Summer Country Songs

Well, we're fully into June, which means it's unofficially but totally officially summer, and with that comes the inevitable rise of the summer country songs.  I took a listen through some of the top hits on iTunes and decided to share my opinions on the most memorable selections.  Here are some songs you can expect to hear on country radio this summer:

Luke Bryan- "Drunk On You": 

This right here is why I love country videos- they actually tell a story.  I don't know the first thing about Luke Bryan, but I'll be damned if I wasn't rooting for his girl to show up at the end of the video, even if her appearance was completely and totally inevitable.  The song is neither here nor there, nothing I can get excited about, but the video makes it enjoyable.

Little Big Town- "Pontoon": 

True story: I had no idea what a "pontoon" was until I watched this video.  And simultaneously looked it up on Wikipedia.  But whatever.  It sure looks like a fun time!

Carrie Underwood- "Good Girl": 

Say what you want about Carrie Underwood, but you can't deny she's the most vocally talented of any American Idol winner, and possibly of any female singer in pop or country music these days.  Her voice is so powerful, and has so much character, and she can perform vocal tricks that are more advanced than just about anything else out there these days.  Listening to her songs is enjoyable mostly for that fact, and "Good Girl" is no exception.  Seriously, try singing along.  You won't be able to do it.  That's when you realize how much better some of these contest-winners really are than you.
 
Eli Young Band- "Even If It Breaks Your Heart":  

Last year's winners of my Best Country Song award (with "Crazy Girl") are back at it again this summer, with a track almost (if not quite) as good.  This one's about loving music and following your dreams, so it's got a more uplifting and all-encompassing message than one about loving a crazy girl (although we've all been there too, I suppose, haven't we?)

Gloriana- "Kissed You Good Night":  

I do love me some country duets, although this one doesn't quite match up to some of last year's standouts like "Don't You Wanna Stay" or "Remind Me."  Still, nothing beats a good ol' boy and girl professing their love to each other.

Jason Aldean- "Fly Over States":  

I also love a nice ode to places a Yank like me has never been to, exotic places like Oklahoma, Kansas, and Amarillo, TX.  Little chance I'll ever spend much time in any of these "flyover states" but now I feel like I understand their cultural values just as well as if I'd lived there once!  Thanks, Jason.

Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw- "Feel Like A Rock Star":  

Here's a summer country party song if I ever heard one.  Perfect for the back of the pickup truck tailgate or the arena concert inside.  Wow, with blurbs like that I should work in Marketing for one of these guys...

Florida Georgia Line- "Cruise": 

Had to dig a little deeper to find this one, but the hyper-geographic  band name Florida Georgia Line leapt out at me, and the song backed it up with a sufficiently anthemic chorus and overall sound.  This could be the surprise country summer anthem of 2012.  You heard it here first, folks!

Song Of The Day: Usher- "Scream"

Did you like "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love?"  At least, until it was ruined for all time? (Sorry, I had to post that link.)  Well, you're in luck, 'cause Usher's made a pretty similar jam here with "Scream."  It's a little darker, a little sparer, and it lacks the obligatory Pitbull verse (somebody in Pitbull's camp is gonna get fired for that), but otherwise the comparisons are easy to make.  It should get bodies moving on the dance floor, or at the very least, fists pumping in the car.  Also, Usher's album comes out on Tuesday, so get ready for a whole lot more of him this summer.

Song Of The Day: Havana Brown ft. Pitbull- "We Run The Night"

Damn, I really think Pitbull has a clause in his contract that, for the years 2010-2013, he has to be in at least 12.5% of the Top 40 of any given week.  I mean, there's no other way to explain his constant (mediocre) contributions to such a staggering proportion of new songs.  Seriously- since 2010 (in other words, the last 30 months), Pitbull has either released or appeared in 15 Top 100 singles, with a couple more probably on the way either this week or next.  That's absurd.  Here, he gets on a single by Australian pop star Havana Brown, which has been out since last year (I first heard it over the summer) but has now been re-released for the US market, which apparently means it is required to now feature a verse from Pitbull.  So here it is, "We Run The Night."  Not a bad song at all, by the way.  Pretty inane, but what else did you expect?  Good party-starter.  Go get 'em, Pit.

Return Of Song Of The Day: Katy Perry- "Wide Awake"

 Finally, time to get back into the daily swing of things.  Katy Perry recently issued a re-release of her record-setting album Teenage Dream (this one is subtitled "The Complete Confection"), and "Wide Awake" is one of the bonus tracks, and it has been released as a single as well.  Gotta say, this one's pretty boring, as Katy Perry songs go.  This album has to be on its last legs at this point, right?  Probably time for Katy to take a deep breath, go relax on a Caribbean island somewhere, get into a couple new relationships to use as songwriting material, and come back in 18-24 months ready to record a new album.  She's got to be just absolutely worn out after all these singles, and all this endless promotion of the same album.  But, you should expect to hear "Wide Awake" a good amount on the radio this summer.  And, this is a great lyric video- it shows the complete progression of Teenage Dream over the last year and a half, all via Facebook Timeline (see? It can be used for something!)

10 New (And Not-So-New) Dance Jams You Need To Hear Right Now

As you might have heard, dance music is quite big over in the UK.  So, I was more than able to continue scouting for the best new music, and I was even able to visit a couple of London's most famous clubs, like Fabric (dubstep/drum+bass mayhem) and Ministry of Sound (where I got to see Kaskade spinning some epic bangers).  I also had the pleasure of visiting Barcelona, where I went to three beachfront nightclubs and heard all sorts of Eurojams.  These are not necessarily those songs.  However, this is the best collection of dance music I could cobble together, so enjoy!

Gotye- “Somebody That I Used To Know (Tiesto Remix)”: 

A song so spare, yet so popular, as "Somebody That I Used To Know" was obviously going to be a major target for a souped-up remix, and Tiesto has delivered the most massive one so far.

                                    

Nadia Ali, Starkillers, Alex Kenji & Alesso vs Coldplay- “Fix You Pressure”: 

SHM played this in their set at Madison Square Garden back in the fall, but it took a lot longer for me to remember it and find it online.  What a fantastic concept for a mashup- although it's really just "Pressure," then "Fix You," then "Pressure" again.  Either way, major jam.

John de Sohn- “Long Time (feat. Andreas Moe)”: 

This is just a basic pop-dance track, but it's insanely catchy and it feels big, so it gets inclusion on my "best-of" list.

 

Martin Solveig- “The Night Out (Madeon Remix)”:

This is just a straight-up party starter.  No two ways about it.  Madeon is awesome, and everyone should check out some of his other stuff as well.

Lana Del Rey- “Born To Die (Gemini Remix)”: 

One of the times I went to Fabric, Gemini happened to be playing (completely by chance) which got me really psyched because I had actually heard his song "Blue" before and really liked it.  He closed his set with that, but right before it, he laid down this cover of Lana Del Rey's haunting track, and it immediately became one of my new favorites.

Nero- “Must Be The Feeling (Flux Pavilion and Nero Remix)”: 

This is literally the wildest dubstep jam I've heard this year.  No, it's not "filthy" in terms of just being unfiltered noise.  It actually has structure and melody, so it's probably not "hardcore" enough for some, but it's perfect for me.  It gets me amped every time, even as I'm listening to it RIGHT NOW!  A must-have.  Turn up the bass and go crazy.

M-3ox- “Beating Of My Heart (feat. Heidrun) (Matisse & Sadko Remix)”: 

This is one of those only-in-EDM mega-collaborations where you've never heard of anyone involved and it's impossible to keep everyone straight, but ultimately it doesn't matter because the one song they've produced together is too good to ignore.  I think I've finally figured out what type of house music I like, too- songs with a powerful melody and a huge sound.  Notice the common trend in these last four tracks...

Antillas- “Damaged (feat. Fiora)”: 

This song has an insanely long intro...you could make a case that the "beat doesn't drop" until almost 2/3 of the way through.  But that would be impatient, because the journey to get there is a great one.  Sure, it's a long song, but every part of it is worth listening to.

Keane- “Silenced By The Night (Alesso Remix)”:  

This is the current #1 song on Beatport, and for good reason.  Almost no song sounds more huge, and is more of a guarantee to get people moving at a huge festival than this one.  Except for, maybe, "Levels" and... 

Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl (ft. Georgi Kay)- “In My Mind (Axwell Mix)”: 

Biggest house hit of the year so far, hands down.  Massive, massive track.  Kaskade played it at Ministry and it was amazing.  I heard it a couple times watching the YouTube feed of Ultra, and I'm sure it'll be pretty ubiquitous at any festival this summer.  Get used to it, people.

10 Most Noteworthy Pop Songs From The Last Few Months (That I Haven’t Mentioned Yet)

I may have been overseas for the last few months, but keeping a tab on the biggest hits in the States turned out to be as easy as ever, thanks to the era we live in, where the more YouTube views a video has, the bigger a hit it must be.  Airplay means less than it ever has, so by looking at various charts and by just reading what people are saying, I feel pretty confident saying that these here are THE ten biggest hits that have bubbled up in the last four months, that I haven’t already reviewed in some other capacity. 

10. Katy Perry- "Part of Me": 

If you’ve ever read the blog, you’re probably aware that we have a more-than-healthy respect for the accomplishments of Katy Perry’s album Teenage Dream.  With the re-release of the album, complete with two new singles (“Part Of Me” and “Wide Awake”), she has the very, very outside chance to collect seven, or even eight, #1’s from one mega album.  I could get into specifics about why it wouldn’t really count since the album is a re-release, but the important thing to take away is simply that Katy Perry has had the greatest year and a half from any one album in the history of music charts.  And as for this video, I really like it- it has an actual story, and an inspiring one at that.  If she keeps this up, she’ll be on top of the game for a long time.

9. Chris Brown- "Turn Up the Music": 

Yep, Chris Brown’s still as prolific as ever releasing singles almost weekly, it seems.  Most of them are completely uninteresting, and America apparently agrees, since they’ve gained very little traction.  One notable exception is this club banger, which, despite its letdown of a beatdrop, is still a pretty good song all-around, and managed to crack Billboard’s Top 10, probably on the strength of a historic remix with Rihanna, of all people.  Lots of controversy around that, which I’m not even gonna try to touch with a 10-foot pole.  But if you don’t think all of that drama is 100% being orchestrated by industry people behind the scenes, well...you’re just incredibly naïve.

8. Nicki Minaj- "Starships": 

This is just a light, cheery, radio-friendly summer song...which is funny since it comes from noted bad girl Nicki Minaj.  Not that it doesn’t have its fair share of cursing, but the general tone is more carefree than we’re used to hearing from her.  Seems like she’s found the path to a successful career- pop songs for the mainstream fame, and mixtapes to keep her old fans satiated.  Nice strategy.

7. The Wanted- "Glad You Came":  

Finally, we get to a breakout new band.  The Wanted, a boy band from the British Isles, are burning up the charts (and the ladies’ hearts) here in the States this year, but what I find mor einteresting is the type of music they’re making to win so many fans.  They’re a boy band, which means they basically just make pop music.  But unlike previous boy bands like *N’SYNC or the Backstreet Boys, they’re (in keeping with modern pop music trends) making music that can be played without hesitation in a dance club.  As far as I’m aware, they’re the first successful boy band to play what can unequivocally be called dance-pop.  This is an interesting development that we’ll have to keep an eye on.

6. Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa- "Payphone": 

Maroon 5 had the song of last summer with “Moves Like Jagger” and they’re clearly trying to defend their title this year with this one.  Unfortunately, “Payphone” isn’t nearly as catchy, and it suffers from an ill-advised appearance by Wiz Khalifa, who takes the song off-tone and off-message with his boastful verse.  But overall, it’s still a higher-quality song than most of its competition this summer, and it heralds an impending new album from Maroon 5, which can only be a good thing.

5. Justin Bieber- "Boyfriend": 

My God, the kid has grown up.  The rapping, I can do without.  But everything else- the singing, the beat, the video, I’m not gonna lie...Justin Bieber is legit.  This song is a jam.  Not quite good enough to put in my iTunes library, but good enough to turn up when I hear it on the radio.  And if he can actually drive that well in real life, well, let’s just say he can probably get away from that screaming mob of girls a little more easily than last time.

4. One Direction- "What Makes You Beautiful":  

These guys are the single hottest thing going right now.  They emerged as the third-place winners on The X Factor (the British version), and have gone on to become America’s first-place heartthrobs.  Their sound and message skew much younger than their boy-band counterparts The Wanted, which makes them a bit more family-friendly.  What do I think of One Direction?  Well, since I’m not a ten-year-old girl, or her family, I find them more than a little bit corny.  But hey, I’m not the target audience here.

3. Fun featuring Janelle Monáe- "We Are Young":  

The last couple of years have seen an astonishing  rise in indie-pop bands finding massive mainstream success.  Last year it was Foster The People with their hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” and this year, Fun has broken through and reached the top of the charts as well.  The key moment in this song’s rise?  Being performed on “Glee.”  Funny how in this era of everything being available 24/7 on the Internet, and with seemingly ways to reach a mass audience, it still often takes an appearance on a popular TV show for a song to become a hit.

2. Gotye featuring Kimbra- "Somebody That I Used to Know": 

Speaking of “Pumped Up Kicks,” how much does this song remind you of it?  Quiet, understated song by a previously under-the-radar artist that somehow catches the popular consciousness and winds up topping the charts?  I suppose the only explanation for its success is how different it sounds than everything else on the radio out there.  And it’s fun to cover- it’s been the beneficiary of some fantastic covers lately, although not nearly as many as the#1 song on the list...

1. Carly Rae Jepsen- "Call Me Maybe": 

Sigh.  Everyone loves “Call Me Maybe,” from preteen girls, to college baseball players, to other celebrities.  Who am I to complain?  But there are really just so many questions about this song.  Since when does Justin Bieber get to decide who else is gonna be a star?  Since when do 26-year-old women make music that makes it seem as if they were 13-year-girls?  And why are all the biggest hits so far this summer so damn clean-scrubbed and innocent?  That last question’s not a complaint, it’s more of a cultural curiousity.  If almost none of the ten culturally significant songs on this list would be rated anything worse than PG-13, does that mean we’re renouncing today’s hyper-sexualized society in favor returning to the innocence of yesteryear?  Or is it just a coincidence, a mere teen-pop-heavy blip on the radar?

What, you want answers?  Hah.  I’m not here to answer the difficult questions, or research them, or anything time-consuming like that.  I ask the questions around here!  Someone else can answer them!

10 Jams I Only Heard In London

Welcome back to CMN, everyone!  Yes, I spent the last four months in London, and no, I didn’t update the blog even once.  Sad face.  But, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t keeping my eyes peeled and my ear to the ground, making sure I had my finger on the pulse of pop music (how ‘bout that for use of cliches).  Only during these last four months, I could reasonably claim expertise on the music scenes of two different countries (although they’re remarkably similar these days).  So, here are 10 jams that have been hot only in the UK the last few months.

DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora- “Hot Right Now”: 

DJ Fresh is one of the few drum+bass/electronic acts to find massive pop success in the UK, and this song is a great example of why.  Featuring up-and-coming singer Rita Ora, “Hot Right Now” will almost definitely get you moving if you’re hearing it on a good sound system.  But, it’ll almost definitely never cross over, because mainstream America is not at all ready for this sound on the radio.  Right?

DJ Fresh feat. Sian Evans- “Louder”: 

Here’s another hit from DJ Fresh, and this one will absolutely shred your speakers if you’re not careful.  But, it still manages to keep things fairly safe and mainstream, meaning it was a big-time club jam in London this spring.  But be careful when the tempo picks up at the end, or you’ll be left completely out of rhythm.

Tinchy Stryder feat. Pixie Lott- “Bright Lights”: 

There are a lot of UK-based rappers trying to make their way to the big-time (aka the US) right now, and I think I’ve managed to include most of them in this rundown.  Tinchy Stryder is one of the titans of the British rap scene, as shown by his ability to land one of the hottest British singers, Pixie Lott, to sing the hook on this particularly catchy midtempo track.  But, again, with no American presence on the track, it will likely be contained to the British Isles for eternity.  Could do worse, I suppose.

Cover Drive- “Twilight”: 

To be fair, this one was a hit much earlier in the year, and Cover Drive is Barbadian, not British.  But this song topped all the charts in the UK, and nobody over here in the States has ever heard of Cover Drive, so why be particular?  It’s good enough for me.

Rizzle Kicks- “Mama Do The Hump”: 

Another song that was big earlier in the year, but it was so inescapable that it left a mark on the entire time I was in London.  These guys have a fun vibe and clever rhymes, and the beat is produced by Fatboy Slim, so how much more can you really ask for?

Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah- “Earthquake”: 

This one may have gotten some playtime in the US, I’m not really sure.  It’s such a great pump-up jam that I wouldn’t be surprised if it was well-known worldwide.  And it’s got Tinie Tempah, another of the British rappers who’s huge over there but has only gained a little bit of traction across the pond.  To be honest, he doesn’t do a whole lot here; the song really belongs to its producer, Labrinth.  But it will fire you up, I think.

Olly Murs- “Dance With Me Tonight”: 

Olly Murs was a contestant on The X Factor (The original, British version) where he placed second and became a heartthrob nationwide.  He followed that up with a series of cheery pop power ballads, particularly this one, which features a lovable video, filmed mostly in London, that probably made teenage British girls’ hearts melt.  But, for whatever reason, Olly hasn’t been able to ride the British-teen-idol wave over to the US just yet.

Taio Cruz- “Troublemaker”: 

This song has been around for over a year (it was originally called “Believe In Me Now” and was never officially released) but it has only recently hit the charts.  The video is almost impossibly stupid (standing still while two cars crash into the wall next to you?  What point does that prove exactly?) but the song remains a top-notch club jam that, given Taio’s popularity in the States, will probably cross the Atlantic at some point.

Tulisa- “Young”: 

Unless you read gossip magazines, you’ve probably never heard of Tulisa Contostavlos, but she’s basically been the hottest tabloid/entertainment story in the UK this spring.  Basically, she was part of a fairly successful pop group from London called N-Dubz, but she decided to break off and start a solo career last year.  Well, that just so happened to coincide with the leak of a sex tape starring her and her ex-boyfriend, and just like here in the US, it proved to be a path to superstardom, as well as lots of supposed shame and embarrassment.  Now, she’s an X Factor judge, and she has a #1 single of her own in “Young,” which starts by saying “Forgive me for what I have done, ‘cause I’m young.”  Somebody’s been taking pages out of Kim Kardashian’s playbook...

Emeli Sande- “Next To Me”: 

R&B crooner Emeli Sande has risen to stardom in the UK with a shockingly old-school skill set: she can sing and play piano.  She’s sort of like a British Alicia Keys, but she’s a little more edgy, or at least her hair is.  The voice is undeniable though, especially as she sails into the chorus on “Next To Me.” If you like uplifting R&B, you’ll absolutely like this song.

So there you have ten of the biggest UK-only hits I discovered this spring.  There are more, but those are perhaps the best, or at least most accurate of what was really hot in the streets these past few months.  But I didn’t turn a blind eye to US music, either- stay tuned over the next couple days for the 10 Most Important Songs To Come Out Over The Last Four Months, and the 10 New (Or Sort-Of New)Dance Jams You Have To Hear Right Now!