James Poole - I Put A Spell On You

Hallowe'en has come and gone but this James Poole take on the Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic I Put A Spell On You will linger in the ethers like the most permanent of love potions or witchity curses. Not since Bette Midler camped the song up as Winifred the Witch in cult movie fave Hocus Pocus has a version been so eternally mesmerising and bewitching. James goes the opposite route to Ms Midler by searching out every opportunity to bring the magic of the track to the fore. He achieves this through the intricate placement of complex piano patterns that delicately teases the sparse percussive groove running alongside it - both combine to give an aura of a compelling spookiness, as if energy is being pulled from the very earth itself to create the spine tingling score. It's all brilliantly done yet feels very organic - the listener pulled further and deeper into the experience with each singular note. All this is essential to the song yet it's James' vocal performance that commands the elements, holding the melody of the song together with an assured singing that is entirely breathtaking. He's allowed the music to completely infuse his soul, let the lyrics take him over as he extrapolates this injection of mystical information to provide a truly electrifying vocal of epic proportions. At times James brings a touch of androgeny to his performance with searing high notes that make it feel like he's channeling the great Nina Simone - and to hypnotic effects. It's a further step in the demonstration that James Poole is not just a gifted singer but a talented artist with a creative ear for those subtle nuances within music composition that can breathe energy and tangible life into the final result. That last crescendo delivers all consuming power and knocks the listener off their feet by sheer force and will leaving them with a moment that they're not likely to forget. Bypass X Factor Fright Night and just conjure up this delicious trick that keeps on treating with each consecutive listen. Genuinely stunning.

Top 21 songs of the week:

21 ~ Taylor Swift, Shake It Off
20 ~ Auryn, Puppeteer
19 ~ Bleachers, Rollercoaster
18 ~ Satin Circus, Dreamgirl
17 ~ Jason Mraz, Hello You Beautiful Thing
16 ~ Mary Lambert, Secrets
15 ~ MAX, Darling
14 ~ GRL, Ugly Heart
13 ~ Erasure, Reason
12 ~ Bright Light x2, Lust for Life
11 ~ Betty Who, Glory Days
10 ~ Maroon 5, Animals
09 ~ Marit Larsen, I Don't Want To Talk About It
08 ~ Kylie, Kiss Me Once
07 ~ One Direction, Steal My Girl
06 ~ McBusted, Air Guitar
05 ~ Take That, These Days
04 ~ Olly Murs, Wrapped Up
03 ~ Auryn, Pillow Talk
02 ~ Walk The Moon, Shut Up And Dance
01 ~ Taylor Swift, Out of the Woods (1 week)