I expect to love this list. Already 4/5, especially "Bad Girls". One of the highlights of the year. Haven't heard Dawn's track, and don't want to rate it right away but I'll come back to it.
Throughout December, I'll be counting down my 100 favorite songs of the year. This was a hard list to make & I tried to make it as accurate as possible.
#100-91 revealed. What will be the rest?
#95-91
95 B.o.B - Both of Us (featuring Taylor Swift)
Definitely made to cater to radio, which may be why it flopped, but no doubt it's catchy and a formidable follow-up to Airplanes. B.o.B's verses are on point & Taylor's chorus is soothing. It's also excellently produced.
94 Marina + the Diamonds - Lies
A great song from a perplexing effort with strong standouts. This being one of the three. Dr Luke gives an ominous, moody yet commercial production, one of his best of 2012 easily. Marina's vocals, however, are the highlight of the effort, especially "only in the evening, would you give yourself to me, because the night is your woman" before the second chorus. I'm sure it will be snubbed by American radio, but it deserves my shoutout.
93 Florence + the Machine - Spectrum (Calvin Harris Remix)
Florence shines on her magnificent albums, obviously. But no surprise her voice also flourishes on dance tracks. The beat is an aggressive effort by talented producer Calvin, & the chorus goes from strong yet not a highlight of Ceremonials to full on anthem-esque. And this is not even their best collaboration of the year.
I command you to dance.
92 Nas - Cherry Wine (featuring Amy Winehouse)
This song is excellent in every way. RIP Amy the icon, and her chorus has so much mood to it. I imagine myself in a classy lounge just enjoying life. Let's not forget Nas though, a beyond excellent rapper who deserves way more recognition on this site & by the GP in general. He's thoughtful, talented, creative and a legend.
91 Matchbox Twenty - Overjoyed
Sure to be one of 2013's biggest AC hits that I'm hoping crosses over to the Top 40. It's reminiscent of Matchbox's most iconic AC staples, and has a nostalgic feel to it, in a sense. It gets stuck in my head constantly and reminds me of why Rob Thomas is such a talented, integral voice in the music industry.
I personally think "Both Of Us" would have performed better if released as the first single, rather than the third (post-album release, at that...). But maybe that's just me.