This week's singles

The Ordinary Boys may have lost a bit of credibility thanks to Preston’s Big Brother appearance but who cares when they’re releasing songs as consistently good as their last three singles. “Lonely At The Top.” (****) sees them go back to pilfering 80s ska after their dalliance with chav-rap on “9 to 5” and despite some rather dodgy self-pitying lyrics, it’s the only contender for the Single of the Week.

Rogue Traders Natalie Bassingthwaite may be quite the mesmerising performer, but she can’t save “Watching You” (**) from being a rather weak rehash of their last single. Girls Aloud did the whole “My Sharona” sound so much better.

James Morrison’s “Wonderful World” (**) is much better than his debut single but his acclaimed “soulful” voice sounds just a little too forced to be enjoyable. John Legend is much more the real thing but is let down by such a nothingess of a song on “Save Room” (**), and Meatloaf is the second person in three weeks to release a Celine Dion cover with “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” (**) an even more over-blown and theatrical version of the 1996 original.

The Pet Shop Boys last single “Minimal” was their best for quite some time but the melancholic balladry of “Numb” (**) leaves me a bit cold, despite most saying it’s the standout track from the Fundamental album. Lloyd Banks returns for more cliched hip-hop on “Hands Up” (*) and Coolio continues the recent trend of unlikely comebacks, returning from obscurity with the very dated “Gangsta Walk.” (*)