BBC Chartblog Review Young Soul Rebels "I Got Soul"

"Even before I put fingertip to keypad, the feeling of walking a tightrope starts to tingle and fizz in the back of my mind, and here's a quick checklist of reasons why:

'All These Things That I've Done' by the Killers is a great song.
This is a charity cover version, for charity.
It takes phenomenal liberties with the original song.
Most of the people who are singing (or rapping) do not make indie-type rock music.
And indeed, this is not indie-type rock music in any way.
This is a journey outside of The Safety Zone for hardcore indie-type rock fans, that's for sure.
It probably does not count as real music.
Or surreal music, despite Ironik reading his lines from his mobile while rapping.

Therefore, if one is to say that it's rubbish, it has to be rubbish in a way which transcends its charitable status, or you're mocking the noble cause that War Child supports. And if it's great, it has to be so great that it drowns out the tutting of Killers fans who object to someone rapping on one of the key musical experiences of their life.

The full list of contributors is as follows: Tinchy Stryder, Pixie Lott, N-Dubz, Frankmusik, Chipmunk, VV Brown, Ironik, Bashy, MPHO, McLean, Kid British, Egypt, Domino Go and the London Community Gospel Choir.

Most of them spend their time singing that "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" refrain in bits of the song where it did not originally appear. This, and the modern dance production, will probably be the bitterest pills for Johnny Rocksnob to swallow, once he's got those prickly rap thorns past his epiglottis."

Continue reading the review on the BBC Chartblog here