With underlying anthemic touches and heart-stirring lyrics, be sure to check out “Flame” by British pop/dance duo Voix. Relatively new on the music scene, Voix (Andi Anderson and Mike Smith) have released several singles in the last year or so, but “Flame” stands out as the sum of all of its fine parts. The warm lead vocals are also augmented by 30 background vocalists who happen to be fans of the group – that’s pretty impressive fan engagement! Those voices – and of course “Voix” means “voices” in French – certainly give an unexpected lift to “Flame” which has a steady rhythm and radio-friendly vibe. Remixes could help draw in more fans of the electronic dance genre, but “Flame” impresses right out of the gate.
The summer dance hits keep-a-coming, although, as you may have noticed in some recent blog posts, my ears have been swayed away from beats in favour of a good pop or rock song too, so you never know what will catch my attention for the most part. Also, make sure you read about myONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES(see details after the post) – all kinds of online radio projects now keeping me busy!
Today, Illenium announced his initial Fallen Embers tour, in support of his new album of the same name, and it will hit eight cities, including his own home town Denver, plus San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Orlando among them. His single “Sideways”, featuring the voice of Valerie Broussard and additional production in collaboration with Nurko, gets a second appearance at #1! But there are several challengers brewing below.
Up until “The Feels”, NYC’s Cash Cash had never been on my chart before, and neither had singer Alex Newell, but that song brought them together on Cash Cash’s album Say It Like You Feel It, and “The Feels” climbs 4-2. I’ll say it again – WHY isn’t this a single???
Sweden’s Darin soars 7-3 with “Can’t Stay Away”, which matches his highest peak on the chart, remember 2008’s “Breathing Your Love” (with Kat DeLuna)? “Can’t Stay Away” is one of the brightest and bubbliest songs of Summer ’21.
I thoroughly enjoy Greyson Chance’s “Hellboy” every time I hear it, and it becomes his second Top 5 on this chart moving up 8-4.
The solid British house represented by “Give Me That” by Charlie Lane, Gold 88 and Kate Wild zips into the Top 10, rising 11-6.
The warm tones and strong melody of “You” send it up the chart 15-9 for Regard, Troye Sivan and Canada’s Tate McRae. It’s Troye’s first time in the Top 10 since 2019’s #1 “i’m so tired…” with Lauv.
As former #1 “Myself In You” slides to #13, NYC’s Victor Perry replaces himself in the Top 10 (again!) with “Slip Away” with French producer Kislaw, moving up 13-10. You can check out Victor’s new cover of Ne-Yo’s “So Sick” with producer Boehm below.
To no surprise, Ed Sheeran’s massive hit “Bad Habits” climbs 20-12, definitely another great song of Summer ’21.
The Fastest Riser on the chart, climbing 28-19, is “Mon Cheri” by acclaimed dance duo Sofi Tukker and fellow Grammy nominees, Mali-based duo Amadou and Mariam. This incredibly catchy song is from the charity album Red Hot + Free, and I’d love to see it net a Grammy nomination itself!
“Back To You” by Aash Mehta and ephem is not wasting any time finding its place on the chart. It soars 30-22.
Jay Bird’s future bass anthem “Gone Tomorrow”, with vocals by Clay Agnew, climbs 25-20. You can get a different taste of what Jay Bird has been working on with his new pop/house track “Energy” featuring Jessica Chertock, below.
And speaking of Jessica Chertock, the NYC singer/songwriter is also the vocalist on the Highest Debut on the chart. This time she tackles Noah Cyrus and late fan fave XXXtentacion’s 2017 release “Again”, and totally slays it in the process. With production by Russia’s Purple Guns and rap and harmonies by Florida’s Young Jae, this is one cover that’s better than the original and should not go unnoticed. It arrives with a splash at #23.
UK rocker Sam Fender is back with his first new song in two years, the title track of his upcoming album called “Seventeen Going Under”. It’s a great anthem for young adults in our time with Sam’s voice halfway between Tom Chaplin of Keane and Paul Weller. It’s Sam’s second chart entry, debuting at #25, following “Will We Talk” (#14).
“Break Me Down” is a moody but slick deep house track – the drop kicking off the chorus is a killer – from two Chicago dance production duos, Autograf and Win & Woo, which bows at #26 featuring vocalist SINGA. It’s Autograf’s second showing on the chart following last year’s “Ain’t Deep Enough” (#3) and Win & Woo’s third, following last year’s “Sleepwalking” (#9).
“Don’t Want Perfect” is the first appearance on the chart for Quebec producer Kayliox, and he’s paired with dance go-to vocalist Robbie Rosen, who keeps replacing himself on the chart – continuously since February – as “Waves” is about to depart. “Don’t Want Perfect” is a top notch showing for both artists and debuts at #27. You’ll read more about another new release by Robbie in the week in my blog pages!
View the full BILLCS Top 30right 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! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify: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 mixed with classics and songs you haven’t heard in a while. And on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6pm I bring you “Your Weekend 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 – currently on hiatus but returning this month, listen to the “3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers. I’m featured every Tuesday between 7 and 7:30 pm with my New Music Pick of the Week, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past as well as the occasional live segment.
SONNY FODERA & KOLIDOSCOPES and SINEAD HARNETT, “Nah”
One memorable phrase that music fans can never seem to get enough of is “nah nah nah”. And it’s with the triple threat talents of Australia-born Sonny Fodera, L.A. based British soul singer Sinéad Harnett, and rising Aussie producers and songwriting talents KOLIDESCOPES (Joel Corry & MNEK’s “Head & Heart”), who make the most of it all from a legitimately fun place. Sinéad’s knowing vocal puts the subject of this end-of-relationship song in their place, kissing off all of the braggadocio and leaving it swimming in deep water with nowhere to go. The production really sparkles, which means that “Nah” should impress the hell out of fans, club DJ’s, and radio programmers alike after Sonny’s recent success with Just Kiddin and protégé Lilly Ahlberg on “Closer”.
CHEAT CODES, LITTLE BIG TOWN and BRYN CHRISTOPHER, “Never Love You Again”
It may look like a big question mark on paper, but there’s no denying that “Never Love You Again” is a solid dance pop release that has hit potential all over it. L.A. based trio Cheat Codes have come such a long way in the five years that I’ve known of their music (and seeing them open for Matoma), supporting The Chainsmokers on tour, recording with Demi Lovato, and recently scoring a dance radio hit with Tinashe with “Lean On Me”. Add the talents of multi-award winning Nashville country quartet Little Big Town and British go-to dance music voice and pop/R&B singer Bryn Christopher, and you think that too many ingredients might spoil the proverbial musical broth. But they don’t – all of the voices blend seamlessly and lift what might otherwise seem like a routine leave-you-with-no-regrets song to much greater heights. Kudos to all and radio programmers need to make note of this one especially when collecting listener opinions about it.
It’s been a hot moment since we’ve had music from Revelries, the Emirati dance producers who really hit their stride in 2019-20 with creative bangers like “Don’t Think Twice” (which reached #2 on my personal chart), “Fall-Out” (also #7 on my chart) and “End Up Like That”). “Heatwave” doesn’t miss a step, a zesty house track that could fit in so well with any mid-evening house set in a club. The uncredited female vocal is a fine match for the deep rhythms and beats, and Revelries are so good at always adding other sounds discretely into the mix that you don’t really notice how effective they are at rounding out the song until after two or three listens.
We’ve all been far too locked up in the pandemic, and “Qué Bonita” helps us all celebrate living life and having a great time. It’s brought to you by DJ duo True Religion (aka producer Danny Eagle and neuroscientist (!) Carlos Perez-Carracedo Lopez) and flamenco guitarist extraordinaire Juan Carmona. While perhaps relying on influences from the 90’s and 00’s – Jennifer Lopez’s “Waiting For Tonight” comes immediately to mind – there are also loads of shades of 70’s disco with vocalist/co-writer Amy Gill sounding an awful lot like Pattie Brooks (“After Dark” from the “Thank God It’s Friday” soundtrack) at times. And the long 7:48 mix (below) of “Qué Bonita” is definitely music to club DJ’s ears, making frequent segues in and out of Spanish rhythms while still packing the wallop of a deep house track. “Qué Bonita” has instant appeal and a great time, as planned, will be had by all.
After the resounding success of “Wish You Well”, “Swear to God” and “Still Call You Mine” at radio in Canada and “Storm” on the dance charts, I was pleased to see Halifax-born Toronto-based dance producer Famba take a few steps back and deliver a more edgy, future house-inspired record in “Games We Play”. It’s a super-quick (2:26) ride but it’s loaded with polish and character, which is helped immeasurably by standout vocalists Brando and MKLA, who is also from Toronto. The world knows Brando’s voice quite well from singing on Loud Luxury’s “Body”, and MKLA’s voice has been showcased to terrific effect in recent releases by Steve Aoki (a cover of “Losing My Religion”) and Lukas Estrada (“Never Leave You”). More suited for clubs, “Games We Play” will need some extended remixes for club DJ’s. I first wrote about Famba in 2016 and as a next step after his EP Wishes Vol. 1, “Games We Play” continues to show the great strides he continues to make.
Even if it doesn’t hit you from the first verse, by the time you’re well into “The Absence Of You” by Norwich, England quartet The Islas you’ll be wanting to hear more. With obvious inspiration from The Killers, Paul Weller/The Jam, and Keane, The Islas go hand-in-hand with the new breed of rocker coming out of England led by talents like James Bay or Sam Fender. “The Absence Of You” has a lot of older school about it too though – it takes me back to the early 90’s with music of The La’s, The Railway Children, and Material Issue, fabulous melodic pop/rock that was nearly drummed out of existence by the burgeoning grunge scene. “The Absence Of You” will definitely get any crowd going, and Islas lead vocalist Nathan Baverstock has a voice to make some hearts flutter in a Brandon Flowers way while taking total command of the song. The music is tight and energetic, and there’s not much else you can ask for in a rock song these days.
“Life’s Okay” is one of the year’s most unexpected treats. It’s an electronic dance tune that mixes in alt.soul vocals and pop melodies with sunny, positive vibes. It’s brought to you by relatively new Russian producer Marava, who has the art of transformation up his sleeve and usually produces songs with a more progressive edge, and Toronto-based singer/songwriter Eadie, whose soulful Amy Winehouse-inspired voice stands out because she doesn’t quite sound like any current singer that I can think of right now. The feel-good melody is what will draw you in to Eadie’s lyrics, which in the song’s chorus, beautifully delivered by the singer, will simply make you smile. It’s refreshing to hear a dance song that doesn’t sound like what’s on the radio and isn’t full of bassy house beats, which you can attribute to Marava’s tidy production. “Life’s Okay” is a winner that should not be overlooked.
I first brought NYC’s Peter Wise to your attention just under two months ago and he’s back with a follow up to “Window Dressing” called “Neutral”. Peter definitely has a songwriting flair to keep you listening. A natural with whimsy that makes much of the music of Paul McCartney, John Mayer, Jason Mraz and others so easy to digest, Peter tackles that important place that we get to sometimes with dating where you don’t quite know what to do, so the easiest thing is to do nothing! That is until your right kind of person comes along which allows you to move out of “Neutral”. The song features excellent harmonies and a fine, enthusiastic vocal from Peter, your new voice of encouragement for these situations.
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