I have a very large collection of CDs and DVDs but as time passes I am finding it more and more difficult to source any music that appeals to me. I was reviewing my collection towards the end of last month and was surprised to discover that practically every CD I purchased during 2000 was by a female artist or band (Sade, Jill Jones, Sugababes, PJ Harvey, Sonique, etc.) or a band fronted by a female such as Garbage or Texas.

This trend away from male bands must be a reaction against the dominance of Irish and UK charts by Irish boy bands such as Westlife and Boyzone. The Spice Girls are on their last legs and All Saints have never achieved their true potential.

Fortunately with the arrival of the Sugababes and Samantha Mumba there is at last some light at the end of the tunnel (of course this light might be nothing more than another tunnel).

When I first saw the posters around Dublin, I thought to myself that the idea of launching an Afro Celt R&B singer as the next best thing since slice pan was nothing more than a cynical marketing gimmick especially as Samantha was managed by Louis Walsh (he also manages Boyzone and Westlife) but as soon as I heard her voice I changed my mine. While I did not really like her debut single I knew that it was going be very successful it the UK but I was surprised by the fact that she was successful in the USA (a bit like exporting coals to Newcastle ... not sure if American readers will understand this expression!). I now believe that the US might be her real market.

So what is my opinion of her second single "Body II Body"? It is much better than the first even though it could be considered to be almost nothing more than a cover version of a Bowie original, but it's a lot more than that and there are some very interesting lyrics such as "Bio-Rhythms are jumping", "Circulation's pumping" and "Picking up that boy tonight, ain't gonna put him down `til it feels alright" (not exactly traditional Irish lyrics). The promotional video is also pretty good ... she is nice to look at and she has some good dance moves.

By the way Samantha is from Drumcondra on the North Side of Dublin which means that she could not be described as "a British teen urban-pop diva" (see editorial review) ... this is a bit like describing Celine Dion as a New Yorker!

Watch out for Samantha Mumba and the Sugababes (from London) during 2001 as both are likely to have an impact on the US music scene.