I think every artist in the world is gearing up for Memorial Day Weekend, and the country to open back up for the summer, because Jesus, Mary, and Joseph there were a lot of songs released this week. So many songs that at the time of starting this article I am still trying to get through all of the albums. There must have been over 100 songs that I have currently gone through and I am nowhere close to being done. There were probably 20 singles that were released that I have already gone through and I have no doubt that I am missing some. Let me give you a small taste of what I have gone through already, and this doesn’t include the songs that will be featured in the top five and the honorable mention list…
Jon vinyl – told you single
Audrey nana – a liquid breakfast album
Day glow – harmony house single
Twenty one pilots – scaled and icy album
Green Day – pollyanna single
RMR – vibes single
Russ – 3:15 single
Hoisin – be11a ciao single
Aloenstar – hands high single
Tech nine – kicker single
Mooski – track star single
88rising – too many tears single
Bobby sessions – gold Rolex single
YG – community service album
Birdman – stunnaman single
Foushee – enjoy the silence single
A boogie – 24 hours single
Lil baby – we win single (space jam)
City girls – twerkulator single
Aaron jones – child of the state album
Tensile arts – back then right now single
Young MA – off the yak album
42 dug – free dem Boyz album
Polo g – gang gang single
Lil nas x – sun goes down single
Beeny the butcher -trust the sopranos album
Can you see why I am still listening to music as I am writing this? By far this is the most amount of songs I have had to go through so far in any iteration of this article. Where it might seem like I am complaining, I am only stating a fact of the massive amount of releases. By no means am I complaining, I would rather have a week like this instead of some of the previous weeks where I am struggling to compile a top-five due to the lack of songs.
This week was especially amazing because there is literally something for everyone. Boom-Bap rap, R&B, Hip-Hop, New School Rap, Country, Pop, K-Pop, Alternative, Rock, and I think that is just about every genre. If you are a music fan this week is the equivalent of Christmas.
First, let us get to the honorable mention list, and this week there is a lot that makes this list. So many that I actually contemplated creating a whole separate article just for the honorable mentions. They are that good this week I could create a whole different top five or top list article just from these. As always in no particular order.
Anne-marie ft Niall Horan – our song single
Marshmello ft Jonas brothers – leave before you love me single
Lucky Daye – mercy me single
Vance joy – missing piece single
Brandy – starting now single
Dave east ft millyz – Pablo & Blanco single
Malz Monday ft Kota the friend – say it single
These honorable mentions are all great in their own right and could be on most top five lists in other weeks.
Anne-Marie gives you a great love song that all of having felt before when you and your significant other have that one special song.
The Jonas Brothers surprised me with this song. I am not a huge fan of theirs and generally don’t listen to their music, but this one is different. This is a song I can see myself listening to multiple times. The story of being in that relationship but not necessarily fully and you don’t want to hurt them so you try and figure out a way to leave before they fall too deep.
Lucky Daye shows off all of his vocals and once again gives a strong song.
Brandy does what Brandy does and there isn’t much else to say about how great of an artist she is.
Dave East and Millyz give a strong lyrical performance on a few songs I went in skeptical about. Dave is hit and miss for me depending on content and flow, but along with Millyz they both show off on this.
I wasn’t quite sure who Malz Monday was, although I have heard his name, but I saw the Kota feature and had to check it out, and boy was I glad I did. Such a great song that damn near cracked the top five but closely got beat out by some amazing R&B.
After what basically amounts to its own top five list, let me show you the actual top five and what you should listen to first this week…
Who doesn’t love a true R&B track? As you have learned from the previous article the answer is me, I love a true R&B track. And what better than an R&B track about still loving your girl. No matter how far separated you are, no matter what the current situation is, no matter anything, I still love you and always will. You have my heart forever and even as life goes on and situations change, even if the type of love changes the fact still remains, I love you forever and always.
Now, seeing the BTS name if you know anything about them or have seen anything at all regarding music over the last two years you are probably thinking K-Pop. Where normally you would be right, in this case, you would actually be wrong. This is a K-Pop group that did a straight-up pop song fully in English. I can see why this group continues to break world music records and is the biggest group in music history. This song sounds like a Bruno Mars song and doesn’t come close to being K-pop and I think is a testament to their versatility. I don’t know who is working with this group, but whoever it is they need a huge congratulations because they continue to smack everything out of the park.
From, “Drivers License,” fame she delivers a good album. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this coming off her smash single, but I am pleasantly surprised. What made me put this at number three is how she changed my mind from what I thought going into this album, especially after how it started. I am not a fan of the first song and after listening to hours upon hours of music I almost turned this off because of the first song. However, I continued to give it a chance and it grew on me more and more as the album progressed.
Acoustic songs, Pop songs, slow songs, and upbeat songs, there is a little of everything here. She delivers on all fronts, lyrically, musically, and structurally. Possibly the most surprising part of this album to me is that close to 80% of the album is relatable to me. A teenage girl on her first album made something that is relatable to a 27-year-old guy, I would say that is pretty great.
Relationships, friendships, and straight-up emotion are all part of this album. Loving you, breakups, wishing you well, losing friends, struggling, and everything in between are all delivered perfectly without redundancy. This is definitely a project to check out, and one that will grow on you the more you listen.
How much can you say about Blake Shelton? He has been great for years and with this project that doesn’t change. I will say this might be a little more on the countryside than I was expecting, but nonetheless, this is a good project from top to bottom. My only complaint about this whole album comes from one song where he sings about corn. I gave it a chance because seeing a song titled, “Corn,” definitely got my attention, but after the first verse and hook it wasn’t for me.
Moving on from there I don’t have anything bad to say about this. The way country singers are able to give incredibly emotional, sad love songs an upbeat feeling will never cease to amaze me. An album filled with songs about loving your girl, being sad she left, getting over heartbreak, and trying to move on, all without one song being sad and heart-wrenching is what I like most.
There is a song for everyone on this album, whether you are currently going through a break-up, getting over a break-up, trying to move on from a break-up, in a happy loving relationship or somewhere in between you can find a song that is relatable on this project. Another great country album in a year that has been filled with great country albums.
Let me start by saying wasn’t totally familiar with Sinead Garnet, saw this on a whim, took a chance, and obviously landing at number one this week paid off tremendously. This is my standout album of this week. Everything about this album I am in love with. Her voice, the content, the features, the music, the vibe, there is nothing bad about this project. From the second I turned this on I was hooked.
This album is all things love and relationship. Starting with, “Ready is always too late,” saying that we always wait for the perfect time, but when we are ready to dive headfirst the time has already passed. Following that with, “Stay,” and continuing to, “Take me away,” and so on, she takes you through every love and relationship emotion you could ever possibly have. The best part is she does it in a way that doesn’t make you want to ball up in your room and cry. She does it in a way that makes you vibe along with each song. Which for is amazing because a project like this could easily take me out for the entire day, and considering this was the first thing I listened to on a Saturday morning could have ruined my entire day. Instead, it put me in a great mood and made my day that much better.
Any fan of R&B, love, emotion, relationships, and everything of that sort is going to absolutely love everything about this album.
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