Battle of the pop divas

The pop princesses prepare for battle

By the BBC's Michael Osborn

If this pair were heavyweight boxers, they would be eyeing each other up for the next bone-busting bout.

But this coupling are both slim, delicate and elegant - not to mention two of the most famous women in British pop.

The fact that Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham are releasing their brand new singles on the very same day means that a tantalising duel for chart supremacy was always going to be on the cards.

Posh Spice, who is releasing her first fully-fledged solo effort, is the artist who has swallowed up the most column inches as the press stirred up a battle royale.

Her gruelling push to promote Not Such An Innocent Girl began in a blaze of publicity weeks ago, when the star sported a lip ring at a performance.

Posh has spoken of her rival in the warmest terms

And grab the headlines she did - but most of them condemned her body-piercing as unsafe. Then further agony was piled on when it turned out to be a painless fake.

Beckham's credibility as a performer also suffered when she dropped her microphone on stage at another gig - with the backing track revealing that she had not been singing live.

In the heady round of interviews that Posh has been piling up, she has spoken about her assumed rival in nothing but the warmest terms.

"I would not even imagine I would sell as many records as someone as great as her," gushed the final Spice Girl to make a solo bid for chart stardom.

Kylie, on the other hand, has been very quiet.

The Australian star is bidding for her astonishing 33rd hit single, and has a career stretching back 13 years. Chart battles are old hat to the singer, while she is quite a veteran of the fame game.

Kylie has opted for a throbbing dance tune

Posh has clearly made the most of being intensely famous to sell records, while Minogue has settled back and let her music do the talking.

The 33-year-old went down a storm at the V2001 festival and has declined an appearance at London's G.A.Y. club, considering that her credentials with gay music lovers are long-assured.

But finally, the music shall decide this much-vaunted battle, impelling people to go out and buy their favourite.

Kylie has opted for the less is more mantra - Can't Get You Out Of My Head is a sophisticated, throbbing dance tune with scant lyrics, which becomes unforgettable within a few plays.

Victoria Beckham's song is also polished, but has almost been worn away to nothing. Her voice is quite thin and over-processed and lacks the brooding intensity of her rival's effort.

Had this been by anyone other than Posh Spice, then it may well have disappeared without a trace.

At the end of the day, though, the public will decide which star makes the top.

Pre-release orders suggest that Beckham may have to make do with second best again. Although to adapt an old adage - it ain't over until both pop divas have sung.

Both singles are released on Monday 17 September