As the music business winds down for the rest of the year, my regular blog posts will also be wrapping up next week, but will be followed by my Top 93 of 2023 and a concurrent Top 30 of 2023 radio special, which will air on select online radio stations. More about that to follow in the coming weeks! In the meantime, among my six selections this week in the Report, there are two new Christmas songs for your holiday playlists and celebrations.
Among the features in the Report, you can check out my pick of the week, along with one from the host of online radio’s “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus “Modern Hype” online radio host Hunter Wilbur’s “Bop of the Week”. “The Musicman” James Rogers from online radio’s “3D Variety Show” has his Classic Five pop hits which focus on harder and more progressive well-known songs from the 70’s. And you’ll also find out what songs were in the Top 5 of the BILLCS Top 30, 5-10-15-20 years ago!
The BILLCS New Music Report is always a work-in-progress and I welcome your suggestions so feel free to contact me at through my social media links right here.
COBI, “Sugar Man”
L.A.-based singer, songwriter and producer Cobi is back with a new EP, from which comes the title track “Sugar Man”. He’s one of my most written-about performers this year because of the ongoing development of his own sound, as well as the sheer quality of his indie releases. It’s a bluesy guitar-laden, well-sung rocker shrouded in mystery about a benefactor called Sugar Man who doesn’t come through to follow up and help when it’s needed. The EP also features five tracks, two about which I’ve written, the ballad “Where We Belong” (currently charting on the BILLCS Top 30) and “Good Morning”. You can hear from all of the songs in the EP how invested Cobi is in his music, and your time spent with them will be rewarded with some new favourites.
THE KNOCKS, SOFI TUKKER, “One on One”
In the free-flowing world of dance music, performers can almost always return to their home base of collaborators, and thus we have the first collaboration in a few years from NYC production duo The Knocks and their one time protégés, Sofi Tukker (who I saw together in concert in 2016). “One on One” is classic house music with a heavy old school disco groove that could have easily fit on The Knocks’ album 55 (and that 2015-16 era will make its comeback, mark my words!). Sophie Hawley-Weld’s vocal has only gotten more assured over the years, as was clearly evident on 2022’s WET TENNIS album, and the production has a lot of nice robust layers that enhance how polished the song sounds overall. The Knocks and Sofi Tukker are all so good at their craft and “One on One” just makes it sounds easy, which should generate immediate appeal for both clubs and dance radio airplay.
BENJAMIN RUSSELL, ROB STUART, “Driving Hollow”
Toronto-based producer/songwriter Rob Stuart and Montreal producer/singer/songwriter Benjamin Russell have made the most of 2023 releasing several projects, and their new four song EP Brighter Light follows up their earlier collaboration, Something in F Minor. I was drawn to “Driving Hollow” and its big, bass-filled, progressive electronic sound, reminiscent of work by Peter Gabriel (“Sledgehammer” and “Digging in the Dirt”) and Mike Oldfield (“Five Miles Out”). The story in “Driving Hollow”, as sung vividly by Benjamin, seems to be in a futuristic sci-fi setting, where something foreboding is in store for us if we don’t watch how we’re driving, as we’re told in cryptic electronic messages by what might be a “Nineteen Eighty-Four”-like government official. It’s an absorbing if unresolved listen that uses driving as a metaphor for how we navigate relationships.
ERIC RIVERO, PuFFcorn, ROBBIE ROSEN, “Lost In Love”
“Lost In Love” is an early 2010’s throwback to the big room house sound of the day, reminiscent of early work by the likes of Alesso, Hardwell and Deadmau5. It’s brought to you by Chicago-born producer Eric Rivero, Taiwanese producer PuFFcorn, along with the prolific NYC singer/songwriter Robbie Rosen, currently riding up the BILLCS Top 30 with “Feels Like Us” (which is also Hunter Wilbur’s Bop of the Week, see below). It’s great to hear Robbie in this kind of a throwback setting, and the producers have created a tight, textbook flow for the song, whose euphoric melody, hand-in-hand with the positive theme of the lyrics, will keep listeners smiling and club goers dancing.
I don’t usually write about Christmas music, but you can feel free to add these two new ones to your favourite Christmas playlist.
MAX EHRICH, THAD BEATY, “All I Want Is You” (Big Sky remix)
A while back, I wrote about the recent affable hip hop/pop single by singer, actor and dancer Max Ehrich called “Backroads”. Although noted for his work years ago in TV soap opera “The Young & The Restless”, Max completed two film projects lately, “Southern Gospel” and for TV, “A Cowboy Christmas Romance”. “All I Want Is You” is the feature song for the latter film and veers away from the trendier sound of “Backroads” in favour of a country-flavoured, mostly acoustic ballad that this time shows off the natural timbre in Max’s affecting vocal. It’s a straight-forward, well-written song supported by veteran Nashville guitarist, producer and hitmaker Thad Beaty, who has worked mostly with Sugarland over the years but has appeared on stage with numerous A list stars.
NATHALIE MIRANDA, “Bring My Baby Back”
The absence of a loved one over the holidays, for one reason or another, can often be a let down, and Nathalie Miranda’s energetic plea to Santa Claus, “Bring My Baby Back”, is a breezy and uplifting request. A diminutive presence with a voice that packs a wallop, Nathalie hails from the UK and is of Greek Cypriot heritage. Her vocal in “Bring My Baby Back” reminds me of versatile 80’s performers Melissa Manchester or Vonda Shepard, and she has also recorded in Spanish (check out her recent single “Terremoto”). In the end we all hope our wishes like in “Bring My Baby Back” get granted which would make it a Merry Christmas indeed.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs more than 30 times/week on online radio stations around the world.
“Rock The Party” by WH0 will certainly be appropriate for a lot of New Year’s Eve celebrations!
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S PICK OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program and owner of online stations Radio GTA, Halton Hills Radio Online, & FM108.ca. You can hear my Retro Pick of the Week every week on the “Top 40 Timeline”.
UK alternative band Bad Sounds with “Beggin'”
HUNTER J. WILBUR’S BOP OF THE WEEK
Hunter J. Wilbur is the host of the online radio shows “Modern Hype” and “Addictive Energy” which can be heard on several online stations including Classic Hits Canada.
“Feels Like Us” is the new national Top 40 dance radio hit by Gt_ofice, ALWZ SNNY and Robbie Rosen
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show heard Tuesdays on Planet Radio Canada. The Classic Five is “pop music 101” of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song.
Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare
Jethro Tull – Bungle In The Jungle
Black Sabbath – Iron Man
Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water
Genesis – Ripples
THE BILLCS TOP 30 – 5-10-15-20…
The Top 5 songs from the BILLCS Top 30 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago…
2018
01 LOYAL Odesza
02 DJ’S GOTTA DANCE MORE A-Trak featuring Todd Terry
03 FIREWORKS Mercer
04 PHANTOM OF THE DANCE FLOOR Kiesza featuring Philippe Sly
05 CRAWL OUTTA LOVE (PatrickReza remix) Illenium featuring Annika Wells
2013
01 AN OPEN HEART Bright Light Bright Light
02 WHAT’S GOING ON Monsieur Adi featuring A*M*E
03 CAN’T HOLD BACK Anton Ewald
04 EASY Travis Garland
05 I HAVE A NAME Osvaldo Supino
2008
01 NEVER AGAIN The Midway State
02 RELAPSE Jesse McCartney
03 LET IT ROCK Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil’ Wayne
04 HOT MESS Sam Sparro
05 FROZEN Tami Chynn featuring Akon
2003
01 ROCK STAR (Jason Nevins remix) N*E*R*D
02 I FEEL LOVE Blue Man Group featuring Venus Hum
03 DEEPEST BLUE Deepest Blue
04 THE FORCE OF GRAVITY BT featuring JC Chasez
05 VIBRATE Rufus Wainwright
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