Ryan Tedder's work rarely fails to disappoint, and Burn is no exception. Ellie's light, floaty voice is well suited for the synthpop-infused dance beat behind her. The bridge is gorgeous, and even though none of the song really hits hard enough to make a lasting impression, this song doesn't sound all that stale when I go back to play it. It obviously doesn't stand out as much as Lights or Anything Could Happen did, but this is a solid piece of dance pop that was fun to hear this winter.
Bobby Shmurda - Hot N*gga alexanderao's rating: 7.3/10
Riding on the trap wave of 2014, the Brooklyn rapper broke out this summer with this cut. Without a defined structure, at times Hot N*gga feels like an amateur freestyle that's dragging on too long. However, there's no denying the catchiness of the rough, dark trap beat. It kind of feels like a song you'd listen to at a party or with friends, but not on your own. It fills that niche perfectly, though, as illustrated by the endless Vines you will surely find if you search the song's title.
David Guetta f/Sam Martin - Dangerous alexanderao's rating: 7.2/10
David Guetta came back this year with a revamped agenda. His first two singles failed to make an impact, and he was hoping third time was the charm (it wasn't). This song is an interesting fusion, with a funky Daft Punk guitar, orchestra-style strings, and a haunting keyboard, as it combines elements of many different styles of music. The result is a song that, although disorganized, bops. Martin's vocals are unremarkable, and the chorus is pretty weak (hence the lack of a beat drop), but all in all it's a pleasantly surprising track from the former King of Dance-Pop.
Fergie - L.A.LOVE (la la) alexanderao's rating: 2.4/10
Not even a beat from Producer of the Year DJ Mustard could save this one. This song is unbelievably tacky, and the lyrics consist of the names of many different major cities and countries with a few attempts to pump the listener up thrown in between. It all sounds so artificial, and the chorus is just cringeworthy. Like, you couldn't come up with anything else to say? I wasn't expecting much from a solo Fergie, but I thought I might get a respectable track. Oh well, at least it'll have longevity (in the classroom to teach geography, that is).
This haunting, emotional, melodic song does a nice job epitomizing Sia's personality. The chorus is the definition of pure power-pop, but it's a bit overexaggerated. The best parts of the song are the first verse and the final moments, which left me intrigued with the content and aching for more. Unfortunately, this song burned out really quickly for me. I played it a lot in March and April, and that was that. It's definitely one of the more memorable songs of the year, but the chorus is tiring and it's structured too much like an EDM song. Other than that, though, it's a good pop effort from someone who seldom takes credit for one.
I have to admit that I was impressed upon my first listen to this song. It really shows off Tinashe's maturity and that she can make a serious, moody, interesting R&B song. The song is both lyrically and sonically fascinating. However, I do think the song drags on for a little bit too much, and it's quite monotonous. Othewise, the harmonies are on point and the spacey instrumental is great. Unfortunately, A$AP Rocky sounds like he's talking in his sleep.
Top 40 of Top 40
#36: Ellie Goulding - Burn
#35: Sia - Chandelier
Top 30 Rhythmic/Urban Hits
#26: Bobby Shmurda - Hot N*gga
#25: Tinashe f/A$AP Rocky - Pretend
Top 20 Non-Hits
#18: David Guetta f/Sam Martin - Dangerous
Top 10 Worst Songs
#9: Fergie - L.A.LOVE (la la)
Here's what's coming tomorrow:
Top 40 of Top 40 - #34, #33
Top 30 Rhythmic/Urban Hits - #24, #23
Top 20 Non-Hits - #17
1 Honorable Mention (this was unplanned because I just increased the # of honorable mentions from 5 to 10)
I will not be busy tomorrow afternoon. Expect a 4pm Eastern Time start. I'll see you then!