Tag: Usher

Year Review in Music – 2024

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Time to Read: 14 minutes (whole post)

It’s one of my favourite times of the year—time to celebrate and share some of my favourite releases from 2024 with you!

As always, there’s a strong focus on Pop music, with a sprinkling of other genres for good measure.

I genuinely think this year has been brilliant for Pop Music, especially for women in the genre. I don’t say that purely to be inclusive – the Pop girlies deserve to be celebrated this year. From Beyoncé to Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande to Sabrina Carpenter (our new Pop Princess), we’ve been spoiled with phenomenal albums.

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Music Monday – Volume Ninety Eight

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Welcome back to Music Monday. We’ve been a little bit AWOL in the last few months and for that, we’re sorry! Music Monday blogs will now feature five tracks instead of ten to enable us to continue to bring you the best in new music. Enjoy these 5 massive tracks!

1) Mollie King – Back To You

Member of The Saturdays, Mollie King has delivered an incredible and triumphant debut solo single. ‘Back To You’ is a moody electropop track with an equally stunning cinematic video.

2) Usher – Crash

Usher at his most underrated is Usher at his best. Minimalist yet slick and catchy, this moody piece of R&B utilises Usher’s gorgeous and faultless falsetto over jittery percussion.

3) Sons of Sonix ft Melanie C – Numb

Ex member of the Spice Girls Melanie C once again proves her versatility and worth as a solo artist on this huge summer smash. This huge tropical house track is a collaboration with London production duo Sons of Sonix.

4) Christine and The Queens – Tilted

This simplistic yet effortlessly catchy artpop track is without a doubt one of the best tracks of 2016. It may have been around for a while but we haven’t had the opportunity to include it in a Music Monday edition yet so here it is!

5) Tieks FT Dan Harkna – Sunshine (Extended Mix)

This huge house track has earned a surge of popularity from its use in the new Fiat 500 TV advert. Repetitive, maybe but its house piano riffs and sturdy vocals make it a feel-good classic.

 

Music Monday – Volume Fifty Two

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1) Usher – I don’t mind

God-damn awful lyrics aside, I love this. Slick, smooth and simple: the characteristics of the perfect pop song! Just don’t pay too much information to the lyric content and try and block out Juicy J’s completely useless rap!

2) Gary Barlow – Offer My Peace

B-Side from the Japanese release of the wonderful ‘So Help Me Girl’. It’s classic 90’s schmaltz complete with bongo-type percussion and an electric piano but that’s a lot of what makes it so endearing! Wait for that key change 😉 Lovely little song.

3) Iggy Azalea & Jennifer Hudson – Trouble

Despite my best efforts not to like any of Iggy’s music, I always seem to get drawn in eventually… Despite some of her others which I won’t readily admit to enjoying, I will openly admit that I absolutely love this! Effortlessly catchy, simple, jazzy and just SO damn great. Completely forgot what an incredible voice J-Hud has. She makes it what it is, of course but there’s the perfect balance of rap and singing on it.

4) Longfellow – Where I Belong

Heard this on the radio and completely fell in love with it. It’s not ground-breakingly original but it’s a powerful song. Gorgeous falsetto on that chorus and love the piano too!

5) Janet Jackson – Let’s Wait Awhile

Critics would argue that this is classic 80’s cheese and yes it does have a particular element of that to it. Despite that, the message is still relevant today. It’s such an important song to multiple generations and utterly irresistible. Janet was an incredibly proficient artist in using her music as a means of raising awareness on many important issues back in the 80’s. This song is a part of that movement. The song’s producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis also do a sterling job on this beautiful song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J75aXgdmEPw

6) Janet Jackson – Nothing

Beautiful simple song by Miss Jackson. The resemblance to Michael is uncanny in some places…

7) George Michael – Please Send Me Someone to Love (Anselmo’s Song)

Lovely track from George’s last album ‘Patience’. Chilled out and obviously very personal (Anselmo was George’s lover who died from AIDS related illness back in the mid-90’s)  it’s George at his best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMtM1dl0qu8

8) John Mayer & Katy Perry – Who You Love

Yes it may be a little cheesy but it’s such a beautiful song. Love how the lyrics come from two different perspectives by the couple and it’s lovely to hear Katy’s raw, organic vocals without any of the usual processing it receives. I love this couple so much – two of my favourite artists together.

9) JLS – Close to You

Not exactly innovative but a lovely R&B love song all the same. Really love this.

10) Usher -Burn

An often forgotten gem from eleven (was it really that long ago?!) years ago. Usher does heartbreak R&B ballads like no other. Such a beautiful song.

Music Monday – Volume Twenty

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1)      5SOS – Don’t stop

I do think this band is very overrated. Having said that, this song is irresistibly catchy and I do enjoy hearing it on the radio very much.

2)      Usher – Good Kisser (Disclosure Remix)

Those that follow me on Twitter will know how much I love this song through my excessive tweeting about it. I’ve also already included this track in one of my previous editions of Music Monday but this is slightly different as it’s the Disclosure remix. I love the Disclosure boys – their debut album is amazing, their songs are fantastic and their remixes are awesome. Love this.

 

3)      Chris Braide – Last great hope for mankind

You may not have heard of him but Chris Braide is the writer of many well-known and much loved songs. He’s one of my favourite song-writers. Along with his writing, he has also released a handful of his own material on a collection of albums. I love this song and how happy it is.

(Unfortunately there are no videos on YouTube for this – Spotify or iTunes it if you can!)

4)      Lady Antebellum – Can’t take my eyes off you

I’ve always loved Lady Antebellum’s single releases but this week I decided to check out their albums. I fell in love with a lot of songs, the harmonies, chord structures and country-feel to each song but I especially loved this one.

5)      Jess Glynne – Birthday/I wanna be your lover (Live in the Radio 1 Live Lounge)

Jess Glynne is definitely an artist to watch. She was lead vocalist on Clean Bandit’s awesome song ‘Rather be’ and also on Route 94’s ‘My love’. This was a live version of Katy Perry’s amazing track, ‘Birthday’ which in itself was already great. But then she mixed it up with some of Prince’s ‘I wanna be your lover’ and made it even more crazy. Awesome.

6)      Nerina Pallot – Learning to breathe

This is a wonderful song. After re-discovering ‘Sophia’, I decided to check out the album the track was from. I loved all of the songs but I really fell in love with this song. Catchy and emotive chorus.

7)      Nerina Pallot – Sophia

This song gives me lots of fond memories. I loved it upon its release back in 2006 and I remember listening to it in the car on my way home from school during my first few weeks of secondary school. It’s an absolutely gorgeous song and I love it very much. Nerina Pallot is amazing.

8)      Bipolar Sunshine – Deckchairs on the moon

I keep hearing this on the radio and I love it. I love the piano and how summery/space-y it feels. Very electronic and catchy. One of the best new tracks I’ve heard in a while.

9)      Lower than Atlantis – Here we go

This is quite a heavy track for me to like but I’m really loving this!

10)    Oasis – Guess God thinks I’m abel

I love the guitar and chord structure on this track. Awesome song

Music Monday – Volume Fifteen

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1)      Sam Smith – Restart

SO catchy. I have no idea why this is only available on the deluxe edition because it’s probably my highlight of the album.

2)      Darius – Maliblue

I found this in someone’s summer playlist on Spotify. A really catchy electro track.

3)      Ella Henderson – Ghost

Heard this on the radio the other day and loved it. Had no idea who it was until Grimmy mentioned after and it was a pleasant surprise! I always liked Ella on the X Factor but wasn’t sure if she’d go anywhere after the show. This is easily one of the best songs around at the moment so she’s heading in the right direction! Co-written by one of my favourite songwriters, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder.

4)     Laura Mvula – She

LOVE this. The harmonies are gorgeous and it’s just a very powerful, beautiful song.

5)      Alexia Keys & John Mayer – Lesson learned

Beautiful song by two very talented artists. Very chilled out.

6)      Peter Andre – I feel you

Bit of 90’s cheese. I know he’s not liked by any but I really like him as a person and as an artist. Love this soppy ballad 🙂

7)      Matt Cardle – It’s only love

This man is so bloody underrated. Such a talented guy. Really love this song.

8)      Kelly Rowland – Can’t nobody

Bit of a throwback. Really love how catchy this is.

9)      Usher – Good kisser

So damn catchy. Love those dreamy harmonies!

10)   Laura Mvula – Yellow

The original by Coldplay is one of my favourite songs of all time. I love Laura Mvula and I found her performance of this the other day on YouTube and fell in love with her all over again. One of the most talented women to emerge from the UK in years. Stunning piano-vocal version of a beautiful song. Some of those chords give me goosebumps!