Best Of 2020: Songs In Alphabetical Order Through March 31st

 

ringtone (Remix) [feat. Charli XCX, Rico Nasty, Kero Kero Bonito] – 100 gecs, Charli XCX, Rico Nasty – state of the art

Cinderella Story – A Boogie Wit da Hoodie -chill r&b sounding with stronger beats by one of the best

Normalization Blues – AJJ – folkie protest perfection

I Think You’re Great – Alex the Astronaut – the guitar lick is solid silver

Si Veo a Tu Mamá – Bad Bunny – the one where he samples Antônio Carlos Jobim

Promises – Beach Bunny – punk pop SoCal style

For The First Time – Best Coast – Beth moves on

Murder Most Foul – Bob Dylan – a dirge for the loss of Camelot retracted into a cultural moment

Deep In Love – Bonny Light Horseman, Eric D. Johnson, Josh Kaufman, Anaïs Mitchell – folkie supergroup, get this gorgeous love song right

Bigger Boat (feat. Randy Newman) – Brandy Clark, Randy Newman – a charming piece of agitprop

Murda She Wrote – Buju Banton – Banton dancehall

Time – Childish Gambino – The Ariana Grande duet of sustained strength and steel and scariness

Sulfur Surrounding – Code Orange – in a different world this would break the screamos pop

Shoot Sideways – Conway the Machine, The Alchemist, ScHoolboy Q -this is what is great about OG -nursery rhymes and murder

Heart Attack – Courteeners – kings of the tempo quick hard kick

Out The Slums – Remix – Drakeo the Ruler, Danny Brown, 03 Greedo – not just serious stuff but, hey, it’s Danny so it’s also fun

BUSSIT (with Ari Lennox) – Dreamville, Ari Lennox – Ari in strong voice

Godzilla (feat. Juice WRLD) – Eminem, Juice WRLD –  Juice is strong on the chorus

My Attitude – Flo Milli – a straight up and casually brilliant rap track plus major hook

Life Is Good (feat. Drake) – Future, Drake – better together

Your Reply – Frances Quinlan – so good I went back and listened to Hop Along

Gary Lives in the Twilight Zone – Gary Wilson – why don’t you call him on his new telephone?

You should be sad – Halsey – the glad i never ever had a baby with you is devastating

Something Relative – Honey Harper – beautiful voice singing beautiful country style Americana

Like a Woman Should – Hayley Mary – good song, incredibly great singing

Slide (Remix) (feat. Pop Smoke, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie & Chris Brown) – H.E.R., A Boogie Wit da Hood a who’s who of pop on a what’s what

Sometimes – H.E.R. – one of her best songs to date

Be Afraid – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – agitprop points the finger at his peers

Verde – J Balvin, Sky Rompiendo – this is pop 2020, trap beat to ecstatic pop electronica

Flower – Jehnny Beth of Savages were lo fi they’d be this

P*$$Y Fairy (OTW) – Jhené Aiko – hot and chill sex song

Tuesday I’ll Be Gone (feat. Blake Shelton) – John Anderson, Blake Shelton – a legend, a great, and the lick of a lifetime

In The Basement – Juiceboxxx – sounds like sadcore but this guy has been around forever

Intentions (feat. Quavo) – Justin Bieber, Quavo – maybe he only has one but it is a great one (on the new album I mean)

Wishful Thinking – Katie Pruitt – low key Americana folk bummer

la – Kelsea Ballerini –  then she took a pill in Ibiza

Back of a Cab – King Princess – the brooding add on for the deluxe album is a brooding piece of missynched weird soulfulness

Stupid Love – Lady Gaga – This is what Gaga does best, a pure disco concoction filled with character and zass

Set Me Free – Lecrae, YK Osiris – The apex of Christian rap not named Kanye heralded by a Mary Mary sample

Digging in the Desert – Lié – get up and use them

I’m Sorry – Lil Uzi Vert – The real follow up to “The Way Life Goes”

Forgiveness – Mandy Moore – The one where Mandy gets to the finishing end of Ryan

Lost Girl – Music from the Netflix Original Film – Lucinda Williams – Americana marble mouth for nine minutes of wow

MIB – Myke Towers – Latin trap with an excellent rap

Cut Me – Moses Sumney – stunning, bass picked and then there is this: “Might not be healthy for me but seemingly I need
what cuts me

Me in 20 Years – Moses Sumney – art pop

Oh Canada – Nadia Reid – folk beat from a woman who sounds like she is Canadian

Elevator (127F) – NCT 127 – and not only that, they beat Coronavirus to a standstill

God’s Own Children – Obongjayar – African dance pop

Blue Moon – Onyx Collective, Ian Isiah – The New York jazz guys with a delicate and lovely cover

What Makes Me Think About You – Nicolas Godin – Airtight electronic pop move

Garden Song – Phoebe Bridgers – sweet, aching nostalgia

Concrete – Poppy – Bury her six feet deep

Sweet – Porridge Radio – the face of errant sadcore as post-punk prog wakemare

Keep Up – RaeLynn – the shade of her lipstick matches her neck

Cocoon – Sam Huber – neo r&b as art rock

Hard To Forget – Sam Hunt – There stands the song

Rare – Selena Gomez – it isn’t Ariane on romance, but it is still great

Slow Down – Acoustic – Skip Marley, H.E.R. – Bob’s Grandson and H.E.R.’s third song on this list

Mal – Slow Mass – melodic hardcore meets punk

Only The Young – Featured in Miss Americana – Taylor Swift – Yeah, Taylor gets political but you’ll stay for the terrific hook

The Man – Live From Paris – Taylor Swift – killer track but really, women are completely paranoid when it comes to male power. I mean, really? Taylor IS THE MAN

Iron Fist – Tha God Fahim – if Wu were from the South…

Trash Glam Baby – The Boomtown Rats – their first song knocking on forty years and it’s still like clockwork

Scared To Live – The Weeknd – best use of a major Elton John sample EVER

Dressing America – TORRES – she goes Americana-y

Bikini Porn – Tove Lo – Hot stuff EDM nursery rhyme, the video is killer -co-produced by Finneas

Lilacs – Waxahatchee – A brilliant metaphor fuels a sad and sweet and smart indie folk rock in love that seems slipping and needs holding, just a sense of how life fades