It's no secret (pun fully intended) what's getting the most points from me this week, so my writeups will be short and sweet.
Come - I think it's kind of a cop out to automatically rate a J-Pop song with a 1, just because you don't understand the language. I love the way Namie glides the verses, and explodes in the chorus. I just wish a stronger, beefier production was able to match her. It has made me curious about her work, which I never was before.
7
Down and Out - Oh, the era of sped-up 70s soul samples.
Never been a big fan of Cam, but this track works in spite of him. However, if we're supposed to judge based on the artist at hand ...
2
Fighter - Perhaps the campiest song of the week? Here's a confession: I've never been a fan of this song - well, this version, at least. I still rock with the demo, it's preserves the song's intended message without overdoing some sort of warped version 80s arena rock. I can't see how anyone cannot laugh at the opening lines,
especially in the light of the past year. I can't deny that its anthemic, but that doesn't mean it's actually good.
1
Bulletproof - The pop justice of the year, although I still wish Dancing on My Own had been the song to cross over. Takes off like a freight train, and doesn't really let go; funnily enough, one of Elly's less distinct vocals.
6
Touch - It's easy to understand why this wasn't a hit six years ago. It sounds incredibly dated now, and even at the time of its release, the flatness of the production stands at such an incredible contrast to the ridiculousness of 1 Thing's. Amerie does her best, and she and T.I. produce a nice chemistry, which is enough for bubbling under - not top 40.
4
I'm a Lady - I can't even explain why this makes me smile so much; but it does. I could listen to this song for hours. (the Diplo remix is even better!)
8
In My Pocket - Still **** hot after all these years. More sincerely progressive than the majority of
Britney or
Stripped. I love how it plays with the Mandy's (then) underage status; how many of us - and for how long - thought there were nothing but "panties," and not "pennies" in her back pocket? The real truth is immaterial; like the best pop music, what matters is the sensation the listener gets.
9
Your Love is My Drug - One of Kesha's finest singles, but perhaps the most in debt to certain sonic fore-bearers (namely Daft Punk,
Music Sounds Better with You and
Love at First Sight). All the song's built of hooks, its best moment comes at the end; where Kesha lets her defenses down and finally connects.
5
Live Like We're Dying - I like this more than Whattaya Want From Me
, but this is the definition of inoffensive, and in a week like this, I need more.
3
Chocolate - Not only the best song of the week, but quite possibly my favorite song/single of Kylie's Parlophone career? Let me explain why:
As Newt astutely pointed out, it's truly enticing, mesmerizing, hypnotizing. It manages to encapsulate all that's brilliant about chocolate into a little under six minutes.
Six minutes? For a pop star like Kylie, that can be a little cumbersome. But what has hit home for me, since the first time I heard it in October (?) 2003, is how swiftly, strongly, superbly built is is. It's structure is unbeatable - a tender verse that flows into a truly spectacular bridge, and then into one of the greatest choruses of Kylie's career. To top it off, the song offers not just one, but TWO middle eights - I have very rarely heard another song so entirely comprised of hooks in my life.
As JT noted, it's sexy - you can hear all the 'quiet storm'/late 80s/early 90s new jack swing references. But what really sells it is Kylie's vocal, further proof that she is the best interpreter of lyric in her pop generation. While selling sensuality, Kylie never lets go of the fragility, the melancholy, the bittersweet feelings that sudden love conjures. Truly a multi-faceted performance.
A stunner, with a singsongy melody? How can anything else compare?
10.
