43. Jennifer Hudson "Spotlight"
Album: Jennifer Hudson
Genre: R&B
Producer: Ne-Yo, Stargate
US Billboard Hot 100: #24
I was really looking forward to hearing Jennifer Hudson's first single, but I was a little disapointed at first listen, mainly because I'm a big fan of her powerful voice. After a few listens the song grew on me, and in reality the song doesn't such strong vocals.
Spotlight is about dealing with a suffocating relationship,
"Are you a guard in a prison, maximum security?", with a message that is more interesting than the average R&B song. The video is simple and it fits the song, nothing to judge there. I feel it was a great first single for her, and God knows if we will hear more from her next year, knowing that she is recovering from her family loss. Hopefully she gets better and goes back to making more music, I'm sure looking forward to it.
42. Colbie Caillat "Realize"
Album: Coco
Genre: Pop
Producer: Mikal Blue
US Billboard Hot 100: #20
It shouldn't be a surprise to see Colbie here, last year
Bubbly was one of my favorites. Realize is a calm song, Colbie's voice is warm and sweet, and the acoustic vibe makes the song even more relaxing.
Realize is pretty much about taking chances to find the right person and like the title says, realize who is there for you. With this song she pretty much proved she is not a one-hit wonder and that she is here to stay, even if the single after that failed to make an impact in the charts. I love her voice and how relaxing most of her songs are, definitely one of the best pop songs of the year.
41. Leona Lewis "Better In Time"
Album: Spirit
Genre: R&B
Producer: J. R. Rotem
US Billboard Hot 100: #11
This is the first of two entries by Leona Lewis this year, the other one is pretty obvious. It seemed a little hard to follow the worldwide success of
Bleeding Love, but I feel she accomplished her goal with this song, and as a listener I was satisfied.
Better In Time effectively showcases Leona's vocal talent with an elegant piano backing. Her emotional vocals also give the song a more personal touch. There's a great set of lyrics about recovering from a relationship,
"Even though I really love you, I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to", being my favorite line. WIthout a doubt, Leona is one of the best, if not the best new artist of the year and this track is a good reminder of that.
