Following up their Fall 2021 release “Six Feet Under”, 19 year old Singapore producer Foxela and the immensely talented Robbie Rosen return together with the wickedly fun deep house of “Think About You”. Both artists are extremely prolific, but “Think About You” manages to stand out thanks to a spicy story (in a co-write with Jessica Lattman) and deft, creative production which effectively pitches down Robbie’s voice in spots, which would really resonate well on huge nightclub speakers. The deep house groove of “Think About You” packs a wallop, and it holds up well next to any darker house track that is meant to stake its claim and keep a DJ set thriving.
The 80’s seem to be popping up as a recurring point of inspiration in some pop songs, particularly those from Europe. “Careless” by Italian producer Eternuit and Nashville singer/songwriter Gabriel Eli has it down in spades in an original, uplifting release. Its carefree, lilting melody and soulful backdrop with saxophone and guitars is a tight production feast for pop music lovers’ ears, while those looking to sway and groove need listen no further as “Careless” has plenty of bounce in that department. Gabriel’s vocal is ear-catching and powerful, and the song doesn’t let up, actually leaving you wanting more in the end, in a solid collaboration that works like a charm.
Occasionally a new voice comes along with the right song for the moment, and that reassures my hope that such independent artists can do well in this strange business. Steven Thad is a new singer/songwriter from the DMV (Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia) area who comes from a family of musicians and singers, and debuts with “(Sometimes I Feel Like) Nothing”. Don’t be daunted by its title – the song is about moving on into another part of one’s life (in this case, leaving university and moving on to what’s next) and feeling useless while life moves on a little too quickly. But writing this song came to his rescue and replaced those feelings with hope, satisfaction and positivity. The impression it leaves with you is of a gracious, confident young man who wants to do the right thing. The DIY production and arrangement are simple but authentic for the song. And Steven’s voice is the star, he has a reassuring, versatile tone that can likely cross genres with ease. So we’ll wait to hear what’s next, but in the meantime take “(Sometimes I Feel Like) Nothing” for a spin. Listen to Steven talk about the song in his introductory video below.
Last year’s songs have been put to bed, time to move forward with more great new music for 2022! A bunch of favourites departed the last chart after reaching the maximum of 10 appearances (20 weeks), so I have four debuts for you. Let’s see what music trends and perhaps revivals 2022 has in store for us.
Make sure you read about myONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES(see details after the post) – all kinds of online radio announcing projects now keeping me busy!
While there’s plenty of movement on this new chart, the Top 3 songs remain the same. Darin’s beautiful ballad “Holding Me More” (above) has a third appearance (sixth week) at #1, after finishing #6 for 2021. It’s followed by “To The Top”, the formidable anthem by Natixx, Lyonbrotherz and singer/songwriter Robbie Rosen at #2, after finishing #19 for 2021, and “Play It Cool” (below) by Menrva and Island Banks steady at #3 after finishing #31 for 2021.
Positioning itself accordingly up 5-4 is TELYKast’s national dance radio number one song “Unbreakable” featuring singer/songwriter Sam Gray. Will it crack through the Top 3 in two weeks? Stay tuned!
The first of three arrivals in the Top 10 is the second Top 10 for Bay area producer Jay Bird who is teamed with fellow producers TWSTD ZOO and vocalist Harley Bird for “Float”, which zips up the chart 14-6. Jay Bird’s first Top 10, “Escape”, finished #34 for 2021.
Brandyn Burnette & Charlotte Sands’ heartfelt duet “Everything” continues into 2022 after finishing #78 for 2021, by rising 10-7 on the chart.
Up 13-8 is “Out Of The Dark”, the third Top 10 on this chart for Austin electronic dance music favourites Tritonal. Their electronic ballad “Broken” (with Adam Lambert on vocals) reached #4 in 2016, while “Shivohum” (with Henry Dark) was #1 exactly two years ago. “Out Of The Dark” features vocalist EMME in a Morgin Madison remix.
The Fastest Riser for the second chart in a row is an exuberant song that just sparkles, and I hope will get more attention with the start of 2022. It’s “Sweet Talker” by Years & Years and Galantis, which leaps 18-9, becoming Y&Y’s 8th Top 10 and Galantis’ 2nd. Watch for Y&Y’s new album Night Call before the end of the month!
Keep your eyes and ears on “i don’t wanna talk about love” by L.A. singer/songwriter Michael Medrano, as it climbs 20-13.
Buffalo NY native Grabbitz offers a happy mix of dark electronic synths with brooding alt.rock vibes on “Pain Killer”, which rises 25-17.
It’s a classic ballad in many shapes and forms, which is what makes it work so well. British electronic producer Louis La Roche got best bud Darren Hayes to sing “Cold To Me”, which moves up 26-19, from Louis’ recent album We’re Not So Different.
Georgia electronic producer Paraleven had his recent album Apollo released by Rüfüs du Sol’s new label, Rose Avenue. Along with vocalist Fractures, a standout track from the album is “In My Head”, which climbs 27-20.
The Highest Debut on the chart is by Swedish pop/rock band Louis Pax, bringing back a lot of 80’s flavours (including saxophone) on their new single “Bad Things”, whish arrives at #24.
As if one song wasn’t enough, Karen Harding gets a second song on the chart this week with the riveting house track that is also the title of her recent EP, Sweet Vibrations, and it debuts at #26. Karen had four songs in my Top 100 of 2021, so she will undoubtedly continue to be a regular visitor to the chart!
If you enjoy Paraleven’s “In My Head”, then you’ll also like the similarly dreamy “Locked Out” by Boston duo Tall Heights, from their recent EP Flyin’ Overhead, and “Locked Out” bows at #27.
Rounding out the debuts at #29 is the edgy rock-flavoured dance track “Pulling Me Down” by Emirati duo Revelries. It’s the guys’ fifth appearance on the chart, which includes two Top 10’s.
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! You can also follow me on Spotify at the following link: BILLCS Top 30 Songs.
Radio GTA– listen to The Big 20 from 10pm to Midnight EST as “The Musicman” James Rogers and I bring you the latest in new songs. And on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6pm I bring you “Your Weekend New Music Mix” six hours of commercial-free music from the 2000’s including many song choices from this blog.
Halton Hills Online– “Your Weekend Music Mix” has a second home on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 8pm to Midnight! It’s a different mix from Radio GTA’s show, and like that one it is also commercial free, proudly brought to you by Symposium Cafe Restaurant & Lounge in Georgetown, Ontario!
Planet Radio Canada (returning on January 4)– I’m featured Tuesdays between 7 and 7:30 pm with my New Music Pick of the Week on the “3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past through some live segments.
My New Music Pick of the Week also now airs on Radio GTA Wednesdays at 11:15 pm EST, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm EST, and on Halton Hills Online on Saturdays and Sundays at 10pm EST! The segment has also been picked up by Mix88.ca and details about when it will be played will be coming soon!
It’s so important to find the right match for a great voice, and I’m glad that French dance producer Eneko Artola and NYC singer/songwriter Victor Perry paired up for the mid-tempo ballad “Velvet Garden”. It’s a strong song that could easily have been made into a too-familiar slow and seductive ballad, but the team behind it went another route, with snappy but subtle production that allows Victor to work his vocal magic. The “Velvet Garden” here could be a secret, safe and special place for a regular rendezvous, or you can choose to interpret it differently. Victor has released so many high quality songs in 2021, including a few covers, and “Velvet Garden” stands out among his best originals. It’s first-class soulful pop/dance that could fit into just about any playlist.
Continuing with The Him as a solo project, Dutch dance producer Jeroen Kerstens is back with a track tailor-made for clubs called “When It Falls On You”. The music is classic house with familiar piano chords and bass synth drops that flourish under the recognizable vocal of British singer Mila Falls. If you watched FIFA matches a few years back, Mila’s voice was all over the music that was played at each event, and it’s a solid contemporary addition to the likes of Rita Ora, Jess Glynne, and Becky Hill. And thanks to some unique lyrics, “When It Falls On You” is an easy dance floor draw that also has dance music radio potential.
Fox Jackson had the start of an acting career as a child when he starred in the West End production of “Billy Elliot: The Musical”. But his true love was music, and he gradually transitioned into the pop music scene. “This Other Girl” is a slight-sounding pop single about being caught up with infatuation, and being okay with it, that is countered by a fresh ‘n funky melody. Fox has an easy-going charm and a penchant for story-telling, perhaps reminiscent of the early songs of Elton John and the later pop songs of Chris de Burgh. But it’s the groove that guides “This Other Girl” along and makes the song even more memorable.
The end of 2021 is upon us, and edition #629 is my last chart of the year, with the next one coming on January 3. At the very end of this year, I will have the BILLCS Top 100 of 2021 for you. This is the first year I’ve compiled a Top 100 since the mid-90’s. There was simply a lot of great music this year and I want to highlight my 100 favourite songs. I’ll do that not only through a blog post, but also through a pre-recorded radio program. My year end BILLCS Top 30 will be broadcast on a few of my online radio station affiliates, and I will confirm which ones and when in my socials! I’m truly blessed to be able to have the time and the access to so much fine music which I have written about during the year. I’m always here for the underdogs. There are so many artists who should be signed to major record label deals that it makes my head spin.
Make sure you read about myONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES(see details after the post) – all kinds of online radio announcing projects now keeping me busy!
Darin’s “Holding Me More” easily gets a second appearance at #1. Not many ballads ever make it to the top of my chart, but you can be sure that when they do, they are top notch!
The Top 5 has got crowded to see which song will succeed “Holding Me More” at #1 when that happens. “To The Top” (above), the fanciful anthem by Natixx, Lyonbrotherz and Robbie Rosen, rises 3-2, while “Play It Cool” (below), featuring the slick deep house style of UK/Irish producers Menrva and the snappy vocal by Island Banks, climbs 8-3.
Then there’s “Angel” (above) by Sonny Fodera and Clementine Douglas, which reaches a new peak by moving up 6-4. And bounding into the Top 5 up 12-5 is “Unbreakable” (below) by TELYKast and Sam Gray, which reached #1 on the national dance radio tracks this week. And even better – it’s one of a few independent releases on the radio chart.
UK dance chanteuse Karen Harding gets her fifth consecutive Top 10 on my chart with “You & I (All I Need)” (above), which rises 11-8. Check out this fun banger, the title track from her recent EP Sweet Vibrations, below.
“Everything” by Brandyn Burnette & Charlotte Sands (15-10) becomes Brandyn’s 14th Top 10 on my chart (including features and one under his other performing name EMAN8), and his second this year, following “Airplane Mode” (#9).
The three debuts from the last chart all make nice moves and should likely move up the chart swiftly in the coming month. The Fastest Riser is “Sweet Talker” (above) by Years & Years and Galantis, which soars 26-18. Toronto’s Scott Helman has a radio hit in the making with “Pretty” (also above), which moves up 27-21. And Kylie Minogue and Jessie Ware’s new disco anthem “Kiss Of Life” (below) climbs 28-22.
Four songs make their debuts. The Highest Debut belongs to Buffalo, New York’s Grabbitz with his alt.electronic track “Pain Killer” (above) at #25. It’s Grabbitz’s second appearance on my chart. He first appeared last year with Rezz on the alternative radio and dance smash “Someone Else” (#5). Next, at #26 is “Cold To Me” (also above) by British producer Louis La Roche, who recruited none other than Darren Hayes to sing this pensive ballad, which comes from Louis’ album We’re Not So Different. Darren has now appeared 17 times on my chart as a solo artist, but this is his first appearance since his delightful cover of Madonna’s “Angel” (#11) – the flip side of his 45 of “Talk Talk Talk” – charted in the summer of 2012.
At #27 is “In My Head” (above) by chart newcomers Atlanta producer Paraleven and Australian vocalist/songwriter Fractures. This is culled from the first release from Rüfüs Du Sol’s label Rose Avenue, Paraleven’s album Apollo, which is well-worth checking out. And Norway’s Matoma returns to the chart for the first time since 2018 and as an independent artist with “Never Surrender” (#28, below), which features Kodaline vocalist Steve Galligan in a fresh and powerful anthem. It’s Matoma’s fourth chart entry.
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! You can also follow me on Spotify at the following link: BILLCS Top 30 Songs.
Radio GTA– listen to The Big 20 from 10pm to Midnight EST as “The Musicman” James Rogers and I bring you the latest in new songs. And on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6pm I bring you “Your Weekend New Music Mix” six hours of commercial-free music from the 2000’s including many song choices from this blog.
Halton Hills Online– “Your Weekend Music Mix” has a second home on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 8pm to Midnight! It’s a different mix from Radio GTA’s show, and like that one it is also commercial free, proudly brought to you by Symposium Cafe Restaurant & Lounge in Georgetown, Ontario!
Planet Radio Canada – I’m featured Tuesdays between 7 and 7:30 pm with my New Music Pick of the Week on the “3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past through some live segments.
My New Music Pick of the Week also now airs on Radio GTA Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm EST, and on Halton Hills Online on Saturdays and Sundays at 10pm EST!
Strange Advance is one of the most beloved Canadian groups to arrive out of the new wave scene in 1982, which yielded a number of domestic hits such as “We Run”, “Love Becomes Electric”, “She Controls Me” and the alternative radio classic “Worlds Away”. According to a recent TV interview, the death of David Bowie five years ago compelled leader Drew Arnott to record new songs and perform live, over 30 years after the release of their third album The Distance Between (which was reissued in 2016). Plans to play live until recently were scuttled by the pandemic, so Strange Advance have now released the album Strange Advance 4. Time took no hiatus from Strange Advance’s unique sound, a blend of 80’s new wave, pop, and progressive rock, so the songs on 4 sound more like a continuation of their 80’s music rather than an entirely new start. 4 is a solid album of many moods, but the punchy, big sound of “In Your Mind” (above) is the standout. It offers a fulsome band sound rather than one strictly carried by synthesizers, and leaves you with anticipation about further live performances that Strange Advance has scheduled for next spring, in Vancouver and Toronto to start. Strange Advance also recently recorded a faithful cover of the 1982 Canadian smash “Nova Heart” by then-contemporaries Spoons for the recent compilation Spoons tribute album Spoons Echoes, which you can hear below. Let’s have a big welcome back for Strange Advance and do check out Strange Advance 4 as well.
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