A big congrats to a-ha this week!

This week sees their triumphant return to the UK Top 10, as their new single "Analogue (All I Want)" bows at #10!
This is their first time in the UK Top 10 since 1988's "Stay On These Roads" reached #5, and gives them their 9th Top 10 hit there in total.



Following a month of vigorous promotion in the UK, their hard work has paid off! Band member Magne Furuholmen had previously said it's due to bad promotion by their previous record company that they were largely overlooked in the UK with their last two (brilliant) albums, and he seems to have proven his point!
Thanks to their new record label Universal's vigorous promotion of their new single and album, they find themselves back in the higher reaches of the charts where they belong!

We've reached the TOP! So without further adue, our NUMBER 1 is:



SHANIA TWAIN's 1998 album "COME ON OVER"!
Having teamed up with South African hubby and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, AC/DC), Shania first brought out the landmark 1995 album (her second) "The Woman In Me" - which showcased a catchy new kind of Country music wearing a denim jacket and a belly button!

The magic of their joint powers came to its full realisation however with "Come On Over" - the "international version" which was "remixed" to give the country sound more of a rock/pop "crossover" sound. And cross over it did! The album became the 6th biggest-selling album in history, and the biggest-selling album ever by a female artist! (over 33 million worldwide).

It delivered several BIG hits, the beautiful ballads "You're Still The One", "From This Moment On" and "You've Got A Way" (from the "Notting Hill" Soundtrack), plus the up-tempo dance-able floorfillers "That Don't Impress Me Much", "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!", "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" and "Honey, I'm Home"...

Shania has a knack for not taking life too seriously, which comes across in her music. This is the album I've undoubtedly listened to most in my life, one of those rare gems you can listen to from start to finish and enjoy every second of it (through all 16 songs!)... THAT's why it's NUMBER ONE...

At NUMBER 2 on the Countdown:



The voice of voices... the ORIGINAL "Power Of Love"... JENNIFER RUSH! Her self-titled debut album is simply one of the best pop-masterpieces ever created. Every single song on this album is an example of true pop perfection!
This album has POWER... and she delivers every song with a confidence seldom found in a voice or an album.
It delivered of course the CLASSIC hits "Ring Of Ice" and "Power Of Love" (the latter which topped the charts in several countries), and further hit singles such as "Madonna's Eyes", "25 Lovers" and "Into My Dreams".

As mentioned before, Jennifer blessed us with several more landmark albums (especially 1987's "Heart Over Mind" and the 1992 self-titled one STANDS OUT!), but THIS is the one which has changed the face of music as we know it... this gives POP a good name!!

Can't wait to see the final....

At NUMBER 3:



A-HA's "SCOUNDREL DAYS". They had conquered the world in 1985 with their debut album "Hunting High & Low", and the chart-toppers "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines On TV", and they followed it up in 1986 with this, their second album.
"Scoundrel Days" offered a rockier sound, and it proved a-ha were not to be a one-hit-wonder, but a talent going from strength to strength. The album kicks off with the POWERFUL title track - showcasing Morten Harket's amazing vocals, and goes into 2nd track "The Swing Of Things", which although it never made it to a single, is to this day considered to be one of a-ha's classic tracks - both by the band and fans alike.
Next is the first single "I've Been Losing You" - the catchy rock-outtake which gave them another international Top 10 hit. Two more singles were released from the album - "Cry Wolf" and "Manhattan Skyline" - both becoming big hits and staples of their career. This album proved a consistency in great, catchy songs, and although they have a very impressive catalogue of quality albums, in my book this still stands out as the best one they've done!