• Omah Lay, Holy Ghost (AfroBeats)- 2-time defending champion- enuf said…..

  
  

• Taylor Swift, You’re Losing Me (Pop)- There is a bit of a buzz about this song as it was previously only available as a bonus track on the CD-only “Late Night Edition of Midnights” that was only sold at certain venues of the Eras Tour.  This was recorded as part of the “Midnights” album sessions and the song beat is based on a sample of Tay Tay’s actual heart pulse.

  
  

• Tyla, Truth or Dare (R&B/AfroBeats)- This is the follow-up to Tyla’s “Water” which was a Global Top 5 hit this summer- and was the first song by a South African artist to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 in >50 years.  The 20 year-old Tyla, first became well-known in 2021 on YouTube- and while she is a Saffa (like our music friend, Frank Wiggins), the AfroBeats influence on her music is pretty subdued.

  
  

• Kaytranada, Lover/Friend (R&B/Electronic)- For those of you unfamiliar with Kaytranada, he is a Haitian/Canadian DJ who since 2021 has won 2 Grammys and has been nominated for 6 in total.  He is part of the very hot Montreal DJ scene- and on “Lover/Friend”, Rochelle Jordan’s falsetto singing drifts over Kaytranada’s stewing beats and instrumentals.

  
  

• Beyonce, My House (R&B)- My House’s release coincided with the release of Beyonce’s documentary, “Renaissance” on December 1- which was the top grossing movie in the US last week.  Like many songs off the recent Renaissance album, this song’s lyric features female-empowerment- and mixes genres, starting with a HBCU marching band-type beat, but then evolving into techno-house.

  
  

• Cole Swindell, 3 Feet Tall (Country)- Swindell’s new single captures the disorientation of a child finding out about his parent’s divorce and dealing with the resulting disruption- with the poignant chorus “I might not have understood it all, but not everything goes over your head when you’re 3 feet tall”.  Swindell hopes that this song becomes his 9th #1 Country Airplay hit.

  
  

• Lana Del Rey, Take Me Home, Country Roads (Pop/Alternative)- Lana’s austere cover of John Denver’s “Country Roads”, certainly has a different feel from the original.  Like most of her music, if you are a fan, you’ll probably love this, and if you’re not, you’ll probably wonder what the big deal is….

  
  

• Lainey Wilson, I Would If I Could (Country)(Only available on Apple Music)- This is Wilson’s follow up single to her 2023 CMA Album of the Year, “Bell Bottom Country”- and features a 70’s soft rock sound, accompanied by Wilson’s country twang vocal. Some of you may now be familiar with Wilson, as a relatively new member of the cast of Paramount’s hit series, “Yellowstone”.

  
  

• Mika, Bougez (Pop/Dance)- Mika released his 6th album on December 1- and it is his first all French language release.  The first song on the album, “Bougez” translates literally to “budge”, being used as a call to dance in this shamelessly catchy song.

  
  

• Nicki Minaj/Drake, Needle (R&B/Afrobeats)- This is the first single from Minaj’s December 8 album release, Pink Friday 2- and features Minaj’s Trinidadian-flavored vocal over a slick afrobeat.  Drake, who seems like he is on a nonstop recording bender, features prominently on the song.  

  
  

• Tate McRae, Run for the Hills (Pop)- McRae dropped her 2nd album yesterday- and this song will certainly compete with “Exes” from last (bi)week’s playlist for airplay.  If you missed last week’s playlist, McRae is a 20-year-old Canadian dancer/singer, who is coming off two straight major global hits.

  
  

• Peso Pluma & Anitta, Bellakeo (Latin)- This song is a departure from Pluma’s normal trap corrido genre, trading out the traditional Mexican folk sound for a reggaeton beat.  If you weren’t aware, Pluma is an absolute sensation.  In the past year, the half Mexican, half Lebanese hitmaker has charted 3 Global #1 hits and 14 Top 10 hits on the US Latin charts.  His unique mixture of traditional Mexican Norteno music, modern trap beats and sneering nasal vocals, creates a traditional and familiar, yet fresh sound.

  
  

• Sarz, Asake & Gunna, Happiness (Afrobeats)- Asake is the most-played artist in Africa in 2023, and a true one-off, sporting a huge silver and diamond grill, crazy clothing, unpredictable behavior and an ear-to-ear smile.

   Even though Asake is the featured vocalist here, top credit is given to the famous Nigerian producer, Sarz.  The “Happiness” chorus prominently features the log drum sound which is a signature sound of 2023 Afrobeats.

  
  

• Nessa Barrett, Girl in New York (Pop/Alternative)- Barrett is the 3rd 20-year-old featured on this playlist (along with Tyla and Tate McRae).  She landed her recording contract after getting a strong following of her TikTok music videos.  She has been open about her mental health issues and has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.  This song sounds like the EMO/angsty genre at first blush, but seems to have greater depth, with a Lana Del Rey-sounding chorus.

  
  

• Royel Otis, Heading for the Door (Alternative)- Royel Otis is an Australian duo who released their debut album in 2023.  This is the third single from their upcoming 2024 album- and all three have been catchy economical britpop sounding songs. 

  
  

•  Usher & H.E.R., Risk It All (R&B/Soul)- This is the lead song from the upcoming Movie, “The Color Purple”, which is a musical adaptation of the famous Alice Walker novel.  It is a soulful duo between Usher and the 5-time Grammy award winner, H.E.R., who also stars in “The Color Purple”.

I’d like to also give some honorable mentions; 1) for two decent new releases by 90’s hair rockers, Guns & Roses and former Skid Row lead singer, Sebastian Bach and 2) because I drive a Tesla, to “Tesla Boy” by African star, ODUMODUBLVCK featuring the lyric, “I dey dine with the big, big boys….Roll with the pretty girls and ….Pull up in a Tesla toy….Tesla Boy”- which pretty much sums up my present lifestyle.