AceShowbiz - Sir Elton John has taken aim at British pop acts including Girls Aloud and The Saturdays for lip-synching, insisting their music is devoid of "human soul". The Rocket Man has taken issue with the current crop of chart-toppers, branding girl groups Girls Aloud and The Saturdays virtually indistinguishable.

He tells Britain's The Word magazine, "(The music is) all awful. Frankly, they all sound the same. It's hard to tell Girls Aloud from The Saturdays. And then there's Cheryl Cole... It's all c**p. British pop music like that is the worst. It's just awful. It could have been made by anybody."

And Sir Elton is less than impressed with performers who don't sing live, adding "All lip-synchers should be shot. Only drag queens are allowed to lip-synch. The records I love are all about musicianship. When you put a bunch of musicians in a room together, there's human soul, there's magic in there. That's not happening now."

In another news, Elton John's concert promoters have settled a legal battle with bosses at a Scottish soccer club after their playing field was wrecked by a 2004 Rocket Man gig. Aberdeen Football Club owners filed a $54,000 lawsuit in 2009 after the turf at Pittodrie Stadium was ruined by leaked oil and heavy equipment used at Sir Elton's live show.

Chiefs at London-based Marshall Arts Limited, who promoted the sell-out show, have now ended the six-year tussle after both sides agreed to settle the matter out of court. Details of the deal have not been made public.