Blazin' Squad - 'Let's Start Again'
I honestly never thought I'd be reviewing a Blazin' Squad single again. Seriously: what's with everybody reforming these days? Is it the recession? Suddenly they all realise that they're skint and need a proper job (assuming being a popstar counts as a proper job, and I sincerely hope it does). More importantly, who's next? One True Voice? Vanilla? Hepburn? I MUST KNOW.
Anyway, Blazin' Squad are back - or at least some of them are, since the numbers seem to have depleted somewhat since the glory days when they were promising to see us at the crossroads crossroads crossroads. Given that they probably had a few superfluous members to start with, this trimming of the excess does make the whole shebang seem a bit more manageable.
(. Never has the sentence "let's meet at that sushi bar" gone more disastrously wrong.)
The opening seconds of the aptly-named 'Let's Start Again' are a bit misleading, because it all sounds a bit plaintive and ballady, but then the beat kicks in and we're in more familiar territory, although a bit more grown-up than they were before - which makes sense, considering how they are actually older and everything.
And the age thing is an interesting point: they got a lot of stick for their ages in their first iteration, and all of the "So Solid Juniors" jokes made it hard for them to be taken seriously. But having heard this, which does sound both more mature and slick than a lot of their previous work, it makes me wonder if taking a few years out to put some hairs on their musical chests was the best idea they've ever had.
Admittedly it lacks the brazen amazingness of 'Flip Reverse', but it feels a bit unfair to punish all subsequent Blazin' Squad releases for not being 'Flip Reverse' because nothing will ever be as good as 'Flip Reverse' no matter how hard anyone tries, but this is certainly several steps up from what I would've expected from a Blazin' comeback.
You might say that the cost of all that growing and maturity was a loss of some of the personality that gave them their appeal in the first place, and I'm not entirely sure you'd be wrong, but nonetheless if you like your R&B to show a sensitive side and with a dash of Kanye-style high-pitched vocodering for good measure, you should be very happy with this.
Download: 15th June
CD Released: June 15th
Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Music page
(Steve Perkins)
"It might help that I neither know nor care much about the group's history"
PS: Blazin' Squad fans, go and see them on The 5:19 Show. Tell 'em I sent you...
Comment number 1.
At 10th Jun 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:Hepburn. You busted out HEPBURN?!!!
+8745 point to you.
I'll see your Hepburn and raise you Thunderbugs.
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Comment number 2.
At 10th Jun 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:I'll have you know - in another of my increasingly desperate ChartBlog claims of stardom by proxy - that I've MET Thunderbugs!
OK, I see your Thunderbugs and I raise you 21st Century Girls....
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Comment number 3.
At 10th Jun 2009, NOSH33N_x wrote:i lovee this song :) xx
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Comment number 4.
At 11th Jun 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:Oh my that was such a long 4 minutes. I completely zoned it out. Not impressed really..
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Comment number 5.
At 11th Jun 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:Hmmmm. Interesting move.
*checks cards*
No Mercy?
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Comment number 6.
At 11th Jun 2009, thranjax wrote:Blazin' Squad - Let's Not.
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Comment number 7.
At 13th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:Well, the new Blazin song Let's start again has got a good feel and is a welcome surprise , and anyone who has ever met Kenzie will tell you what a really great lad he is.
Mrs. Spirit was a fan of Flip reverse and Reminisce by the way.
Can't see this being a number one like Crossroads , but I can't deny that this pop song has got good qualities .
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Comment number 8.
At 13th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:My word .. this song even gets better the more you hear it......
never before has the sentence " let's meet at that sushi bar " gone so disastrously wrong....
Fraser that is so funny when you watch the video again....
Even Jimmy might laugh at this !
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Comment number 9.
At 13th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:Another song I quite like is Chipmunk's Diamond rings.
Now I want to test myself.... I am predicting that Nosh will also like this song.
Nosh... let me know if I am right ?
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Comment number 10.
At 14th Jun 2009, NOSH33N_x wrote:lol yeah your right :) xx
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Comment number 11.
At 14th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:Woo hoo !
Diamond Rings will be a bigger commercial success than Chip Daddy chip.
It sounds massive in a club, and will no doubt be a top 20 hit.
Cool song.
Big up to you Nosh !
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Comment number 12.
At 14th Jun 2009, BLING-BWOY wrote:This is contrived R&B.
Contrived means "Obviously planned or calculated; not spontaneous or natural"
How can 5 men sing a love song to one woman?
I do not like it, but the same goes for much of today's R&B and hip hop. Contrived.
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Comment number 13.
At 14th Jun 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:Well Bling, who knows what those boys got up to in their crazy youth...
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Comment number 14.
At 14th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:Yo Liam " When love takes over " is number 7 !
Welcome to the official prediction club, you bigged this track up months ago !
Quite rightly !
It's a massive dance monster, and just like you originally said , it sounds great in a club over a huge system, which is where dance music should always be heard and reviewed !
You are spot on buddy !
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Comment number 15.
At 16th Jun 2009, NOSH33N_x wrote:yeah i think so too :) .. chip diddy chip got a bit boring after a while xx
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Comment number 16.
At 16th Jun 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:Heh it was such a quality track I guess itd top 10 it.
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Comment number 17.
At 20th Jun 2009, Seneer wrote:its a great tune. not as great as 'flip reverse', but still an excellent tune. how many of u agree?
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