Even if I like a couple Drake hits every year, that still means there are a dozen I don't like, and I was particularly indifferent to "God's Plan" and kind of baffled that it became Drake's first diamond-certified single. So I didn't think I would dig another midtempo lead single produced by a couple of the same guys (Cardo and Yung Exclusive), but "Laugh Now Cry Later" hooked me instantly, love that muffled synth horn riff and the way Drake leans into every "baby" ad lib in the chorus and accentuates them in the video. I've never been a big Lil Durk fan but he fits into the song well, it seemed kind of stingy to give him only a 25-second cameo in a 4-minute song. Other people don't seem to love this song as much as I do, it definitely won't go diamond, probably only quadruple platinum. Here's the 2020 singles playlist I update every month. 

5 years passed between Jazmine Sullivan's last 2 albums, so we're right on schedule to get new music from her, but I was still pleasantly surprised to actually hear something. And "Lost One" is gorgeous and understated, just a murky guitar line and Jazmine harmonizing with herself, really highlights what an elite vocalist she is.  

I've tried to keep an open mind to K-Pop stuff, but usually what I hear kind of sounds like 2000s pop rap, and even the more straightforward melodic pop stuff can be hit and miss. But it isn't going anywhere, and seems to be finally breaking some barriers that it's been stuck behind in the U.S. for the last few years. BTS's "Dynamite" is the big one, the first K-Pop #1 in America, but it feels a little like a lightweight approximation of Bruno Mars to me. Blackpink's biggest U.S. single, however, was written by Ariana Grande and Victoria Monet, and has kind of the same fun sleazy vibe of Monet's recent solo record, it's really catchy. 

This has been a sleeper hit on R&B radio the last few months, glad to see it taking off lately. It's kind of refreshing how there's nothing especially current about it, but it's not retro either, it sounds like it could've been a hit at any point in the last 30 years. 

I didn't know I wanted to hear Megan rap on an earthy neo soul song with a live band but she sounds so good on this, the Tiny Desk Concert performance is really fun too. 

In my recent 2010s pop list, I likened Maroon 5 to the Chicago of their generation, and they're currently in their '80s David Foster ballad phase -- this, "Memories," and even "Girls Like You" minus the Cardi verse are some of the most easy listening stuff they've ever done, and I'm wondering if they're kind of permanently headed in this direction. But "Nobody's Love" is really good, kind of rooting for it since it hasn't taken off very big yet, I feel like a lot of other artists would've gotten a lot more praise if they released this, but it suits Adam Levine's voice well. 

I'm a big fan of any song where one of the drums sounds like a baseball player hitting a home run. 

"1 2 3" is one of my favorite rap singles of the year, but Blac Youngsta really stole the spotlight a little on that one, good to hear a solid Moneybagg Yo solo track to carry the momentum from that. 

It always seemed inevitable to me that Kane Brown would really branch out beyond country, and this is his first real play for pop radio, and it's cool to hear him alongside a couple other guys who kind of straddle different genres in interesting ways, I think Swae Lee's verse is really the highlight of the song. It's kind of funny that Kane Brown's other current single, the country radio hit "Cool Again," is the one that has some vocoder on it. 

This has already gone to #1 on alternative radio but I'm kind of surprised it hasn't crossed over to pop radio yet, it pretty much sounds like a Top 40 song to begin with. Like, if this song was by James Bay featuring Julia Michaels or something, I wouldn't blink. 

I kind of hoped for the best with these kids when they showed up on the charts a few years ago, but they just get more irritating with each new single.