1. Dan + Shay - "Speechless" 
I kind of gave Dan + Shay's big breakthrough crossover hit "Tequila" an obligatory spot toward the bottom of my 2018 country roundup, but I like the follow-up single a lot more, really beautiful use of their harmonies on the chorus. Here's the 2019 singles Spotify playlist I update every month. 

2. Thomas Rhett - "Sixteen" 
Thomas Rhett has so many country #1s now and they're all at least alright, this is probably only my 3rd favorite from his latest album but it's really grown on me a lot. This song really kind of takes you on this mental trip from being 15 years old and forward into adulthood in the space of 3 minutes in a way that's really well structured and affecting. 

3. Meek Mill f/ Fabolous and Anuel As - "Uptown Vibes" 
Meek Mill is finally as big as I always thought he deserved to be, so I shouldn't complain, but it does kind of disappoint me that R&B tracks and Drake features are still mainly what radio wants to play from him. "Uptown Vibes" gets a lot of mix show burn right now but, like previous great high energy Meek records like "House Party" and "Monster," it's not gonna get into heavy rotation.

4. City Girls f/ Cardi B - "Twerk (Remix)"
I'm kind of amused by how this song sounds like Rico Love just built it right on the foundation of the last NOLA bounce homage he produced, T.I. and Lil Wayne's 2012 single "Ball." Like they saw how "Nice For What" and "In My Feelings" were doing and just dusted the track off. I really didn't feel the first few City Girls songs that got buzz but this one is definitely a standout for them. It irritates me so much that Yung Miami calls her clit her "click" though. 

5. H.E.R. - "Hard Place"
This was a standout of H.E.R.'s last EP for me. But the whole acoustic power ballad thing is so different from her radio hits that I was kind of pleasantly surprised to see her perform it on Grammys and release it as a single. 

6. Ashley McBryde - "Girl Goin' Nowhere"
I'm curious if country radio is going to pick up on Ashley McBryde's second single more than her first now that she's started to get some big endorsements outside the Nashville world (a Grammy nomination and this track in Barack Obama's list of favorite songs of the year). I feel like this song might still be a little too quiet and intimate that they could just continue to keep her at arm's length like Kacey Musgraves, though.

7. Carly Pearce - "Closer To You" 
Carly Pearce is another one of country radio's perpetual ladies in waiting that deserves more spins that she gets, this is an encouraging preview of her second album, I'm glad she's doing another record with Mike Busbee when it looks like Maren Morris is going with other producers. This chorus sounds so effortless that it took me a minute to realize how well it's put together. 

8. Houses - "Fast Talk"
This song has such a gorgeous dreamy vibe that stands out on alt-rock radio. But some of the wordplay in the lyrics kind of irritates me, so I kind of try not to pay too much attention to it when it's on and just enjoy the sound of it. 

9. The Raconteurs - "Now That You're Gone"
As a longtime Brendan Benson fan who can kinda take or leave Jack White, I'm glad that The Raconteurs' first single in over a decade features both a Benson song and a White song, particularly since Benson hasn't had a solo album in 5 years himself. But I was pleasantly surprised that the Benson track is the one that has taken an early lead in streams in radio spins. 

10. Coca Vango - "Sauce All On Me" 
I kinda like that Jazze Pha has been creeping back every now and again with nice light-footed beats giving new artists a big break (rest in peace Young Greatness). When I heard this song I immediately mentally added it to the trend I wrote about last year of people imitating Young Thug being more successful than Young Thug these days. But I listened to Coca Vango's latest mixtape and he doesn't really sound like that on other songs, it's like he went out of his way to make a fake Thugger song. 

The Worst Single of the Month: LightSkinKeisha & BSmyth - "Ride Good"
Sometimes rap radio just coughs up these insipid songs by people you've never heard of and it feels like one of those songs the characters on "Empire" make. Turns out this one is from Hitco, the independent label L.A. Reid started after he was MeToo'd out of the major label world.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 15, 2019 at 11:36 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.