Cher Lloyd - Swagger Jagger

Like quite a lot of people, I feel in love with Cher Lloyd on the X Factor - she was something completely new for the competition, bringing a real gutsy influence to a show that was teetering on the brink of become tired out. With her love of  hip-hop, she was a breath of fresh air from the endless line of Mariah-wannabes.

And then, also like a lot of people, as the show finished, it began to dawn on us whether Cher could actually become a proper popstar. Multiple trips to America and a variety of colourful outfits and haircuts aside, all we had to judge her at this point was her Twitter feed - something that probably did more to undermine her than build her up. Full of angry outbursts at journalists, 'haterz', and seemingly everyone, it was quite the turn off for anyone who liked Cher because of the fantastic performances she had pulled out on the X Factor.

Can she win us back round with her debut single though? The jury's still out. I think, for me, the main problem is still the title. I visibly cringed when I first heard Cher's single was going to be called 'swagger jagger'. It felt like the single was trading off the gimmick of Cher's 'swagger'. And what made this all the worse is that she did actually have swagger. That force of personality and bluster - that's why we liked her. But naming your song after it, nah...

And now, finally, we get to hear the track. And on first listen, I wasn't wholeheartedly impressed. It's like some kind of bizarre Black Eyed Peas/Miley Cyrus mash-up. Now, we all know Cher is a big Will.i.am fan so perhaps that isn't the biggest surprise, but the worst moments of the track are precisely those that sound like a third-rate Black Eyed Peas pastiche; all cut and paste vocals and buzz-saw synths. It's a tired sound and comes across as incredibly forced. It also has massive annoyability-factor - you know, those frustratingly catchy songs you'll hear once on the radio and then have stuck in your head forever.

But that's not to say Swagger Jagger is all bad though. No, listening to it a few more times, there's definitely moments in there I warmed too. When Cher is in full-on Miley-mode, and the track errs more towards its pop side, it feels fun and far more attuned to the sense of fun we want Cher Lloyd to be about. It feels uplifting, energetic, and for a few short moments, the kind of track we always wanted her to deliver. But only for a few short moments.

You see, where Cher Lloyd, 'the popstar' is concerned, someone pretty much got in there first, and her name is Jessie J.

Six D - 2 Seconds

If you went to see The Saturdays on tour earlier this year, you'll have already experienced a taste of the Six D phenomenon.

Imagine a British Black Eyed Peas (Except with six member instead of four, hence, 'Six D') - twin that with the energy, youthful swagger and urban cred of N-Dubz and you're on your way to what the group represents.

New track 2 Seconds is a big, bold move forward for the band - on The Sats tour they delivered a succinct, club-ready brand of dance-pop, but 2 Seconds feels distinctly darker, more grimy, and with infinitely more space to showcase the group's talents to the full.

Spitting auto-tuned raps and reverb-heavy hand-claps, 2 Seconds comes on like the meeting place between late 80s Chicago house and the latest production trends in British rap. The track feels genuinely adventurous, with a confidence that spills out from the group's eagerness to impress. And it's an eagerness that is deeply catching - maybe it's the track's length, coming in at just a snip under three minutes, but there's a real rush here.

2 Seconds doesn't stop to let anyone to catch up; if you can't keep pace then you're left in the dust. This is a track that runs only on the 'sprint' setting, a turbo-charged shot that gets more and more addictive with every listen. Such is its potency that those moments immediately after the track finishes become filled with an almost irresistible twitch to play the track again.

It's undoubtable that 2 Seconds sees Six D upping the ante on every level. More mature, more slick, more knowing - this is the group truly hitting their stride, and these guys aren't the sort to give up the lead once they're there. Also, isn't it great to see another mixed boy/girl group in pop again! There aren't enough of them around these days.

2 Seconds is released as a double-A-side on the 24th July and can be pre-ordered from iTunes here.