Slick Nick: “Never Enough” by Nick Hagelin @nickisthetruth feat. Max Stisser in a @DoctorWig production

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NICK HAGELIN featuring MAX STISSER, “Never Enough”

After dropping a self-titled EP earlier this year of previously unreleased songs, Atlanta-based pop/soul singer/dancer Nick Hagelin is back working with Doctor Wig again with some slick contemporary sounds happening on “Never Enough”.  It’s almost like this song picks up where Nick was supposed to go with “Ex-Games” (from his album City Lights).  So it’s great to hear some fresh inspiration in a song that could easily fit beside songs by Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, or Drake in a mix.  What I often find in Nick’s songs (which I’ve written about many times over the last several years), even if in the background, is that slight and soulful falsetto that helps pull out a romantic side in even a darker song like this.  Max Stisser’s rap is well done and fits like a glove.  I think a Nick Hagelin album with Doctor Wig at the helm is what’s in order.  Watch the eye-catching video below.

BILLCS Top 30 #458 – June 1, 2015

The slow rise of some songs and sharp drops of others continue thanks to the bevy of great music out there!  But other songs make great gains as they become some of my favourites this year.

The Top 10

  • “Chasing Stars” by Corey Niles & Alex Lacasse has a solid grip on #1 for a second appearance at the top, but with River Tiber’s “No Talk” advancing 3-2 and “No Words” by Erik Hassle rising 6-3 – it’s getting pretty hot up top!

  • As his new single “Girl From Sweden” is released, Eric Saade’s “Sting” continues to climb my chart, rising 5-4.

  • Australia’s Parralox has its second Top 5 placing on my chart with the 80’s fan fest “Aeronaut”, moving up 9-5.  Dig all of that Paris scenery in the video too!

  • There’s no stopping CHIC reviving its classic feel-good 70’s disco sound on “I’ll Be There”, which is also now a Top 5 Billboard Dance Club hit.  It rises 12-6.

  • Years & Years is making some of 2015’s most recognizable music.  As former #1 “King” is about to leave the chart in its 10th appearance, now at #10, previous single “Desire” climbs 10-7.  And there’s more Years & Years to come…

  • With Jully Black just about appearing everywhere in Canada as fierce and proud as ever in 2015, plus being a Pan-Am Games ambassador in Toronto, it’s no wonder that she has her first Top Tenner on my chart since “Seven Day Fool” in 2007.  That’s “Fever”, from her upcoming album, climbing 11-8.

  • New Jersey’s Charlie Puth is better known as the vocalist on “See You Again” (at #16), but he and Meghan Trainor have concocted a delightful bit of R&B-oriented sock hop pop with “Marvin Gaye” leaping into the Top 10 17-9.

Movin’ On Up

  •  Five years after his debut solo album, Brandon Flowers has done it again with the first single from The Desired Effect called “Can’t Deny My Love”.  It’s the fastest riser on the chart, vaulting 20-11, and about to join the three songs that made the Top 10 from Flamingo, including #1 “Crossfire”.

  • After their rollicking and extremely fun concert almost two weeks ago, Matt & Kim’s “Hey Now” from their latest album New Glow jumps 22-17.

  • Their latest EP Roads has been released in the UK, but here in North America we have a single for UK quartet Lawson’s title song.  “Roads” moves up 21-18.

  • All three of the last chart’s debuts make short work of the chart and follow each other in succession.  So we have “Ghost Town” by Adam Lambert (26-19), “Déjà Vu” by Giorgio Moroder featuring Sia (27-20), and “What It’s All About” by Smashing Satellites (28-21, below) all about to take off.

Debuting

  • More Years & Years??  Yes, please!!  And it’s kind of an unintended companion song to Erik Hassle’s “No Words” above, they have a very similar song structure and melody at times (play them one after another!).  “Shine” (at the top) appears on the trio’s upcoming Communion album and bows at #25.
  • I was really rooting for the incredible vocal performance by Bojana Stamenov to make her country Serbia’s entry to Eurovision 2015, “Beauty Never Lies”, the winner.  Alas the winner ended up being the also worthy “Heroes” by Måns Zelmerlöw, but nonetheless the song has opened the doors worldwide for the talented Bojana.  “Beauty Never Lies” arrives at #27.

  • It’s hard to believe that Maroon 5 has not appeared on my chart since 2011’s “Moves Like Jagger” but their latest single “This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like A Motherfucker” is so irresistible in so many ways… and as atypical a song for the band as were some of those within their debut Songs About Jane 12 years ago!  “This Summer’s Gonna Hurt” is their 11th chart appearance and premieres at #30.

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 🙂

 

 

@BrandynBurnette gets tough with “Stand Down (2150 AD)” featuring sister LaRaisha (@RaiDiEvelyn)

https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/stand-down-ft-laraisha

BRANDYN BURNETTE featuring LaRAISHA, “Stand Down (2150 AD)”

And these one-of-a-kind songs just keep coming from L.A.-based singer Brandyn Burnette.  This time Brandyn goes to the street into the future to get tough with the compelling and funk-edgy “Stand Down (2150 AD)”.   This one has all kinds of elements brewing – rock, R&B, hip hop – to help concoct a bleak view of the future where crime still prevails and it’s finally time for the shooting to stop.  Obviously inspired by recent current events, Brandyn also brings his sister LaRaisha into the mix and they harmonize just beautifully as the choir of two that sings the message.  There’s always a lot of passion that Brandyn brings into his music, so do give this one a listen.  Another tough choice – will it be on his upcoming album, amid so many great recent songs?  

Get lost on the dance floor with “Sensation” by @AntonioGiacca

ANTONIO GIACCA, “Sensation”

Italian producer/DJ by-way-of-the-U.S. Antonio Giacca landed on my chart earlier this year with the pop/dancetastic “Ignited”, which peaked at #6.  The prolific Antonio has certainly grabbed my attention with “Sensation”, which is essentially an instrumental with some soulful vocals which almost sound like they were from the 80’s Loleatta Holloway heyday.  It’s a unique, standout highly percussive-sounding track that’s accompanied by a real odd duck of a video that you’ll need to watch about three times before it makes sense, if that at all is the intention.  It reminds me in some ways of Martin Scorcese’s 80’s movie “After Hours” (one of my faves).  But I digress!  Regardless, dance club DJ’s will revel in this one and definitely anyone who’s interested in a truly modern sounding progressive house track will have a blast with it.  “Sensation” is available to buy on iTunes.

The funky side of @SmashSatellites arrives with “Us”

SMASHING SATELLITES, “Us”

While I’m still digging the anthemic, feel good “What It’s All About”, Canadian rock band Smashing Satellites have given us another taste of what’s to come in their full album Sonic Aluzion with “Us”.  And unless you happened to see them perform it in concert like I did, “Us” is going to come as a surprise after the intensely emotional “Waterfall” and alt.rock of “Hounds”.  “Us” is pretty much  a crunchy and funky pop/disco whirlwind – and who should know better than someone like me who lived through the era 😛 – which shows a band whose stylistic borders are not at all limited.  Sneer if you will, but memorable songs like “Us” grab audiences and make them react.  And lead singer Salvatore Costa’s vocal gets not only the groove on but rocks out at the same time.  You can pick up “Us” in advance of Sonic Aluzion’s release right now on iTunes.

Smile :) @Mike_tompkins gets acappella with @TheMuppets and goes 360 with “Lost In Paris”

MIKE TOMPKINS & THE MUPPETS, “Cool Kids”

MIKE TOMPKINS, “Lost In Paris”

If you’re heading into the weekend after a long busy week like me, then turn to sounds-master Mike Tompkins and be guaranteed some smiles.  

First up there’s his cover of Echosmith’s surprise hit from last year “Cool Kids” (ab0ve) with none other than The Muppets!  And who are always so uncool that they are cool but The Muppets!  Can’t wait for their new TV show this Fall.  Mike did a great job with combining all of the unique Muppets’ voices into a song that will make anyone from any age group feel good.

Then Mike takes us on a journey in a bar/cafe – a 360 degree journey – with “Lost In Paris” (below), a funky little number that will have you grooving while you’re spinning up, down and all around the room with many different Mikes along the way.  

For someone who’s always cool and down with new ideas and sounds, it’s my fellow Canadian, Mike 🙂

Wicked, baby: “Guilty As Sin” by Toronto’s @DanTalevski

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DAN TALEVSKI, “Guilty As Sin”

A few weeks ago, I happened to walk by Dan Talevski a few times at a party and had no idea who the 28 year old was, but he was certainly being introduced to a lot of industry folks.  But like me, the rest of Canada and hopefully the world should soon know all thanks to his new single and video “Guilty As Sin”, which has been picking up steam at radio.  For someone who began on You Tube in its early days, and then was almost spewed out of the business by the Hollywood hit-making machine that engulfs entire lives, Dan came back to national attention after opening for Backstreet Boys in concert.  But unlike that band’s safe and clean approach, “Guilty As Sin” (co-written by fellow Canadians RyanDan!) wastes no time in taking you to a dark, sensual, and sexy place as led by a soulful voice that sounds at times not unlike Olly Alexander from Years & Years (double bill when they come to town, please?).  The video is perfect for clubs, and as cleaned up for radio, “Guilty As Sin” is a key song to listen for this summer.  It’s now available on iTunes.

A Dancer on a mission: “Criminal Love” by @CarlManmusic

CARL MAN, “Criminal Love”

After travelling around the world for the better part of the year, I was anxious to hear what would be next for UK singer/dancer Carl Man.  For it was last year, that Carl’s voice graced two of my favourite 2014 songs:  “Music Gods” by German DJ/producer Davis Redfield and particularly the fairly obscure “Electrify The Night” by Houserockerz with Davis Redfield (refresh your memory below).

“Criminal Love” thank goodness is from the same lyrical genius (that is 2014 Eurovision winner Charlie Mason) as those songs, and Carl’s fine voice is once again in comfortable pop-leaning EDM territory.  The video has obvious “Beat It” inspiration and many fine dance moves; alas I think a few different scenarios proved to be a bit much and the results seem a bit choppy, though the story is consistent.  Nonetheless Carl’s on-camera presence draws you in, thanks to a fine song.  Watch and listen above.

Sing, sing, sing, yeah “Sing It All Back” from @Jeronimomusic with @JabranDeMoore

JERONIMO and JABRAN DEMOORE, “Sing It All Back”

Over the last few years, I’ve written a few pages about the diverse talents of Dutch singer Jeronimo, who topped my personal chart near this time in 2012 with the jaunty “One Kiss”.  He can move seamlessly from a touching ballad to a teen-oriented duet cover of Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando” to a novelty song in Dutch like “Denk Denk Denk”.  This time he teams up with fellow Nederlander singer/MC Jabran DeMoore for “Sing It All Back”, which manages to capture all fine elements of a pop song before it shifts into arpeggio-laden EDM mode.  “Sing It All Back” catches you by surprise with its energy and good nature.  But if I were a club DJ I’d want a few remixes to bring out the Tiesto/Zedd flavour.  “Sing It All Back” is available worldwide on iTunes.  Watch the lyric video above (there are also several live performance videos on You Tube from Jeronimo’s concerts in his homeland).

It’ll get inside your head: The video for @CobiMike’s “Walking Through The Fire”

COBI MIKE, “Walking Through The Fire” (video)

It was about exactly a month ago that I brought to your attention “Walking Through The Fire” from ex-Gentlemen Hall vocalist Cobi Mike (full name – not surprisingly – Jacob Michael).  It’s resurfaced again in these pages because of its recent compelling video whose intent is to get inside your head and make you find yourself when you need yourself the most.  I’ll get this out of the way right from the beginning:  the singer is naked in a desert throughout the video.  For those of you who haven’t stopped breathing, or perhaps need to recompose yourselves before proceeding, you’ll find that the video is a very well-directed, smart story.  Here, the protagonist almost gets drowned by an ex-love, almost gets beaten-to-death by a former rival, and then has to think his way through difficult times as if he’s winning an important game.  Then what’s in the box… is to be continued (and I’m not giving away the ending by saying that).  “Walking Through The Fire” has grown on me greatly over the last month, so do yourself a favour and pick it up on iTunes.