While winter envelopes the northern hemisphere, the folks down in Brazil just recently observed their summer solstice, and you can bet they celebrated with a samba or two!
Brazilian music enjoyed a massive surge of popularity in 1960s America that would have a long lasting effect on western music in general. The propulsive beat of the samba helped shape the specific rhythmic qualities of disco, house and hip-hop, to name just a few genres.
This playlist highlights the "first generation" fusion of samba with American jazz and adult pop. A few more contemporary tracks from Brazil and Portugal are also thrown in to the mix. Relentless rhythms against smooth, sophisticated harmony make for a sweet and salty combo that is irresistable to the ears (and the hips).
While "(Not) The One" seems to be out of place on this list, it was the inspiration for the whole thing. I frequently find myself stuck with Bebe's voice in my head singing "Oh my gah-ad here we go," and I wanted to turn that into a playlist. This list is packed with some of my favorites (looking at you Camila, Mark, Carly, Little Mix) and a few new tracks I discovered along the way.
What's your favorite track on here? Any obvious choices I missed? Let me know in the comments
Among my favorite Eighties sounds is that sunny, chic, stuttering, funky, four-on-the-floor Italo sound, godfathered by, among others, the disco greats Giorgio Moroder and Cerrone.
Producers and remixers Initial Talk construct, in my opinion, a new Italo classic with their remix of Dua Lipa's cheeky "New Rules." PLEASE take the time to check out another DL/IT collaboration, a remix of "IDGAF." It was hard to leave that one off this list. It scratches that New Jack Swing itchy handily.
A few months ago, "Listen to Your Heart came on the radio, and my first thought that the chorus was being used for some G-Eazy/Halsey-esque duet à la "Him & I" or NF's "Let You Down."
When a new artist uses a sample, it's often because that snippet itself is so powerful that the artist thinks it's worth building a new song around. As I listened to "LTYH," thinking of it as a powerful piece of pop history, something beyond a passing fad, something future generations could refer to as a touchstone, its power struck me.
It may seem tacked on to this list, but my effort here is to give weight to the preceding songs. This sort of dancy pop music can seem to be fluffy, disposable. Not to me. To me, it's heavy stuff, ladened with melancholy and tension that only that bright simplicity in the melody can keep it afloat.
Roxette's Marie Fredriksson died two weeks ago from brain cancer. Billboard Magazine took a deep look at this and their other Hot 100 Number One's in their "Forever No.1" feature, which honors recently deceased artists. From the article:
“This is us trying to recreate that overblown American FM-rock sound,” [bandmate] [Per] Gessle wrote, “to the point where it almost becomes absurd. We really wanted to see how far we could take it.” Quite a ways, it turned out: the song includes four mini-solos, nipping at each other’s heels like it was the end of Abbey Road. Fredriksson herself split into a multitude, tracking earnest backing vocals to match the liturgic synthesized organ.
[...]
The song was loaded with layered detail: the bongo taps in the intro; the grim synthesized horns at the end; the color combination of Per and Marie’s timbres, deployed judiciously; the way that Marie’s topline and countermelodies perform a sort of overlapping dance at the song’s emotional apex.
Pop music can pander to the lowest common denominator. It can also appeal to our rawest emotions, our basic human experiences, the ones that unite us across distance, ideology, and time.
Juanes was honored as person of the year for the 2019 Latin Grammys this year.
As my homage to every Spanish teacher’s favorite singer, I’ve put together my list of some of Juanes’ best songs both classic and new all in my humble opinion.
For classics, Es por ti, A dios te pido and the iconic La camisa negra. What Spanish student hasn’t had their teacher rock out to those or play them incessantly in class?
Even cooler is that at the party to honor Juanes, Rosalía did a rendition of Es por ti, Juan Luis Guerra did a version of A dios le pido, and my current obsession Ozuna did a version of La camisa negra with a reggaetón spin.
My favorite new Juanes songs included on this list are La plata and Aurora. I’ve also included Querer mejor featuring Alessia Cara which brings me back to his 2012 duet Fotografía with Nelly Furtado.
If you enjoy these songs, I highly recommend you listen to Juanes’ classic album Un día normal and Mi sangre in their entirety as well as his brand new album Más futuro que pasado.
Our most popular artist, this is Rapid Transit's 17th blog post with at least one Ariana Grande song. A regular on our Top Tunes feature, she can be found time and again on hooked.evd, Run With It, and Monday Mix.
In this list, I tried to cover the arch of her career, while committing to songs I personally enjoy and want to share.
As I write this, Grande is between albums, following the quasi-double album of Sweetener and thank u, next. For a brilliant faux-album combining the two, check out Billboard did here. I bookend the list with songs from each album.
In 2013, at age 20, Grande released Yours Truly, which spawned three singles, "The Way" (featured here), "Baby I," and "Right There." I include "The Way" largely because of Mac Miller's influence on AG, and to demonstrate how her transparency with her personal life is a force in her music. "Wish I could say thank you to Malcom, cuz he was an angel," she sings in "thank u, next," completing a couplet begun with a reference to ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. Miller passed in 2018 at the age of 26.
The following year we get My Everything which, in my mind, crowned her the queen of pop at the time. "Problem," "Break Free," "Love Me Harder" (included here), and "One Last Time" are four singles from this album, any one of which would have been enough for most pop albums.
It's my opinion that Dangerous Woman is her best album to date, and is the album that converted me to a fan. That album works VERY hard. Interestingly, it's her only studio album not to hit the top spot on the Billboard 200. (It peaked at #2.) On the Billboard 200 2016 year-end chart, it ranked 26th, behind some very strong offerings from Adele, Drake, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift. It's my opinion she took it on the chin to release an actually good, long-lasting album, not completely caught up in the popular moment. It was released just before her 24th birthday. It's the sort of album that defines her point of view, and her ability to go beyond the pop-starlet surface.
It's that time of year folks, and I'm barely a Christian but I love me some Christmas music. This playlist kicks off with the sweet vocals of Michael Bublé, rocking the classic "It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas" and if you don't swoon for his voice, you are lying to yourself.
I have a DEEP appreciation for original Christmas songs, as you can see from the following seven songs, THREE of which are new this year, including my girls Little Mix. Then I finish off the playlist with another classic sung by an angel, with Sam Smith covering "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."
I love Christmas music but I can't argue if you call me basic. What are some dope songs re: Hannakuh, Kwanzaa, Solstice, that I'm missing because I haven't ventured out? What are some original Christmas songs I've overlooked? Let me have it in the comments.
If I were to title this one, it might be "Love In the Age of Anxiety."
The kernel track is "Cowgirl." It's a monster of a song, and I think an important song in the history of electronic music.
I tried to carry through the hyper-rhythmic, meditative vibe, and ended up with this sort of quietly agitated collection of songs.
Bookended by a cover and the original version of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," the song sets the stage and at the end, pines for the simple truth of heartbreak, no external anxiety applied. It's enough.
Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" You all know that I love anything CRJ touches. The contrast between the staccato verses and fluid chorus is killer and keeps me coming back to this track. Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" I'm a huge CRJ fan, but I don't always go along with her when she does covers and features. Gryffin's uninspired instrumental turned me off to this number and I gave up on it, expecting it to be milk toast. When it showed up on this list, and I was forced to listen to it again and again, something clicked, and I realized that CRJ was perfect for this song, and her sincerity and vibe totally make the song actually work.
#2 FIND U AGAIN / Mark Ronson Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My jam" If you’ve been reading the blog for even a second you know that I love Mark Ronson. Cabello really shines on this track and she’s selling me something I don’t want to buy, but I’m almost sold. Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My jam" In my opinion, Cabello is emerging as a current pop powerhouse alongside Halsey and Dua Lipa. She has incredible control and versatility, both of which are shown off here.
#3 THERE FOR YOU / Gorgon City Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" The vocals on this really get me, and it drives me crazy that vocalists get so little credit (usually) with dance tracks. Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My jam" This scratches the same itch for me as Silk City's "Electricity." Classic, sophisticated piano-house, and that vocal just RIDES.
#4 GOOD AS HELL / Lizzo Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" One star removed for age. It’s old enough that I’m no longer excited when this track comes on, but young enough that I don’t miss it. This song was on my summer cool down playlist, so you know I have love for it. Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" Not enough can be said about Lizzo's power and potential. Instant feel-good, pump-up classic. Side note, her line "I got a bottle of tequila I've been saving for you" always reminds me of Lupe Fiasco's line from "Superstar:" "Well your name ain't on the guest list, who brung you?"
#5 I WANNA DANCE / Jonas Blue Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My jam" This has everything I want in a dance track, but specifically that je ne sais quoi. The lyrics are dumb and forgettable but rhythmically pleasing. The breaks are fantastic. It’s a little dark, which I love when I’m out dancing. 10/10 would recommend. Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" I love the tightness in the bassline on this one. I like that it's unflinching; doing work on the dance floor.
#6 CRAVE / Madonna Erin - ⭐️ "Turn it off" What is Madonna doing? She doesn’t sound like herself and this genre isn’t her wheelhouse, so it feels like a gross grab for cash, listeners, relevancy… Swae Lee has nothing to add here. The tempo is too slow for his natural cadence. Matt - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" For me, this one is a quiet champion, easy to sleep on. Its strength comes from subtle execution of current pop tropes, such as Madonna's barely-there Khalid-esque mumble singing in certain parts, and the gentle trap hats. However, I can't really hang with how deep the breakdown goes, and that it builds to nothing. Just the chorus comes back in. Though not super relevant anymore, Madonna does continue to deliver to her fans and to pop connoisseurs.
#7 MAD LOVE / Mabel Erin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" I like Mabel. Her voice on tracks is a definite bonus for me. This has a little more going on in the verses than some other dance tracks which makes it feel like more of a pop cross over. Matt - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" This has been a big year for Mabel, beginning in January when she was nominated for British Breakthrough Act at the 39th Brit Awards. She's had commercial success with three club-friendly singles this year: "Don't Call Me Up" (January), "Mad Love" (June), and "God Is a Dancer" (September) with legendary DJ Tiësto. Her distinctive vocal style, along with her fun, chic party vibe set her apart and she seems to rubbing elbows with the right people.
#8 ROOTS / Valerie Broussard Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" I can’t say with certainty what’s missing here, but this track is just not catching me. I’ve listened a dozen plus times and it’s hard to recall. It’s fine, but gets lost in this mix of excellent tracks. Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Turn it up" Galantis lurks in the pop EDM scene alongside Marshmello, Zedd, Chainsmokers, and the like. Toning down their style until all point of view is removed, and all that's left is pretty decent production and songwriting that lets the vocalist and the drop do the heavy lifting. I give this one three stars because it is definitely better louder. When the chorus hits it just feels good.
#9 SALVATION / House Gospel Choir
Erin - ⭐️⭐️ "Leave it on" This just isn’t my kind of dance music. There’s not a lot of build, not a lot to drop, nothing to hold onto lyrically, nothing to hold onto melodically. I’m not saying I could do better, but I’m not listening to this on purpose either.
Matt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My jam" This is what it's all about right here.
Leslie puts together a soulful, groovy, funk-influenced playlist, bookended by Rapid Transit Heavy-Hitter Mayer Hawthorne.
Ten years ago, Andrew Cohen released his debut album, A Strange Arrangement, under the stage name Mayer Hawthorne.
A hip-hop DJ at the time, Cohen was writing and recording Motown-sounding pieces for use in sampling, as a way to avoid fees for using other artists' work.
Since then, Mayer Hawthorne has released three more albums, and Cohen has worked with other artists to release notable full length albums under the names Tuxedo and Jaded Incorporated.
