chords from Van Halen's 'Jump' played over the top. But by the time the speedy, bratty chorus rolls around, they'll just be holding their ears and asking someone to turn it down.

Not that Gabriella cares, she's too busy flicking the Vs and having fun. If there's a moment where this hits a peak - the moment of maximum Holland horror, if you like - it's the rap breakdown.

In the subjective realm of taste, there are very few hard and fast rules, but I do have one which I think should be applied across the board, and it is this: pop songs with sudden, stupid rap breakdowns which could've been written by Avril Lavigne, where the singer a) does the rap his/herself and b) is not Madonna, are A Good Thing.

Who could fail to love a song which spins so abruptly out of uptight Scissor Sisters power-trance territory into a loose-limbed Beastie Boys cul-de-sac, does a doughnut in the turning circle and vrooms back onto the main road before the nosy old gippers at No.34 can even get to the window?

And if that doesn't seal the deal, how about the line "I never miss a trick, just like a magician"? That's so stoopid-fresh I'm amazed it isn't ©Black Eyed Peas.

Now all we need is a note from a headmaster complaining that Gabs is wasting her "potential", and everything will be perfect.

Four starsDownload: Out now
CD Released: March 8th

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(Fraser McAlpine)

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Mr Pedantic would like to stress that Joe Jackson's number 6 hit in 1983 was called Steppin' Out .

    The G was on holiday at the time with Mr C from The Shamen and H from Steps .

  • Comment number 2.

    I want to marry her. She's the most amazing teen pop singer ever!!!

  • Comment number 3.

    More amazing than Justin Bieber ? :)

  • Comment number 4.

    Oh most definitely!

    Haha in fairness, Gabriella Cilmi is really talented for her age. I mean she's only 18 (3 months and 5 days younger than me...yeah that's right I'm stalking her!) and look what she's producing. When I first heard Sweet About Me, I thought it was a 30 year old singing, not a 16 year old. Her debut album was very much a soul record and now this new one sounds like its come right out of the 80s.

    Not to mention that she's sexy and a good singer and a songwriter and plays instruments and she's sexy! I'm infatuated!!!

  • Comment number 5.

    Gotta love a bit of 80s chesse once and a while, 4 Stars from myself.

    *begin rant*
    By the way I'm pretty sure Jools Holland wouldn't mind listening to this, he's had some more suprising people on his show in the pass; Akon, Jay-Z, Dizzee Rascal even and I wouldn't say The Ting Tings sound like his sort of music. Later with Jools Holland is probably the best music show on TV so anyone who claims he just likes 'radio 2' music should think again!
    *end rant*

  • Comment number 6.

    I know Jools (yes i do know him personally...) is widening his range on the show which is the best music show on TV (and the only one?), but he still hasnt incorporated a fully fledged dancefloor in the middle bit of the studio where no one ever seems to go. Only Jools dares enter that space very occasionally, when he has to sprint over and introduce Taylor Swift directly after introducing Wolfmother or something. For this lack of dancefloor-ness, it wouldnt work on the show in my opinion.

    But anyhow, the song is good! A surprise, although i didnt know she was 16 when she released Sweet About Me, i feel kinda sorry for her after she was layed into by Simon Amstell on NMTB...

    Its good, 4 stars.

    *and someones gotta be pedantic spirit, otherwise trhe world would just get slack, yes?! ;)

  • Comment number 7.

    jonesybcfc thats an amazing observation on Jool's Holland. Love it.

    His show is of course amazing. It's that which put me onto the brilliance of The Ting Tings (brilliance. Yes. Brilliance. I will argue this with whoever wants to), Asher Roth, Little Boots, White Lies and The Noisettles. I can honestly say that it was only after hearing them on his show I sat up and really listened to their music.

    Youtube 'Jools Holland 2009' and you'll see what a range of artists he had on there.

  • Comment number 8.

    "David Gray feat Annie Lennox Full Steam Ahead Jools Holland Nov 17 2009"

    One of my fav's from last year.

  • Comment number 9.

    "Well Jools Holland is not going to like this AT ALL is he ? "

    I ,like Harry , am a little amazed at this comment and don't understand it.
    Please explain .

    Jools's shows cover a lot of musical styles and his collaborators have arisen from many different musical genres .

    Later with Jools Holland is a superior music show that as Harry expresses , recognises the wide spectrum of world music , from all avenues of the music map .

    Jools's music taste is wide and varied .

    After her last 2 singles failed to make the top 40 in the UK , Mis CILMI has changed her musical style and image projection .
    Surely , she is allowed to do this ?

    After all Jools himself has grown as an artist and presenter.

    He no longer presents The Tube , and he no longer plays keyboards with brilliant band , Squeeze .

    He has moved on , and moved forward .

    Isn't this how artists thrive in the music world ?

  • Comment number 10.

    Jonesy has already explained it, Spirit.

    Jools's show is fantastic, but it really doesn't cover ALL avenues of the musical map. Girlband and boyband pop, for example, has been relatively poorly represented over the years, and rightly so: you put JLS or the Saturdays on there and the audience would probably switch over until Nick Cave comes back on.

    Whether this is to Jools' personal taste or not is open to conjecture, and that's why I did it.

    I didn't ever say people shouldn't develop as artists. I did, however, add a G to the Joe Jackson song title, and for that I apologise.

  • Comment number 11.

    Come on Fraser , can't you ask Jools Holland if he likes the new Gabriella Cilmi single ?

    We NEED to know now ! ;)

    P.S Has anyone else seen Michael McIntyre 's brilliant impression of Jools Holland , walking backwards to introduce an act on Later ?

    Hilarious !

  • Comment number 12.

    Fraser , can you please arrange for the Rybak thread to be made more user friendly ?

    Here's hopefully . . .

  • Comment number 13.

    @10 No worries on the G thing !

    I always like seeing a little g , every now and again .

    And brilliant spot on the sample by the way .

  • Comment number 14.

    And as Katy Perry , Sway , Little Boots and VV Brown have all appeared on Later , and having seen Gabriella Cilmi live , and being so aware of what a brilliant voice she has , I would guess she would entertain the Later audience .

  • Comment number 15.

    She's been on Later. She went on when 'Sweet About Me' was a hit. That's kind of the point.

    At that stage she was musically the very acme of a Jools Holland artist -if you go on the "we-want-real-music-not-this-manufactured-rubbish" attitude some of Later's audience has - and this song takes her away from that.

  • Comment number 16.

    @11
    Haven't Michael McIntyre's impression yet, but I seem to remember seeing Zane Lowe do a pretty good impression of him a while back.

  • Comment number 17.

    I prefer this song to 'Sweet About Me' to be perfectly honest. I don't know whether it'sm the fact it's an electropop song or it the rap/breakdown section but werther I think it's better and deserves five stars. Kudos to her for trying sometyhing new; it looks like it going to pay off.

  • Comment number 18.

    *but either way I think it's better. (sorry, typo)

  • Comment number 19.

    One of the most exciting and uplifting tracks of the years so far, I´d say! Especially the verses are brilliant, then the chorus takes it into more predictable territory. But nevertheless, 4 stars absolutely.

    We need this kind of pop music to survive until spring comes!

  • Comment number 20.

    I think Fraser's Jool Holland comment is perfectly placed, for the record!

  • Comment number 21.

    " We want real music . "

    Ah the good old real music debate .

    I went in HMV yesterday and asked if the assistant could direct me to the "real music " section .

    Guess what ?

    Such a section doesn't exist !

    The thing is with making music , the moment you bring in rules and regs about it all , the spontaneity and magic dies .

    Wasn't there angry protests when Elvis dared to shake his hips on T.v ?
    The networks were told that they could only film him from the waist up !

    Wasn't there a furore in the 60's when Bob Dylan put down his acoustic guitar , and had the audacity to plug in an electric ?

    I will always be a fan of progession and good music.
    The music landscape will always change , sometimes slowly , sometimes quickly , that's what makes it so exciting .

  • Comment number 22.

    *progression *

  • Comment number 23.

    Agreed. As long as its not Gabriella Cilmi who changes the face of popular music for the coming half century.

  • Comment number 24.

    I hate the whole "real music" debate! I have friends from two different groups: my mosher, heavy metal type of group and my Top 40 group. The two constantly argue over what music is more "real". Drives me mad, all music is either completely real or completely false depending on how you look at it.

  • Comment number 25.

    People ask me what type of music I like ... I normally respond with "good music". Massively pretentious? Yes... but it's true. I like whatever I think is good.

  • Comment number 26.

    There is only one kind of "real" music, and that is hardcore techno.

  • Comment number 27.

    'hardcore techno' ha! Sounds like something my uncle would say.

  • Comment number 28.



    Looks like your uncle knows his techno sub-genres.

  • Comment number 29.

    I love the verse, the whole Steppin' Out whilst Jumping vibe. Chorus does little for me. Fun video though. Inside a Little Boots video? Hmmm.

  • Comment number 30.

    Little Boots tweeted a link to the youtube video with the comment "wow a lot of this imagery looks strangely familiar...".

  • Comment number 31.

    Why is this track not on radio one´s playlist?

    I mean, is the McLean track better than this?

  • Comment number 32.

    Don't panic Mangsy . I reckon ON A MISSION will be quite a high new entry in Sunday's top 20 .

    I can feel a lot of love for this track .

  • Comment number 33.

    It´s doing well on itunes.

    But it´s still embarrassing the way Radio One are trying their hardest to please their younger audience. That must be the reason they playlist any r´n´b nursery rhyme but choose to ignore Goldfrapp and Cilmi.

    I feel A LOT of love for this track too.

  • Comment number 34.

    And I´m not leaving til I´ve got this back on top of the pile.

  • Comment number 35.

    If Radio 1's new 'Chart Update' is anything to go by then On A Mission should be charting in the top 10 this week!

  • Comment number 36.

    Yeah , it would appear that the lovely Greg James will be revealing the mid week chart every Wednesday at 15:30 , during his afternoon show .

    Does this spoil the magic a little , or does it garner even more debate and interest ?

  • Comment number 37.

    It does both Spirit. It takes away the magic of not knowing whose going to be no.1, but the Itunes charts have already kind of destroyed that. However it also could boost sales and interest; if a track is currently no.2 loads of people may go out to buy it so it gets to no.1, if they hadn't been told that it was no.2 they may not have bothered assuming it would be no.1 anyway.

  • Comment number 38.

    A second top ten hit for the gorgeous Miss Cilmi !

    Congratulations .

  • Comment number 39.

    Amazed how high this charted. Yeah it's ok, but not that good really. Indeed, well done to her.

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