@MattDusk is back in a duo bilingue with Montreal’s @Florence_K in “Somethin’ Stupid”

MATT DUSK & FLORENCE K, “Somethin’ Stupid”

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! 🙂

 

#BILLCSTop30 #475 – January 25, 2016

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 detailed web 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 on http://www.planetradio.ca every 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 WROCK http://www.wlor.net!

 

Hit-in-waiting “Let Me Touch Your Fire” by @Arizona_music gets a chilled out @Snowmassbeats remix!

https://soundcloud.com/snowmass/arizona-let-me-touch-your-fire-snowmass-remix

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!

Check out @Reigenmusic’s unique take on @Foreignermusic’s classic “I Want To Know What Love Is”

REIGEN, “I Want To Know What Love Is”

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.

ElectroPOP! @DaveAude & @AndyBell_info “True Original” and @Spraypopmusic & @KidKasio with “It’s Not Enough”

Is there a mini-revival going on am I just imagining it?  I’m talking about British electroPOP.  Granted performers from other countries also did well in this dance music genre, but no one did it like the Brits in the 80’s.  

DAVE AUDE featuring ANDY BELL, “True Original”

There are too many performers to mention, but electroPOP came along during the New Wave era, and stayed long past.  Erasure is one of the originators of this style, and the duo of Vince Clarke and Andy Bell came back big time last year with The Violet Flame album, yielding three Top 10 club hits with “Elevation”, “Reason”, and “Sacred”.  In a side partnership with the renown producer deluxe Dave Audé (who seemingly remixed just about everything in 2015) , Andy was the vocalist on Dave’s #1 club smash “Aftermath” as well.  And so this pair are back with pure, no-nonsense electroPOP with “True Original”, which has already vaulted into Billboard’s Top 25 Dance Club Play songs.  It’s a splendid, happy song for the mid-winter blahs and should quickly soar to the top of the dance club charts.  Like with “Aftermath”, Dave’s production has brought out the best in Andy’s voice as in Erasure’s halcyon days.  Though I’m not crazy about its video, “True Original” is slick, bouncing, beautiful, electroPOP bliss.

SPRAY + KID KASIO, “It’s Not Enough”

Although this other duo hasn’t been around as long as Erasure and haven’t had chart success like them or Dave Audé, the bold and prolific Spray – Jenny McLaren and Ricardo Autobahn, noted for songs such as “I Am Gothic”, “You Can Always Go Home” and even “Everything’s Better With Muppets” – can ride this electroPOP train with one of their best efforts to date called “It’s Not Enough”.  Featuring fellow Brit Kid Kasio, this partnership also sounds just fab together.  Great vocals, a powerhouse chorus, and enough high-end to leap out of the speakers make “It’s Not Enough” memorable enough to grab you by the feet and keep them glued to the dance floor.  Pick it up on iTunes.

 

Feel good and be yourself: “Love Me Lessons (Imma Be)” by @LucienDante (featuring Lu Reads)

The video for “Love Me Lessons (Imma Be)”has taken me by as much surprise as when I first heard Chicago singer/songwriter Lucien Dante’s “Black Water” some months ago.  The laid back, intriguing vibe of that song helped get it to #5 on the BILLCS Top 30, and I subsequently wrote a blog post about his album Our Of We.  

While I mentioned “Love Me Lessons (Imma Be)” as a highlight in that post, I really didn’t come back to the song much.  But the singer has nailed it with this video.  You won’t be able to help but smile after watching it, and if you know anyone who’s feeling down about themselves they should watch it too.  It’s messages are very simple.  You’ve gotta love yourself for who you are, and enjoy life and have fun because it’s contagious.  Just do it!!  

What’s even more impressive is that the singer directed the video and co-edited, and I must say his vision and the flow of the video work so very well.  Also, the hip hop flavour that Lu Reads gives to the song for some reason works a lot better in this visual context.  So I’ll definitely be revisiting “Love Me Lessons (Imma Be)” thanks to the insight that the video has created.  You can pick up the song as well as the Our Of We album on iTunes.  Lucien Dante is a multi-talent to watch!

It’s a sonic R&R blast from @SmashSatellites with “Gamblin’ Man”

After last year’s successful and diverse Sonic Aluzion release, Toronto quartet Smashing Satellites rock out harder with new single “Gamblin’ Man”.  If you’ve seen them in concert you know that this is where their heart is and this song is a signal for more great music to come.  Salvatore Costa and band have crafted a song that to me is so much of a throwback to the late 90’s – I’m thinking of bands like Days Of The New, Smashing Pumpkins, The Tea Party, and especially Moist.  There were many great popular rock songs that got replaced with faceless dance music.  “Gamblin’ Man” like many other Smashing Satellites songs has a great story and a vocal that shifts and plays along with the lyrics to make it an interesting tale.  Keep your ears peeled for more new Smashing Satellites songs!  Get it on iTunes 🙂

 

@TheKnocks are on a huge roll scoring with @Wyclef on “Kiss The Sky”

The Knocks’ upcoming album 55 and their concert this coming week in Toronto are looking to be pretty special if new single “Kiss The Sky” featuring none other than Wyclef Jean is any indication.  “Kiss The Sky” should by all rights be a massive pop hit, giving the wintery months for the western world a bright summery vibe.  While forever busy, Wyclef, the former Fugees member, has been MIA from the pop charts since “Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)”, which was in 2007, so this is a timely return.  The Knocks are one talented pair with great ears for both music and production.  If you loved “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)” (with Matthew Koma), then you will be over the moon for “Kiss The Sky”.  Pre-order 55 and get the song for free!

Who’s the loser now? @callmeKarizma gets his big diss on with “u suck”

karizma2

KARIZMA, “u suck”

Sometimes songs just leave you smiling long after they’re over, and that usually means there’s some staying power behind them.  Such is the case with “u suck” by Minnesota’s Karizma, whose music, as you may recall from an earlier post, I got acquainted with when he opened up for MAX (Schneider)’s show in Toronto.  Behind the self-deprecating, sincere, and humourous personality, Karizma has some wicked smart talent in concocting his songs.  Not only is there infectious, downright funny Eminem-styled patter in this big diss of a song, but there’s a heavy rock guitar backdrop, and most prominently of all there’s either a sample or an excerpt of a cover of a little song I know by Peggy Lee called “Why Don’t You Do Right”.  I haven’t heard that song in years and to hear some of it used in “u suck” is a special and clever case of contrast which works perfectly.  “u suck” comes from Karizma’s upcoming album called Loser.  In Karizma’s eyes we’re all losers and he wants to get to know you, too, loser!  Be sure to catch his show when it comes to your city.

Karizma plays The Garage, in Burnsville, MN for his Loser release party on Saturday January 30 – tickets are going fast!

Bounce to this, Portuguese-style: “Matadora” by @SofiTukker

SOFI TUKKER, “Matadora”

NYC duo Sofi Tukker, aka Sophie and Tucker, continue their fascination with Brazilian poetry with “Matadora”.  Like the addictive first single “Drinkee” (sitting pretty at #9 on the BILLCS Top 30), “Matadora” is sung entirely in Portuguese using poems by Chacal as its jump off point.  The result is a percussive toe-tapper which like “Drinkee” will yank people out of their seats and onto the dance floor.  They even use a rare string instrument called a charango to augment the unique sound of the song.  Sofi Tukker now have an EP on the way called Soft Animals.  Still can’t wait for the imminent dance craze.

Sofi Tukker opens for their label-meisters The Knocks in Toronto at the Mod Club on Friday, January 22 – see you there!