After a year packed with recording a new album, being beaten to the Xmas #1 by the 'Rage Against The Machine' facebook campaign and coming out as gay, reigning X Factor champion also has the business of releasing a new single to contend with. Now before you roll your eyes and mutter the words "power ballad," prepare to be very surprised...
First up, the powers that be have selected 'Ambitions,' a cover of Norwegian band Donkeyboy's #1 single, as McElderry's own second single and lead from his upcoming album 'Wide Awake.' This in itself is an eyebrow raising move, as most reality show popstars are often keen to release their own material so as to make their mark as an individual artist. In this case, however, Joe should be fine, as most of his fans will be unaware of the existence of the original version which will work in his favour.
As for the single itself, 'Ambitions' features an immensely heavy bassline, whilst the Geordie powerhouse belts out a perfect falsetto which counteracts the strong effect of the bass. Joe's voice really stands out as a result, with every note being crystal clear. As we get to the '...but don't you know...' style lines, McElderry's voice sinks lower and becomes as smooth as chocolate, demonstrating his immensely rich sound. The range of his vocals in this track clearly surpass those that we can remember from his X Factor days.
The beat pumps up towards the chorus which has a definite marching feel to it, which is re-enforced by Joe's dance routine, (Yes...DANCE ROUTINE!) in the accompanying video. 'Ambitions' has a powerful, upbeat hook, which is very different to what we were expecting from McElderry, who is barely recognisable in his re-invented form.
This is a real pop stormer, which is entertaining, confident and professional, and teamed with both a playful pop video and a guaranteed spot performing on The X Factor, which we're very interested to see, Joe should be collecting his next #1 any time soon...without any interference from Rage Against The Machine.
9/10 - Spice!
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