“You” is 3:19 of infectious and gritty soulful pop brought to your attention by Maine hip hop artist Shang-High. The singer/songwriter has been off to a stellar start these past years with two albums and Spotify streams over one million for his song “What Did We Do”. Since his last album in 2018, it’s been a steady outpouring of singles, and “You” definitely has all of the chops in place to draw in a variety of listeners. Shang-High’s singing voice is totally on point, sometimes recalling a Daryl Hall or Jay Kay of Jamiroquai – and then it’s often brought to a raspy edge. His hip hop break in “You” flows beautifully, and he’s clearly well-versed in that style (since hip hop isn’t my thing, I won’t even try to cite any influences), though to me it’s a secondary attraction in this particular song. Overall, “You” is an energetic bop that will easily get stuck in your head.
The new chart is here, after I wrote about 19 new releases during the last two weeks, some of them future chart contenders for sure!
Songs from some of the finest albums of the year dominate my Top 5. And that’s coming from me, who hardly listens to albums anymore. But in my days growing up and listening to my local radio stations and collecting their charts, I’ve always been a singles/song guy. I have my fair share of albums and CD’s, but my collection of 45’s, 12″ dance mixes, and CD singles (plus a few cassingles) likely equals them. And if you add a few thousand mp3’s from the last 20 years – well… my albums are far outnumbered. There are also four songs that debut on the chart.
Those albums I mentioned at the top by the way are called Chromatica, What’s Your Pleasure, and The Lasers.
The race for #1 was tighter than you think, but Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain On Me”, from Chromatica, climbs 3-1. Strangely, Gaga has only reached #1 on my chart once, in 2010 with the KING5CAT remix of “Teeth”, and it’s Ariana’s first trip to the top. And also from Chromatica, “Sine From Above”, her duet with Elton John, climbs 18-13.
“You’ll Be OK” by Gareth Emery featuring Annabel slips to #2, but after watching his online set where he played all of the songs from his upcoming album The Lasers, I can’t wait to add it to my collection!
“Never Let Me Down” by German producers VIZE with British singer/songwriter Tom Gregory climbs 7-3. It’s a classic single where you simply cannot knock the hook and chorus.
What’s Your Pleasure is Jessie Ware’s best album since Tough Love in 2014. It’s fun and rhythmic, full of affection and romance… and dancing! “Save A Kiss” is the Fastest Riser of the week and climbs 14-4.
To keep us entertained until his full album Fun City arrives, Bright Light Bright Light not only holds steady at #5 with the 90’s house-flavoured “This Was My House”, but he’s released a third single and video from the album called “I Used To Be Cool”. Check out Rod’s escapades as a lusty houseboy below!
The only other new song in the Top 10 is a most deserving one. Alesso’s top notch “Midnight”, featuring Liam Payne on vocals, rises 11-9. It’s Alesso’s second Top 10 on this chart following “Falling” from a few years back.
From his brand new EP Rewind, which I wrote about last week, is “What I Deserve” by singer/songwriter Victor Perry. This unique, soulful, electronic song soars 25-16. The second single release, a more uptempo electronic track once again in partnership with German producer Levi, is called “Greenlight”, which you can hear below.
Toronto R&B/pop singer/songwriter Tafari Anthony continues a steady move up the chart with his cutting single “Centerfold”, rising 21-17.
While we’re without dance floors right now, you can always create your own in your living room or basement or wherever! Greyson Chance’s heartfelt “Dancing Next To Me” should then be added immediately to your playlist. It moves up 24-18.
Rufus Wainwright’s new album Unfollow The Rules arrives this week, and from it comes the jaunty and playful “You Ain’t Big”, which climbs 27-21.
The Highest Debut on the chart belongs to Toronto’s Francesco Yates, who has just released his fantastic new EP Superbad. It’s no-holds-barred second single “Bad Decisions” bows at #22. It’s Francesco’s 4th chart entry; his hit “Better To Be Loved” reached #6 five summers ago.
Next up is a blast of classic house done absolutely right. British producer Eli Brown’s “Desire” will pump you up for that eventual return to the clubs, and it debuts at #25.
American production duo Midnight Kids return to the chart after last year’s #5 “Those Were The Days” with Jared Lee. The thoughtful singalong electronic pop of “Monsters” arrives at #26 from their debut album called The Lost Youth.
As “Diamond Skin” exits the chart after reaching #6 a few weeks back, UK singer/songwriter Sam Dickinson continues his run on the chart with the second single from his upcoming album Off Script called “Cry Wolf”. It premieres at #28 and you can read my thoughts about it in the recent blog post. A third single from Off Script is on deck this month too.
A reminder that the music from my chart and blog are featured regularly on the new online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings 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 so you can expect even more in 2020 🙂 You can start by joining Radio GTA’s new interactiveFacebook 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
Want to see what I’ve been listening to and charting for the past 22 years? Rummage through theBILLCS Top 30 Archive (where you can click on the link within) when you have a chance!!
Hot off the presses, Rewind is the first EP from Georgia-born, NYC-based singer/songwriter Victor Perry since 2016’s 4 A.M. Nostalgia. Throughout his intervening work with numerous dance music producers and in the EP of his own side project Labrose, Victor’s songwriting and style has grown immensely. His aim is to be a versatile pop-soul singer like his idols, Whitney Houston and Rihanna, while also being a thoughtful songwriter who can concoct great songs for his far-ranging voice.
The six songs in Rewind appeal because of their ability to be steadfast and solid, challenging the listener with his words while making them shine with the varied tones in his voice. “What I Deserve”, the lead single, is the best example of Victor stretching his boundaries with an emotional song, yet it’s one that instantly grows on you too. In “Undercurrent”, there are times when Victor is heard singing without words and that’s just as eminently listenable as the rest of the song. In “Run”, his higher vocal range is put to great use, and his ability to control those high notes and make them into another instrument is testament to his talent. The EP is rounded out with two other gentle pop/soul songs, “Reciprocity” and the title song (with first co-producer Chris Belmont), as well as the lead off dance track “Greenlight”, another delight for fans of his work with second co-producer Levi alongside “Lost Boy”, “Moonlight”, and “Sail”.
Rewind is an EP that will appeal to all ages and traverses the pop-soul genres, often relying on softer melodies that anchor unique lyrics and perspectives. I expect that Rewind will afford Victor many more opportunities that will be the result of much ongoing hard and well-thought out work that often sounds graceful and effortless in the end.
Lia Rose hails from San Francisco, and a lot of Netflix viewers heard her rendition of The Romantics’ 1984 smash “Talking In Your Sleep” in the final moments of the finale to season two of “The Order”. I dread covers of some of my favourite songs, but on occasion an artist can transform one with a fresh take. Lia Rose gives the bright and bouncy rock/dance track a deep and dark twist, slowing it down with a lush and languid melody accompanied by a taut vocal. Kudos to the music producers for “The Order” because “Talking In Your Sleep” fit the scene perfectly. And it has opened up many doors for Lia Rose, through which “Talking In Your Sleep” will continue to find fans.
In these strange times, “Better” by Jack Garratt contains an optimistic viewpoint that music fans need to hear. It’s culled from his second album Love, Death & Dancing, which is divided up into four parts. “Better” kicks off part two, and at times Jack’s vocal will remind you of label-mate Brandon Flowers; the energy level in the song could easily have taken cues from The Killers’ earlier releases. It all amounts to an infectious rocker, full of nifty guitar work and hooks which underscore Jack’s reassurances that “everything will work itself out”. And that’s a simple philosophy that needs to be bottled up and given away. Hearing it in “Better” though is a great start!
After many fine songs in 2019 – two of which, “Kiss And Tell” and “London” reached #3 on my chart and ended up in my Top 20 of the year – Nashville’s Mokita returns with the lighter, whimsical “Bad”. The singer/songwriter is completely smitten in this song, and he doesn’t care if the object of his affection is “Bad” for him or not, he’ll just have to deal with that and get through it. You kind of hope it will all work out for him in the end, but most of us know that a one-way crush isn’t going to go anywhere. Perhaps that’s why the song has a danceable, airy, slice-of-life kind of electronic rhythm that makes it quite enjoyable in just under 3 minutes.
partywithray is an L.A.-based producer/remixer who came out of nowhere seemingly to land on ZHU’s “Came For The Low” last year, which alone has racked up close to 6 million streams on Spotify. He then grabbed a remix spot on Mahalo & Disco Killerz’s EP for “Tongue Tied”. Following a similarly mysterious path to ZHU, partywithray (who appears to be aka Freddy Janney) has now released “Ya Bish!”. It’s a trifle of electronic nonsense, except that it has the one-two punch of a killer of a whispered vocal hook, layered over top of an irresistible, droning bass synth. That simply spells Dancefloor Filler in my books. Don’t be surprised to hear this in one of the online electronic festival events in the middle of a set that’s just getting wound up. “Ya Bish!” is silly and carefree fun, and partywithray is a certainly a promising new producer to watch.
A second 10/10 post in June to close out the month brings you a lot of unique music that requires your full attention in order to win your appreciation. We cover the globe with songs from Germany, England, Ireland, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland and the U.S. with a dashes of mystery and fun!
In 10/10 (or tenoutoften) , I write about 10 hot and fresh songs in no particular order, for your kind consideration and attention.
I continue to write individual blog posts about certain songs. That does not mean that songs in the 10/10 lists are any less than those featured individually, and they are not listed in any particular order.
Writing 10/10 posts means I can cover more songs in one shot. So you get to learn about more new music that I hear but don’t always get a chance to write about.
YELLO, “Waba Duba”
The Swiss maestros that are Yello can orchestrate the best complex electronic nonsense even into their late 60’s and early 70’s, and have returned with their first release in three years called “Waba Duba” from their upcoming album Point. “Waba Duba” recalls some of their best work of the 80’s, such as “The Race” or “Goldrush”. Don’t try to confound yourself by trying to figure out if there is any plot to the song. Instead enjoy the always-bizarre vocal and the layers of synths and samples that make some of the most unique sounds you will hear in pop music. “Waba Duba” is loads of fun, destined to annoy the heck out of you like “Oh Yeah” did all those years ago while you groove to the beats.
KID BLOOM, “Wounded/Surrounded”
“Wounded/Surrounded” is an anthemic-sounding, atmospheric new melodic electronica release from L.A. singer/songwriter Kid Bloom. The song takes you on a journey through a sea of emotions, wrought by the singer’s captivating voice. When he sings without effects it sparkles and sometimes sounds like Frankmusik; at other points the song is awash in synths and vocal manipulation and because of it you can feel the bewilderment. Alternately dreamy and thought-provoking, “Wounded/Surrounded” is an ear-grabber and well-worth your attention.
EBONY BUCKLE, “Ghost”
Ebony Buckle is a London-based singer/songwriter originally hailing from Australia. She has a stunning, controlled, theatrical voice which immediately recalls Kate Bush and Imogen Heap. And her pristine vocal puts all the right human touches in “Ghost”, a pop song that could have otherwise been a difficult listen. It’s a true story about being physically apart for two years from husband (and co-writer) Nick due to visa issues. And that is simply heartbreaking, a separation that could have been irreparable. Instead, they wrote “Ghost” over Skype, turning their story into song so that anyone else in an unfortunate state of separation can relate and heal. Be sure to give “Ghost” your complete attention. It would also be perfect as set to a lyrical dance routine.
DEAN ROBERT, “Get Up”
It’s strange that even before I read up about Dean Robert, the other voice that came to mind when you hear “Get Up” is The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue. For Dean also hails from Ireland and even opened for The Script when he was part of a band. Now Berlin-based, “Get Up” is bright, energetic dance second release for the singer that will win you over. Dean’s voice may be a little bit too manipulated in the production at times but there’s a great melody afoot in “Get Up” and it moves along briskly and enthusiastically.
JAZZ MINO, “Like A Drunk Girl”
UK singer/songwriter Jazz Mino releases music that needs to be heard by more of you who enjoy interesting pop with idiosyncratic perspectives. Her latest single, “Like A Drunk Girl”, is more about standing up for yourself and making your own decisions to do what you want than meets the ear. The title is actually negative imagery for what other people might say to put you down, so you cave in and do what they say. Jazz Mino’s always affable nature really shines through in this song which sings from both experience and the heart. Check out the lyric video above.
AIRPORTS, “U Feel It 2”
You never know these days if an artist is a band or a singer judging by the names in use. “U Feel It 2” is a delightful slice of romantic pop from Australian singer Airports (aka Aaron Lee). It’s definitely a mood-setter with a subtler boy-next-door vocal that shies away from what would be called “boy band pop”. The production focuses on the song’s lovely melody and there is definitely radio play potential here. Check out what alternative video ideas occur above when Airports’ original plans were scuttled by COVID-19.
TONIIA and SUNNIE WILLIAMS, “Only Human”
Blending hip hop and trap flavours with electronics, German producer Toniia has released “Only Human”. It features the strong and sultry voice of Sunnie Williams, whose vocal is the drawing power for “Only Human” for its first minute, before the beats kick in. After that, the song is a sea of many moods with some big drops and synths that command “Only Human” until its finish. It’s a fast listen at 2:49 with many sounds and qualities to perk up your ears. Watch the lyric video above.
BOYE & SIGVARDT and H. KENNETH, “Party Sucks”
Don’t let the title fool you – “Party Sucks” is actually a dark slice of deep house music from Danish producers Boye & Sigvardt and Nashville’s H. Kenneth that will appeal to fans of recent work by Mahalo among others. The classic house rhythm is the key with pitched-down vocals that make it perfect for a late night set. And it’s cool that Boye & Sigvardt and H. Kenneth never get stuck in one style or groove, collaborating with UK producers Sondr, creating diverse music that shows they would rather be innovators than producing the next wannabe house anthem.
SC.UNDERCOVER, “Morals”
“Morals” is a standout song because it sounds like nothing else out there. Brought to you by UK producer/songwriter/vocalist SC.Undercover, the song fuses pop and R&B flavours with drum ‘n bass vibes, making for a fast-paced ride. At its core, the song is about finding love after making mistakes and experiencing significant regret. The warm, vocal is offset by a gentle rap, and at other times hits upper register harmony vocals which remain fascinating and noticeable in the background, forming the song’s hook. “Morals” is unconventional pop/dance music at its most listenable.
MINDCHATTER, “Language”
Mindchatter is a NYC-based producer of mystery who doesn’t identify him/herself in any of his Twitter, Facebook or Soundcloud bios. “Language” is an intricate, somewhat experimental sounding song that’s intriguing because it seems to borrow from late 90’s Everything But The Girl and Roísin Murphy at their most daring, fusing it with other more contemporary sounds you might associate with label-mate ZHU. “Language” is not for everyone but you have to admit it is one very cool, well-produced song, accompanied by quite a different visualization, above.
I’m looking forward to the day when I have more time to work on my music hobbies, including blog writing. That day is coming soon as I create my sunset on my daytime career later this summer. I’m sure kicking start the music industry again will need all the help it can get so that both big and small artists can flourish. But it all starts with the music, which is why I continue to want to share what I’m enjoying every two weeks with you all in the BILLCS Top 30 🙂
Gareth Emery stays at #1 by a proverbial hair with “You’ll Be OK” (with Annabel on vocals) and that’s largely thanks to his online performance last week called “High AF”, in which Gareth’s set used an L.A. backdrop from 71 stories up as the sun was setting. It was a great set which you can watch above along with the video for “You’ll Be OK”. You can check out his latest preview from his album The Lasers below called “Gunshots”.
“Rain On Me” by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande seems to be a sure bet for #1 in two weeks and is many people’s choice for song of the summer, and deservedly so. It’s the first time since Gaga has appeared in my Top 5 since “Applause” (#2, 2013) and is Ariana’s highest peaking song to date.
An 8 point jump by “Rain On Me” was not enough to become the Fastest Riser on the chart. That feat belongs to “Never Let Me Down” by Germany’s VIZE with British vocalist/songwriter Tom Gregory, which soars 17-7 thanks to it’s immediately recognizable and blazing, infectious hook. It will be a contender for the top.
Two other songs climb into the Top 10. The Weeknd’s “After Hours” (above) clocks in at over 6 minutes but it moves along briskly and influences from pals Daft Punk are felt throughout. It rises 12-8, becoming The Weeknd’s 5th trip to my Top 10, while L.A. producer Jerin James’ gracious and soulful debut “Birds and Bees” (below), featuring the voice of Deverano, leaps 15-10. From having a daughter who took competitive dance lessons for 10 years, I can visualize many a lyrical dance routine to this one (though a creative tap routine would also work)!
Alesso has been busy with online performances, as with one for Stella Sessions this past weekend, below. His underrated single “Midnight” (above), featuring an excellent vocal by Liam Payne, rises 14-11.
The more I play it, the more I love it. “Sleepwalking”, despite its title, has an amazingly energetic vibe about it courtesy of Win & Woo with vocalist Kyan Palmer, and it climbs 16-13. Other than remixes, it’s Win & Woo’s highest ranking song to date on the chart.
With designs set on the Top 10 very soon, the sultry and soulful “Save A Kiss” by Jessie Ware rises 21-14. Check out the slick PS1 remix above!
Loud Luxury was everywhere on the weekend, I caught them performing in two online festivals plus being interviewed on TV. The lads of course are promoting their EP Nights Like This to the hilt, and from that comes the rollicking “Aftertaste” featuring singer and co-writer Morgan St. Jean, moving up 20-15.
Out of the four debuts two weeks ago, Toronto singer/songwriter Tafari Anthony gets the biggest showing with a 29-21 move for the brusque but soulful “Centerfold”, which calls out a former lover in no uncertain terms.
I’m a bit of a latehead on the highest debut this week, but it’s also a perfect song for Pride month, quite obviously inspired by Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” and it provides an alternate take on that song. “Dancing Next To Me” is the heartwarming, highly danceable first entry on my chart for Greyson Chance and it arrives at #24.
As “Lost Boy” slips to #26, Victor Perry’s first single from his upcoming EP Rewind arrives at #25. The gorgeous heartache of “What I Deserve” is being featured all this week on NYC’sAfterglow On Airfrom 7 to 9 a.m. so tune in to catch it in the mix!
One of my favourite singers returns to the chart for the first time since 2007 and that is Montreal-born Rufus Wainwright. He has a new album coming called Unfollow The Rules, which has been preceded by the EP “You Ain’t Big”. The whimsical title song, with one of Rufus’ best vocals in years, arrives at #27. “You Ain’t Big” is Rufus’ 14th chart entry. He has had three number ones: “April Fools”, “Foolish Love” (both 1998, from his debut album) and “California” (2001, from Poses).
The song that battled it out for the fourth debut on the chart is the emotional anthem “Leave It All Behind” by Florida’s Trivecta featuring vocalist Fagin. It comes from Trivecta’s EP Everyday,which I wrote about recently.
A reminder that the music from my chart and blog are featured regularly on the new online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings 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 so you can expect even more in 2020 🙂 You can start by joining our new interactiveFacebook 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
Want to see what I’ve been listening to and charting for the past 22 years? Rummage through theBILLCS Top 30 Archive (where you can click on the link within) when you have a chance!!
L.A.-based singer/songwriter Cobi offers one of his most passionate performances in his latest single “Don’t Stop”. The beauty of the song hit home even stronger for me when I saw him play it acoustically online recently. It’s about being madly in love with someone and never wanting that person to question or stop being in love with you. For the doubts are always there, so if you both “Don’t Stop” then the magic will continue. Like in many of his songs, Cobi’s voice is so suited to an old-school bluesy-rock arrangement, and the urgency in “Don’t Stop” is well-conveyed. Have a look at its lyric video up top.
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