The summer sounds of dance music are starting to fill the air, judging from the recent releases I’ve heard over the past two weeks, as much of the world starts to recover from the pandemic. There’s nothing like feel good music to fit the current situation!
It’s going to take a particularly strong song to replace “No More Looking Back” by Idris Elba and Inner City featuring Steffanie Christi’an, now at the top of my chart for a third appearance (six weeks). This one checks off all of the boxes and is one of my favourites of 2021!
And making a big show to reclaim #1 is Los Angeles-based producer Mahalo, who soars 9-2 with the rollicking and infectious “Got That Love”. As you’ll recall, Mahalo’s “Not Watching Anymore” (now #23) was on top immediately before “No More Looking Back”.
Look who’s back in the Top 5 already! It didn’t take long for Victor Perry’s collaboration with Italy’s Lordnox on “Myself In You” (above) to match the #5 peak of his own recent “Stories” (now at #29). Ever-prolific, Victor’s latest, with Russian producer Eleven Fly and Portuguese producer No ExpressioN, is called “50/50”, which you can check out below.
Two songs move into the Top 10, and they are “Want You Always” (above) by Ireland indie artist Four Nights, which climbs 11-8, and “One And One” (below), the second duet by Australia’s Peter Wilson and England’s Sean Smith to reach the Top 10, a cover of the 1997 Robert Miles hit.
The Fastest Riser on the chart belongs to one of my faves, Jessie Ware, whose song “Please” gets a big liftoff moving up 25-11, from the “platinum” edition of her acclaimed album What’s Your Pleasure.
Season 12 winner of “The Voice”, Chris Blue, is on a roll with his current catchy slice of R&B/pop called “Moon”, which climbs 20-14.
The rest of the last chart’s debuts are all making good progress. “Heartbeat” (above) by Vancouver’s Glass Petals rises 24-18, while Australia’s Needs No Sleep and Jeremy Beamish move up 26-21 with their domestic club hit “Unnatural” (above), and the joyous “Better Day” (below) by Brits WH0 and Josh Barry with the esteemed Nile Rodgers is right behind, climbing 27-22.
The Highest Debut is the fifth advance single from Illenium’s upcoming album Fallen Embers (due July 16) called “Sideways”. It’s a hard electronic track to be sure and I’m confident will make its biggest impact in concert. It features Philadelphia-born vocalist Valerie Broussard, known for her work with Kygo and Galantis among others, and New Jersey-born producer Nurko, who gives the track much of its edge.
#25 belongs to the potent duo of Nessa Barrett and jxdn (pronounced “Jaden”) with the smashing and thoughtful alt.rock of “La Di Die”. Both performers aren’t even yet 20 and with the help of Blink 182’s Travis Barker have come up with this standout track that straddles pop and could yet be a crossover radio hit.
Toronto’s Crash Adams have their second chart entry with “Symphony” at #26. The good natured pop/rock of this Toronto duo is hard to resist, and I hope we’ll see their trademark red sofa making cameo appearances throughout the city this summer. Crash Adams first appeared on the chart last fall with “Too Hot To Touch” (#13).
The last of four new entries belongs to Greyson Chance, who continues to take risks with his new music from his upcoming album Trophies. “Hellboy” (#27) is guaranteed to put a smile on your face as Greyson shows his darker side while continuing to incorporate moods and lyrics that he wears on his sleeve. It’s his third entry on this chart within the last year, which started with the still-beautiful “Dancing Next To Me” (#2).
NEW!! Planet Radio Canada has returned to the interwebs with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers and his “3D Variety Show” each week for three hours of great music as well as a few features. Listen to my New Music Pick of the Week (usually featuring a song on the chart) in the second hour of the show. Tomorrow, the show will feature the music of Rick Nelson! Planet Radio Canada’s “3D Variety Show” is simulcast on http://www.classichits.ca and http://www.radiogta.ca from 6 to 9 pm EST.
The music from this chart and blog are also featured regularly on the online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings, also with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers, and listen for songs from the chart too 🙂Scroll down the station’s main page to listen to lots of variety from across the decades! I’m the new music consultant for the station so you can expect even more 🙂 You can start by joining Radio GTA’s new interactive Facebook group too!!
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify: BILLCS Top 30 Songs
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