Amerie - 'Gotta Work'
I thought mainstream pop music was excellent in the first part of the Noughties, 'Survivor', 'Toxic', 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head', 'Get Yr Freak On', etc. all made the guitar music I had played and listened to feel so redundant and boring. When I wasn't listening to and pretending to like Clicks & Cuts, Vol. 3, I was digging this. Unfortunately people had stopped making 7" singles then so I don't have an awful lot to show for it. This, however, is stunning… her vocal bounces Beyoncé out of the park, the backing vocals are lush and the whole thing has power and precision. I'm cheating because I have this on 12" (there is no 7"), but anyway, it's too BIG for a 7". Play this one at my funeral and ride my coffin like a bull.