Various Artists - Pepsi Beats Of The Beautiful Game Album Review
It makes absolute logical sense for any company to want to be affiliated with the biggest events in the world, which the football World Cup unarguably is. But what to do when your biggest rival is a corporate partner of said tournament? In this case, the answer is a compilation record.
Whilst a couple of months may already have elapsed since the World Cup ended, this does afford us the ability to review this album using a host of clichés and tournament-inspired analogies. Santigold's 'Kicking Down Doors' signals the start of play with a pounding dub beat on a track that fails to take off. The arrival of a collaboration between Rita Ora and Calvin Harris - 'I Will Never Let You Down' - is like Spain making an appearance, but the resulting club number is as disappointing as the showing from the former champions. The decision to allow Janelle Monae to give Bowie's 'Heroes' an urban makeover gets a red card, but Don Omar adds the correct sort of bite to proceedings with a carnival-enthused 'Pura Vida'.
The second half begins with a substitution to the likeable quirky pop of 'Crescendo' by Jetta, before Kelly Rowland takes centre stage. Unfortunately, 'The Game' is a tuneless effort that falls well beneath the high standard of the output she has previously been involved with and leaves us needing a hero as we enter the latter stages of play. It would be too much now for the result of the album to be saved, but like a late consolation, it doesn't mean you can't put positives into the outcome. It isn't forthcoming though, with the remainder playing out a drab affair lacking impact and passion. Likening this to the England team's performance seems too obvious, but given the lack of expectation in the first instance, is actually quite appropriate.
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