Monday, February 15, 2010

Oh My Gosh, Please!


Perhaps you remember her pipes from her days stuntin' with the funky garage trio Mis-Teeq. Perhaps you know her from the UK's version of the "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here" freak-out fest. Either way, just don't call her an Alesha Dixon wannabe.

True, Sabz and Lesh (along with Su-Elise Nash) may have been pretty "Scandelous" back in the day (six years on and it still sounds bangin'), but Sabrina is on a whole new plane now. "OMG (Oh My Gosh)" is serving as her true debut as a solo artist, and it's pop kitsch to the max. It does what "The Boy Does Nothing" did for her former bandmate -- it's hooky with a repetitive chorus, it's dancey, it's pop with an edge, and it's fun fluff. "OMG" doesn't move mountains, but it doesn't need to. The lyrics are typical of the R&Pop female empowerment persuasion, complete with the hook of "Oh My Gosh, please!". So long as you're dancing, Sabrina has gained the upper hand. And it's sound is much more reminiscent of her girl group past than Alesha's entire album combined. That is a very good thing indeed.

For now, the song is due for impending impact on the UK markets, but buzz is starting to swirl about Sabrina getting snapped up by Lil Wayne's American-based Cash Money Records for a US release. The thought of a former member of Mis-Teeq having the potential to duet with my girl T Lopez makes me salivate at the possibilities. I stress that this prospect is all a rumor at this point, but as Kathy Griffin has said, that's good enough for me.

The song has serious legs on its own, and gets more and more catchy with every spin. But Sabz knows that in an age of Lady Gaga and Beyonce megavideos, you have to make a statement to be considered a fierce competitor. The video leaves Ms. Washington's true artistic identity a bit in question, as it's clearly three parts Rihanna (the glasses, the chains, the metallics), one part D.Woods (the hairstyle), two parts Beyonce (the bodysuits) and five parts Lady Gaga (the eyepatch, the shoulderpads, the discoball headpiece, etc. etc.), but there ain't no shame in proving you can hang with the best (in terms of popularity, creativity, and fearlessness at weirdness, at least).

Had this come out in 2008, it very well could have set the world on fire, but it didn't, so the jury's out if it will. Still -- a perfectly good pop song is a perfectly good pop song, and if you got it, flaunt it. And if you can flaunt it in fab, achingly tall heels with creepy, semi-androgynous backup dancers with chains, black lip stain and bob haircuts, the better, I suppose. Why not? 

Welcome back, luv. We Mis-Teeq Freaks missed you more than you realize. Check out the video below.


I'm honored that a version of this post appeared on my friend The Chemistry Is Dead's website. Go show them love! :)

5 comments:

Ken said...

Deffo not an Alesha Dixon wannabe. 'OMG' is brilliant. I hope she gets big attention like Alesha had. Hooray for Mis-teeq.

Myfizzypop said...

I do like Oh My Gosh. A lot. Though when i read the blog post title, I thought, ooo I hope this is about marina who looks like shakira no no she's catherine zeta. Which should now be her full name. just like my dog's full name was blackard stanley matthews babcock babe chicken licken lickity split reynolds the dog (boo flower pop).

J.Mensah said...

It's a cool song, she should have come out earlier, I'm sure people are going to boycott this. But hopefully she proves me wrong.

Aaron said...

Ooh - BRING IT ON!

I can't wait!

Anonymous said...

And I'm thrilled that this excellent post appears on the site too!

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