BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

BILLCS Top 30 #404 – May 6/13 – Mapping His Way to the Top Again!

This edition of my personal chart is full of ups and downs with only a handful of songs staying static.

That of course means a new #1 song. It’s very fitting that FrankMusik’s “Map” should grab the top spot (his third time, following “The Fear Inside” and “No ID”) with the imminent arrival of his album Between, and another of acoustic songs, Between Us. In a case of great timing, Vince posted his acoustic version of “Map” (below) on Soundcloud last night, and it’s a lot more raw and cutting (and I mean, ouch!) than the original version. The frenetic “Captain” also climbs to #4, and new single and video “Chasing Shadows” is on deck. There’s so much happening with FrankMusik that it seems absolutely crazy, but I’m happy to be along for the ride 🙂

You can view the full Top 30 using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so

This means that “Lifted by Kwik Fiks & Bongiovanni surrenders to second place after 3 charts (6 weeks) at #1. Gentlemen Hall’s “Sail Into The Sun” holds steady at #3 – I hear some radio stations are now playing it, probably wise since it’s been all over TV for the last two months! I can’t wait to hear more new music from the Boston sextet. Willy Moon’s highly contagious “My Girl” (video below) soars to #5, and thank goodness it’s available as a single here since Universal Canada has not got around to releasing the Here’s Willy Moon album…

The Top 10 got turned inside out, with James William’s “Lay Your Love On Me” and “The Way” by Ariana Grande & Mac Miller each advancing one position. They had to contend with the soon-to-be unstoppable force that is Travis Garland, whose stunning and direct blue-eyed soul ballad “Blue Electric Roses” is the fastest riser again, this time vaulting 18 to 6. And right behind is “Your Touch”, whose song and groove are embedded in my head now, courtesy of Blake Lewis, climbing 16-7. Then there’s also the irresistible dance fest that is “Outta My Mind” by young Dutch singer Matt Blue (video below), already advancing to #10 in its second appearance.

Also on the rise and likely headed for the Top 10 are “Pompeii” by UK sensations Bastille, Semi-Precious Weapons’ “Aviation High”, “One Night” by current travelling man Matthew Koma, “Heart Attack” by Demi Lovato (loving the remixes, video and remix below), plus huge movers “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk (27-16), “This Is What It Feels Like” by Armin van Buuren & Trevor Guthrie (25-18) which has become a massive radio hit in Canada, and the thoughtful ode about being stuck in a “9 2 5” (28-20) world by the new R&B singer with the amazing voice, Jarell Perry.

While “On My Way” by Charlie Brown and “Kiss My Lipstick Off” by Georgia Haege may seem stuck below #20, they will still likely move up in two weeks and attempt to hang around amid fierce competition, which includes three new entries, about which I’ve already written.

I love how DJ/producers like Eli Escobar are re-inventing Disco in the NuDisco format, deep house music mixed with old school disco, techno and trance at times. His collaboration with Jessica 6’s Nomi Ruiz is a stunner, and “Somebody To Love Me” arrives at #23. It appears on Eli’s EP Feel It.

Like Eli Escobar and Nomi Ruiz, the guys (Josh Ocean and Eric “Doc” Mendelsohn) who comprise NYC duo Ghost Beach seem to mesh the past with the present with ease. To think they were in town a couple of weeks ago, when I had just found out about the Penguin Prison remix of “Too Young”, which bows at #25. What makes this record are the vocals which remind me of late 70’s Joe Jackson meeting Justin Tranter of Semi-Precious Weapons about halfway. Listen below and pick up the remix as part of the duo’s EP Modern Tongues Remixed.

Lastly, it’s been a big week for Aussie duo Parralox and rising US singer Ryan Adamés and their wonderful team. Parralox’s John Von Ahlen has unleashed an eye-popping animated lyric video (below) for their rendition of Noel’s seminal 1987 freestyle classic “Silent Morning”. And as I wrote about earlier in the week, Cherrytree Records prez and Interscope Records VP Martin Kierszenbaum, aka Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, remixed the song to give it a punchier alternate identity (also below). In either version, the song is a huge grower and I hope that dance clubs fawn all over it in the coming months. It debuts on my chart at #26.

Dance Into Spring, Spring Into Dance?: Mika & Ariana Grande, Pet Shop Boys, The Wanted, and Boris Dlugosch & Róisín Murphy

I swear the clubs and dance floors are gonna be hot this summer, given the music that keeps arriving to make our feet aflutter 🙂

MIKA featuring ARIANA GRANDE “Popular Song”

I know that zeroing in on a song from Mika’s The Origin Of Love album since last Fall may have been difficult, especially with the multiple videos which didn’t seem to help promote the album very well. First, “Make You Happy”, then “Celebrate”, and more recently “Underwater”, whose video was spell-binding, until the end which left a rather poor aftertaste. Nevertheless seeing Mika for the first time in concert a few weeks ago was a real treat, he is an amazing showman, and it was still so surprising to hear how many fans knew all the lyrics to his songs from Life In Cartoon Motion six years later. The focal song for me from The Origin Of Love has always been “Popular Song”, with its playful inclusion of the chorus of “Popular” from the play “Wicked”, so much that I’ve already charted the song twice, in its original album version and then with this Ariana Grande version, which has now surfaced as a video. If there’s a song to reignite interest in the album, it’s “Popular Song”, and this immensely fun and Tim Burton-inspired video (with its bullying theme undercurrent, note!), full of style and delightful ghastly humour.

PET SHOP BOYS “Axis”

Now that PSB have finally left Parlophone after their 25 years with them, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe return to the classic PSB sound of 20+ years ago with “Axis” from their upcoming album Electric, released on their own X2 label. While “Axis” might be an official single, to me this is just PSB whetting our appetite for what are likely to be much, much different songs than on their last (and IMO weakest) album Elysium. “Axis” is the buoyant, layered stuff that paved the way for current EDM/electronica, and it’s primarily an instrumental, which reminds me of many a PSB B-side. Look for a second single to bring the Boys back in true style along with the album release. Then there’s a tour which appears to be taking them everywhere, including my city (Toronto) on September 25. Absolutely can’t wait.

THE WANTED “Walks Like Rihanna”

Say what you will about The Wanted, I think they’ve got a lot of strong vocal talent which is also blessed with songs from very good songwriters indeed. “Walks Like Rihanna” may seem obvious but quite truly you will neither be able to escape this song in the coming summer nor will you be able to get it out of your heads. And that’s what is setting the quintet apart from other current boy bands. Not out for sale until June 23 unless that’s bumped up.

BORIS DLUGOSCH featuring ROISIN MURPHY “Look Around You”

“Look Around You” neatly joins songs about which I’ve been writing lately that might bring disco music back to its heyday. Note: You will get sick of me saying this in upcoming blog posts, so be warned 🙂 Taking its cues from turn of the century house music – not surprising since German producer Boris last teamed with the essential Róisín around that time with “Never Enough” – “Look Around You” beckons you to move with a sultry and polished Róisín vocal. More like this, please! For sale on May 17.

Remixes! Covers! Action!

My stereo and iPod Touch are currently being flooded with supurb male R&B voices and remixes, and as I mentioned in a previous blog post, I’m wondering if these are all signposts for a disco comeback? The vibe is definitely out there and people are in such need of true feel good music. So I have for you today some remarks on some choice remixes and cover versions (and y’all know I’m selective about the latter…).

Remixes

ARMIN VAN BUUREN featuring TREVOR GUTHRIE “This Is What It Feels Like” (W&W remix)

While this has quickly become a song that I can foresee being played way past the summer months, the W&W remix gives the song a really deep trance drop right at the two minute mark that is repeated later on. These guys clearly know how to take an already great song and make it go boom on the dance floor. If you’re not grooving to it, shame on you!

PARRALOX featuring RYAN ADAMES “Silent Morning” (Cherry Cherry Boom Boom remix)

I’m actually loving this remix, and while it kind of abandons the freestyle origins of the song itself, it adds a different bunch of punches. They include Ryan’s hard hitting vocal at the beginning, as well as the influx of some crunchy rock guitar in the midst of a lot of fancy razzle dazzle that doesn’t overwhelm the song at all. Not what you’d expect, and that’s a good thing for such a recognizable dance song done in style by Australian duo Parralox and American guy-on-the-rise Ryan, as I wrote about a while back.

FAITH EVANS “Love Like This” (Kwik Fiks Can’t 2-Step Remix)

Not sure if this garage house flavoured remix is designed to make you want to attempt the 2-step or not 😉 but Canadian producer/remix Kwik Fiks (still comfortably sitting atop my Top 30 with “Lifted”) has messed with Faith Evans’ 1998 smash by giving it a new set of grooves. What it might just do is make you forget what Fatman Scoop did to the song about 10 years ago, right? This is the kind of inventive remixing that will keep ears on Kwik Fiks. Free download, to boot 🙂

GHOST BEACH “Too Young” (Penguin Prison remix)

Penguin Prison (Chris Glover) is definitely on a roll, recently with a fine remix of Churchill’s “Change” and now with something much rockier, New York band Ghost Beach’s “Too Young”. The rock basis of the song is kept along with the terrific almost punk-ish vocals amid disco synths that will send your mind into a bit of a time trip. It’s a really playful remix for clubs to try.

VAGUE-A-BONDE “Our Love” (Camache remix)

The original version of “Our Love”, from the Minnesota-based singer’s recently released (and reviewed) EP 222 is transformed from an other-worldly synth-laden ballad into another club mix that leans heavily on a harder rock sound along with some deliberate distortion near the end. It’s definitely got crunch that stands out from the rest in a set.

Covers

SAM SPARRO vs DAFT PUNK “Get Lucky”

The Nile Rodgers connection thing is a-happening with what is actually such a deft alternate version of the new hit featuring Pharrell Williams on vocals. Sam’s slick voice seduces the lyrics and those disco guitar riffs that offers its own experience which some may like better than the hit version. Official release, pretty please?

CHRIS WALLACE “I Knew You Were Trouble”

I’ve watched this video many times over the last few weeks, and Indiana-born Chris Wallace absolutely kills this Taylor Swift cover in a live House of Blues performance that really makes you want to be a fly on the club’s wall. The success of “Remember When (Push Rewind)” on US radio has set the stage for huge things to happen for this multi-talent, and performances like this only seal the deal.

CHROMATONE “Fine China” and “Justin Jackson”

Chromatone is hard at work on new songs for an upcoming release, and in the meantime we are being treated to some choice cover versions. I already wrote about the version of Emeli Sande’s “My Kind Of Love”, and now we have two videos to keep us going while we’re waiting. “Justin Jackson” is a supurb medley of Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake songs (including JT’s recent “Suit & Tie”) with a raw vocal, that is designed to be a crowd pleaser and succeeds (gotta like his British accent amid the songs too 🙂 ). “Fine China” is transformed in an amusing video and with a really potent vocal from him that might just make you leave Chris Brown’s original in the dust. Watch both highly entertaining videos below.

New Jams by Adam Tyler, Eli Escobar & Nomi Ruiz, and Ashton Zanecki

ADAM TYLER “Fade Into The Light”

This week sees the official release of the first new original song from L.A. based singer Adam Tyler since Summer ’11, when songs from his debut album Shattered Ice popped out in all the right places. He steps back as far as 2010’s “Friction” to grab some darkness for both the lyrics and melody of “Fade Into The Light”, darker in a much different way than say from “Like A Drug” from Shattered Ice. As portrayed in the video, hot off the presses today, the song broadcasts images of isolation and emotional scarring, but with the intent on letting go for something better. Both radio edit and extended versions (available on iTunes) wrap you up in mid-tempo dance rhythms that shift into Skrillex-y dubstep territory which becomes a climactic moment in the song. “Fade Into The Light” is a grower for sure and serves as both a welcome introduction for new fans and a change up for those of you like me who look forward to whatever Adam sings next. I’m looking forward to seeing some producers get their hands on “Fade Into The Light” for some remixes to help it blow up in dance clubs! Adam is great to connect with – high school students who saw him in concert recently at their schools know what I’m talking about 🙂 Join him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/adamtylerx!

ELI ESCOBAR featuring NOMI RUIZ “Somebody To Love Me”

I love dance music that wraps itself up in many styles and then…. BOOOM! “Somebody To Love Me” benefits greatly from Jessica 6 vocalist Nomi Ruiz’s diverse and seductive voice that we fell in love with a few years back with songs like “Prisoner Of Love” from the NYC trio’s See The Light album. Since then they’ve played worldwide in clubs, and another new record will put them on the international map. Producer Eli Escobar’s melting pot of styles sends you swinging one way back to 70’s disco days (Cher’s “Take Me Home” comes instantly to mind and not for kitschy reasons) and then onward to the mid-90s to bask in flavour from the likes of Crystal Waters or The Bucketheads. “Disco -that’s where the happy people go, and they’re just dancing along, to the perfect song” sang The Trammps in 1975. Songs like “Somebody To Love Me” help put you right there.

ASHTON ZANECKI “1,000 Grand”

I’m really sold on the talent of young American singer Ashton Zanecki, who has been garnering attention online since he was 14. A few years later, and he is growing song by song. Earlier this year, I was totally abuzz in Winter Popervescence about his gloriously fun cover of Cher Lloyd’s “Want U Back” – a song I don’t even like in its original version! But his spontaneous performance and appealing sense of wacky humour convinced me (you can watch “Want U Back” again below, especially if you want to smile). “1,000 Grand”, an original (available on iTunes), might try to portray him as almost a male version of Ke$ha, but our boy has other vocal and lyrical tricks up his sleeve to say yeahhh… but there’s so much more to listen to. It’s all about bringing the entire package home and Ashton Zanecki does just that. Given more time and guidance, he should soon have a large fan base. So great to see our friends at EQ Music Blog managing Ashton for this start of promising songs to come.

BILLCS Top 30 #403 – April 22/13

And the new music keeps on coming, with four new entries (all but one of which I’ve written about), causing premature exits on my personal chart for some songs, but it looks like we are in for a grand summer given the quality of music on its way. And can the flavour of 1970’s disco make its comeback with the help of one of the new songs? Read on…

“Lifted” by Kwik Fiks & Bongiovanni holds tight at the top for a third chart appearance (6th week), and the guys are busy with other projects, including Bongiovanni’s “I Think I Love You” rework which I wrote about earlier. Zedd & Foxes (video below) and Gentlemen Hall continue in the runner-up spots, with Lawson ranking 5th, while FrankMusik’s “Map” climbs to #4 and “Captain” rises to #6. FrankMusik is no stranger to my Top 5, with two previous #1’s (“The Fear Inside” and “No ID”) and three other Top 10’s, including “Fast As I Can”, which will also appear on his upcoming album Between in May. New single “Chasing Shadows” is on deck soon! If “Lifted” doesn’t hold at #1 in two weeks, I think a new #1 will be a surprise 🙂

Most of the chart is in a tight lock, as often happens when a lot of new songs arrive, so there is minimal upward movement. Nonetheless The Presets’ “A.O.” grabs #7, and “My Girl” by Willy Moon (whose album Here’s Willy Moon is still not out in Canada) rises to #8. James William’s supremely catchy “Lay Your Love On Me” (sing it – wo-oh-oh-wo-oh-oh – below) becomes a Top 10 hit in its own right and it’s still available as a free download. “The Way” by Ariana Grande & Mac Miller is becoming a deservedly huge pop hit and climbs to #10.

Songs by Matt & Kim, Semi-Precious Weapons, and Jerry Reid are still locked in below the Top 10, so there are bigger moves just below. You can find me jamming in my car to “Your Touch” by Blake Lewis pretty much every day, and the song jumps to #16. Matthew Koma’s glorious slice-of-life of “One Night” is right behind at #17. But it’s Travis Garland’s “Blue Electric Roses” (below) which is the fastest riser, moving 25-18. It’s a phenomenal song that gets better with each listen; the lyrics are pointed but thoughtful, and the vocals… well don’t get me started being overly partial to male R&B-sounding voices. Travis has it in spades with his recent EP Fashionably Late Part II which you must download from his website.

Locked into the chart #20 and below are the bluesy jamming in “Right Back Home” by Lifehouse featuring Peter Frampton and Charles Jones (live clip below), Demi Lovato’s “Heart Attack”, “On My Way” by Charlie Brown, and “Kiss My Lipstick Off” by Georgia Haege.

The newcomers to the chart are all pretty brilliant.

Dutch singer Matt Blue has already had two chart appearances in 2011, first with a collaboration with Bass Robbers called “Another Dimension” (#8), and then with his own feelgood jam “Can’t Help Myself (Keep Dancing)”, which got to the top of the chart in November 2011. The singer has returned as featured in Kontor’s massive Top of the Clubs series, with his single “Outta My Mind”, which is now available on iTunes everywhere and makes a huge splash at #19. There is no end to how great summery feelgood songs can be if they are done right, and I am looking forward to a full album from Mr. Blue one day that will show off his big, big vocal range.

Another Dutchman, Armin van Buuren, is back with a new album appropriately called Intense. I’m predicting incredible things to happen with the first single “This Is What It Feels Like”, which I wrote about last week, and it bows at #25. A major plus is the return of soulDecision singer Trevor Guthrie to the music scene, I just never expected it to be on a dance record. Wise choice – it’s a great song, and van Buuren has a 10 year pedigree for successful emotional dance pop.

The big news of the last week was the official release of “Get Lucky” (at the top of the post), French duo Daft Punk’s return with vocalist Pharrell Williams (who sounds tremendous) in tow along with music legend Nile Rodgers providing his distinct, recognizable sound. “Get Lucky” starts out at #27 but will undoubtedly take off in the coming weeks. I think it could be not only one of the best pop and dance records of the year, but its celebratory vibe could bring back the happy disco sound of the late 70’s. Young people have never experienced the glorious days of disco, and I think considering so many recent tragedies that the impetus is there for a joyous update. The older disco haters have long gone… now is the time!!

Lastly, it’s hard to cherry-pick songs from Jarell Perry’s debut free download album Simple Things. It’s ALL more than good and I will be a broken record about it over the next few months. I’m leaning heavily towards the day-in-a-snapshot as told in “9 2 5”, a big and emotional song which arrives at #28. Jarell Perry’s got way too much talent not to get a record deal, and if not, someone is missing out and he will succeed on his own terms. Listen for this fantastic singer.

Spring Popervescence #1 – Armin van Buuren & Trevor Guthrie, Bongiovanni, Jonas Brothers, The Wanted, and previews from Adam Tyler and Jeronimo

When several songs all go ‘pop’ at once in my books, then it’s time for our seasonal Popervescence collection!

ARMIN VAN BUUREN featuring TREVOR GUTHRIE “This Is What It Feels Like”

Dutch producer/DJ extraordinaire Armin van Buuren has been no stranger to my chart and playlists over the last decade. He has a knack for crafting wicked melodies and pairing them with great singers and lyricists who tap into the offen emotional content of the songs. He’s had two #1’s on my chart – “Yet Another Day” (featuring Ray Wilson) in 2003 and “Going Wrong” (featuring Chris Jones) in 2008. He’s eyeing that upper chart territory again with “This Is What It Feels Like”, and brings back M.I.A. soulDecision vocalist Trevor Guthrie in the process. Trevor last posted some songs online in 2009, and one of my first blog posts was about that. It’s one of my most-hit posts to date, and so I’m hoping that his appearance in this song will not only quench his fans’ appetites but also kickstart a solo career for the talented Canadian. soulDecision created one of my favourite songs of the last decade with their international hit 2000’s “Faded”. Armin takes Trevor’s voice to a place where we least expect it, and it’s a beautiful job by all.

BONGIOVANNI “I Think I Love You”

Hot on the wings of the gliding chilled out deep house song “Lifted”, currently gracing #1 on my chart, comes another rework, remixed by Canadians Kwik Fiks & Bongiovanni, this time it’s Detroit rapper Dwele’s “I Think I Love You”. You know Dwele best from his ear-popping appearance in Kanye West’s “Power”. This is a slick transformation, perhaps not near as well known as “Lifted”‘s variation on Baby Bash’s “Suga Suga”, but compelling nonetheless, with Victor Bongiovanni’s distinct mellow voice making the song his own. These guys are on a roll… keep going! It’s also a free download.

JONAS BROTHERS “Pom Poms”

A couple of weeks after it suddenly appeared as an independent release, I get to chime in my thoughts on the JoBros “Pom Poms”. It has the same vibe as a male version of Toni Basil’s “Mickey” of course in principle. It’s one of the best songs that the trio has released and elevates them from the teen boy band du jour scene. I’ve always liked the Jonas Brothers, and have thought they got a bad rap with excessive hype overshadowing their talents. That became all too apparent with Joe’s solo pop/electronic album Fastlife, which is nothing like “Pom Poms”. Here’s hoping the summer months keep room for this catchy tune.

THE WANTED “All Time Low (The Live Experience)”

It’s not new to the rest of the world (reaching #1 in the UK in 2010 as their first single), but may seem new to North American audiences as a stop-gap between the The Wanted’s last release and their upcoming TV show, for which they say there will be a new song which will be an official single. So for now “All Time Low” makes an entertaining behind-the-scenes and performance video. I wish more support would have been thrown behind “I Found You” and its Sam Sparro-esque harmonies, which kind of fell through the cracks. The Wanted has a very dedicated audience, as well as some strong voices, so with a TV show and new tunes ahead, they should hardly be dismissed.

PREVIEWS!! From two young singers who both have tremendous outreach to their fans.

ADAM TYLER “Fade Into The Light”

L.A. based Adam Tyler looks to have a winner up his sleeve with his brand new song “Fade Into The Light”, which follows up his 2011 album Shattered Ice as well as many live concert appearances over the last few years, including a couple of high school tours in California. Adam’s a fixture on my chart with Top 10’s like “Friction”, “I Won’t Let You Go”, “Music Freak”, and “Like A Drug”. The slick new image also looks promising. Can’t wait for the full album. “Fade Into The Light” drops on iTunes on April 22.

JERONIMO “Flying Solo”

Dutch singer Jeronimo follows up his One Kiss album from last year (and its joyous title song, reaching #1 on my chart) with “Flying Solo”, which instantly made me think of Jason Derulo’s “Ridin’ Solo” but will obviously have Jeronimo’s unique vocals all over the full song to prevent that from happening. Being the station ID voice of The Cartoon Network in the AustralAsia part of the world, it’s so appropriate for his blog to feature an impressive anime-looking version of himself 🙂 If “Flying Solo” and other new songs are as great as those on One Kiss, I’m hoping to see Jeronimo have success worldwide.

BILLCS Top 30 #402 – April 8/13 – Six Songs Debut!

The newbies are taking over, sending some songs that should have peaked higher down or off the chart. And you’ll be more than a little bit surprised at some of the chart entries as I haven’t yet written about them 🙂

It’s a no brainer that “Lifted” by Kwik Fiks & Bongiovanni reigns supreme for another chart… with nothing below it really challenging to take its place in two weeks. Good thing for our boys Danny and Victor, who are recording some follow up songs to this one 🙂 Right below, #1 Dance Club Hit (and now charting on the Billboard Hot 100 too) “Clarity” by Zedd & Foxes ascends to runner-up status, while the summertime smash-in-waiting “Sail Into The Sun” by Gentlemen Hall (above) climbs to #3. Lawson’s “Learn To Love Again” moves up to #5 as a fifth single “Gone” will be released from their UK gold record Chapman Square.

FrankMusik has a double headed for the Top 5, as “Map” and “Captain” (both above) are now back-to-back at #6 and #7 respectively, while Mr. Vince Turner finalizes his new album Between. The Presets are coming! The Presets are coming! Back to my city on their tour on May 10, with Dragonette opening! The otherworldly “A.O.” becomes their second Top Tenner on my chart at #9 following “If I Know You”, which got to #4. Willy Moon is on deck with Here’s Willy Moon arriving in most places around the world tomorrow, and “My Girl” follows “Yeah Yeah” into Top 10 status at #10.

And here’s where I have to choose what not to write about… a busy chart with six debuts. 3 of our last chart’s debuts make significant inroads. Semi-Precious Weapons soar with “Avaition High” at #15, while Jerry Reid’s mysterious rocker with great lyrics “Tell The Night” follows suit at #16. Bastille’s irresistible pop rocker “Pompeii” (above) is the chart’s fastest riser, moving 28-20.

But it’s those debuts that have my attention right now. 19 year old Ariana Grande’s “The Way” is one of the most instantly likeable songs out there right now, and the song (featuring rapper Mac Miller) bows at a spectacular #13. It’s from the Victorious star’s upcoming debut album Daydreamin’. That’s an interesting title. Ariana’s ultra sweet vocal on “The Way” immediately captured Mariah territory comparable to her 90’s work. Of course one of Mariah’s albums is called Daydream (not to mention one of my fave Aretha songs is “Day Dreaming”). I think the reason I enjoy this song the most is that it’s the teen version of Estelle & Kanye’s 2008 hit “American Boy”. But the gal has the built in goods in her voice, I have heard her sing live and she is the real deal.

Down further at #21 is one of the better known American Idol contestants, 31 year old Blake Lewis, with his latest single “Your Touch”. This song has grown on me immeasurably over the last month, and it’s chorus is loud flat out belt-worthy with such a feel good vibe. It’s from Blake’s upcoming third album Portrait Of A Chameleon, and it’s his first chart entry here since 2009’s classic “Heartbreak On Vinyl” got to #4.

I just wrote about it yesterday, but Matthew Koma’s “One Night” has wasted no time in debuting at #22. Let’s see how good a job it does in two weeks trying to take over the chart as his most recent #1, “1998”, leaves after the mandatory 10 appearances (20 weeks).

First Ariana Grande, and now… X Factor judge Demi Lovato makes her first chart appearance here with “Heart Attack” at #24. Her voice keeps getting better and better, so her new album, Demi, will be well worth hearing. She attacks the cutting and biting lyrics like there is no tomorrow, and that’s exactly what was required for the song. Bravo.

I’ve already been raving about Travis Garland’s Fashionably Late Part II EP being one of the best of 2013 so far. My favourite song from it is “Blue Electric Roses” at #25 – the kind of innovative song that I was expecting on Justin Timberlake’s latest album. But sometimes the innovation has to be left to others and I think Travis is on the right track for making the right kind of big splash soon. The EP is available for free download at Travis’ website.

The last debut at #27 belongs to Mr. Charlie Brown, whose “On My Way” got to #7 in the UK last week. He will be touring with Craig David in the UK soon, and I’m hoping his management has big things planned for a North American debut. This is soulful pop at its best from someone who should have broke out four years ago. Charlie is very big on interacting with fans on Twitter too @CharlieBrownLDN 🙂

“One Night” by Matthew Koma Looks Forward Into 2013 + First Quarter Review, plus Kaden’s “Black Light”

There is no question in my mind that New York-born singer Matthew Koma leads a promising pack of performers and songs into the rest of 2013 with his new single “One Night”.

MATTHEW KOMA “One Night”

The video for “One Night”, the upcoming single from Matthew Koma’s debut album Arcadia, takes its cue from (and could be the title song to one of the) coming-of-age movies that become signposts for a generation (well, despite a bit too much mugging later on). Four cute guys in a car meet four cute girls in an amusement park, and for once it’s not a horror movie. Flirtation and posturing happens, and then expect the unexpected. Matthew’s song itself is a well-produced pop jolt that’s quite different from the songs in his Parachute EP. It’s more direct and obvious, and designed to grab ears like the best records on the radio. I think it will succeed on its many strengths, including the vocal charm of the singer.

Here’s what you might have missed in the first part of 2013, alphabetically by performer (hyperlink indicates a free download).

FRANKMUSIK Far From Over (EP) including “Map” and “Captain”
GENTLEMEN HALL “Sail Into The Sun” appearing in Samsung and Target commercials
MATTHEW KOMA Parachute (EP) including the title song and “1998”
KWIK FIKS & BONGIOVANNI “Lifted”
LAWSON “Learn To Love Again”
WILLY MOON “Yeah Yeah” – his album Here’s Willy Moon drops April 8
DAVIS REDFIELD “A World Apart” – dance smash waiting to happen featuring a mystery female vocalist
RIVER TIBER Synapses – featuring “The City”, “What Are You Afraid Of”, and “Reverie”
TAO HYPAH “Play The Girl”
VARIOUS Kiss My Lipstick Off
CHRIS WALLACE “Time Bomb (Walk Away)” and “Keep Me Crazy”
ZEDD featuring FOXES “Clarity”

And before this page is finished, I’m going to light a bit of a fire about a song that I so want to see released!!

KADEN “Black Light”

Kaden James is an L.A. based singer and I think he has a smash-in-the-making with “Black Light”. It’s been a long time coming, but the official release of the song should arrive along with a full album. It’s one of those songs that has a perfect combination of a strong but boyish voice, scintillating rhythm, and truthful lyrics that anyone can claim as theirs. What the song also possesses is an innate sense of drama. Producer/remixer Stormby has a spectacularly effective remix of “Black Light” that is just waiting to lay conquer in clubs. I’m posting a link to a video made of the song last year. And if you ask me, it’s pretty darned nifty, but apparently a new one is in the works. Plus I’m posting a teaser to Stormby’s remix which will hopefully see the light of day when “Black Light” is officially released. Okay – fire is lit – now we wait 🙂

The Sweet Sound Of R&B: Jarell Perry, Travis Garland, and Chromatone

I love hearing R&B music, I have ever since I was a kid growing up listening to Motown, Atlantic, and Stax, and seeing it evolve in the subsequent decades. The free downloads of Jarell Perry’s Simple Things and Travis Garland’s Fashionably Late Part II are two of 2013’s best records so far….

JARELL PERRY Simple Things

Jarell Perry is a new L.A. based singer and I expect by the end of the year you will hear much more about him, thanks to this highest calibre free download Simple Things. Jarell has a classic soul voice that recalls only the best male singers of the last 50 years. His voice alleviates even the weakest songs on the record to send them to another level. And I’m talking Usher, Chris Brown, Miguel, Frank Ocean potential.

But when Simple Things is at its best, it is simply grand. The themes are pretty basic, revolving around falling in and out of love, as is the case with the best R&B songs. “Awkward”, “9 2 5”, “Happy 4 U”, and “Whiskey A Go Go” are memorable and you will want to hear them again immediately. The production is beautiful, even when venturing into dubstep territory it really shines, largely because the focus is on the way Jarell interprets the songs. “Perfect” also surprises by including the main chorus from Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want To Wait”, a seminal pop song now for those who grew up in the late 90s. There are also two ‘bonus’ songs available for download. “First Time” (like “Happy 4 U”) shows how Jarell’s voice fits amid some solid rapping, and then there’s a rendition of Semi-Precious Weapons’ “Aviation High” that completely captures the inspiration of that song in a way that the band probably didn’t anticipate.

Simple Things is an essential record that you must download along with its bonus songs. You do not need to be only an R&B fan, many of the songs are definitely on the Pop tip. You will be soooo glad you did! Listen to a stream of the album below, as well as the free downloads of “First Time” and “Aviation High” individually.

TRAVIS GARLAND Fashionably Late Part II (EP)

Back in early February, I thought it was great that Part I of Fashionably Late was a fresh R&B-oriented start for L.A.’s Travis Garland, after making some impact with his pop song “Believe” in 2010 through a major label deal. He’s back as an independent and the Part II EP clearly showcases an inbred love for R&B that some of the songs from Part I didn’t capture. In fact, Part II bests Part I in so many ways, and its timing is perfect in light of Justin Timberlake’s success with The 20/20 Experience.

The best song on Part I is “Didn’t Stand A Chance”, a really sweet acoustic ballad that I’m playing a lot right now. The best song on Part II is so hard to pick because I thoroughly enjoy them all. Travis sticks to Justin / Robin Thicke / Miguel territory as his target, but he moves back and forth from that target with some highly personal-sounding lyrics as well as some experimentation. I love the story behind “Blue Electric Roses”, “Where To Land” features a glorious falsetto, “From Adam (interlude)” wears its heart on its sleeve, and “Neighbor” gets into a deeper, dirtier flavour and some flirty lyrics. The experimentation comes in the form of the 5 minute + “Homewrecker”, which sounds like Travis has his ear on contemporaries like JMSN by singing a complex song and holding your interest all the way through with its sparser sound.

Fashionably Late Part II gets even higher marks for being a total surprise. Be sure to download it for free while it lasts. Travis Garland has upped his own ante with this one! You can also stream the EP at the link below.

CHROMATONE, “My Kind Of Love”

I get to include the latest from the UK’s Chromatone because like the above releases, Chromatone’s style is rooted in R&B, as you heard last year with songs like “She Tries” and “One Half”. This time he has tackled an acoustic cover of Emeli Sandé’s “My Kind Of Love” – a song not yet too well-known outside of the UK and Europe, since North America is only starting to dig “Next To Me”. For being such a sad song in its original version, Chromatone puts a Jay Kay/Jamiroquai-esque vocal to the song and then parcels it with a humourous video to make the song its own. Watch below and I hope to bring you more from Chromatone soon. You can also download it for free from the Soundcloud link below (the download is in .aif format – you may need to convert it to mp3).

Doing It Her Way: Listen to Vague-à-bonde’s New EP 222

Vague-à-bonde, 222 (EP)

I’ve been pleased to await the official arrival of the new EP 222 by Vague-à-bonde, aka Minnesota-based Nicole Brenny. You already know her from these pages for her instantly contagious electropop song “Evolved”. That song reached #7 on my personal chart last Fall, thanks to a chorus that hits you square between the ears, and Nicole recently released a stylish, futuristic video for the song (below). “Evolved” is among the 5 songs within 222 that seem to involve a stopover part of Vague-à-bonde’s ongoing journey.

The lyrics often don’t beat around the bush, such as in “BP!” which is actually about a breakup, or in “Broke”, which shows Nicole’s versatility as a vocalist – I keep hearing Dusty Springfield alongside contemporaries like Lights or Sky Ferreira mixed with 80s new wave singers like Terri Nunn of Berlin or Katrina Leskanich of Katrina & The Waves. Quite often though the melody is key here and I think the ambitious production for an independent release, featuring not only synths but live instrumentation too, drives it home in songs like the lush follow-up single “Our Love”, which you can hear below, and the much more experimental but entertaining “New Pop”. All in all, Vague-à-bonde is heading into interesting directions with her music. I like a record that strives to grab you without sacrificing quality, personal style and vision – 222 does just that! You can buy 222 on iTunes as of today.