Going Steady: New Singles 3-10-23 – 3-16-22 Reviewed
Nothing’s Free – Angel Olsen, Drew Erickson- torch ballad by the former singer songwriter confessional – B-
Home For My Heart – ArrDee, Cat Burns – two major UK employees, the r&B sweetness of Cat and the clever clogs intelligence of trap rapper ArrDee – B
Don’t Fade Away – Beach Fossils – returning after six years with yet another the Byrds meets Real Estate ringing guitar vibe – B
Miracle (with Ellie Goulding) – Calvin Harris – EDM in the USA never recovered from Avicii’s suicide while in the UK it is still 2014 – C+
Out Of That Truck – Carrie Underwood – she is terrible on stage though with a pleasant little ear ripper “Out Of That Truck” – B
To be honest – Christine and the Queens – one of his better singles, a low key but mountaining sound – B
1 on 1- D-Block Europe – great and dark beats and some fair rapping – B-
Just A Girl – From The Original Series “Yellowjackets” – Florence + The Machine -cmon, Welch, No Doubt deserve better than this overblown take – C
Smog – Indigo De Souza – first rate singer songwriter confessional and I just wish the beats were less digital overworked but otherwise, via Saddle Creek – B+
Full Spectrum Dominance – Killing Joke – wall of sound and goth moodiness with a surprisingly addictive bad dream – B
Thank God I Do – Lauren Daigle – the American Idol alumni as top Contemporary Christian singer songwriter on a classic “Thank God I Do” that sounds like a rocker of faith take on JC – SINGLE OF THE WEEK – A-
La Reina – Maluma – a salsa meets trap with a reggaetón sell by date – B-
I Wrote A Song – Mae Muller – co-written by Joel Corry buddy Lewis Thompson, the British entry into the Eurovision song contest being held in Liverpool this year, apparently the UK believe EDM pop will do it – C+
Bright Future – Mr. Vegas, Yemi Alade – Yemi is the queen of afrobeats, Mr. Vegas is a dancehall singjay (both sings, raps, and MCs) on a winner – B
Motto – NF – the white rapper as dysfunctional post-teen who should’ve known better than add no more to his Eminem in a piece of self-aggrandisation – B-
Pretty Boy – Robert Smith Remix – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Robert Smith is in the news over the Cure 2023 tour and also for a terrific remix for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’s “Pretty Boy” as an out and our rocker – B+
CooCool – Róisín Murphy – The Irish disco diva sets the bar for the cottage industry on women adding their voices to DJ producers, Murphy is the other, soulful but also light – B+
Outskirts – Sam Hunt – connect the dots country crap – D+
САМЫЙ РУССКИЙ ХИТ – SHAMAN – Russian pop super patriot’s “The Most Russian Hit” propaganda sounds like awful MOR and if this is what the former USSR has come to they deserve it – D+
Lonely Love Song – St. Paul & The Broken Bones – truth, it is, but also too quiet and too boring but yeah lovely – C+
Under My Thumb – Susanna Hoffs – the sex change is difficult and it adds nothing and subtracts all tension but what the hey – B-
Wings Of Time – From the Motion Picture Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Tame Impala – it’s like being attacked by zombie shetland ponies – D+
Promised – The Rose Monarch, April Rose Gabrielli – mainstream rocker as April returns to he first band after years of solo work and it is a barn burning masterclass on anthem building – B+
Standing Room Only – Tim McGraw – the “Touchdown Jesus” cowboy is back a touch better than his usual middle of the road stuff on “Standing Room Only” though when it goes into anthem mode it dies – C
