Tag Archives: Dan Talevski

#BILLCSTop30 #461 – July 13, 2015

The summer months start off with a very busy and active Top 10 and three new entries 🙂

The Top 10

  • #1 is showing no indication of leaving the top any time soon.  It’s Brandyn Burnette’s glorious “I Wanna Be (Free)”, a song that contains a lot more to it than meets a casual listening ear.  And the outstanding video is perfect representation of the song, which is from Brandyn’s upcoming EP Made Of Dreams.

  • I think “Shine” by Years & Years got shortchanged in the revamp of the UK singles charts being compiled on Fridays instead of Sundays, and it ended up debuting at #2.  Not to say that it might not get to #1 though!  It’s on its way there on my chart too, but will definitely have to wait for “I Wanna Be (Free)” to give it up first.  “Shine” rises 9-3.  The trio’s debut album Communion also finally saw release last Friday 🙂

  • “Can’t Deny My Love” by Brandon Flowers was just too good to have anything but a Top 5 ranking on my chart.  It advances 6-4 amid fierce competition.

  • It’s one of the most different but appealing dance songs around, even in its radio edit!  “Sensation” by producer/DJ Antonio Giacca moves up 8-5.

  • It’s always nice for bloggers to be recognized by rabid fans of certain performers.  I’m pleased to have the #Glamberts on board as “Ghost Town” climbs 10-6 for Adam Lambert, from his excellent album The Original High.  More to come from that album in terms of hits but let’s give “Ghost Town” its time!  Remixes are now available on iTunes!

  • It’s Top 10 hit number two here for Giorgio Moroder, this time with Sia, on “Deja Vu”, the title song from his very fine album, which also begs for more single releases.  “Deja Vu” rises 12-7.

  • The fastest riser on the chart is turning out to be one of the surprise earworms of 2015.  It’s the sinewy “Guilty As Sin” by Toronto’s Dan Talevski (video up top), which storms the Top 10, up 18-8!
  • The last but hardly least new Top 10 entry allows Eurovision 2015 to live on in the form of Serbia’s entry “Beauty Never Lies” by Bojana Stamenov, advancing 14-10.

Movin’ on Up

  • And right behind Bojana are two other songs that have had a bit of a long haul waiting in the ‘teens before moving up.  Lawson’s “Roads” climbs 15-11 as the band will be opening on a US tour in support of Australia’s Sheppard, while Canada’s Smashing Satellites continue to attract North American attention with their album Sonic Aluzion and the upbeat single “What It’s All About”, which moves 16-12.  The new lyric video is below.

  • Last week’s debuts waste no time making their presence known.  Dance smash in-the-making “East Side Bay” by L.A. producer/DJ – and here, singer! – Mi Disguise jumps 24-19; Fall Out Boy’s just plain fun “Uma Thurman” rises 26-21; and Eric Saade’s follow up single to “Sting”, “Girl From Sweden”, charges up 29-22.

Debuts

  • Looking to make a huge impression on this chart is “Kiss Me Quick” by The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes at #20.  Like Adam Lambert’s fans, Nathan’s fans have rallied around my original post about “Kiss Me Quick” and subsquent tweets.  Good to have his fans on board 🙂  This is an amazing start, unleashing the skinny soulful beast from the boy band trappings 🙂

  • Being an independent release should not stop Janet Jackson with even more success than her 2008 album Discipline, which yielded “Feedback” (a #4 on my chart).  This time we have sultry and classic R&B keepin’ you up all night with “No Sleeep” at #25.  It’s from Janet’s forthcoming album Unbreakable.  She’s on tour throughout the late Summer and early Fall, so check your local concert listings!  Watch the lyric video below.

  • The final chart debut belongs to “Summertime” by Trevor Guthrie at #27.  I wasn’t about to let this fine summer song slip away!  It’s Trevor’s first appearance on the chart since 2013’s massive and Grammy-nominated “This Is What It Feels Like” (#6, with Armin van Buuren).  Of course he appeared several times on the chart with his early 2000’s band soulDecision, the first three from debut album No One Does It Better, and the next four from funky/jazzy sophomore pop album Shady Satin Dress (partially produced by Nile Rodgers!):
    • “Faded”, #1, 2000
    • “Ooh It’s Kinda Crazy”, #7, 2000
    • “Gravity”, #8, 2000
    • “Cadillac Dress”, #4, 2004
    • “Don’t Dance Close to Me”, #5, 2005
    • “Kiss The Walls”, #20, 2005
    • “Hypnotize”, #12, 2005

The Full Chart

Listen to the songs or watch the videos using the links on the pictures on the pretty and detailed web edition of my chart. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

#BILLCSTop30 #460 – June 29, 2015

It’s been a busy few weeks in my household both at work and at home, so now it’s time to get caught up with new music on edition 460 of my personal chart 🙂

Listen to the entire chart on Spotify!!

https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/i-wanna-be-free

The New #1

  • I’m a few days early in advance of the official video, but Brandyn Burnette garners his second #1 of 2015, moving from 6-1, with the thought-provoking, dreamy, and laid back “I Wanna Be (Free)”.  It is definitely one of my key songs for the Summer of ’15, and I hope it might turn into one of yours (listen up top).  It’s from Brandyn’s much-awaited forthcoming EP  Made Of Dreams.  Show your support and pick up this one on iTunes!  One of my favourite parts of the song is the piano especially during the first minute 🙂

The Top 10

  • With “I Wanna Be (Free)” taking over at #1 so quickly, that left “No Words” by Erik Hassle nowhere else to go but to #2.  I’m still hoping this song will catch on at radio for the summer months.

  • It’s taken longer than usual for a Brandon Flowers song to make its presence known on my chart but “Can’t Deny My Love” is on its way to the Top 5 following a pair in 2010 – #1 “Crossfire”and #3 “Jacksonville”.

  • Producer/DJ Antonio Giacca’s riveting and funky instrumental “Sensation” bounds into the Top 10 at #8.  Do check out the head-scratcher of a video which totally suits the song 🙂

  • It’s kind of no surprise but “Shine” by Years & Years is indeed the fastest riser on this chart, vaulting 19-9 to become the trio’s third Top Tenner.  And I’m so glad I’ve got a ticket to their September 14 show here in Toronto 🙂 I’m not so sure why North American audiences aren’t warming up to Years & Years as the rest of the world.  Olly Alexander’s vocal on “Shine” is one of the best of the year, and the video keeps you glued as to what’s happening next!

  • Rounding out the new entries to the Top 10 is Adam Lambert’s “Ghost Town” at #10.  Not all of the songs on his album The Original High are successful, but man, what a production, which zeroes in on making Adam’s voice more versatile than ever.  Gone are the days of the limiting “American Idol” image.  Watch the “Ghost Town” video below but also check out my other current favourite which is the bass-laden “The Light”.

Movin’ On Up

  • Another album I’m enjoying is Giorgio Moroder’s first album in 30 years, DĂ©jĂ  Vu.  The title song featuring an alternately wistful and powerful vocal by Sia rises to #12.  The album succeeds in some places that I didn’t expect – the songs featuring Kelis and Marlene, as well as his update of “Tom’s Diner” with Britney Spears – whereas the songs featuring faves-of-mine Mikky Ekko and Matthew Koma are either dull or maybe just need a few more plays.  Plus there are Giorgio’s instrumentals “74 Is The New 24” and “La Disco” which showcase his definitive sound.  But my next favourite after “DĂ©jĂ  Vu” and “Right Here, Right Now” (his previous #4 hit with Kylie Minogue) is “Wildstar” featuring none other than Foxes!  Listen below.

  • The chart would be many plays less fun if it wasn’t for Matt & Kim’s “Hey Now”.  The song has taken its time but moves up to #13.

  • Just as bold as her vocal, Bojana Stamenov’s Eurovision entry for Serbia, “Beauty Never Lies”, advances a whopping 20-14, with eyes firmly on the Top 10!

  • Another song not moving up as fast as it could due to competition is Lawson’s “Roads” at #15.  It recently became the band’s latest Top 15 hit in the UK, peaking at #11.

  • The triple-threat of some guys with great voices who debuted two weeks ago makes its impact as all songs advance into the Top 20.  Torontonians Dan Talevski and Francesco Yates are back to back again at #18 and #19 with “Guilty As Sin” (with its spicy video!) and “Better To Be Loved” respectively, while ex-Gentlemen Hall singer Cobi Mike climbs 26-20 with his indie release “Walking Through The Fire”.

Premieres

  • It’s taken a little while to arrive on the chart after I wrote about it in the Spring, but L.A.-based producer/DJ -and in “East Side Bay”, vocalist! – Mi Disguise gets his second chart entry at #24.  It follows his #15 collaboration with Adam Tyler from earlier in the year, “Alive”.  “East Side Bay” really gets going after a minute.  Still with it as Mi Disguise’s vocal has a unique charm about it that totally suits the song.  I’d love to see club DJ’s get behind this one like they did ZHU’s “Faded” (though that got major label support too) 🙂

  • Making their first appearance on my chart is Fall Out Boy!  The quartet borrows the surfer-guitar riff from the theme from the 60’s show “The Munsters” for “Uma Thurman”, and between the lyrics and musical antics, the fun just doesn’t stop while the song’s playing.  It’s a great summer tune, from the quartet’s latest album American Beauty/American Psycho, and arrives at #26.

  • As Eric Saade’s punchy “Sting” sails off the chart after peaking at #4, the Maroon 5-ish “Girl From Sweden” makes its debut at #29.  So now all you folks can go off to the Swedish countryside in search of Eric dancing with pretty girls in the fields…

The Full Chart

Listen to the songs or watch the videos using the links on the pictures on the pretty and detailed web edition of my chart. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

Wicked, baby: “Guilty As Sin” by Toronto’s @DanTalevski

dantalevski

DAN TALEVSKI, “Guilty As Sin”

A few weeks ago, I happened to walk by Dan Talevski a few times at a party and had no idea who the 28 year old was, but he was certainly being introduced to a lot of industry folks.  But like me, the rest of Canada and hopefully the world should soon know all thanks to his new single and video “Guilty As Sin”, which has been picking up steam at radio.  For someone who began on You Tube in its early days, and then was almost spewed out of the business by the Hollywood hit-making machine that engulfs entire lives, Dan came back to national attention after opening for Backstreet Boys in concert.  But unlike that band’s safe and clean approach, “Guilty As Sin” (co-written by fellow Canadians RyanDan!) wastes no time in taking you to a dark, sensual, and sexy place as led by a soulful voice that sounds at times not unlike Olly Alexander from Years & Years (double bill when they come to town, please?).  The video is perfect for clubs, and as cleaned up for radio, “Guilty As Sin” is a key song to listen for this summer.  It’s now available on iTunes.