The reality is, ‘Black Heart’ is a polished, streamlined, calculated attempt to get Stooshe a hit single. Most people will recognise this. The people who buy it will generally be teenage girls who are moved enough by the lyrics to quote them on their Facebook status, or else they’ll be obsessed enough with the (admittedly catchy) chorus that they have to listen to it on repeat until it gets annoying.
The song is basically a recycled Motown girl group melody, with a 21st century production sheen. Lyrically, it will make the nation’s ‘nice guys’ recoil in horror. “Daddy I’ve fallen for a monster”, they croon. Well, fair enough, girls have been singing about how they can’t resist ‘bad boys’ for decades. However, generally there is some other source of appeal – humour, self-confidence, nice hair, whatever… Here, it seems the girls are truly, deeply in love with this guy, purely because “he’s the best [they’ve] ever had”. Ladies and gentlemen, I am 85% sure they are referring to coitus. Now, there are lyrics in existence which are much more crass and aggravating. But not many of them come with a sweeter than honey melody and chart-friendly chorus. For some reason, I don’t believe the guy in question is really “scaring [them] to death”. Vapid stuff.
One thing I must say in their defence: they have talent. While they have been given this song – an homage to their ‘60s girl group influences – there is evidence they can sing live. They even have some stage presence and charisma. As Nicki Minaj’s recent T in the Park performance indicated, many artists are violating one of music’s fundamental laws of credibility: it is absolutely wrong to record or manipulate vocals in the studio, to the point where the artist can’t, or won’t, sing them live. Stooshe don’t seem to have this problem – their talent and image means they have endless possibilities. It’s a shame then that this is just a little reprehensible.
Alan Henderson
