• Orville Peck, Kylie Minogue & Diplo, Midnight Ride (Dance/Country?)- What is so special about  the June 16 Playlist Winner, “Midnight Dance”?  Is it the teaming of gay icons Peck and Minogue- or mega-DJ Diplo’s continued pioneering of a new Country/Electronic crossover genre- or Peck’s Elvis-like talkover- or maybe the uniquely memorable harmonies from Peck and Minogue?   Most likely, it’s how each of those seemingly incongruous characteristics combine seamlessly into “Midnight Ride”.

• Suki Waterhouse, Supersad (Alternative)- The British Ms. Waterhouse already has a varied career, including being a top fashion model, accessories brand designer, actress and alt/pop singer.  She is probably most recognized for her role as Karen Sirko in Daisy Jones & the Six, for dating Bradley Cooper and now partnering and co-parenting with Robert Pattinson.  While the title, “Supersad” and the opening line “Everything’s going wrong” may sound like a downer, the lyric develops into a message of resilience by not being scared of life's uncertainty.

• Lola Young, Wish You Were Dead (Alternative)- Like the best of alternative music, Ms. Young’s first LP “This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway” is reckless, dynamic, unpredictable and fresh. While I love the entire album, I chose “Wish You Were Dead” for this playlist, as Ms. Young's distinctive vocal suddenly veers from "We can pretend that we're in love" to "until I throw a punch" while the percussive Gang of Four-like guitar intro simultaneously builds to post-punk crescendo.

Young is absolutely a talent to watch, but beware- the lyrics here contain profanity.  

• Zedd & Bea Miller, Out of Time (Alternative)- While initially known as a dance DJ, the classically trained, Russian-born, German Zedd, teams with former X Factor contestant and pop singer, Bea Miller on “Out of Time”.   Zedd’s pristine, but complex arrangement raises “Out of Time” beyond just being a well-crafted pop song.  This song is a preview of Zedd’s forthcoming “Telos” LP, which he hopes will chart in the US Top 5 like his last LP.

• Coldplay, feelslikeimfallinginlove (Pop/Alternative)- This song is by a band named Coldplay.

• Lee Young Ji, Small Girl (feat. D.O.) (K-Pop)- So, this song is body positivity, Korean-style.  Think of a girl (the 5’9”, Lee Young Ji), with a big personality and baritone voice, being insecure in a relationship since she is not a bashful, waifish K-Popstar size 0. But alas, she is reassured by her boyfriend that he is committed to her unconditionally.  It’s not exactly Lizzo, but “Small Girl” has hit a chord in Korea debuting at #1 last week.

• Lucky Daye, Think Different (R&B)- “Think Different”, from Daye's new "Algorithm" LP, is the top featured R&B song of the week in both Spotify and Apple Music. In “Think Different”, Daye channels the old Apple Computer ad slogan to convince his girl to expand her mind from casual hookups to the prospect of love.  The fat bass and sparse arrangement add emotional weight and sensuality to Daye’s singular voice- while the treated synthesizer at 2:20-ish lends an otherworldly quality in the fade-out.

Daye was raised in New Orleans and raised in a church that forbade listening to secular music.

• Rema & Shallipopi, Benin Boys (AfroBeats)- Neuphoria song of 2023 winner “Calm Down’s”, Rema  teams with emerging Nigerian rapper, Shallipopi (3 African #1’s songs in the past year) on “Benin Boys” which debuted at #1 in Nigeria.  On “Benin Boys”, Rema and Shallipopi sing in Pidgin about their common Edo tribal/Benin City heritage and prioritizing those allegiances over nontribal institutions over an urgent pulsing AfroBeat.

• Emilia & Los Angeles Azules, Perdonarte ¿Para Que? (Latin)- The collaboration between Argentine popstar Emilia and the Mexican Los Angeles Azules, “Perdonarte……” shows the growing reach of Mexican music across Latin America.  The catchy “Perdonarte….” currently charts at #2 in Argentina, despite having a distinct Mexican traditional Cumbia Sonidera sound featuring accordion and horns.

• Post Malone, Pour Me a Drink (feat. Blake Shelton) (Country)- Posty is embracing the music industry’s “waterfall strategy” by releasing his 2nd single, “Pour Me a Drink” from his upcoming “F-1 Trillion” Country LP.  Malone teams with Mr. Stefani on this made-for-radio country earworm. 

• Ella Langley & Riley Green, you look like you love me (Country)- This traditional talking verse Country song is an unlikely viral TikTok hit. However, it is now featuring as the music for TikTok videos from loving couples, weddings, babies- you name it.  From that social media platform, the song has now reached #28 on the streaming charts, the biggest song ever by Alabama native, Langley.  

• Clairo, Nomad (Alternative)- Bedroom popster Clairo emerged in late 2017, when her song “Pretty Girl” went viral on YouTube- it’s now exceeded over 100 million views.  “Nomad” is the 2nd single from Clairo’s forthcoming 3rd LP, “Charm” and displays her gifted songwriting and a quiet, yet interesting arrangement featuring upright bass and cellos in the bridge.

• Maren Morris & Julia Michaels, cut! (Pop)- With “cut!”, Morris reverts from Country back to the pop sheen of her 2019 LP, “GIRL”.  Teaming with Julia Michaels, the multiple CMA and Grammy winning artist Morris writes and sings of the pressure of keeping up appearances.  Watch out for the song’s mega-hook chorus.

• James Blake & Lil Yachty, In Grey (Electronic/Ambient)- The cover art for “Bad Cameo” captures the seemingly unlikely collaboration between Messrs. Blake and Yachty.  Yachty’s cup of purple drank/lean and blinged out hands mark his mumble rapper cred, while Blake’s tea and English breakfast tag him as understated and British.  However, Yachty has become a rap iconoclast adopting a vulnerable quivering vocal style and immersing himself into Prog/Psych Rock, while Blake has been experimenting with rappers.  Their offspring, “Bad Cameo” is confusing, boundary blurring and intriguing.

Happy Listening!

D