New pop songs in the spotlight!

My usual top hits playlist was kind of short on new material this week. MTV didn't broadcast any TRL episodes and Fuse didn't update their Oven Fresh pages, so I feel like a got a vacation from coming up with a long, long post... Only three new songs this week, two from the UK:

• After much promotional support, Duffy debuts on the UK charts at number one with "Mercy". She's another one of those young British soul singers who sound much older, like Amy Winehouse or Joss Stone. This is a nice up-tempo track that borrows heavily from Motown, but it's rather busy-sounding, with a few too many layers of old tricks.
• The other UK debut is from H Two O featuring Platinum, "What's It Gonna Be". It's a catchy, energetic dance track in the European style. It's fine in that not-quite-product, not-quite-art way that so many pop songs reach.
• Puddle of Mudd is back with "Psycho" and it's not bad. It's better than their usual, with a kind of bouncy verse and a roaring chorus that's considerably more tuneful than most of what I've heard from them.

CDs listened to today:

• Arild Plau: Concerto For Tuba And Orchestra
• Thea Musgrave: Concerto For Clarinet
• Elliott Smith: XO
• Bill Watrous: Manhattan Wildlife Refuge
• Christopher Rouse: Concerto for Trombone (Joseph Alessi, soloist)