Samantha Jade’s “Shake That” B-Side Is An Absolute Gem: Listen To “Armour”

My favorite thing about CD singles — I missed the vinyl era — were B-sides. You know, the glorious scraps that labels used to pad out the disc. They were usually shitty (instrumentals, demos and dubs), but every now and then, you stumbled across an absolute gem. Kylie Minogue, in particular, had an odd habit of casually discarding her best material. Check out “Ocean Blue,” “Tightrope,” “Love Takes Over Me,” “Never Spoken” and “Good Like That” for starters.

Well, it looks like that great Aussie tradition continues with Samantha Jade. The X Factor Australia winner/original Step Up soundtrack queen returned this month with ruthlessly catchy Pitbull collab “Shake That” — but the B-side is even better. In fact, “Armour” is probably the best thing the 28-year-old has released since 2012 chart-topper “What You’ve Done To Me.”

A pretty synth-pop anthem with a killer hook and capable chorus, “Armour” feels like a more authentic fit than the rhythmic madness of “Shake That.” And if nothing else, it gives me hope that Sam’s forever-delayed debut LP Angel will be well worth the wait. You can order the physical single here (it’s not available on iTunes) or just listen below on repeat.

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