• SZA, Saturn (R&B)- The #1 of 03.01.24 returns by popular request!

  
  

• 4batz, act ii: date @8 (R&B/Rap)- The 20 year-old Dallas native, 4batz (Neko Bennet) has exploded on the R&B scene in the past 6 weeks based on the head-spinning contradiction between his look and his voice.  Sporting a black ski mask, hoodie and sweats, full gold grillz and holding stacks of hundreds in a video with a dim inner-city background, 4batz then delivers a jaw-dropping high-pitched slow jam vocal with sentimental lyrics.  That has been a winning combination on social media and the charts (where he is presently in the US streaming top 10)- and a remix of “act ii” was released yesterday featuring Drake.  Instead, I’ve included the original here.

  
  

• Schoolboy Q (feat. Freddie Gibbs), oHio (R&B/Rap)- Schoolboy’s “Blue Lips” is the most important album released this week by anyone not named Ariana. A thinking man’s rapper, Q teams with the counterculture rap veteran Gibbs on “oHio”, to deliver a flow that shapeshifts from lo-fi soul/jazz to gangsta rap.  If that is not remarkable enough, Q references “skiing in the desert” (channeling Joe Morford’s Morocco insta😊) and then rhymes “fuck it” with “Kirby Puckett” ……

  
  

• Ariana Grande, we can’t be friends (Pop)- I imagine that “we can’t be friends” is what would result in 20 years, if you asked AI to generate a perfect pop song.  However, in the meantime, while humans are still relevant, we’ll have to listen to Ari’s pitch perfect vocal, Martin’s sugary hooks and the crystalline production of “we can’t be friends”.

  
  

• Conan Gray, Alley Rose (Pop/Alternative)- The 25 year-old LA//Japan/Texas native, Gray dropped out of UCLA to pursue his music career, but initially had more success modeling for Puma, Yves St. Laurent and Burberry.  “Alley Rose” from his forthcoming 3rd album “Found Heaven”, sounds like it would fit perfectly on an old Eric Carmen album (known as “Cleveland’s Paul McCartney”), which from me, is a complement😊. “Alley Rose” shows Gray’s acute awareness of pop music historical references- and an A5 vocal range.

  
  

• Mustafa, Imaan (Alternative/Folk)- The smallness of the world is captured poignantly in “Imaan”.  Until “Imaan”, the South Sudanese émigré and Grammy winning Mustafa (2019 Best Urban Contemporary Album), had kept his Islamic beliefs as a subtext in his music.  However, in “Imaan”, Mustafa wears his faith on his sleeve with a lyric about two young muslims looking for love and god, while balancing their faith’s modesty with western borderless culture. The music portrays the same tension, using a lilting Eqyptian Violin Oud phrase as a proxy for their faith and then blending seamlessly into an acoustic western melody; simple and elegant. 

  
  

• Caroline Polacheck (feat. Weyes Blood), Butterfly Net (Alternative)- Neuphorian favorite Polachek returns with another song from her new album.  The empty arrangement of “Butterfly Net” provides a blank canvas for Polachek and Weyes Blood’s pristine vocals.  While Weyes Blood is known for her vocals and Polachek for her songwriting/arranging, “Butterfly Net”, elevates them both.

  
  

• floyymenor & Cris Mj, Gata Only (Latin)- OK, I’m breaking a rule here- this song was not released this week, but 2 months ago by the young Chileans, floyymenor and Cris Mj.  Chile has historically been barren territory for exporting pop music, which makes “Gata Only’s” trajectory of becoming a Top 5 hit throughout Latin America even more extraordinary.  However, you may wish to refrain from translating the lyrics, since they are pretty explicit.

  
  

• Ruger & Bnxn, Romeo Must Die (AfroBeats)- While just released on Friday, “Romeo Must Die” is already #2 in Africa streaming.  Wisely teaming with AfroBeats hitmaker Bnxn, pronounced Benson (Humblebrag alert- we saw Bnxn live at 2023 AfroNation in Miami), the young Ruger continues his breakout and tempts you to stay still while listening to “Romeo Must Die”.  

  Also, you will notice some similarity between the Reggaeton beat of “Gata Only” and the Afrobeats of “Romeo Must Die”; more evidence of music boundaries becoming blurred as pop music becomes global. 

  
  

• Charley Crockett, Hard Luck & Circumstances (Country)- Crockett is at the forefront of the movement of new country artists who embrace the traditional 60’s/70’s country sound.  He has a fascinating background, being a descendant of folk hero, Davy Crockett, but still growing up in trailer parks between Los Fresnos, Texas and New Orleans.  His New Orleans accent is apparent when he sings “he-ah” and “disappe-ah”, in “Hard Luck…..” which is unique for today’s country sound.  

  “Hard Luck…….” is from Crockett’s forthcoming “$10 Cowboy” album- and the cover art perfectly displays his aesthetic. 

  
  

• Miley Cyrus & Pharrell Williams, Doctor (Work It Out)- “Doctor” is a rework of the original 2013 song that didn’t make the cut for Cyrus’s 2013 album “Bangerz”.  Cyrus and Williams decided to rework the song for the 2024 Paris Fashion Week and while the beat does sound a bit dated, Cyrus’ spirited vocal and the clean production bring “Doctor…..” back to life.

  
  

• Rain Radio, shugz & Caitlyn Scarlett, Baby I’m Bad (Dance)- The identity of UK’s Jungle/House DJ Rain Radio is a mystery, even after their 2021 Top 10 hit, the roaring “Talk About”.  “Baby I’m Bad” clocks in at a blistering 144 BPM (Beats Per Minute), so if you’re in shape, it can inspire you to take your workout to the next level.  If you’re not in shape though, you may want to have a defibrillator at hand while listening……

  
  

• Ariana Grande, The Boy is Mine (Pop)- Given that “Eternal Sunshine” is chock full of potential hits, Ari appears again on the playlist with “The Boy is Mine”, which is already #3 on the US streaming charts.  While “The Boy is Mine” borrows its title and spirit from the 1998 Brandy and Monica R&B classic, it doesn’t use the melody or any samples from the original.  Some speculate that Ari’s “The Boy is Mine” is inspired by her new relationship with her “Wicked” co-star, Ethan Slater after going through a tough breakup of her 3-year relationship with Dalton Gomez.  

Happy listening!