Hello again

 

I remember the first time I listened to IRLY, I just thought 'she's come back with something this good?'. I was never expecting her to return with a catchy pop monster at all and I ended up loving it way more than I thought I would. Still so shocked it never took off in the US, especially because the video was so much fun, I'd be streaming it a lot on YouTube.

 

Ayo definitely topped Loyal for me, the latter got a bit irritating but I can still jam to Ayo whenever I hear it, the album was a good idea too because all the songs are just so catchy, they make a good team.

 

What happened to B? :o

Hi!! :hi:

That's about what I thought too, and I was so relieved because the song had to be great for her to have any chance of success. I only heard it maybe twice on the radio which was very disappointing :( I was luckier with Run Away With Me, heard that like seven times but still not enough!

 

I'm the opposite with Ayo/Loyal, Ayo doesn't excite me anymore but Loyal does.

 

Aaaaand I just didn't have any B artists on my list! Right now I also don't have any for G, L, Q, V, and Y. But I've decided to make a B recap just for you :o

 

Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea "Pretty Girls"

A hot mess.

 

Much better section. Like 4 of the 5! (Ayo being the crap one of course :P)

 

I Really Like You is definitely one of my favourites of the year, so catchy and amazing :heart:

Also adore the Carrie ones and like Burning House :wub:

Thanks, glad to hear! Especially glad you like Burning House!

 

I honestly thought "I Really Like You" was going to be the one song to remove her of her two-hit wonder status (I keep forgetting "Good Time" was a joint lead for her), though I'm not surprised that a lot of CanCons aren't getting the support they need. The only CanCons that weren't huge everywhere else I've seen become hits in Canada were:

- Jocelyn Alice's "Jackpot"

- Ria Mae's "Clothes Off"

- Shawn Hook's "Sound Of Your Heart"

- Mia Martina's "Beast"

- the Trevor Guthrie songs (although "Soundwave" was more of a R3HAB song)

 

and yeah that's pretty much it. Not even "Ghosts", which is pop perfection :cry: :cry: :cry:

 

"Burning House" sounds like an Ultraviolenceland entry.

I'm not surprised either, CanCons are just so hit-and-miss in terms of quality.

 

I strongly considered sending Burning House to BJSC actually but it entered the Hot 100 so quickly that I thought it might get vetoed (even though Kelsea Ballerini didn't get vetoed so what was I thinking)...and the likelihood of it coming bottom 5 in the semi changed my mind.

 

Can I just say that the Carly Commentery is good :wub:

 

Carly and Carrie only songs I like this section :heart:

Thanks Harry!!!

 

I always find Adam Lambert's resilience in the industry on an international scale quite remarkable given he was never huge to begin with, and what's more would have suffered from the TV talent show stigma. Heard 'Ghost Town' a fair bit over the last few months on the radio/clothes shop playlists etc. and liked it. A very smart idea to jump on the deep house trend as you said, and executed very well (though I personally wouldn't go as far as using the 'T' word for it :o :o :o)!

 

It's interesting/odd that Ariana took until the fifth single (including 'Bang Bang') of her album to go it completely alone. Judging by 'One Last Time''s impressive performance worldwide so late in the campaign (not to mention its sheer breahtakingly-amazing quality <333), I think the song would have fared very well as the lead single, though of course wouldn't have made anywhere near as big of a cultural impact as 'Problem' ft. Iggy, so it's hard to say overall. :thinking:

 

I find 'Loyal' and 'Ayo' equally instant and ~swaggy~ and jam-worthy :music: - interesting to read that you reacted quite differently to them.

 

Great musings so far, Jordan! Can't wait for the section containing the next consecutive letter of the alphabet to which the beginning of the name of the artist whose songs you'll review corresponds. :)

Yeah, Adam's done well to still be around without ever having Olly Murs levels of runner-up stardom. (The T word tho omg yassss) and I agree with all of that about Ariana.

 

Gosh, your second post in the thread and already dishing out the :), what a troll -_-

 

Poor hen skipped the B list like he's Pia Mia. :rolleyes:

 

(Quite proud of that one~)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/korn0818/67d90ee8.gif

 

Delighted to see Carly and double Carrie here! The Alessia Cara song is good too. Hope to see Shawn feature *.*

I hope so too, that way I can let you know what I think about his song "Stitches". Once I've listened to it, of course! :o http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/uploads/group_images/of_18_icon.gif

Haha, I think if I did an A to Z, I would have to put Blonde on it, they had another stellar year! I can see why you think Pretty Girls is a bit of a hot mess though, I like it because of that :lol:

Daya "Hide Away"

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/Yoshi538/0bd1c3a3-34cd-4d84-8b18-547e44c00b80.jpg

Her real name is Grace Tandon, and omg she’s from Pittsburgh! Her song "Hide Away" is another one that Math introduced to Buzzjack via BJSC, and just like with Alessia Cara it failed to qualify in its contest. I was very disappointed, but yet again Math is getting his redemption as this slowly becomes a proper hit. There’s a bit of Lorde in her by the sound of this, but the song is more innocent than "Royals" and her style of pop is a little more fun but still interesting. I’ve been excited to see how high this can go.

It’s been very slow-going so far: "Hide Away" entered the US pop airplay chart the same week as "Love Myself" by Hailee Steinfeld did. Hailee’s song went quickly up the charts and quickly back down again, and three months later Daya’s is still slowly climbing, not even top 50 on the Hot 100 yet. It is about to outpeak Kiesza’s song of the same name. I actually prefer Kiesza’s song and Hailee’s song but I do love this too and I also love an underdog story. "Sit Still Look Pretty" didn’t make quite as big of an impression but I’d like to think Daya has potential.

 

Demi Lovato "Confident"

It’s an anthemic song, perfect for a marching band. The melody is good, the main lyric/tagline "What’s wrong with being confident?" is great, the horns are on point, and I really appreciate this as the kind of song that should come to mind when people think of Demi Lovato. But for whatever reason, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to "Confident" from beginning to end! It sounds quite good to me and yet I get bored after just one verse or the chorus. If I’m flipping through radio stations and hear this, I usually keep searching for something else.

Maybe I’m not in the target audience, or else there’s just something missing. I think sometimes pop can be too well-crafted, where too many hooks can actually be overkill. Rihanna’s “Talk That Talk” is another example that comes to mind. "Confident" also kind of sounds like something Jessie J would record; I can easily imagine her voice on it. Let’s just be thankful we were spared from that. But yeah, I hope to have less inner conflict over her next single because "Cool For The Summer" has given me more hype than ever for Demi.

 

DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge "You Know You Like It"

http://www.chartsinfrance.net/covers/aHR0cHM6Ly9pLnNjZG4uY28vaW1hZ2UvOWFjOTA3M2YxZmJhYWU3MWY2MDQwYmRhOWJjOTdlODdlZDdiYWU0MQ==.jpg

Does anyone else remember discovering songs by watching music channels on TV, instead of on the internet? These days I’ve heard every song, or at least know about the ones I haven’t heard, by the time MTV and VH1 get around to playing them. But this was a genuine surprise: I saw the video on TV in February when the song’s (well, the remix’s) existence had completely evaded me up until then. I adored the original but certainly didn’t expect it to be a US hit in any form, so that was amazing!

You’d think this would have been a surefire hit in the UK too, with the original already being familiar to a fair amount of people. I was hoping to hear "You Know You Like It" on the chart show again and was certain Radio 1 would support it just like they re-playlisted that DJ Fresh song that was a hit twice. Plus it would get AlunaGeorge’s name back out there and they could use the momentum to release another album. But I guess that made too much sense so instead it flopped at #67. Better luck next time, then.

I hope so too, that way I can let you know what I think about his song "Stitches". Once I've listened to it, of course! :o http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/uploads/group_images/of_18_icon.gif

 

!!!!

 

I'm still loving it btw, just thought you should know ^_^

 

http://i61.tinypic.com/2ephr2b.png

 

I prefer Cool For The Summer to Confident, the latter is pretty great but it never hit me quite as much as I feel like it should've done, strangely. I see what you mean about kinda getting bored partway through. Strange, should be right up my street!

Demi Lovato "Confident"

"Confident" also kind of sounds like something Jessie J would record; I can easily imagine her voice on it. Let’s just be thankful we were spared from that.

Err that would be amazing :kink: :P #SpreadJasyJLove :heart:

Hi Riser, good thread so far I like the format.

 

Personal highlights include One Last Time & Ayo but I quite like that Hide Away track too, proven to be a real grower.

Hi Jordan

Oo, interesting opinion on Confident there. I quite like it but it's never fully swept me up. Sometimes I get well into it with the blaring horns and stuff and other times it just falls flat. It's way better than CFTS though so I gotta disagree with you on that front.

Err that would be amazing :kink: :P #SpreadJasyJLove :heart:

Actually I agree with you :lol: I just knew the majority would not :kink:

 

Hi Riser, good thread so far I like the format.

 

Personal highlights include One Last Time & Ayo but I quite like that Hide Away track too, proven to be a real grower.

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it, I hope to check your thread out very soon.

 

I prefer Cool For The Summer to Confident, the latter is pretty great but it never hit me quite as much as I feel like it should've done, strangely. I see what you mean about kinda getting bored partway through. Strange, should be right up my street!

Hi Jordan

Oo, interesting opinion on Confident there. I quite like it but it's never fully swept me up. Sometimes I get well into it with the blaring horns and stuff and other times it just falls flat. It's way better than CFTS though so I gotta disagree with you on that front.

Very interesting, guess I'm not alone in thinking this!

 

No Dierks :o :o :o

It's odd but something about Daya's vocals draw me into her songs :unsure: anywho I like 'Hide Away', wouldn't mind seeing that become a UK crossover hit soon

 

No Dierks :o :o :o

I'm saving most of the county for later because not very many people would bother reading paragraphs about my faves ;)

 

Echosmith "Bright"

"Cool Kids" was a big big fave of mine last year, so big that I actually checked out their album to see what other gems Echosmith had made. I almost never listen to albums so it’s rare for an artist to win me over that much! To my disappointment that song is pretty different to the rest of their music; I remember at times thinking I was listening to The Lumineers’ album but with a female vocalist. That said, I found a few good tracks and looked forward to one of them being the follow-up single.

Eventually they announced "Bright" as the next single, and that was one I had no recollection of at all so I was surprised to say the least. Upon re-listening it grew on me fairly quickly, but I knew it wouldn’t amount to much chartwise. Sure enough it scraped #40 for a week on the Hot 100. It’s a simple, sweet song, but the video is tacky due to some very obvious product placement. I’m hoping for a new Echosmith album next year since this one is two years old now. It would be a shame if the quality doesn’t improve because they’re all so young and could have a nice career ahead of them.

 

Elle King "Ex's & Oh's"

http://i1.wp.com/www.josepvinaixa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Elle-King-Exs-Ohs-2014-1200x1200-300x300.png

She’s the daughter of Rob Schneider, with the voice of Gin Wigmore, and a hit song that sounds like it came from The Black Keys. She even grew up in Ohio so of course I had to include Elle King here. When I first heard "Ex’s & Oh’s" on public radio back in January I did not foresee it being anywhere near a top-ten hit, probably because the song didn’t impress me at all at first. The idea just wasn’t too strong to me; it seemed too basic and derived from other things, such as the names I mentioned earlier. I’ve heard a few female singers with gravelly voices before, so hers didn’t seem unique.

But I do like her voice, and I love the Black Keys, so it’s fair enough that a combination of the two would win me over eventually. After taking the entire year to become a smash in the US, I look forward to seeing how this does around the rest of the world. I’m particularly curious about New Zealand, where she could theoretically be mistaken for one of their most popular native artists, the aforementioned Gin Wigmore. "Ex’s & Oh’s" is currently higher on NZ iTunes than anywhere else, so it seems like a good theory!

Echosmith and DJ Snake :heart:

I really enjoy Echosmith for what it's worth, but they have so many potential singles to choose from and they went with "Bright"? :drama:

I really enjoy Echosmith for what it's worth, but they have so many potential singles to choose from and they went with "Bright"? :drama:

Exactly. Idgi.

 

I thought I'd memorized my list of songs, but managed to forget one. Just added another song to that post with Echosmith.

 

Hi Jordan

 

Can't make up my mind on Ex's and Oh's, she has a really appealing voice and sometimes it sounds quite catchy but other times it grates on me, not as much as wrong grammar in the title though :(

 

 

 

Both incredible songs, especially Ex's And Oh's :heart:

"Ex’s & Oh’s" is currently higher on NZ iTunes than anywhere else, so it seems like a good theory![/color][/b]

Does that include the US where it already peaked? :P

Hi Jordan

 

Can't make up my mind on Ex's and Oh's, she has a really appealing voice and sometimes it sounds quite catchy but other times it grates on me, not as much as wrong grammar in the title though :(

The wrong grammar aggravated me too at first! Then I forgot about it and now I remember it again :(

 

Does that include the US where it already peaked? :P

Hence the word "currently" :P Actually it's #5 now in NZ and I don't think it got any higher than that here!

 

Fetty Wap feat. Remy Boyz Monty "679"

For those who aren’t aware, the song title of "679" is an ode to Fetty Wap’s birthdate, June 7th 1990, or 6/7/90 based on American dates. Actually it’s unconfirmed whether he was born in 1990 or 1991, because you’ll see a lot of sources for each online. Here’s the kicker: June 7th 1991 is MY birthday, and the thought of Fetty Wap being my triplet just makes me cheeseblock. But I’m guessing he would have called the song "6791" if that were the case, so it seems unlikely to me. Either way, I loved this even before I found all of that out, and you can bet it will be my birthday anthem from now on.

For some reason the featured credit was switched in the middle of its chart run, from Remy Boyz to just Monty. Wikipedia says that P-Dice is no longer a Remy Boyz member, but that doesn’t explain why his verse was removed from the album version of the song. This is one of the biggest unsolved music mysteries of 2015, I’m sure you’ll agree. Another mystery is how "679" can be so irresistibly catchy while "My Way" is unlistenable, but maybe that’s just me.

 

Fifth Harmony "Sledgehammer"

Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink "Worth It"

If I listen to "Sledgehammer" without associating it with Fifth Harmony, it’s a rather faceless pop song that most other artists would have rejected. But here in the US, where I don’t think any girl group had managed a radio hit since the Pussycat Dolls six years earlier, I couldn’t help but love it to death. It ended up a #40 smash, just like the Echosmith song in the previous section, and it was just enough for them to carry the momentum from "Bo$$" and actually release an album, no small feat considering how long it took them.

With their next single, "Worth It", Fifth Harmony didn’t just defeat the aforementioned girl group stigma, but also their talent show stigma. This wasn’t just any talent show but the now-cancelled and slightly-infamous X Factor US. It’s rather backwards that having success after the show would be twice as hard for anyone when the show is supposed to be a platform to help find a superstar, but that’s a discussion for another day. Again, if I listen to "Worth It" without my figurative loon glasses (I’m not much of a loon, really), it doesn’t sound that much better than "Sledgehammer". The lyrics are just as basic, the sax part is unoriginal, and the Kid Ink feature doesn’t really add anything. It’s not bad, though, I’m just extra critical because I supported them on X Factor and know what they’re capable of. This was the closest thing they had to an obvious hit, so nothing else mattered to me.

What drives me crazy is that they finally scored the big hit they’ve been working so hard for and then didn’t bother pushing anything else from the album. Instead they gave us "I’m In Love With A Monster", which sounds like it was made specifically to ruin their career just as it’s meant to take off. I really think they’re making it harder on themselves with no follow-up hit, but considering how far Fifth Harmony have come I know better than to ever count them out.

 

Flo Rida "My House"

It’s 2015 and Flo Rida still hasn’t disappeared! Fair play to him, I’m enough of a fan to be glad that he’s stuck around for this long. As an artist he doesn’t excite me the way Pitbull does, but I’m always fascinated with hearing his new singles and seeing him still in the charts, especially now that he’s 36. For example, I loved his collab with Robin Thicke because of how old they both are, recording a song like that. Anyway, when I saw "My House" as the title of his EP, I was expecting more of the same "house" music (if that’s what you’d call Wild Ones), but thankfully he has offered something different this time around.

Other than the use of sax on "My House" and "GDFR", I’d argue he’s not blatantly trend-chasing as much as before. The title track is nice and laid back, not meant to really stand out but it suits Flo Rida a lot better in my opinion. Of course a song with the hook “welcome to my house” is going to turn out like a theme song of sorts, and sure enough this has been picked up by the NBA to promote various basketball games on TV, or something along those lines. I don’t watch basketball. It’s paying off so far, and the song itself is keeping me satisfied whilst waiting for Pitbull to hopefully slay us all once again as soon as possible!

I don't know how you write so much for each Jordan, but the effort and passion is second to none!

 

Love Carly Rae & Demi so far! Excited for the rest :D