Alice Deejay 'Will I Ever'

Chart Peak: 7

YouTube

Alice Deejay, winner of the "Best Chart Act" gong at the Dancestar 2000 awards, release their latest single 'Will I Ever' on July 3rd... The band first pounded the UK charts with their infectious trance sound in 1999, with huge debut 'Better Off Alone' and collossal follow-up 'Back In My Life'.

I'm tempted to make a joke at this juncture suggesting that Alice Deejay's singer Judy Pronk should hook up with the actor Ken Stott, but I'm not sure anyone would get it.

Anyway, this was the third of the act's five Top 40 (indeed, Top 20) hits, but finds them with the typical pop-dance problem of diminishing returns, each single peaking lower than the one before. It is at least a form of dance that's easier to appreciate outside a club environment: indeed I don't know whether any cool DJ would have touched it with a bargepole, but at least there's a song there that schoolkids could sing along to. Not the peak of even their career but passable.


Also appearing on: Now 43, 44
Available on: Who Need Guitars Anyway?

Alice Deejay 'Back In My Life'

Chart Peak: 4

YouTube

A single that entered the chart the same week as Now 44 itself, so its inclusion here was clearly a prediction of success, and an accurate one at that.
Impressively, my wife actually recognised the voice of Judy Pronk when I played this track. In a way, she almost outdid me there because I might have struggled had I not known to start with. Rather like ATB a few tracks ago, this was the follow-up to a massive hit that had appeared on Now 43. And again, I remembered them having the hit, but nothing about the track itself. In all honesty, I probably tried not to hear it too much at the time but the fact remains that this sounds suspiciously like The Hit ('Better Off Alone' in this case) without the interesting bits. I can be generous enough to imagine that if you like this sort of music you might enjoy this one, but I've got to admit it doesn't do anything for me. The formula lasted them a few more hits though, and apparently Pronk is now a make-up artist.


Also appearing on: Now 43, 46
Available on: Who Needs Guitars Anyway?