The review site of upcoming music, film and tv, with the occasional celebrity twist.
A work in progress
Welcome to The Ice, Spice and Vice Files!
Here we aim to provide you with 7 full length and detailed reviews, one for each day of the week, of the highlights (or lowlights as the case may be) of the following week's single releases.
You will also find plenty of other features, including the UK midweeks singles chart which is updated daily, roundups of both the international music and boxoffice charts, a glance at the X Factor UK, a 'Who's On Top?' magazine section as well as some other treats too, such as our 'Star Power' featured artist page and 'Introducing...' page.
As always, if there's something you want us to review or feature, just let us know via email or comment and we'll try and sort something out. We're very friendly like that ;-)
You have chosen this week's latest Star Power featured artist!! Unfortunately for Groove Armada and Lil' Wayne, they received no votes. John Legend and Red Hot Chilli Peppers didn't fare much better either,with both securing just 9% of the vote.
That left Shontelle and Kings of Leon to fight it out, and it was a reasonably close call. Kings Of Leon managed to attain 36%, just behind Shontelle's 45% share of the votes, which means that this week...
SHONTELLE IS YOUR STAR POWER ARTIST!
Check back soon to view her stats, and get ready to start voting for next week's!
Hello midweekers! Today it looks like we’re playing the waiting game, as not much has changed since yesterday.
Tempah remains at #1 with Labrinth trailing behind with hisdebut at #2. This week’s #1 Bruno Mars keeps his grip on the #3 spot with Adele and Taio Cruz rounding off the top 5.
Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ lingers at #6, whilst Iglesias/Scherzinger ballad ‘Heartbeat’ sticks at #8. Bad news for Alexandra Burke who, after an ungainly fall from the top spot to #5 last week is now looking at a #10 placing this week.
Meanwhile, Kylie still hasn’t amassed enough sales to break into the top 10, keeping her position one place about Eminem/RiRi at #11. Shontelle has also fallen from the top spot to #13.
Looks like Minogue’s going to have to up her game if she wants to get a decent placing...
So Bruno is still storming ahead and it's looking certain that he will be cinching his first ever UK #1 this Sunday, whilst Taio Cruz is continuing to look comfortable at #2 with KPerry at #3.
Meanwhile Emma's poor Imagination has been given a bit of a shove down the charts from #4 to #6, with The Script stealing her spot whilst Alexandra Burke should be celebrating the fact that she's managed to claw her way back into the top 5 with 'Start Without You.'
Eminem (& Ri) and Shontelle manage to keep their #7 and #8 places, although Alex Guadino is slowly edging up the chart from #10 to #9, so Shontelle had better keep looking over her shoulder...
So although it looks as if we've got a guaranteed new #1, the rest of the top 10 is all to play for.
Welcome to Thursday’s chart update, where the top three is still anybody’s game! Bruno Mars maintains his lead at #1, as predicted, whilst Taio Cruz is still holding strong at #2. However, Emma’s Imagination has been pushed out of the top three but a certain Miss Perry with her ‘Teenage Dream’ obviously catching more people’s imagination than...well...you get the jist...
The Script keep their place at the end of the top five, followed by Alex Burke whose tears are most likely still drip dropping down low, much like her single. Eminem has a spot at #7, whilst Shontelle keeps a steady position at #8. Finally, Alex Guadino has cracked the top 10 with his single ‘I’m In Love.’
Climbing up the chart and heading for the top 10 are Enrique and Nicole’s duet ‘Heartbeat’ which is released next week, (Review on its way...) and Charice and Iyaz’s collaboration ‘Pyramid.’
So, time to introduce another of our new features, our UK midweeks chart roundup! We’ll post updates from Tuesday onwards giving you a good idea of who’s in the running for the top 10, and most importantly, who’ll be clinching that #1 spot!
This week it looks as though Bruno Mars will be steaming ahead to the #1 slot with his debut solo single ‘Just The Way You Are,’ which isn’t too surprising seeing as Mars released the track a week early due to unprecedented demand.
Following him is Emma’s Imagination, a contestant from Sky 1’s music talent show ‘Must Be The Music’ whose track ‘Focus’ is being followed up by Taio Cruz’s club smash ‘Dynamite.’
Unfortunately for Miss A. Burke, her two week stint at the top with ‘Start Without You’ looks set to suffer an unappealing drop down the charts to #6, being overtaken by Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ and The Script’s ‘For The First Time’ taking #4 and #5 respectively.
Shontelle moves up a couple of spaces in the top 10 with 'Impossible' and it looks likely that ‘I’m In Love’ by Alex Guadino could well be joining her over the course of the week.
So that’s all for your first taste of ice-spice-vice midweek chart roundup action, make sure you drop by tomorrow for your next update ;-)
So Shontelle's back after a hiatus following the 2008 'Shontelligence' album with her latest single, 'Impossible.' Is she back to form after her big hit 'T-Shirt' or is she still left searching for that next hit?
Shontelle opens the track very softly, with both simple and calm vocals and lyrics which are supported by a gentle piano backing. In the introduction Shontelle sets up the backing of the story behind 'Impossible' and the pain layered in the vocals begins to come through.
As Shontelle reaches the bridge, it becomes evident that she is perfectly able to convey the anguish within the song of being defeated in love and the sense of helplessness that it brings. The chorus itself is haunting and desperate as Shontelle cries out her heartbreak over what she'd "...hoped would be impossible."
Again the verses continue the simple beat to accompany Shontelle's delicate vocals which gradually build power as the song goes on, intensifying the pain of the song. After the next belting out of the chorus, Shontelle breaks back to the introduction, tricking the listener into a lull before the storm, so to speak. Although the chorus could be criticised for being too repetitive, (It's not often I would condone a chorus made up of just the one word) it actually serves as a catchy but powerful hook.
So, for one formerly famed for 'T-Shirt' and...'the one with Akon,' Shontelle should be definitely be pleased with her comeback single, one which has already made ripples on the airwaves and that I would expect to chart well in the coming weeks.
