Previous Soundwave Battles have pitted rugby pair Luke Fitzgerald and Cian Healy up against each, as well as two members of The Coronas, in an entertainment.ie-curated Battle of the Tunes. Basically what that means is that our music editor scours through the Most Played sections of various users Soundwave profiles and determines who, in John's opinion, has the better taste in music.
This week's challenge sees Ireland and Leinster #8 Jamie Heaslip pitting his musical taste against none other than business magnate, and one of the world's wealthiest human beings, Mark Cuban. Because....well, why not?
Let's see how they got on:
JAMIE HEASLIP - IRELAND AND LEINSTER'S MAN MOUNTAIN
1. Jay Z & Kanye West - 'Why I Love You'
One of the lesser appreciated gems on Jay Z and Kanye West's 2011 collaboration 'Watch The Thrown'. While much of the focus from that release has been on the incredibly popular 'No Church In The Wild', 'Niggas In Paris' and 'Otis', we feel that 'Why I Love You' stands up there with anything else on the album. (8/10)
2. Usher - 'Superstar'
Usher lays his claim for the mantle of the King of Pop with this Michael Jackson-esque pop ballad. The song, from his smash-hit album Confessions, sees Usher show off his more croon-based approach (compared to the more standard RnB we'd been accustomed to) and the result was perhaps Usher's very own 'Thriller'. (7/10)
3. Mumford & Sons - 'Roll Away Your Stone'
After a dose of RnB in his first two selections, it's back to some good ol' banjo-folk in the form of Mumford & Sons for Jamie's next choice. A little too overwrought and overly-earnest for our tastes, I'm afraid. (5/10)
4. Jay Z - 'Tom Ford'
Jay Z's love letter to fashion designer Tom Ford is a bit, er, crap in our opinion. Jay Z's vocals grate, especially in comparison to the flow exhibited in 'Why I Love You' above. (4/10)
5. The Clash - 'Train In Vain'
Now we're talking! The third and final single from The Clash's classic London Calling album, 'Train In Vain' was initially thought to be hidden track on the record but in actuality it was recorded after the sleeve to London Calling had been designed and grew to become one of the record's best loved tracks. (8/10)
JAMIE HEASLIP'S FINAL SCORE - 32/50 (the exact same score as Cian Healy, incidentally)
MARK CUBAN - EXTREMELY RICH DUDE
1. Skrillex - 'Bangarang'
So Mark Cuban's most played song is by Skrillex? Seems about right for a guy who has appeared on WWE television, as well as a recurring role (as himself, of course) on Entourage. (7/10)
2. Chainz - ' We Own It'
Taken from the Fast & Furious soundtrack, the song is suitably high-octane but we think that our man Jamie Heaslip has some better hip-hop in his repertoire. (5/10)
3. Robin Thicke - 'Blurred Lines'
The only real contender that Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' has for the most popular song of 2013. This song propelled Robin Thicke from relative obscurity to the front pages of magazines the world over. Oh, and it also gave us *that* Miley Cyrus incident at the VMAs. This song will be remembered for a while. (7/10)
4. T-Pain - 'Church'
A fairly in-your-face vocal tour de force from Florida rapper T-Pain. It sounds sort of like what DMX might sound like nowadays if he wasn't, y'know, a bit crazy. (6/10)
5. A$AP Rocky - 'Wild for the Night'
Mark Cuban showing off his love for dubstep once more with this collaboration between A$AP Rocky and Skrillex. The video, shot in the Dominican Republic is an interesting one, especially for the hilariously awkward Skrillex throwing shapes. (6/10).
MARK CUBAN'S FINAL SCORE - 31/50
So there you have it! Leinster and Ireland's Jamie Heaslip emerges victorious in his one-on-one battle with Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Nicely done, Jamie, although we could do without the Mumford & Sons next time.
LEADERBOARD
1st - Danny O'Reilly (The Coronas) - 37
2nd - Graham Knox (The Coronas) - 36
= - Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster & Ireland Rugby) - 36
4th - Cian Healy (Leinster & Ireland Rugby) - 32
= - Jamie Heaslip (Leinster & Ireland Rugby) - 32
6th - Mark Cubam (Dallas Mavericks) - 31
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Photograph: INPHO/Billy Stickland
