Here’s a review of the highest profile music releases of the week.

Tulisa- Daddy

OK, she’s been on her knees the last few years, but Tulisa Contostavlos, the N Dub-turned-X Factor distributor of Colombian marching powder, is making her comeback with a song called “Daddy”. With a title like that from a girl like her, one can only assume this is going to be a bit below the belt, even for someone with Tulisa’s experience in that region.

If you can manage to ignore the small details like the trashy cover art, featuring Tulisa in a quality street wrapper, surrounded by Word Art from Windows 2010, this is definitely not “Young” part 2. “Daddy” is exactly what you’d think it’s about and sounds as cheap as the sound of a self-funded Reggaeton-lite production.

It’s actually such a shame because Tulisa has bags of oral talent, but it seems she may have exhausted all she had at the time of recording this dated single.

VERDICT: In a whole trashy league of her own. 2/10.

Calvin Harris- I’m Not Alone 2019

The hottest thing to come from Scotland since The Wicker Man, Calvin Harris celebrates the 10th anniversary of his first UK #1 single “I’m Not Alone” with an EP featuring a remastered version and re-edit of the original, plus new remixes from CamelPhat and Thomas Schumacher. Now, the re-edit brings nothing particularly new to the table and when it does the new sound effects utilised sort-of sound forced to make the current playlists of stations like Capital and Gaydar. The Schumacher remix is, from what my ears can pick up through conventional stereo speakers, absolutely NOTHING that resembles “I’m Not Alone” by Calvin Harris. It’s just a plain piece of muzak with not even a trace of sampling from the track it claims to be a mix of. Even the CamelPhat remix gave me the hump more than gave me a thrill. CamelPhat recently had a hit on Tim’s Top 20 with “Breathe” and so I was eagerly anticipating this remix. I needn’t have bothered. It’s OK when it gets going but that’s when it gets going and the mix is only 4 minutes’ long… The best version of the track on this EP is the remastered original. It audibly packs more punch, has had the vocals tweaked, stretched, tuned and the music is a bit ‘bangier’.

Happy Birthday, “I’m Not Alone”, but I think I’ll just stick with “Giant” for the time being.

VERDICT: Don’t pick up this trash. 4/10.

Marina- Love (digital album exclusive).

Marina has ditched the Diamonds but continues to shine without the excess baggage anyway. “Love” was surprise-released midway through the week, in advance of the physical release of the double package, “Love +Fear” on 26th April. The “Love” section was half-released in itself anyway, with the singles “Baby”, which was a big hit in Tim’s Top 40 of 2018, “Handmade Heaven” which recently hit the top 3 on the weekly top 20, plus “Superstar” and “Orange Trees”. The remaining 4 songs on “Love” effectively realise the Monmouth native’s vision of being an indie-but-pop starlet. The songs don’t pack the obvious punch of the Dr. Luke productions of 2012, which made me wake up to Marina (Primadonna, How to Be a Heartbreaker). This is no knock either. The more minimal electronics and lush instrumentations, coupled with the vocal going front and centre, make for a contender for Album of the Year on first listen. If you can only get a quick listen in of the album for now, head for the last track “End of the Earth”.

VERDICT: The best thing to smash from Wales in 2019 so far, along with the Netflix comedy drama “Sex Education”. 8.5/10.