There’s no doubt that Karen Harding has had a great year. In addition to recently getting married and having a baby, Karen’s released some of the best music of her career with “Undo My Heart” (with Digital Farm Animals), “Let’s Get Together” (with Illyus & Barrientos), “Morning” (with Shift K3Y) and “Only One” (with Felix Cartal). Add “You & I (All I Need)” to that list, this time a completely solo Karen single, another beautifully touching house track with straight-forward lyrics that can only be written when your life is content. Such happiness is infectious and will certainly win fans on the dance club circuit. However I do think perhaps “You & I” is a particularly natural follow up to “Undo My Heart” for dance radio audiences.
Although they had some success last year with “Chase” (also featuring New Jersey-born Benton) and previously with “Blinded” (with James Delaney) and “Heart Speak” (with Dzeko and TOKA-J), the pandemic put Canadian dance duo Waves on hold for a spell. But in that time they signed to Ultra Records and the same management company as Juno Award winners Loud Luxury. Following that duo’s successful lead, Waves return with the highly catchy “Mr. Wilson”. Featuring a playful and enthusiastic vocal from Benton, you’ll envy this guy Mr. Wilson, who likes to hang out with celebs and party hardy to some great tunes. The song has a terrific hook just before the first minute that helps make the rest of the song go down just as easy. With Waves’ upward career trajectory back in motion, you can expect to hear “Mr. Wilson” on Canadian radio and in clubs for the rest of 2021.
NATIXX, LYON BROTHERZ and ROBBIE ROSEN, “To The Top”
While its lyrics would usually call out for an anthemic melody that you could rock out to, “To The Top” by German producers Natixx and Lyon Brotherz and NYC singer/songwriter Robbie Rosen sets out to strike you in a different way altogether. Its melody is carried by a flute or similar synth sound that supports its enthusiastic lyrics very well. That sound also gives the song an uncharacteristically fun, medieval touch, which you don’t hear often in dance or electronic music outside of more progressive-sounding tracks. It’s a quick song at only 2:35 but “To The Top” doesn’t let up, becoming quite memorable and one that you will find yourself easily having on repeat.
If you need a break from deep house and future bass bangers, then look no further to the latest single from TheFatRat’s new album Parallax, “Let Love Win”, featuring singer and co-writer Anjulie. Parralax also contains TheFatRat’s previous recent singles “Hiding In The Blue” and “Violet Sky”, as well as one track featuring violinist Lindsey Stirling, who often works in the electronic dance music setting. “Let Love Win” is a song that’s easy to digest, and I appreciate all of the light and bright synth elements that TheFatRat incorporates into this production. Juno Award winning singer Anjulie – who you’ve also heard through song placements on many TV shows, as well as with her songwriting for people like Kelly Clarkson and Nicki Minaj – though is the highlight, her lovely vocal makes every word pointed and meaningful. “Let Love Win” is off to a great start; I’ve already seen it on several electronic dance playlists.
UK/Irish duo Menrva are back following up “Locked In Your Love” with another fun deep house track, “Play It Cool”, featuring British singer of Caribbean heritage Island Banks. The punchy drum sound and quirky rhythm recall something we might hear from Aussie sensation Fisher. Island Banks’ engaging vocal reminds me a lot of Craig David, and some harmonies continue to add even more flavourful twists to the song. Despite the comparisons, Menrva have a left-of-centre original winner with “Play It Cool”, which will have no trouble at all coaxing even the most reluctant dancers out onto the club floor.
Despite its unassuming title, “I Kissed You Politely” is a provocative new single by London singer/songwriter Kitty Montague. It’s a powerful dialogue on how women can use their femininity to their advantage by consistently showing exactly what they mean through their actions. Somehow over the course of time, it came to be that men often think that a kiss is an invitation for affection and even more; a wise woman knows that if she provides a kiss on a cheek or a slight kiss on the lips that she’s being polite, and nothing more. So “I Kissed You Politely” is about women taking back control, because if more women do, then men will get the right message without issue – after all, it’s better to have had a nice time with someone even if it didn’t go further than you might expect. With pulsating synths and an unexpected tropical guitar sound, “I Kissed You Politely” has a rich melodic backdrop that you can delight in when your attention is not diverted by Kitty’s soul-tinged voice and fine choice of words.
The BILLCS Music Blog is well into its 12th year online! I want to thank those of you who have stopped by to hear the music and read my blog posts, as well as all of the musicians, publicists, managers, and labels who have submitted their music for consideration, but especially those who have made lasting connections with me! It always makes me feel special to be a small part of the music industry, which has increased during 2021 with the start of my music consulting business side, BILLCS Music Projects & Consulting.
Right now, it’s hard to tear me away from the three top songs on the chart!
My apologies in advance for how the Spotify links are showing. I am trying to resolve this with WordPress (unsuccessfully so far).
Also, 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 “Can’t Stay Away” (above) has become a must-hear for anyone who loves pop and dance music, and if you saw the clip of Darin last week singing the song a cappella, then you know he’s the real deal! That means that “Mon Cheri” by Sofi Tukker and African duo Amadou & Mariam is stuck at #2, and Howen and Robbie Rosen hold snugly at #3 with “Sanctuary” (below), so we’ll see what shakes down in two weeks.
Three songs arrive in the Top 10 for the first time. The end of summer fun in “Never Going Home” by French producer Kungs (above) moves up 12-6 and will hang on well into autumn. The Fastest riser on the chart is Duck Sauce’s “Nonchalant” (19-8, also above), which is hardly a novelty thanks to a fierce female vocal and the melody sampled from Modern Romance’s 1981 release “Queen Of The Rapping Scene”. Robbie Rosen gets his second concurrent Top 10 with “Don’t Want Perfect” (13-9, below) which he wrote and recorded in conjunction with ace Quebec producer Kayliox.
Russian producer Marava and Canadian singer/songwriter Eadie found synchronicity in the creation of their beautiful feel good song “Life’s Okay”, which climbs 16-11.
Damon Sharpe pairing with The Disco Fries was a terrific idea and the result is the pulsating deep house of “15 Minutes”, which moves up 18-12.
Gina Naomi Baez’s lovely anthemic ballad of empowerment, “My Time”, rises 23-17, and Gina tells me that a remix is on its way. Can’t wait to hear it!
“Microdose” by Boye & Sigvardt with singer Jordan Shaw (above) moves up 26-18, a song that’s turned into a real earworm since its summer release. Check out Boye & Sigvardt’s take on Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder On The Dance Floor”, below.
Justin Nozuka’s chill and soulful “Nova” (27-20) is his seventh chart appearance, which all began in 2008 with “After Tonight”, which went to #1 and was my #3 song of that year.
Grammy nominee Morgan Page has appeared once on the chart before as a remixer (for PLS&TY’s #6 “Down For Me” in 2018), and returns as a lead act with Lights on vocals on the snappy “Turn Off My Mind”, which bows as the Highest Debut at #27. Lights also appeared on the chart earlier this year on “Hearts On Fire”, with Illenium and Dabin, which reached #5.
Victor Perry continues his unbroken streak on my chart with the spot-on cover of Angie Stone’s “Wish I Didn’t Miss You”, which arrives at #28, as recorded with German producers John Skyfield and Shoby. Victor has had a song on this chart since June 22, 2020 when the #2 “What I Deserve” debuted, This is the first time Victor has charted with a cover. The original reached #8 back in 2002. Such great work all around!
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! 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 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 – 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. Tomorrow evening, September 28, I’ll be LIVE with The Musicman counting down Toronto’s Top 10 songs from 1985. Join in at around 7:45 pm for this segment.
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!
One By One” is one of those songs that takes about 30 seconds before it immediately lights up a room. It’s sung by Canada’s Rachel Woznow, following up the recent “Homesick” with Quebec’s Kayliox, and deftly produced by South Korea’s Little Rain (aka Yuchan Kim). Rachel’s top notch vocal truly gets to the heart of what the song is all about – taking a good relationship with someone and watching it grow into something even more special. Little Rain’s flair for sparkling synths and memorable melodies serves him well in this slaphouse setting, and caps his recent releases “Ghost” with Kacey Fifield and “Moonlight” with Devyn Rush. Once you hear “One By One” you’ll simply want to play it more and more. An extended mix would make this one dynamite in the offering for clubs.
JUNERULE and VICTOR PERRY, “I Don’t Wanna Love You”
Junerule is a new producer from Italy who offers up some sophisticated deep house for late evenings with “I Don’t Wanna Love You”, co-written by and featuring the prolific Victor Perry. Co-produced with fellow Italian Lordnox (who worked with Victor on “Myself In You”, which went to #1 on my personal chart), the song also has a rhythm suited for late night beach parties or drives, with some nice guitar sounds on top and a warm wall of bass synths. Victor’s vocal is assured and resolute, and the melody will definitely entice you in further.
When you’re on a roll in the music biz, you want to stay there and keep that momentum going, especially if it might be some of the best music of a 10+ year career. Leading up to his star-studded new album Wide Awake (featuring MK, Diplo, Vintage Culture, Ella Eyre, and many more), Sonny Fodera has released one of his finest, and certain to be biggest, singles yet with “Angel” featuring the delightful voice of co-writer Clementine Douglas. This is one song that will make dance music radio programmers melt with its smooth, refreshing melody that carries Clementine’s often soulful voice along. Though it’s hardly new subject matter, “Angel” is a risk-free example of how to make effusive, shimmering dance/pop for today’s audiences. “Angel” is one you’ll be enjoying for a long time.
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