Charlie Puth f/Meghan Trainor - Marvin Gaye
alexanderao's rating: 7.2/10
Another unpopular pick, to say the least. This song was stuck in my head for a significant period of time during last summer. I am a fan of the doo-wop inspired production that Meghan Trainor put to extensive use on her debut album, and this song is no exception. As such, she's a very nice fit for the song. The instrumentation is breezy and bouncy, and I particularly like the background piano during the prechoruses and choruses. I do wish that Meghan's verse was equivalent in length to Charlie Puth's, but that's a minor gripe. The major problem here, as I think we all know, is the lyrics. They are unbelievably cringeworthy, managing to bastardize a legendary R&B figure and create one of the lamest metaphors in history at the same time- an undeniably impressive feat in the worst way. Somehow, though, I repeatedly found myself coming back to this song throughout the summer, and I think it has earned a spot on my list.
Meghan Trainor f/John Legend - Like I'm Gonna Lose You
alexanderao's rating: 7.2/10
Back-to-back entries for Meghan Trainor, which may well render this countdown completely unacceptable for a large number of viewers. This obvious ploy to the adult contemporary crowd actually resonated pretty well with me. It's not very catchy, and the melodies aren't particularly inventive (it feels very much like a track made for "easy listening," whatever that is), but it still manages to strike a few chords with me. Meghan's voice glides over the reserved instrumental during the first verse, and John Legend provides a nice injection of emotion into the next one. The two harmonize pretty decently together, though I do feel like there was more potential for a big final chorus to really bring the song home, as it doesn't seem to know whether to go really over-the-top or not during the actual final chorus. The lyrics are pleasant and carry a great message, although at times they become a bit sappy and overly sentimental. The production is mostly unmemorable, as it simply does its job; nevertheless, this is a song that was very relaxing for me to listen to this year and worked great as a musical chill pill, if you will, while delivering a good lyrical message.
Pros: Legend's verse, the message, quite relaxing Cons: Overly sappy at times, somewhat forgettable
This position in 2014: Mr. Probz - Waves (Robin Schulz Radio Edit)
R. City f/Adam Levine - Locked Away
alexanderao's rating: 7.3/10
Stereo Hearts 2.0 isn't as good as its inspiration, but it manages to do a very nice job combining reggae influences with the current mainstream pop sound. R. City's verses are solid, with the brothers from the Virgin Islands delivering lighthearted (despite the subject matter), inviting lines, creating a warm yet mellow atmosphere that carries through to Adam Levine's strong chorus, which is nice in that it's neither too repetitive nor overly complex. The prechorus is even catchier than the chorus, as R. City use a very casual, almost deadpan-like tone that contrasts with Levine's falsetto during the chorus. The bridge is pretty unnecessary and could be removed from the song, as it doesn't really do anything to enhance it. However, it is notable that it only took around a month and a half for this song to go from "hmmm, that's a pretty good song" to "this is excellent, it's on repeat" to "oh, just a nice song to jam out to on the radio" to "wow, this sounds pretty old now." In the end, this turned out to be a fairly disposable song for me- it was fun to jam out to for a short while, but ultimately doesn't have any elements that are good enough to make it anything close to timeless.
Zac Brown Band - Loving You Easy
alexanderao's rating: 7.0/10
This is a great track that feels like it's been wrapped up in a cute package for the listener. The thing I like the most about it is the happiness that it conveys- and really, that's all the song is about; how happy Zac Brown is to have his wife in his life. The production furthers the song's easygoing, cheerful vibe, and I really like the catchy guitar riff. The lyrics are simple, yet manage to avoid being too trite or corny, a common pitfall of these types of songs. One notable aspect of this song is its length, as it comes in at a very snappy 2 minutes and 36 seconds- however, due to its simplicity both sonically and lyrically, I'd probably criticize it as "dragging on for too long" if it was 3:36, so this is actually a good length for it. Despite the shortness of the song, though, it didn't have a very high replay value for me; it's quite one-dimensional. Overall, though, this is a nice ditty that deserves recognition here.
Pros: Does happy/cheerful without being too corny, guitar riff Cons: Fairly simplistic, one-dimensional
This position in 2014: N/A (no country list in 2014)
This is a really well-done emotionally heavy, stripped-down acoustic ballad. Cam's vocals are enthralling, and the song creates a haunting atmosphere unlike any other one this year. The lyrics contain an interesting metaphor, and I love how they were based on an actual dream of hers. Additionally, their relative abstraction could give the song many different meanings for many different listeners, which I always see as a positive in a song. With regards to the weaknesses of this song, I much prefer the chorus melodies to the verse melodies here, and I wish that the instrumental was more captivating to me (although I love the short string outro at the end). Furthermore, I have found myself getting bored with the song and switching it halfway through quite a few times- I feel like it is only truly accessible to me when I am in certain moods. But if I'm in the right state of mind, this is a song that just makes me want to close my eyes and immerse myself in.
Pros: The haunting atmosphere, Cam's vocals, layered vocals in the chorus Cons: Can become boring, not something I wanted to come back to much
This position in 2014: N/A (no country list in 2014)
and LIGLY is great! Meghan is so talented 
Like I'm Gonna Lose You + Locked Away 
