Skip to content
The Niche Reference

The Niche Reference

A new name, inspired by all influences…

  • About Me (and the Blog)
  • Publications I’ve Written For

Category: Spotify

Pop Essays #32: Mark Owen, ‘Believe In The Boogie’

Feb 1, 2024Apr 26, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

He might not have grabbed as much public attention as his Take That bandmates, but Mark Owen proved the grooves of his solo material were worth delving into.

Pop Essays #31: Sinead Quinn, ‘I Can’t Break Down’

Jan 25, 2024Jul 18, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ 1 Comment

Sinead Quinn's self penned debut after finishing runner up on the first series of Fame Academy made a clear statement of intent.

Pop Essays #30: The Feeling feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, ‘Leave Me Out Of It’

Jan 18, 2024Apr 26, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Keeping it in the family, The Feeling and Sophie Ellis-Bextor teamed up in 2011 on a single that's been all but overlooked in their back catalogues.

Pop Essays #29: North & South, ‘Breathing’

Jan 11, 2024Apr 26, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ 1 Comment

The stars of the hit CBBC show No Sweat attempted to hit upon a wintertime smash as they slowed the pace down for their third single.

The Story of Pop: 1998 (Bonus Tracks)

Dec 21, 2023Jun 30, 2025 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

When I first started doing The Story of Pop posts on this here blog four years ago, save for a hiatus in 2021, I could never have imagined them being so popular as they became. It was also a good way to keep my own personal blog going as my career outside of it all … Continue reading The Story of Pop: 1998 (Bonus Tracks)

The Story of Pop: 1998 (Chapter 51)

Dec 21, 2023Mar 29, 2025 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

As 1998 drew to a close, the remaining quartet of the Spice Girls said goodbye to Ginger - and their imperial phase - with their third and final Christmas number one.

The Story of Pop: 1998 (Chapter 50)

Dec 14, 2023Mar 29, 2025 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

With the race for the 1998 Christmas number one under way, B*Witched threw their denim stetson into the ring - whilst also aiming for their third consecutive chart topper...

The Story of Pop: 1998 (Chapter 49)

Dec 7, 2023Mar 29, 2025 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

The unlikely combination of a Canadian rock god and a Sporty Spice proved to be one of the biggest hits for any of the solo Spice Girls...

The Story of Pop: 1998 (Chapter 48)

Nov 30, 2023Apr 27, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Successfully transitioning from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air to Hollywood superstar was cemented by Big Willie's crossover to music - and the top of the charts to boot...

The Story of Pop: 1998 (Chapter 47)

Nov 23, 2023Mar 29, 2025 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

From small acorns grew one of Europop's mightiest exponents of the late 90s - even if their debut started from a very different place to the one they ended up ruling the charts with...

Posts navigation

Older Posts
Newer posts

Recent Posts

  • Album Review: Olly Murs (@ollymurs) – “Knees Up”
  • Pop Essays #64: Girls Aloud, ‘Swinging London Town’
  • Pop Essays #63: Daniel Powter, ‘Free Loop’
  • Pop Essays #62: Nelly Furtado, ‘Powerless (Say What You Want)’
  • Pop Essays #61: Victoria Beckham, ‘I Wish’

Recent Comments

Matthew W's avatarMatthew W on Pop Essays #58: Mini Viva,…
Unknown's avatarPop Essays #64: Girl… on Girls Aloud’s “Wha…
Unknown's avatarPop Essays #64: Girl… on Pop Essays #48: Moonbaby,…
Terry Campuzano's avatarTerry Campuzano on Pop Essays #50: Diana Ross,…
Unknown's avatarPop Essays #61: Vict… on The Story of Pop: 2000 (Chapte…

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Create account
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Blog at WordPress.com.
The Niche Reference
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • The Niche Reference
    • Join 228 other subscribers.
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Niche Reference
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...