Posted December 15, 200618 yr 1. "Rihanna' SOS The year's best redo came in the form of Rihanna's "SOS." Deftly using Soft Cell's 1982 hit "Tainted Love"—itself a revision of Diana Ross & The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go"—as a bleepy backdrop and adding a full-bodied bottom to the original tinny mod-rock track, producer J.R. Rotem helped Rihanna resurrect dance music on U.S. radio, at least temporarily. The single leaves little time to breathe, as does its hyper-colored and sensory-overloaded music video, but it was, perhaps, too aggressive to get play at your local supermarket and stopped short of being ubiquitous—despite reaching #1. 2. "My Love " Justin Timberlake "My Love" features all of the elements we've come to expect from a collaboration by the two Tims: Timbaland's signature thump, Timberlake's proud falsetto, dual beatboxing, operatic background vocals, and a guest spot from the rapper du jour. But not every dish can be as savory as "Cry Me A River." Luckily, "My Love" has got a few secret ingredients that set it apart from the divisive "SexyBack." Despite its colossal, futuristic synth swirls and a cartoonish, maniacal giggle that's looped ad infinitum a la the crying baby from Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?," "My Love" proves that scorn doesn't have the monopoly on dark, haunting, and sexy. Thank you, Cameron Diaz. 3. "Sorry" Madonna More ABBA-esque than the ABBA-sampling "Hung Up," the unapologetically Euro second single from last year's Confessions On A Dance Floor should have scored Madonna another Top 10 hit, but U.S. radio stations apparently got confused when they realized Timbaland wasn't involved. Madge is notorious for not being the apologetic type, so, if nothing else, "Sorry" gave Camille Paglia a chance to hear her say it in 10 different languages. 4. "Promiscuous" Nelly Furtado It's easy to forget your first impression of a song, particularly when that song becomes a monster hit. What's most impressive about Nelly Furtado's big comeback at this vital, year-end critics-list juncture in its lifespan is that I don't find it completely hateable. 5. What's Left of Me" (The Passengerz Remix) Nick Lachey It's as equally guilty-pleasurable to emerge yourself in Lachey's divorce melodrama, which The Passengerz elevated from AC schlock to Euro-dance schlock, as it once was to watch him roll his eyes on Newlyweds. Who would have thought that the seemingly has-been ex-husband of MTV's golden girl would be the one to come out on top in 2006? 6. "Crazy" Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" follows the retro-meets-modern template of "Hey Ya!" to a T. But unlike OutKast's ubiquitous smash, I haven't yet grown nauseated by the mere thought of "Crazy." After all, who could ever get sick of those silky cinematic strings, that hypnotic bassline bounce, or Cee-Lo's soothing-as-warm-milk delivery? 7. "When you were Young" The Killers Amidst the mountain of musical and lyrical clichés that makes up The Killers' flawed but compulsively listenable Sam's Town came the best pop song lyric of the year: "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus but he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young." 8. "Stupid Girls" Pink Pink is always one raspy cliché away from completely dumbing her message away, but there's enough bite in her growl to make her a more-than-worthy role model for young girls who, instead, try to emulate the porno-paparazzi girls she lambastes on the lead single and video from her underappreciated fourth disc I'm Not Dead. Leaving a K-Fed- (and panty-) free Britney to self-destruct all on her own, Pink took aim at the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Jessica Simpson on this catchy, if somewhat novelty-esque, hit. 9. "I bet you look good on the dancefloor" Artic Monkeys It's the crossover dance-punk tune that never was (it stalled out in the modern rock Top 10 and never cracked the pop chart), exploding out of the gate with a flurry of pounding garage drums and gritty electric guitar feedback and then settling into the first verse like it's the early '80s: "Stop making the eyes at me/I'll stop making the eyes at you." Despite being a very "current" ode to "dirty dance floors and dreams of naughtiness," lead monkey Alex Turner manages to squeeze in references to things that came before him: that centuries-old tale of star-crossed lovers…and doing the robot like it's 1984. 10. "Me & U" Cassie While Janet Jackson failed to find her footing on the rocky (or, rather, hip-hoppy) surface of 2006, newcomer Cassie climbed straight past her with "Me & U," a slinky, vintage-sounding track with a hypnotic, snake-charming whistle that garnered an endorsement from Janet herself. The simple video (no, not this one) even evokes the impromptu solo dance rehearsal from "The Pleasure Principle." Of course, it's starting to look like Cassie doesn't possess Janet's career savvy or longevity, but it was fun for three-and-a-quarter minutes, right? http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature...yearinmusic.asp
