By Kevin Dranoff

New Jersey (The Hollywood Times) 6/6/21 – Dua Lipa drops her new music video, “Love Again”, and of course it trends on youtube.  Her diehard fans are probably in their teens and are not going to view her new song and video as I would.  I immediately was annoyed at the fact that it was not going to be as good as some of her other songs that I’ve liked in the past.

I knew right away after hearing the sample from a song called “Your Woman”.  The song is by the British one-man band White Town. It was released in January 1997 as the lead single from the album Women in Technology. It features a muted trumpet line taken from “My Woman” by Al Bowlly which dates back to 1932.  The song peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.  To this day I always get into a better mood when I hear White Town’s “Your Woman”.  The difference from Al Bowlly to White Town is like night and day whereas Dua Lipa fails to do what “Break My Heart” or “Physical” has done for me in the past.  Those were records that I felt were mind-blowingly kool.

Dua Lipa is now 25 years old and has amassed a major following that has her working with all types of other commercial radio artists.  I just found there to be a lack of creativity in her sampling a song and then not making a better record out of it.  She has all sorts of connections, money, and power to make a more original and powerful record.  Even the video was boring compared to what I’ve seen from her.  I just found it more along the lines of the new Billie Eilish song which is also trending.  I also don’t like the song she dropped and to this day the only song I like by Billie Eilish is “Ocean Eyes”, and that’s because I heard it sampled by rapper OT the Real.  I must be getting old. I encourage you to look for yourself as I’ve left some youtube links to help you gain insight into my perspectives.

Dua Lipa – Love Again (Official Music Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC19kwABFwc

White Town – Your Woman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVL-zZnD3VU

Al Bowlly Lew Stone Monseigneur Band – My Woman 1932

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi7NdeGxRt0

Billie Eilish – Lost Cause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2dRcipMCpw

Billie Eilish – Ocean Eyes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viimfQi_pUw

OT The Real – Ocean Eyes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UHbE9EamNI

Dua Lipa – Physical

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HDEHj2yzew

Dua Lipa – Break My Heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2U6rhnucI&list=PLtyc8svuod354ctIie9ofVU2bBJCv5B7p