#BILLCSTop30 #615 – June 7/21

It looks like we might have a dancin’ summer after all, as cities start to reopen and concerts and venues begin to be booked.  So be prepared to get your dancin’ shoes on for the five debuts which come aboard to give the chart even more energy than usual!

After four appearances (eight weeks) at #1, there are signs of a replacement for “No More Looking Back” by Idris Elba and Inner City featuring Steffanie Christi’an.  It’s likely my favourite release in 2021 so far but it’s still early to see if another equally strong one will come along during the balance of the year.  I’m also looking forward to any further collaboration between Mssrs Elba and Saunderson (Kevin, he of Inner City fame) which will be very welcome indeed.

Holding snugly at #2 is Mahalo with “Got That Love”, which seems the likely successor at the top to “No More Looking Back”.  We’ll see if that happens in two weeks.

Also making moves with eyes on the top is “Myself In You” (above) by Italy’s Lordnox and NYC’s Victor Perry, which climbs 5-3.  Victor keeps his charting streak going – his songs have been on the chart continuously for the last year, in fact since June 22, 2020!! – also has one of the five debuts which at #25 is his recent collaboration with French producer Kislaw called “Slip Away” (below).  It’s more of a soft and soulful cha cha, which continues to show Victor’s range.

Jessie Ware’s “Please” (above) has zipped right up the chart, this week moving 11-6, so don’t rule it out for the #1 slot either.  Jessie’s already followed it up with “Hot ‘N Heavy” which you can check out below.

The second new edition to the Top 10 is “Morning” by Karen Harding and Shift K3Y, which climbs 12-10.

The Canadian dance project Glass Petals, comprised of Felix Cartal and Johnny Jover, climbs 18-13 with their most recent single, the propulsive deep house track “Heartbeat”.

The Fastest Riser on the chart is the emotional whirlwind called “Sideways” by Illenium featuring vocalist Valerie Broussard as well as fellow producer Nurko.  It soars 24-15, with Illenium’s new album Fallen Embers coming soon.  I’m definitely jealous of lucky fans who can attend Illenium’s “Trilogy” show in Las Vegas on July 3!

The hard hitting “La Di Die” by Nessa Barrett and jxdn lands in the Top 20 as it moves 25-19.

Right behind it is Toronto pop/rock duo Crash Adams with “Symphony” rising 26-20.

Greyson Chance has a new album coming out soon called Trophies and from it is culled his latest single, the seductive and fun “Hellboy”, which moves up 27-22.

The Highest Debut belongs to New Jersey’s Cash Cash with vocalist Alex Newell (who played Unique on “Glee), both first timers on this chart, with “The Feels” at #23.  This massive house banger features vocals by Alex that will blow your socks off.  It’s from Cash Cash’s first album in five years called Say It Like You Feel It, which also includes some of their other singles from the last few years.

Next in line at #24 is “Drown” by Dabin and Mokita.  It’s the second chart entry for Toronto’s Dabin Lee, most often seen in support of Illenium or part of his band, following “Hearts On Fire” (#5, with Illenium and Lights) from earlier this year. Nashville’s Mokita is back in a delightfully different setting, though he has also remixed dance tracks himself and charted here previously with R3HAB.  This is Mokita’s fourth appearance on this chart and first since 2019.

“Give Me That” marks the chart debuts for a bevy of Brits, producers Charlie Lane and Gold 88, and absolutely wicked vocalist Kate Wild.  This is British house music that goes down so easy, and arrives at #29.

Bowing at #30 is a euphoric anthem for the summer, “Hero” by Afrojack and David Guetta.  Ever popular Dutch producer Afrojack first appeared on this chart in 2014 with “Ten Feet Tall” (#8, featuring Wrabel) and you might have seen him on the EuroVision broadcast too, while David Guetta’s first of six previous appearances was in 2004 with “Just A Little More Love” (#7, featuring Chris Willis), though he has been absent from the chart since 2010. He did have my #1 song of 2005, “The World Is Mine” (featuring J.D. Davis).

NEW!! Planet Radio Canada has returned to the interwebs with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers and his “3D Variety Show” each week for three hours of great music as well as a few features.  Listen to my New Music Pick of the Week (usually featuring a song on the chart) in the second hour of the show.  Tomorrow, the show will feature the music of Nancy Sinatra!  Planet Radio Canada’s “3D Variety Show” is simulcast on http://www.classichits.ca and http://www.radiogta.ca from 6 to 9 pm EST.

The music from this chart and blog are also featured regularly on the online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings, also with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers, and listen for songs from the chart too 🙂Scroll down the station’s main page to listen to lots of variety from across the decades!  I’m the new music consultant for the station and another project is in the works and coming soon 🙂  You can start by joining Radio GTA’s new interactive Facebook group too!!

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! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify: BILLCS Top 30 Songs

Check out and ‘like’ the BILLCS Music Projects Facebook page 🙂

 

Sweden’s @Darinofficial returns with first English-language song in several years “Can’t Stay Away”

DARIN, “Can’t Stay Away”

He focused more recently on recording songs in his native Swedish, but Darin Zanyar is now back with his first English language hit in about eight years with “Can’t Stay Away”. Checking back in my own blog pages, the last time out of several occasions where I wrote about his music was in 2014. The award-winning singer started as a teenager as the runner-up in Swedish Idol in the early 2000’s, and has had seven #1 albums in Sweden. And if this new song is any indication where he’s heading, it’s towards lighter dance pop than the darker drama of “Lovekiller” and “Breathing My Love” more than a decade ago. Musically and stylistically, “Can’t Stay Away” is full of fun Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake vibes, while lyrically it pushes the intrigue of a potential crush you don’t know if you should pursue.  It’s spry and refreshing, and I’m so very glad to be writing about Darin again!

England’s @BenedictCork sings a relateable kiss off “Have A Good Life (See You Never)”

BENEDICT CORK, “Have A Good Life (See You Never)”

Who can’t relate to saying “Have A Good Life” to an ex? We’ve all been there, and some of the relationships have ended worse than others, but there are usually a number of common denominators – neglect, lies, money, etc.  UK singer/songwriter Benedict Cork nails “Have A Good Life (See You Never)” in his first (and quite well done) video above, with its common scenes of various release after the control of a relationship is gone.  It’s from his forthcoming EP Secrets I’ll Never Tell, which also features recent the single “All My Famous Friends”. Despite the subject matter, the song has a breezy melody with jaunty piano work, and a choral backdrop that represents all of our voices in a way and helps it become a singalong.

SoCal electronic dance producer @JayB1rdmusic creates euphoric anthem with “Gone Tomorrow” with singer Clay Agnew

JAY BIRD and CLAY AGNEW, “Gone Tomorrow”

The path for Jay Bird continues upward with his latest release “Gone Tomorrow”.  With this track, Jay creates a second collaboration with singer/songwriter Clay Agnew (the first being 2019’s “Hold On”) that mixes nicely with other anthemic songs from the styles of Arty through to Seven Lions. Still maintaining a progressive direction, the production is richly layered and creates an inspiring and euphoric setting for a theme that we all need to keep in mind as we live our lives.  Continuing to stay one step ahead of the game, including his frequent outreach with his audience as well as fellow producers, will help Jay Bird latch on to new fans as his talents grow and evolve.

NYC singer/songwriter @PeterWisemusic calls out for individuality in “Window Dressing”

PETER WISE, “Window Dressing”

Peter Wise basks in a classic pop/rock setting and reshapes it and makes it his own in “Window Dressing”.  He’s supported as diverse talent as The Eagles and Lisa Fischer, and has his own stories to tell in his own way.  Graced with a beautiful tone in his voice, you might think at the start that “Window Dressing” might be full of upbeat whimsy, like early Jason Mraz. But the song is about staying true to yourself and forging your own path, rather than being a cookie-cutter facsimile to the latest trend in pop music.  He gets his point across in an earnest, ear-catching way without having the need to create a big anthem about being an underdog.  With fine songs like “Window Dressing”, expect Peter Wise to get his due as more people learn about him and his songs.

British singer/songwriter @EllaMcCready breaks free from a toxic relationship in “Fine On My Own”

ELLA McCREADY, “Fine On My Own”

“Fine On My Own” could easily be the theme song for anyone who has discovered all the positives to life after a toxic relationship.  It’s written and sung by London’s Ella McCready, who is being quite rightly compared to Jess Glynne vocally.  Touches of the melody in “Fine On My Own” will even remind you of Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be”, on which Jess famously sang lead.  Ella was born into a family of musicians and her voice has a force unto its own. It has some nifty raw, soulful edges, combined with power and control that even some Broadway singers do not have. “Fine On My Own” succeeds particularly as an empowerment anthem for women and should open up some doors for Ella McCready.

Meet new German dance producer Thandi with catchy deep house track “Monument”

THANDI, “Monument”

I enjoy discovering songs that are intent on leaving their mark on you in unique ways.  German producer Thandi is relatively new to the scene, with a bevy of singles released within the last year of so, and his latest is “Monument”.  It’s got a classic deep Eurohouse thump to it, but is full of subtler, more introspective moments.  In fact by the two minute mark the song goes a little too quiet before it steps back into its memorable chorus, so stick with it.  “Monument” is a metaphor for not always staying in the present. Even if some times have been tough in the past, there will always be signposts that you will remember. So don’t ignore the past, incorporate it into the present and balance out your memories with good and not-always-so-good. Thandi is also a singer and his sincere vocal helps make “Monument” even better.

The double whammy of talent that is @SanHolobeats and @ChetPorter bring you anthemic “you’ve changed, i’ve changed”

SAN HOLO and CHET PORTER, “you’ve changed, i’ve changed”

“you’ve changed, i’ve changed” is a straight-forward song that is loaded with ear-grabbing power, thanks to its larger than life chorus, as brought to you by the dynamic talents that are San Holo and Chet Porter.  Although both artists’ biggest successes have been in progressive electronic genre, “you’ve changed, i’ve changed” is a rock song through and through. Included are keyboard and xylophone interjections provided by Chet, who also sings lead with a vocal that will sit especially well with Porter Robinson fans.  Anyone else who has seen San Holo in concert knows he is a real crowd pleaser rock star-type who immediately draws in the audience.  And likewise, I’ve seen Chet perform, and he’s an unpredictable melodic perfectionist.  Bringing the two together is indeed a really good thing that needs to be repeated.  I can certainly visualize “you’ve changed, i’ve changed” as the opener at a San Holo concert.  It’s included in San Holo’s new album, out this Friday, called bb u ok (album 2).

Listen to reflective and reassuring “We Know Who We Are” by @SaidTheSky and @OlivverTheKid

SAID THE SKY and OLIVVER THE KID, “We Know Who We Are”

“We Know Who We Are” is a brand new anthem for the sad boi/progressive electronica crowd courtesy of Said The Sky and Olivver The Kid.  Said The Sky (aka Denver-born Trevor Christensen) of course is part of the House of Illenium and played as part of Illenium’s band when I saw his show in September 2019, and “We Know Who We Are” is released on Illenium’s 12Tone label.  It’s got a friendly vocal by Olivver, and it’s a well-written and well-rounded song that takes the listeners through many reflective, happy, emotional times of the past, and then brings them back grounded and full of confidence with a huge singalong chorus.  With festivals and shows resuming, expect to be hearing “We Know Who We Are” regularly for the rest of the year.

Check out “rot” by Axel Mansoor @iamaxelm from his EP “i hadn’t ever loved myself”

AXEL MANSOOR, “rot”

While I’ve written several times about SoCal-based singer/songwriter Axel Mansoor, the recent Clubhouse Icon and Emmy Award nominee spent some time overseas in his family home in Mauritius, and has shared a lot of personal release through his EP “i hadn’t ever loved myself”, from which is culled “rot”.  The EP also contains “kids can be so stupid”, which I wrote about not long ago.  “rot” took me longer to figure out and process, with its jangly arrangement and fuzzy production (below, reminding me of Chet Porter and Alison Wonderland’s wonderful collaboration of last year called “Bummed”) which tends to obscure some of the lyrics but is an enjoyable listen nonetheless.  But do check out the acoustic video of “rot” above.  What I’ve appreciated most about Axel in writing about him since 2017 is how genuine he is.  He takes this with him on the Clubhouse APP in his Lullaby Club, and to his Facebook and Instagram videos.  It’s a lovely version of “rot”, and now we can hear all of the lyrics, which strip away the “rot” of our younger years (which we always take with us anyway) in favour of our eventual growth and maturity, which make us better people in the end.