Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

I just can't decide if the single of summer 2005 is Missy Elliott's Cybotron-jacking "Lose Control" or Pussycat Dolls' songs-by-burlesque-troops-have-no-right-whatsoever-to-be-this-good "Don't Cha" (the former featuring Ciara and Fatman Scoop, the latter cameo king (and how'd that happen, anyway?) Busta Rhymes). "Don't Cha" proves once and for all that if he wants, Cee-Lo Green (formerly of Goodie Mob) could be the next hot producer, with this song's sexy bump'n'grind beat and Cee-Lo's bananas backing vocals, like P-Funk beamed in from Mars. The dolls give good face whilst teasing you into a frenzy - like the best burlesque, come to think of it - with lyrics like "don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?" LaBelle would've given plenty for this track 30 years ago. 20 years ago, meanwhile, Cybotron's "Clear" was still rocking better dancefloors worldwide, even at 2 years old at that point. But no one could've imagined that it'd get morphed into what may be the hip-hop jam of the year in '05, as Missy uses it as the backbone to her latest dancefloor demand (which she produced her own damn self, by the way). Crunkstress of the year Ciara provides a fine vocal assist, while Fatman Scoop does his call-and-response thing and manages, somehow, not to annoy as much as he typically does. As they say across the pond (from the U.S., I mean), each of these does the justice.