I'm not going to write that thorough of a review for this song, simply because there isn't a lot to talk about. The centerpiece of the track is the same sped-up guitar we heard in Schulz's remix of Mr. Probz's Waves, and it didn't get any less catchy while the German producer was gone. Yates is a competent vocalist, and none of the lyrics jump out as particularly dreadful. But while most songs have identifiable strong or weak moments, Sugar feels like it's on autopilot-- which, in the end, is fine. But it prevents the song from being anything with more substance than what you might hear in a hotel lobby. Schulz doesn't screw up anywhere, though, so it ends up being a pretty pleasant listening experience.
This position in 2015: Hailee Steinfeld - Love Myself This position in 2014: DJ Snake & Lil Jon - Turn Down For What
A sin against humanity. The original version is one of the best R&B songs that was EVER made.
ORIGINAL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> this crap
You may want to take my perspective on this song with a grain of salt, because I heard the DJ Mike D remix (which is the version that received airplay on many pop radio stations) before the original. Nevertheless, after listening many times to both, I am a bigger fan of the remix, as it succeeds in maintaining the rustic atmosphere and minimalistic nature of the original while making it sound far less dull. The wistful instrumentation is simple but pretty, and the lyrics are straightforward but hard-hitting. Bay's pronunciation annoys me at times, but it's not as big of a deal as the fact that after repeated listens, the song begins to sound relatively plain, and now I don't find anything particularly noteworthy in it. The takeaway is that Let It Go isn't exactly groundbreaking, and it's not very memorable, but it's a passable slice of classy adult-pop.
This position in 2015: Nicki Minaj - The Night Is Still Young This position in 2014: Pharrell Williams - Come Get It Bae f/Miley Cyrus
It's amazing how a great guest appearance can completely flip a song on its head. THat Part isn't very interesting for its first ninety seconds (although I thoroughly enjoy how Q drags out the word "paaaaa-per" in the lackadaisical chorus), but Kanye West follows that with a fantastic verse absolutely crammed with hilarious, quotable lines. "Beggars can't be choosers, bitch this ain't Chipotle" adds more sass and charisma to the song than Q seems to be comfortable with, based on how comparatively subdued the chorus is. West is as mercurial in his verse as Q is dazed in that hook. The latter's verses aren't terrible, though-- just uninspired. ScHoolboy's flow is neither compelling nor memorable, as he elects to rhyme "n****" with itself a few too many times. Charisma was something that the Californian obviously needed to bring to this song, and Kanye provided it in a quirky, humorous way that only he could have.
This position in 2015: Drake - Energy This position in 2014: Rae Sremmurd - No Flex Zone
The title of this song is fitting, because it describes where the song lies on the spectrum of quality. It's a tense yet optimistic track, and DJ Snake does a good job capturing both sentiments, giving the verses a metallic backdrop and littering the breakdown with his trademark high-pitched vocal effects. Although Bipolar Sunshine's vocals sound like they were recorded through Skype, I love the way he stresses the word "froze" during the verses. His voice is inviting and oddly comforting, bringing a pleasant sense of warmth to the otherwise frosty instrumental. But throughout the whole track, a sense of "that's it?" permeates the atmosphere, because of how run-of-the-mill it feels for the same producer who worked on the trendsetting Lean On not long prior to creating this track. I find the pre-chorus lackluster and the breakdown fairly uninspired, so it's unsurprising that the song aged like milk left out at room temperature.
This position in 2015: Nick Jonas - Chains This position in 2014: Justin Timberlake - Not A Bad Thing
The lyrical content of this song belies its innocence and playfulness, and I like that. Jeremih and Dreezy are natural duet partners, their light voices nicely complementing the cheerful backdrop, which conjures up images of steamy summer evenings. It is a testament to the chemistry present here that by the time the final chorus segues into the cute outro, the song still hasn't produced one awkward moment between the two first-time collaborators. The latter makes a bold move employing the phrase "catch a body" to mean sexual dancing, making an otherwise unremarkable chorus interesting. I appreciate how evenly distributed the verses are; no one would bat an eye if the song were credited to Dreezy & Jeremih. There were not many songs this year that fused R&B, pop, and rap influences as smoothly as Body did.
This position in 2015: Wale - The Body f/Jeremih This position in 2014: Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up
I'm legitimately surprised by that. Let me edit my post.
yeah I'm an avid listener of Z100 (it's my #3 most listened to radio station according to my own counts), and like 7/10 or 8/10 times, they played the original. it's weird bc they played the upbeat remix of Thinking Out Loud when it was still popular
Excited for what is coming next
