Just when I think that 2015 can’t be loaded up with more fine singers and new music, and along comes Chicago-based singer/songwriter Lucien Dante with “Black Water” from his release Our Of We,available for free download right here (I am unable to embed the link). This is a young man who is able to marry real-life experiences, largely from living overseas in Germany, to his art, and is thus able to touch the listener profoundly. I still have to listen more to “Black Water” to figure out what it’s all about, but the strikingly subtle production, which becomes quite powerful towards the end, compliments the singer’s refreshingly shy-sexy-confident vocal that has the ability to draw you in and keep you there under musical lock and key. Think of him being somewhere between Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver, and Matthew Koma… what a unique artistic space to find him in! I will be delving more into the Our Of We release in the coming release and I expect to rave on further about Lucien Dante. Below is also the first song I heard from him, “Spark” (alsoavailable as a free download right here) which is in a different more EDM setting, but look past a sometimes busy production for the unique vocal performance. Lucien Dante is one-of-a-kind and you can’t say that about many singers in these contemporary days when so many fine voices pervade social media.
I don’t know much about new UK R&B/pop singer Etham but if the preview song from his upcoming Neo-Romance release, “Cold Love”, is any indication, he will not be a mystery for very long. You will notice the immediate similarity to the arrangement to The Weeknd’s “Earned It”. If that’s going to be a turn off, then stop right here. However it’s a pretty potent lead in to a vocal that can not only handle this kind of deep arrangement, but can rise above it and make the song its own! There is always room for another fine R&B/pop vocalist, and whether you enjoy Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd, Robin Thicke, Travis Garland, or Sam Smith, Etham’s “Cold Love” will not only fit into that mix but stand out on its own. You owe it to yourself to give “Cold Love” a careful listen above, and remember where you read about Etham 🙂
London, England music goers! Etham plays Birthdays in Dalston on Tuesday October 6.
“Change The Channel” is a 20 year old Toronto singer’s collaboration with Pharrell Williams from his recent self-titled EP available worldwide through Atlantic Records. I remember seeing Francesco perform this song in concert in the summer and I saw the heads turning in the audience by people who were wowed by the Prince falsetto and vibe of this song. It helps, like Prince, that Francesco is a wicked guitar player, and to me “Change The Channel” should be the next song you hear by him on radio. Pharrell definitely has a way with working with younger singers to bring out the best in their talents. Do not be surprised if the always busy Francesco amasses a huge following over the next year; I’m sure he will feature prominently at the 2016 Juno Awards in Canada 🙂 Watch the video for “Change The Channel” up top.
Francesco Yates performs on Saturday October 3 on the Cinemark Coke CineStage in The Woodlands part of Houston, Texas. Watch for him at several “WE DAY” throughout Canada.
It’s been about two and a half years since I last wrote about talented Max Schneider, who now goes exclusively by MAX. But with the always eloquent enthusiasm of major fan My Fizzy Pop, I couldn’t help but check out MAX’s latest EP Ms Anonymous. It’s a real corker, loaded with variety, which shows how much progress the singer/songwriter has made since 2013. Plus as you’ll see in his video for “Gibberish” (above), he has also joined the Nick Jonas School for the Buff and acquits himself well as a dancer 😉 While he continues to dazzle You Tubers with covers like Taylor Swift’s “Style”, MAX fuses R&B, hip hop, rock, and pop together quite adeptly. The production on these songs is first rate, and there is a notable set of guest stars – Sirah, Jared Evan, and Hoodie Allen – all of whom are positioned admirably in their respective songs. But what is best here? “Gibberish” (featuring Allen) has a beautifully choreographed and shot video but is reliant on a limited hook which might have a short life span. That’s why I would delve deeper into the upbeat title song (featuring Evan) or the beauty of a solo ballad that is “You’re Not That Girl” (below). Sirah is featured prominently on “Hotel Confidential” and adds to the playfulness of that song. All in all there is more to MAX than these songs would have you believe – catch him on a solo tour next month (he recently supported the likes of Fall Out Boy). Ms Anonymous is definitely designed to turn heads and fill your ears – and that it will do!
MAX plays Toronto at the Virgin Mobile Mod Club on Thursday, October 22, 2015.
THE KNOCKS & MATTHEW KOMA, “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)”
I’m loving the tropical flavoured vibe that is infusing some pop and EDM songs lately. The songwriters creating them seem to have found a natural fit for this style. “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)” by producers The Knocks with go-to-guy Matthew Koma on vocal captures it in a lazy hazy kind of L.A. beachfront way, using the “1989” superstar as point of reference for the girl of one’s dreams. This is a song that will go down even better after a few drinks in the sun, when it will become an immediate singalong! Remixes could also turn it into a dance club and rave favourite, since both The Knocks and Matthew Koma are already established in those arenas. Lay back and set your mind adrift and make your wish! 🙂
Sometimes it just takes a great fit between music, lyrics, and vocalist and voilà! a hit is born. There should be no question that the latest by veteran pop singer Nathalie Archangel, “A Higher High”, should swirl its way into dance clubs and become a national hit. That would be a fine achievement for the talented singer whose first releases were back in the 80’s. After a long hiatus, she released a couple of pop records along with some songs designed for dance clubs (such as 2011’s still glorious “Next To Me” from the Ballroom Remixed compilation). “A Higher High” is as sweeping and uplifting as the similarly R&B-flavoured Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” (mashup, please??), owing much to the talents of collaborators, her good friend Charlie Mason, and the amazing Crush Boys (Daniel Volpe and Thomas Lipp). Can’t wait to hear the remixes, many brought to us by the same kind folks that scored a Top 5 Billboard Dance Club Play hit with remixes of Rozalla’s first chart hit since 1994, “If You Say It Again”.
As I’ve already reported most enthusiastically in my posts about lead off songs (and my favourites) “No Talk” and “Let You Go”, you owe it to yourself to buy River Tiber’s 5 song EP When The Time Is Right. It’s a slickly done, smooth-sounding EP full of so much creativity that makes you constantly check yourself because you don’t know where the next song is headed. Multi-instrumentalist Tommy Paxton-Beesley has shifted directions from progressive rock-influenced pop/rock of earlier releases to what is essentially alt.soul full of hip hop blessings. The other songs within are the bass-laden “Waves”, “Lost”, and the thoughtful title song. River Tiber’s new sound has also brought Tommy’s excellent voice front and centre although he continues to use it often as an instrument in some of the songs too. When The Time Is Right is another gem from my city (Toronto) and one of the best records you will hear in 2015. Listen above and buy it on iTunes.
“Cake By The Ocean” by new quartet DNCE must have been brewing behind the scenes for a while but exploded seemingly out of the blue on to social media a few weeks ago, so I wanted to give it a bit of time to sink in before writing about it. I was a fan of songs from Joe Jonas’ 2011 solo album Fastlife – not the singles that were released from it but rather the deeper EDM/R&B-influenced songs like “Make You Mine” and “Not Right Now” which featured some excellent vocals that reinforced my opinion about the singer’s talents. So DNCE has allowed him once and for all to break free of the Jonas Brothers’ Disney-confined sound and life, much like brother Nick did with his solo album last year. “Cake By The Ocean”, with its slinky riffing, anthemic/shouty chorus, and some not-out-of-place swearing, kind of takes you to the Fastlife side of Joe (who is now 26 😮 ) that his solo album wanted to be. He’s helped out here by guitarist JinJoo Lee, bassist/keyboardist Cole Whittle (a familiar face to all of you Semi-Precious Weapons fans while that band is on legal-imposed hiatus), and Jack Lawless, once a drummer with the JoBros. It might be a battle for this to get attention at radio, but “Cake By The Ocean” should certainly be embraced by clubs especially if there are remixes coming. I definitely admire this new start for Joe and his band.
As I await UK quartet Lawson’s return to my city one of these days (I’ve seen them twice in concert), I’m pleased to say that the band continues its trademark stable of relatable songs along with a universal sound with “Love Is You”. You can get it as a free download from the band’s websitewith an email subscription. “Love Is You” previews their upcoming sophomore album, tentatively called Perspective. Neither incarnation of their debut Chapman Square was released on North American shores. The band are superstars in the UK, not so much the rest of the world. Given the broad appeal of recent single “Roads” as well as “Love Is You”, that could change by 2016. They opened recently in the U.S. for Aussies Sheppard, and are now off to that part of the world and Asia to support Robbie Williams on tour. Couldn’t happen to better guys 🙂
The top of the chart continues to be difficult to dislodge though that will likely change in October. For we have an impressive debut in the Top 10, and a fast riser from one of the last chart’s debuts. Two debuts are also album cuts where I dive deeper into the album hoping for additional singles 🙂
The Top 10
Uno, dos, tres, quatro… Y&Y, Brandyn, Nathan, and PP, once again all comfortably atop the chart.
I thoroughly enjoyed Years & Years in concert last week. They were able to pretty much replicate the songs from Communion, with “Shine” (my current #1), “Real”, “King”, “Memo”, and “Foundation” all standouts, plus a cover of Blu Cantrell’s 2003 UK #1 “Breathe”. Olly Alexander has a genuine and affecting stage presence that will take him far 🙂
A definite contender for the top of the chart is “Pain Told Love” by Tribe Society featuring Kiesza, which climbs 9-6. It definitely marks the transformation of the former pop/rock Gentlemen Hall into the darker and thoughtful alt.rock songs of Tribe Society.
It baffles me why this song isn’t being played in every club everywhere, but “The Other Boys” by NERVO featuring super-friends Kylie Minogue, Jake Shears, and Nile Rodgers, advances 11-8 from the dance production duo’s album Collateral.
Just can’t get enough of songs by The Weeknd right now. My fellow Torontonian is now at superstar heights, with three almost sold out dates in November at Toronto’s own Air Canada Centre. “Can’t Feel My Face” climbs 14-9.
Another Torontonian, Tommy Paxton-Beesley, definitely has created some of his best music for his brand new EP as River Tiber called When The Time Is Right. He’s shifting from progressive alt.rocker to an inventive mix of EDM, rock, soul, and hip hop. No more is that evident on the new River Tiber single “Let You Go” (up top), which bows at #10, following the #2 “No Talk” also included in When The Time Is Right. “Let You Go” is River Tiber’s 8th BILLCS Top 30 entry which includes two previous #1’s “Someday” and “The City”. Simply not to be missed – and a contender for #1 on my chart – get When The Time Is Right on iTunes! 🙂
And now for a bit of BILLCS chart geekery: “Let You Go” arrives in the Top 10 at the same time as “Let You Go” by The Chainsmokers & Great Good Fine OK is at #5. It’s the first time two different songs with the same title have been in the Top 10!
Movin’ on Up
After a wonderful set at his release party last week for his debut album Yesterday, Tyler Shaw makes no hesitation to weigh in as the Fastest Riser on the chart with “Dizzy” soaring 21-11.
While UK brother duo Disclosure continues to unveil new songs from their upcoming album Caracal, their partnership with Sam Smith continues to build with “Omen” rising 18-12.
NYC duo (a five piece band in concert though!) Great Good Fine OK are both Top 5 with The Chainsmokers on “Let You Go”, and Top 15 with their pairing with St. Lucia on “Something To Believe In” from the EP 2M2H. The busy and prolific GGFO premiered their new richly produced song “Take It Or Leave It” on Soundcloud last week (below).
I absolutely adore the mystery of a Jane Badler song! Her latest single from Opus, “Dead Eyes”, is dollied up in a well-matched remix from Eel Eye to put the mystery front and centre. “Dead Eyes” climbs 22-18.
Matthew Koma’s delightfully punkish stab at lovelife, “So F**kin’ Romantic”, moves up 24-19. The singer’s new album is finished, can’t wait to hear what’s been in the works now for so long.
The Rest of the Debuts
Three additional songs premiere on the chart.
Following up the sensual intrigue of “Guilty As Sin”, which peaked at #3, Toronto’s Dan Talevski continues his audio seduction with “My Religion”, which in turn is featured in another sexy video. Ain’t nuthin’ wrong with that! And the beautiful Spanish scenery makes a lovely backdrop. “My Religion” bows at #24.
“Wildstar” is a standout song from Giorgio Moroder’s album Déjà Vu featuring a charming vocal from Foxes that in some ways recalls Donna Summer in her heyday from my favourite album by her called I Remember Yesterday. So it’s a no brainer for my chart, whether or not it’s released as a single! “Wildstar” arrives at #25. It’s Foxes’ second appearance on the chart following 2013’s #2 “Clarity” with Zedd. “Wildstar” also follows Giorgio’s chart successes here with the title track featuring Sia peaking at #6, and “Right Here Right Now” with Kylie Minogue landing at #4.
There is no doubt that Adam Lambert’s The Original High is one of my most unexpected favourite albums of 2015 so far, with brilliant production nursing Adam’s wide-ranging voice to excellent effect. It’s so rich in songs yet I don’t see a whole lot of attention being paid to them other than of course “Ghost Town”, which should have done better as a lead off single. Nonetheless in my chart world that song peaked at #4, and “The Light” is a riveting EDM song that would make a perfect follow up! “The Light” debuts at #26.
You can hear me online onhttp://www.planetradio.ca every Monday at 10:15 pm EST counting down a Toronto Top 10 chart from yesteryear!
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