Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed 3-30-18 – 4-5-18
Nonchalant – A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie featuring Alkaline – Alkaline is a dancehall cat, and this is soulful r&b but what’s dub got to do with it? – B-
Indecente – Anitta – Rubadub goes Latin pop, it is like a variation of reggae – B
Bad Company – A$AP Rocky, BlocBoy JB – BlocBoy is all over the place, but this is about Rocky taking the lead on this slight yet still addictive rap-pop – C+
Rent – Big Freedia – This is Big Freedia’s greatest moment, a heads down all down EDM explosion of energy and light, all speedy sing speak and rapid fore beats and a chorus where more voices are added. Just about sublime – SINGLE OF THE WEEK – A-
bitches broken heart – Billie Eillish – California gal Billie gloms on some of that Sade soft sizzle on this dreamscape soul number – B-
Gucci Flip Flops – Bhad Bhabie, Lil Yachty – The “cash me outside, how ’bout dat?” girl is more than a novelty act, this is her third goodie in a row with the for real Lil Yachty on this entirely addictive single – B
Be Careful – Cardi B – A cool samba with a huge Lauryn Hill sample propelling it at Outset, who is getting it between the eyes – B
Take You Home – Casadee Pope – The Voice winner comes up with a pleasant country rocker – B-
Change (feat James Taylor) – Charlie Puth – Intuitives a song that borrows liberally from James circa “Shower The People” and pulls it off even if it is more Hallmark than MLK – B
Never Say Die – CHVRCHES – Say die – C
Sweet Sensation – Flo Rida – Great hook like it jumped off some old school disco track but the heart isn’t great – C+
Finally Floating – Hinds – Great multi-vocal on a sweet nothing of a song – B
Clearly – Grace VanderWaal – Really -a naff almost cover of “I Can See Clearly Now” that isn’t one in much the same way as Cardi B is an almost cover of “Care For Me,” only worse – C-
Us – James Bay – Overwrought and overblown, when James falters on a song all you have is the posture – C
Figures, A Reprise – Jesse Reyez, Daniel Caesar – It’s a great song but it didn’t need this and Caesar doesn’t add a thing- B+
Tu Pum Pum – Karol G, Shaggy, El Capitaan, Sekuence – A little too much, but Karol G is better than Sting and Shaggy is better than Shaggy – B
Back Being Blue – Kelly Willis – An inverted “Back In Baby’s Arms,” with a smooth old fashioned country vibe and a lovely guitar solo – B+
Your Song – Lady Gaga – Why sing a song with a sweet offhand sense of love, when you can over sing it, that “you’re in…” crap coda is deadly – MUST TO AVOID – D
The Man – Lil Xan, $teven Cannon – If you’ve got a parental figure and you wanna hear em say “You call this music?” just play em this. Nagging and kinda funny – B
When The Night Is Over – Lord Huron – A slumbering mess of a song, gives Americana (which needs no help being given one) a bad name – D-
No Hard Feelings – Manchester Orchestra – As tedious a piece of junk as you’ll ever here, the longest two and a half minutes of my life, with another three and a half minutes to go – D+
Aries (Yugo) Part 2 – Mike Will Made It, Rae Sremmurd, Big Sean – That “Yugo” is a good hook but Mile is much better producing other folks – C+
Nostalgia – Mo – Catchy dance track, she has never sounded more like Robyn – B-
Push Back – Ne-Yo, Bebe Rexha, Stefflon Don – Every other song I head sounds like it was cloned from Major Lazer -including this one – C+
Uno Mas – NORE, Pharrell Williams, Miguel, Wiz Khalifa – A lotta star power for a 90s NOREy throwaway – C+
Shiggy – Stephen Malkmus And The Jinks – This reminds me of Elvis Costello circa “Episode Of Blonde” -not musically, but how it attempted to use the old mojo and couldn’t quite make it – C+
Me So Bad – Tinashe, Ty Dolla $ign, French Montana – French Montana is one bridge too far but Tinashe owns her own song so that is good – B-
Pineapple – Ty Dolla $ign, Gucci Mane, Quavo – Yeah, this isn’t much… at some point these mash ups don’t work – C
OKRA – Tyler, The Creator – Just a reminder that he is bisexual, a good rapper, and not always into that pop thing – B
