Late last year you may have witnessed Connecticut-born 24 year old Witt Lowry’s arrival on the hip hop scene with nice chart numbers for his debut release Dreaming With Our Eyes Open. Hot on the heels of that album comes something completely new for your attention called “Around Your Heart”. It’s an intensely genuine song which will immediately call to mind some of Eminem’s best earlier songs. Witt has a similar delivery that can be just as fast and jammed pack with thoughts and emotions. “Around Your Heart” will certainly take a few listens before you can immerse yourself in Witt’s style. But what helps is the vocal arrangement. So many performers and producers are recognizing contrast as a focal point of their songs. Here the two different vocals totally bring that to the table and either accentuate the edginess of the song or bring it back down. It’s very well done indeed. Give a listen below. I’m hoping “Around Your Heart” will see some kind of official release.
San Diego producer/DJ Rad Cat (aka Christian Ariza) first came to my attention late last year with an unusual but memorable remix of Call Me Karizma’s “Euphoria”. “All I Do” is something totally different – a bright, swinging, swaying future bass instrumental which easily gets under your groove and lets you bounce, and then before you know it it’s finished and you want more! This is music for sunny days at the beach and shiny disco balls at night. I think “All I Do” could easily catch the ears of dance club noteworthies, so head over to Hype Machine and show it some love. Download it for free at the link above and bounce away!
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, aka Pet Shop Boys, have contributed significantly into how dance music is shaped today. And even while the lads’ music has been eminently listenable since their late 80s, early 90s heyday, they found an entirely new niche to trailblaze in 2013 with their album Electric, their first outside of Parlophone/EMI. From one of my favourite albums that year, their song “Vocal” was my #1 song of 2013. So PSB continue where they left off, teasing us with a mainly instrumental introduction to their upcoming album, appropriately titled Super. “Inner Sanctum” is one of those club powerhouses carried by lush, detailed synths and a somewhat disembodied vocal. But there’s no mistaking this as anything but Pet Shop Boys music. Watch out clubland for another dose of classic PSB dance music to come!
The great appeal about Minnesota native and hip hop performer Karizma is his ability to get inside common themes in the teen and young adult minds. “I’m Alive, but I’m Not Here” may seem on the surface like it’s just about being down and out, with a style that focuses less on hip hop this time and more on an acoustic Green Day-meets-Beck-meets-Blink 182 narrative, but it’s not. It’s also about not being alone with who and what you are, there is always someone else, and hey that person may be even worse off. Karizma is big on empathy and outreach, qualities that you don’t find in many performers these days, and they resonate with his audience of ‘losers’. Karizma’s album Loser arrives on Saturday January 30 so be sure to pick it up. Listen above to “I’m Alive, but I’m Not Here” as well as “u suck” and “Euphoria” (both of which I’ve recently written about).
When I write an initial blog post about a performer, it’s with every intent on sticking with him or her to see what’s next. As readers of this blog know, Little Rock native Clinton Washington’s recent single “Hearts Beat Loud” is one of my current favourites (it will forever be a companion song to Adele’s “Hello” for me). “Frozen” also looks to rank right up there too, featuring an equally remarkable vocal performance that makes it seem like Clinton has been performing songs like this well beyond his young years. “The Voice” Season 8 contestant not only has superlative range but the control in his voice that’s needed to bring a song back into perspective. “Frozen” glides by so easily, laden with emotion, that you cannot help but want more from Clinton Washington. The gracefully directed video brings out the stark feelings of loneliness and isolation without leaving you in a puddle on the floor. You can pick it up on iTunes as one of the songs on his recent album release called Clinton.
What impresses most about this INSTRUM deep house remix of “Gone”, the new single by L.A. singer/songwriter Monogem (aka Jen Hirsh), is how it seemlessly bridges genres without becoming a chaotic melting pot of ideas. The Brooklyn NY producer/DJ keeps the pop flavour on top of the mix, allowing the deep house rhythms to flourish and take over in a sometimes future-style sweep, and adding a hip hop undercurrent that keeps it fresh. The song itself is a pop earworm that shouldn’t be overlooked. Pick up the original version on iTunes; download the remix at the Soundcloud link above and follow INSTRUM on Spotify.
After Juno Award-nominated success with his album My Funny Valentine: The Chet Baker Songbook, which featured a number of duets, Canadian pop/jazz singer Matt Dusk is back in a full album of duets with Quebec singer Florence K called Matt & Florence: Quiet Nights, due February 12. From that album comes their cover of “Somethin’ Stupid”, a song popularized as a father-daughter duet in 1967 by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra, produced by Nancy’s guy Lee Hazelwood. But that song was written and originally performed by a couple, and the other well known version is the UK 2001 #1 by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman. Matt and Florence put a jazzy bounce into their rendition with an effortless, breezy set of vocals. It’s complimented by a lovely slice-of-life video that captures a lot of carefree, affectionate moments that we all have sometimes. And it’s even more appealing to hear the lyrics sung alternately in English and French, giving it a prelude-to-romance vibe that only the French language can do. The only thing better would be hearing Matt and Florence sing it in concert! 🙂
There is no shortage of great music out there right now, all you have to do is find it! I’m actually having trouble ranking 30 songs every two weeks, I have so many new favourites that are challenging recent ones. In addition, songs are literally flying on and off the chart, very few songs are lasting 10 appearances (20 weeks). And there are some that I’m enjoying that don’t even make the chart. So here’s the best of the best right now! 🙂
The Top 10
Brandyn Burnette’s emotional and steadfast “Nothing At All” from the Made Of Dreams EP (soon to be available on CD!) holds at #1. The singer has bowed out of the “American Idol” TV experience, choosing to carve out his own path. He also released a video for “Nothing At All” that seethes with thought and emotion, and is simply all Brandyn 🙂 “Lost” also holds at #2, while “Down” climbs to #18.
Mako’s “Smoke-Filled Room” continues to dominate the Dance Music Airplay charts in the US, while the duo released a new video with a story behind the song.
Bounding 13-5, and displacing his own “Ms Anonymous” (which tumbles to #19) is MAX (Schneider) featuring UK rapper Lil Uzi Vert on the very Prince-worthy “Wrong” from the EP of the same name. #1 contender? There’s lots of competition!
A song that has endured on the chart is Clinton Washington’s “Hearts Beat Loud” which inches up to #6. Clinton has recently released a new single called “Frozen” and I’ll be following up on that.
It was a pleasure to meet and chat with the duo Sofi Tukker at The Knocks show on Friday night when vocalist/guitarist Sophie and vocalist/keyboardist Tucker were the opening act. Highlights of the set which won over their Toronto audience were their singles “Matadora” and “Drinkee”, which climbs 9-7.
I’m so pleased that “All I Ask” by Adele is the singer’s latest single from the 25 album. It’s the other song on that album that sends shivers up my spine (in a good way of course). A #1 contender? We’ll see in the coming weeks. For now, it rises 17-8 and ties as the Fastest Riser on the chart. “When We Were Young” is also #23 this week.
Keeping dance music fresh but with a 90’s vibe is the one and only Rozalla, with DJ/producers House Of Virus, on “The Shadows Of The Moon”, which climbs 11-9.
Tying for the Fastest Riser on the chart, vaulting 19-10, to no surprise, is the redux of Simon Curtis’ “8bit Heart”, the original of which was in my Top 10 about 5 1/2 years ago. I’m so pleased that the songs from the 8bit Heart mixtape get a second go round, as you’ll see further down.
Movin’ On Up
Amid all of the activity, the very short, energetic and fun song that is “Make A Mess” from Matt And Kim’s latest album New Glow continues to climb the chart, moving 14-12.
Toronto singer Kendal Thompson recently released a soulful 90’s retro EP called One and the zinger on the record to me is “Secret”, which climbs 16-13. The singer plays the Toronto bar No One Writes To The Colonel on Thursday January 28. Listen to “Secret” by clicking here.
Molly Moore’s gorgeously dark and thoughtful “Blood. Sweat. Tears.” is from her recent EP Shadow Of The Sun and climbs 20-16 for the L.A.-based singer/songwriter. Watch her duet with beau Brandyn Burnette above.
It’s really hard for me to determine which Troye Sivan song I like the most from Blue Neighbourhood, so they are back-to-back this time. “Talk Me Down” is leading at #20, while “Wild” climbs to #21. But so many good songs – “Fools”, “Heaven”, and “Suburbia” are all solid too.
In case you were wondering, I asked producer/DJ Elephante about the vocalist on his Billboard Top 20 Club Play hit “Age Of Innocence”. He says his name is Jovany and his vocal packs the punch to give it a similar vibe to Zedd’s “Clarity”. Also featuring Trouze and Damon Sharpe, “Age Of Innocence” moves up to #22 this week.
Premiering
The Knocks should by all rights soar into the pop charts with their excellent pairing with Wyclef Jean on “Kiss The Sky”. Regardless that I just saw them on Friday night, the song bows at a high #15, following the #3 “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)” with Matthew Koma. The songs from upcoming album 55 all sounded great. Put this one on your list to buy and you can pre-order it on iTunes, getting “Kiss The Sky” and “I Wish” in advance. Wyclef’s only previous appearance on my chart was with Shakira on “Hips Don’t Lie” (#9 back in 2006).
One of the songs on Super 8bit Heart that gets a powerful new arrangement is “Super Psycho Love”, which debuts at #24. I’m not labelling it as a redux because it never appeared on the chart before. I like it as much as the original, which says a lot! Props to Simon for having the songs reimagined to accompany his upcoming Boy Robot books. They will find an entirely new audience.
Welcome back to chartland, Craig David! Like DNCE’s “Cake By The Ocean” (#26) or The Knocks’ “Kiss The Sky”, Craig’s pairing with UK hip hop performer Big Narstie on “When The Bassline Drops” is sheer fun, and it bows at #27. Craig’s vocal chops and cool remain as vibrant as ever. It’s his 4th appearance on this chart, succeeding past Top Tenners “7 Days” (#4, 2001) and my absolute favourite by him “Can’t Be Messing ‘Round” (#2, 2002).
The Full Chart
Listen to the songs or watch the videos using the links on the pictures on the pretty and detailedweb edition of my chart. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂
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
You can hear me online onhttp://www.planetradio.caevery Monday at 9:00 pm EST counting down a Toronto Top 10 chart from yesteryear, and then again every Wednesday in a rebroadcast at 7:00 a.m. EST on WROCKhttp://www.wlor.net!
A R I Z ON A “Let Me Touch Your Fire” (Snøwmass remix)
I enjoy finding out about new songs through remixes. New Jersey trio A R I Z O N A has just signed to Atlantic Records and are off to a great start with “Let Me Touch Your Fire”. I call this one a ‘hit-in-waiting’ because it’s not the kind of song that will strike you as being perfect for radio, it sort of sneaks up on you! Songs like this create a slow burn at the start and then BOOM! Look at Mako’s “Smoke-Filled Room”, one of my favourites which I found out about through Elephante’s great remix, a Top 5 Dance Radio Airplay hit out of nowhere. “Let Me Touch Your Fire” has an 80’s flavour to it that reminds me of synth ballads like Mike + The Mechanics’ “Silent Running” or Cutting Crew’s “I’ve Been In Love Before”. And remixer Snøwmass is on a roll, taking “Let Me Touch Your Fire” into a chilled out future trap direction featuring a break that will make dancers glitter under the strobe lights. It’s a terrific remix to break up a busy set which will lead to some always welcome romance on the dance floor. Pick up the original on iTunes and download Snøwmass’ remix for free on Soundcloud above. And remember where you read about it if you hear it on the radio!
NYC singer Reigen previews upcoming new music with his unique take on Foreigner’s “I Want To Know What Love Is”. It’s a bold move, considering that this was a massive Grammy-nominated 1985 hit that’s much loved today. I probably appreciate the song more now than back then. Reigen, whose aching EDM ballad “Come Back To Me” was my #13 song of 2015, manages to keep the same wonder and fascination about love intact with his interpretation. But he takes away the big, almost over-the-top choral power of the original, and breaks the song into pieces, rendering a subtler vocal here, and a more emphatic one there. The arrangement poses many questions on first listen, so Reigen succeeds at making you listen a few more times to figure out how he’s restructured this classic. To me it works beautifully, though I think the casual listener in love with the original will probably not appreciate this kind of reimaging. Reigen is a versatile and creative talent whose music challenges you every time, which makes his upcoming project well worth the wait. You can buy “I Want To Know What Love Is” on iTunes.
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 
You must be logged in to post a comment.