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‘Jungle’ love

July 1, 2009 0 Comments

Tonight, the seven remaining couples perform on So You Think You Can Dance. Though the show remains my very favorite reality competition, I still don’t have a favorite couple yet, and not a single guy or gal has made much of an impact. Even last week’s Mia Michaels routine was less than bootylicious, and I’m usually a big fan of her choreography.

Maybe tonight these talented hoofers will finally get to it and deliver the breakthrough performances we’ve all been anxiously awaiting. But one thing that hasn’t disappointed me—besides the always fabulously attired and ever-charming Cat Deeley, of course—is the music. There’s at least one track a week that has me reaching for my iPhone so I can Shazam that sucker.

Emiliana Torrini‘s “Jungle Drum” dates back to the SYTYCD tryouts, featured during one of the show’s “You’re through to Vegas!” montages. While Torrini’s 2005 debut, Fisherman’s Woman, was a snoozefest, er, subdued affair, “Jungle Drum,” taken from last year’s Me and Armini, finds Torrini in a much looser musical state of mind.

Here, she channels Björk (both singers are Icelandic) and her inner Nancy Sinatra to create a winning aural combination. Oh, and for much of the “Jungle Drum” video, Torrini sports a curious outfit that approximates either a pumpkin or an oversize safety vest. Not that it much matters, because her rhythm is gonna get you:

Emiliana Torrini Fun Fact #1: In 2002, she sang “Gollum’s Song,” the end theme to Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, pinch-hitting for a pregnant Björk. Fun Fact #2: Torrini co-wrote Kylie Minogue’s “Slow,” a #1 dance hit, as well as a second track, “Someday,” both of which appeared on Kylie’s 2003 album, Body Language.

Purchase Emiliana Torrini – “Jungle Drum” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.