Glenn Sez: Kelly Rowland, Enrique, Rihanna

So, I've always liked Kelly Rowland more than Beyonce, it's just that B is way more prolific so she kind of hogs the attention like that. Kelly feels less plastic fantastic and less preened to celebrity. Having said that, her first CD was a dog (does anyone even remember it?) so I am so happy that she's back with a new CD entitled Ms. Kelly and from the tracks that I've heard so far it's actually quite great. Still, it could turn out to be actually quite crap, but I hold faith.

Forget the fact that she is wearing a hideous silver panterloon jumpsuit on the album sleeve though. The first single is "Like This" featuring Eve (listen to it here) which is pretty good as these sort of songs go - I can just imagine it being sung by someone monotone like Ciara who sucks the fun out of anything she ever sings. I am also quietly in love with "Comeback" and the remix of "In Love With My Ex" is the third most played song on my iTunes. Ever. Only Groove Armada and Mutya's "Song 4 Mutya" and Madonna's "Get Together" are higher. Impressive, non?

So, my newly ignited love for, of all people, Enrique Iglesias is officially OVER. I've mentioned earlier about how much I liked first single "Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)" and after last weeks G-A-Y shenanigans I thought "hey, maybe, he's for real this time!" Alas, no. He's just as boring as he always was. And in case listeners had forgotten his blandness they tacked on dance remixes of "Hero" and "Not in Love" onto his new CD Insomniac. Not even Enrique is free from the dreaded "Featuring Lil' so-and-so" curse. Why does he need a song with Lil' Wayne? Honestly. Ugh. You blew your chance Enrique! Sometimes I coulda swore I was listening to Richard Marx by, er, Richard Marx. Except without "Right Here Waiting". Or "Should've Known Better". Oh! Oh! Or without "Endless Summer Nights". Man, I was totally addicted to that album as a wee-little five-year-old in 1990.


Why couldn't Enrique have taken a page out of Rihanna's book. She entered 2007 with an uncertain career, but by April she had emerged with "Umbrella" and instead of resting on her laurels she went on to make what will surely be one of the albums of the year and rescued her career. THAT is how a pop career revival is supposed to happen!

Here's Rihanna giving an electric performance at the MTV Movie Awards. If you need any more evidence to the fact that "Umbrella" is the zeitgeist hit of the year then just pay attention to the moment when Rihanna emerges from beneath the stage to those rockin' guitars. She's workin' it and everybody is going apeshit over her. A-Maze-Ing-!!! Just ignore that she's wearing a repurposed garbage bag-tutu ensemble, okay.

Rihanna ft Jay-Z- Umbrella
Uploaded by elcorillord

God, how amazing is that?!? The entire part after the slow refrain in the middle is just crazy brilliant. If it was at all possible for me to love this song even more, I think they just accomplished it. I wish the album version ended the way the live performances do with that final bang, ya know? That umbrella choreography is so cool. I'm kinda gonna practice that tomorrow. But... do I have an umbrella?

Enrique Iglesias is G-A-Y

No, not gay, just G-A-Y. He did a show recently at famous British club G.A.Y. and... well, take a gander below. I think I have newfound admiration for the man.



...it would've been better if he sang "The Ping Pong Song" (teehee, I'm totally thinking dirty thoughts) instead of the drippy "Hero", but nevertheless, isn't that crazy. God, what a cocktease. Seriously.

But where did the ping ping balls go?

Have you seen the video for Enrique Iglesias' new song "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)", which I have discussed before. It's quite a fun song and the video is chuckle-enducing with Enrique sending up his own image. Enjoy.

Sing Song Shock

I was as shocked as everyone to discover that I have found myself quite liking the new song by, of all people, Enrique Iglesias. Like, quite a lot really. It's called "Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)" and will most certainly be shortened to simply "Do You Know" by the time it's released because even though, once you've heard it, you will understand where the "The Ping Pong Song" part of the title comes from, it still looks ridiculous on a piece of paper written as "Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)". Wow, I just typed "Ping Pong" more times here than anywhere before in my life.

Nevertheless, good move Enrique. The song is mature, but not drippy (think Take That's recent "Patience", but not the album. The album was dreadful). It's catchy but not a novelty. And you get away with using ping pong sound effects when even someone like Madonna would find it a tad twee. You have my attention. Now do something with it that doesn't involve covering songs by my God, soundtracking awful movies or drowning in sentimentality.

You can listen to it at YouTube. But don't tell anyone when I say it's already been leaked all over the internet.