Another 10 coming I think I kinda went tryhard on the write-ups here. We're getting to the really good songs.
Quote:
Originally posted by Red
Honestly, I don't understand why 1D gets the love and The Wanted are the ones who are crapped on here. I certainly don't mind The Wanted, at least not as much as I loathe 1D.
It's probably because they're younger (barely, but still), more attractive, and more successful.
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Originally posted by Mr.Link
8/10
Surprised to see These Times this high I really love that song
I don't think Miguel and Frank Ocean are comparable but I don't like him anyway
You know what...
I think Miguel is really cool but I can understand why you wouldn't like him, his voice and style are very different from something you'd usually hear in R&B.
And I knew you wouldn't like that comment since you hate Coldplay but honestly I think it's true. The repeated "woo-hoos" after the chorus remind me a lot of the ones in Paradise.
A much more authentic Coldplay song. I hate when people call this song a flop, they need to learn their facts because it was a rock-only radio single and those rarely if ever get enough momentum to reach the Billboard Hot 100. While it's one of their best recent singles, I don't think it's very pop-friendly so maybe it was a good idea to give it that type of release. That riff at the beginning instantly caught my attention, I can't even figure out what instrument it is. It almost sounds like a mandolin or something. Whatever it is, it's super catchy and a great complement to Chris Martin's voice. Another thing to note: the song doesn't have a chorus. That's a brave tactic and a very difficult one to pull off, The Black Keys did it with Tighten Up and Coldplay did a great job of it as well. A standout track off of an otherwise disappointing album. This is the second of three Coldplay songs in the list.
Carrie Underwood "Good Girl"
Great example of why Carrie should do more country-rock songs. Sooooooo much better than the boring Blown Away. And in case any of you forgot why she was the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, she comes out and completely slays it with her vocals. Like, even I didn't know she could sing like that. 2:36 gives me shivers. I think it had the crossover appeal, there's nothing distinctly country about it and it's a shame her label didn't jump on that opportunity, it could have been the next Before He Cheats. I do think Carrie is overrated on ATRL, she's not the only good country artist out there (Taylor Swift doesn't even count), but Good Girl isn't. Honestly re-listening to it makes me wonder why I didn't place it higher This is the last of two songs by Carrie Underwood in the list.
Trey Songz "Heart Attack"
I mentioned Trey out of nowhere in the last set and now he appears here. He released so much annoying dance/club crap that I almost forgot he could do great R&B songs like this. The vocals on Heart Attack, especially during the chorus are impressive, Trey hit notes I never thought he could hit and his falsettos are great. Basically his voice is perfectly suited for this type of song. The way it starts out soft and builds up to the chorus, I mean it's almost like an R&B power ballad and it's been an incredibly long time since I've heard one of those. Unfortunately he couldn't keep the momentum, releasing that desperate Say Aah/Bottoms Up wannabe song as a second single and losing my respect. Hopefully the fact that it didn't do as well as expected will lead him to release more R&B jams like this. This is the only song by Trey Songz in the list.
Delta Goodrem "Sitting on Top of the World"
I don't know much about Delta at all. Apparently she's an Australian actress and singer who's successful in Europe and is trying to break through to the US (honestly, I just looked that up on Wikipedia ). All I know is this is the first song I ever heard from her, I listened to it when I saw it popping up in some YTT countdowns, it's very unique and incredibly catchy. SOTOTW is a pop song, but it's definitely not your typical one, so uplifting and fresh compared to the other generic and reused pop melodies plaguing the Billboard Hot 100. Plus I just love Delta's voice, it's so versatile, she can hit all the high and low notes and hold them during the choruses. And finally, I've never been one to judge based on appearance, but she's incredibly beautiful. Pretty and talented, we don't see much of that nowadays do we? This is the only song by Delta Goodrem in the list.
Pink "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"
The pop-rock queen makes her first appearance on the countdown just outside the Top 60. I'm not old enough to remember Try This when it was first released (I'm 15 now ), but that was the last time I was truly disappointed by one of Pink's efforts. Maybe I should clarify. Is Blow Me one of her stronger singles? No, definitely not. But did anyone expect it to be? I don't think so. It's a lead single, meant to be radio-friendly and appeal to the masses, Pink's strongest singles are always released second or third. Take Sober, Who Knew, F**kin' Perfect, and Most Girls as examples. It's a very catchy song with relatable lyrics, getting out of a bad relationship and being able to say you don't care, I mean who doesn't want that? The video is another story though, probably the worst one in her videography. This is the first of two songs by Pink in the list.
The Black Keys "Lonely Boy"
A group that I discovered in 2010 through their video for Tighten Up, which appeared on VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown back when it allowed indie videos like this and wasn't complete mainstream crap. This time, I heard the song before seeing the video, but the video definitely enhanced my love for it. It was a great video on a completely different level. While Tighten Up was epic through its plotline and childish sense of humor, Lonely Boy was epic because the only thing to see in the video was a black guy dancing around and mouthing the lyrics. It was just so entertaining that I couldn't help but love it. In terms of the song itself, Lonely Boy is definitely more pop-friendly than The Black Keys' previous efforts, but I don't consider that a bad thing as long as they stay true to their roots, which they did. I'm really happy to see this band gain success and hope they continue to experience it through 2013 and all their future efforts. This is the last of two songs by The Black Keys in the list.
Olly Murs f/Flo Rida "Troublemaker"
Great new talent from Britain was abundant throughout 2012. Emeli Sandé, Ed Sheeran, Conor Maynard, Graffiti6, Rita Ora, Rebecca Ferguson, The Wanted, and now Olly Murs. His songs are so fun and cute and give me a 50s/60s throwback feel. True, that feeling was most prevalent in Dance With Me Tonight and Oh My Goodness, but it still remains in Troublemaker. It's a common belief on ATRL that male solo artists making pop music are too generic and corny, well there's many different ways I could prove that wrong and Olly is definitely one of them. He has such a unique and charismatic voice, he can take any song no matter how generic and completely make it his own. I don't watch the UK X Factor so I never saw him there, but I looked up a clip of his audition on YouTube and I can safely say that his personality perfectly matches his voice. He seems like he would be a super fun person to hang out with, and fame doesn't seem to have gotten to his head at all. I really really hope this is his breakthrough hit in the US. This is the first of two songs by Olly Murs in the list.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals "Never Go Back"
Such a talented and underrated band. I discovered them through VH1 as well, back in 2010 when they were the You Oughta Know artist and their song being promoted was Paris (Ooh La La). Despite their inability to break through to the mainstream, they remain one of the few indie bands that still regularly charts their singles on VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown. I'm really glad for that, because they completely deserve all the exposure they can get. Never Go Back was a different sound for them, but I wouldn't call it more mainstream. It's experimenting with a more alternative sound and I think it really worked for them. And omg, that video At first I thought it was too weird and I didn't follow the story. But I was curious and went to look up the meaning. To avoid spoiling anything for people who haven't already seen the video, I'll just say that I highly recommend it. When I thought this band was at their peak in terms of creativity, they completely blew me out of the water with their second single, which we will see later on This is the first of two songs by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals in the list.
Kelly Clarkson "Dark Side"
By far the best recent single from Kelly. It's a beautiful midtempo that stays true to Kelly's style without becoming too bland or boring. Of course pop radio isn't here for slower songs so it couldn't even reach Top 40 after her last #1 hit I'll just have to disagree with the GP on this one. I mean, it's never been in doubt what a great vocalist Kelly is. She completely slays the choruses and I love the raspy tone in her voice. It also has an uplifting message that is presented in such a way that it doesn't sound clichéd at all, unlike her previous single Stronger. The video was very disappointing though, so uninteresting and poorly executed, I feel like Kelly hasn't had a good one since I Do Not Hook Up... This is the last of three singles by Kelly Clarkson in the list.
Coldplay & Rihanna "Princess of China"
We start and end this set with Coldplay songs. Most Coldplay fans would probably consider it blasphemy to put Princess of China above Charlie Brown in any list. As much as I try to hate this song because it's completely mainstream and it doesn't sound like their traditional style of music, I just can't do it. I believe it's a Vietnamese music sample used for the main instrumental, it sounds very authentic and for lack of a better term, it gives that Asian music feel. Of course since Rihanna is on the song, all of her fans who couldn't care less for Coldplay began coming out of nowhere and praising it, some even had the nerve to say "This is the only Coldplay song I've ever liked" Rihanna may have gone for more notes and the technical things like that but Chris Martin has a much more unique voice that can adapt well to different music styles (like pop as evidenced in this song). Plus this is the last appearance of Rihanna in my countdown, featured or not, so don't expect to see her in the higher ranks This is the last of three songs by Coldplay in the list.
Blow Me (One Last Kiss) and Princess of China
are two of my favorite tracks this year. I think Princess of China
is my most listened Coldplay song, even though it's not their best.
I just love how Coldplay managed to fit with Rihanna and vice versa.
I think they did a great job.
The Ready Set - I wish he'd stop trying to desperately get a hit and just go back to doing his music thing. he used to be fun and at least somewhat original, but now his sound is rather generic imo.
Feel Again - not my favorite from OneRepublic, I hope the rest of the album will be better.
Glad You Came - I like this, although I prefer Chasing The Sun, which I guess will show up later
Good Girl - I know this from SongPop it's catchy, I like it.
Troublemaker - this really is a fun song, and I agree that Olly is far from generic. I'm glad he's having his breakthrough now and can't wait to see the other song he has in your list
Princess of China - this song is beautiful, I love their voices together and it's a very touching song. I also really like the video.
Almost all of Delta's other releases **** on that song her worst lead single by far, you should check out In This Life, Believe Again and her latest Album
I really like Charlie brown's underratedness
Good Girl, I agree, I somewhat enjoyed it more than Blown Away
Troublemaker, this is the song that made me like Olly didnt use him at all before
Couldnt agree more with what u say with Dark Side and Princess of China
I think I kinda went tryhard on the write-ups here. We're getting to the really good songs. 
but honestly I think it's true. The repeated "woo-hoos" after the chorus remind me a lot of the ones in Paradise.
Whatever it is, it's super catchy and a great complement to Chris Martin's voice. Another thing to note: the song doesn't have a chorus. That's a brave tactic and a very difficult one to pull off, The Black Keys did it with Tighten Up and Coldplay did a great job of it as well. A standout track off of an otherwise disappointing album. This is the second of three Coldplay songs in the list.
I think it had the crossover appeal, there's nothing distinctly country about it and it's a shame her label didn't jump on that opportunity, it could have been the next Before He Cheats. I do think Carrie is overrated on ATRL, she's not the only good country artist out there (Taylor Swift doesn't even count), but Good Girl isn't. Honestly re-listening to it makes me wonder why I didn't place it higher 
This is the last of two songs by Carrie Underwood in the list.
He released so much annoying dance/club crap that I almost forgot he could do great R&B songs like this. The vocals on Heart Attack, especially during the chorus are impressive, Trey hit notes I never thought he could hit and his falsettos are great. Basically his voice is perfectly suited for this type of song. The way it starts out soft and builds up to the chorus, I mean it's almost like an R&B power ballad and it's been an incredibly long time since I've heard one of those. Unfortunately he couldn't keep the momentum, releasing that desperate Say Aah/Bottoms Up wannabe song as a second single and losing my respect. Hopefully the fact that it didn't do as well as expected will lead him to release more R&B jams like this. This is the only song by Trey Songz in the list.
At first I thought it was too weird and I didn't follow the story. But I was curious and went to look up the meaning. To avoid spoiling anything for people who haven't already seen the video, I'll just say that I highly recommend it. When I thought this band was at their peak in terms of creativity, they completely blew me out of the water with their second single, which we will see later on 
This is the first of two songs by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals in the list.
I'll just have to disagree with the GP on this one. I mean, it's never been in doubt what a great vocalist Kelly is. She completely slays the choruses and I love the raspy tone in her voice. It also has an uplifting message that is presented in such a way that it doesn't sound clichéd at all, unlike her previous single Stronger. The video was very disappointing though, so uninteresting and poorly executed, I feel like Kelly hasn't had a good one since I Do Not Hook Up... This is the last of three singles by Kelly Clarkson in the list.
Rihanna may have gone for more notes and the technical things like that but Chris Martin has a much more unique voice that can adapt well to different music styles (like pop as evidenced in this song). Plus this is the last appearance of Rihanna in my countdown, featured or not, so don't expect to see her in the higher ranks 
This is the last of three songs by Coldplay in the list.
Almost all of Delta's other releases **** on that song 
her worst lead single by far, you should check out In This Life, Believe Again and her latest Album 
