Radiohead - Spectre
★★★
Spectre is Radiohead's rejected title track for the recent Bond movie. It's a typically bleak affair, presumably intended to soundtrack that eight-minute sequence in which Bond sits in his pyjamas scrolling through his ex-girlfriend's Facebook photos, sobbing uncontrollably.
Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
★★★★
Having been honoured herself at the Kennedy Centre in 1994, the Queen of Soul returned to Washington DC last month to steal the thunder of the latest batch of honourees: Rita Moreno, George Lucas and Natural Woman songwriter Carol King – whose rapturous reaction to this rendition of one of her most famous compositions begins before a single note has been played. King wasn't the only one moved by Franklin's performance. Media reports insisted President Obama can be seen wiping a tear from his eye. Having reviewed the footage, I'd say there's an equal chance he's simply scratching his cheek, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Dick Stusso - The Heart of the Country
★★★
n some respects, San Francisco native Nic Russo is a cliche: a 29-year-old aspiring country singer whose debut album Nashville Dreams charts his relocation to Tennessee and thwarted ambitions of stardom. But his leftfield execution – more Sister Ray than Mother Maybelle – places him at the very fringes of the country genre, which is no bad thing.
Diva and the Dinosaur - Bunratee (You Want It)
★
Violinist Roisin Walters and onesie-wearing superhero Vincent McWilliams have been described as "Ireland's answer to PSY". This video for their debut single is likely to divide opinion. Specifically, between those who think it's so bad it's good, and those who think it's so bad it's just awful. Personally, I'm just glad they took so much time out of their busy schedules to remind me why I stopped doing drugs.
