Brent Faiyaz and Coco Jones’ classic R&B jam, soul/psych-rock from Black Pumas, a synth-heavy return from The Killers and more in this week’s playlist
While many tried to play it up as another Barbenheimer with former Disney stars Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez pitted against each other with new single releases, there has been nothing but love shared between them. While Cyrus releases “Used To Be Young” as a “digital album exclusive” from her Endless Summer Vacation LP, Gomez teases us with “Single Soon” as a standalone track to keep us engaged till she’s ready to release her next feature length album. Off the bat, the Gomez track fits perfectly into the summer while Cyrus’ track may have longer legs as the ballad could hold its impact all the way through fall and into winter.
Besides these former teen idols, we’ve got Burna Boy’s latest LP I Told Them which continues to showcase the artist’s ability to not just make Afrobeat music but turn into a mainstream staple. “Cheat On Me” featuring Dave is bound to be a smash hit (sampling the most underrated Kwabs)!
Zach Bryan also releases his self-titled LP that features what I hope is a single – “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves is simply beautiful and I can see this being a push at the Grammys!
Lastly, India’s own Sid Sriram releases his English album Sidharth which is likely to end up on a lot of year-end lists – especially of those who love Bon Iver. Justin Vernon’s thumbprint is all over the LP and while for Indians, the fusion of Carnatic and English music may feel either incredible or sacrilegious, it’s impressive that an artist so successful in India has had such a warm embrace in the West doing what he does best. To be honest, I’m on the fence about the album. Maybe it will be a grower but at the moment, given the pedigree of talents involved with the project, the album is likely to be an indie hit. “Quiet Storm” is definitely the highlight of the album for me!
Beyond these tracks and albums, there are plenty of songs that deserve a little more attention – the ‘should-be’ hits if you will. Here are this week’s #HitsOfTomorrow.
I’m always a sucker for a good male/female duet and besides the Zach Bryan/Kacey Musgraves duet I talked about above, Brent Faiyaz and Coco Jones deliver to the same level as that with “Moment Of Your Life.” Jones has been seeing much deserved recognition as of late while Faiyaz continues to give us classic R&B in everything he puts out. The track is made all the more special because their voices pair oh so well together, making not just for a seductively soulful cut but one that has instant repeat value. They both could use a big breakthrough single at mainstream radio and this could be it!
It’s been more than a minute since Black Pumas released their Grammy-winning self-titled debut album. Finally ready for round 2, the twosome gives us “More Than A Love Song” as a fantastic first single from the upcoming Chronicles Of A Diamond LP. Positioned as psychedelic soul, the song actually is far more than that – it’s a return to the rock soul world we’ve seldom heard in the mainstream in the last few decades. With the country resurgence currently catapulting many country singers into Top 40 superstars and the Silk Sonic style embraced by modern pop listeners, there’s absolutely no reason why this couldn’t exactly be the case for Black Pumas, as the single is just perfect for radio. This is an old school, new school smash waiting to happen!
From their upcoming New DNA mini-EP, XG give us the third and arguably their best single to date with “New Dance.” The girl-group should not be discounted as just another manufactured unit – their energy and the very clear chemistry they share between each other feels organic and while Blackpink might have the bigger K-pop single of the weekend with the Ryan Tedder co-written and produced single “The Girls,” but hands down this single is the more memorable one and if pushed right, will also be the bigger global single!
Speaking of dance, have you done the “Money Dance”? Denmark-based/Bronx native CANCUN? gives us what could be the dirtiest, grittiest dance-rap single of the year. The rapper seamlessly fills all our pockets, making for a single that if pushed right we’ll all be dancing along to across the globe. It should come as no surprise to see HEDEGAARD’s name attached to the project – the two combined have found a special formula for creating tracks that have universal appeal. Isn’t it strange that music has reached a point now where you hear a track and you wonder how it will be danced on TikTok? Well, let’s hope that happens and it translates to mainstream success!
The Killers are still doing their thing and their first single of 2023 “Your Side Of Town” might be their best single in years. The synth-heavy track produced by one of my all-time faves, Stuart Price (alongside Shawn Everett), feels like the continued homage the band has managed to parlay for the Pet Shop Boys. It’s something that more than two decades into the industry, the band is able to pull off nostalgia but still sound fresh. Part of that is frontman Brandon Flowers delivery and the to-be-expected anthemic choruses which still are showcased front and center. Wouldn’t it be great if a more seasoned band returned to their mainstream glory? One can only hope. Hey, it happened to Kylie Minogue this year so maybe, just maybe, it can happen for The Killers too!
Even More Hits!
Listen To #HITSOFTOMORROW Playlist on Spotify!
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