Kelly Clarkson– Gone

I’ve decided to cherrypick a bit from my talented writers this week. First up is a track lauded by Charles Merwin in his review of Kelly Clarkson’s latest as “bananas.” I’m not at all too sure what “bananas” means exactly, but I imagine it’s good. Clarkson’s production team really outdid themselves here, creating an incredibly tight masterpiece of production that rivals Ashlee Simpson’s “Surrender.” And, unsurprisingly, it’s written by the exact same duo. I need to track these two down more often. For proof that they’re the most exciting team in modern mainstream pop go straight to the bridge.

[buy the album here]

Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano– Something Bad

I’m unsure about the origins of this release, but it sure sounds like Villalobos and Luciano covering Michael Jackson, so I won’t ask Michael F. Gill to explain exactly where it came from. The duo break the original down to its constituent parts and build it from the ground up, focusing primarily on the vocals and their ability to act as melody and as rhythm. The best house mix of Jackson yet? Certainly better than Luomo’s recent effort.

Saint Etienne– Filthy

While hunting down some rare Saint Etienne releases for a writer wanting to do an upcoming project, I came upon this particular gem from the band’s catalogue. The song originally appeared on You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone, a compilation apparently only released to the band’s fan club. Dating from sometime in the early 90s, this sounds like, as much Saint Etienne work does, a lovely shape of things to come—this time for trip-hop by way of Salt ‘n’ Pepa.