Fave Songs of 2010

Over the last couple of months I've put together a list of my favorite songs this year. It's not based on anything at all, just how much I liked the songs, so that's why there might be some songs on the list that you've never heard of. I had a little trouble choosing where the cutoff should be; I ended up deciding that songs like "Bad Romance" and "TiK ToK" were really from 2009 and songs like Taio Cruz's "Higher" and Diddy-Dirty Money's "Coming Home" would be saved for 2011. So here's the top 40 that I ended up with, 1 being my absolute favorite.


40. Rock that Body
-Black Eyed Peas-

39. Rocketeer
-Far East Movement and Ryan Tedder

38. Please Don't Go
-Mike Posner-

37. Telephone
-Lady Gaga and Beyonce-

36. Letting Go
-Sean Kingston and Nicki Minaj-

35. California Gurls
-Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg-

34. Magic
-B.o.B. and Rivers Cuomo-

33. Airplanes
-B.o.B and Hayley Willaims-

32. Monday Morning
-Meleanie Fiona-

31. Hard
-Rihanna and Jeezy-

30. Mine
-Taylor Swift-

29. DJ Got Us Falling in Love
-Usher and Pitbull-

28. Rose Colored Glasses
-Kelly Rowland-

27. Ridin' Solo
-Jason Derulo-

26. Don't Let Your Feet Touch Ground
-Ash Coley-

25. Blah Blah Blah
-Ke$ha and 30H!3-

24. Wavin' Flag
-K'naan-

23. Young Money
-Vita Chambers-

22. Break Your Heart
-Taio Cruz and Ludacris-

21. Fire in Your New Shoes
-Kaskade and Dragonette-

20. Angel
-Aleesia-

19. Just a Dream
-Nelly-

18.Your Love is My Drug
-Ke$ha-

17. Misery
-Maroon 5-

16. Ice
-Lights-

15. If We Ever Meet Again
-Timbaland and Katy Perry-

14. Heart Heart Heartbreak
-Boys Like Girls-

13. This Afternoon
-Nickelback-

12. Night Like This
-Shawn Desman-

11. Hey, Soul Sister
-Train-

10. Teenage Dream
-Katy Perry-

9. Alejandro
-Lady Gaga-

8. Celebrity Status
-Mariannas Trench-

7. Obsession
-Sky Ferreira-

6. Get Outta My Way
-Kylie Minogue-

5. Shark in the Water
-VV Brown-

4. Vanilla Twilight
-Owl City-

3. Club Can't Handle Me
-Flo Rida and David Guetta and Nicole Scherzinger-

2. Boom Boom
-Carmen and Camille-

1. In My Head
-Jason Derulo-

Natasha Bedingfield - Strip Me

This song has actually been around for a bit now, but it only recently came to my attention and I thought it deserved a chance to be mentioned. First of all, let me say that this song is not what you would expect. With a name like "Strip Me" the first conclusion I come to is something sexy, which isn't the case. And with Natasha's painfully annoying atttempt at electrodance "Touch" you might think that this is something similar, but again this is not true. In reality "Strip Me" returns to Natasha's old style and seems to deliver an antimaterial message.

Musically the song is well made, with a bouncy opening, that soon turns into a powerful chorus and continues from there. The chorus is catchy and upbeat which makes it easy to dance or sing along with. The lyrics carry an interesting message that may get you thinking around the first verse. However as the song progresses the lyrics just become repitive and features "Oooh"s and "La la la"s. So it does a good job to get you dancing, but there could have been so much more in the message.

It doesn't seem as though Natasha will be having as much sucess with this song though, which is a real shame since it's such a great improvement from her flop "Touch".

Diddy-Dirty Money - Coming Home

Diddy-Dirty Money haven't had too much luck with their current album, but this single could really be a major turning point for them. The chorus, song by Skylar Grey, is a tender and simple message, "I'm Coming Home." But the song immediately builds into something much stronger everytime Diddy comes on the verses; he speaks with bare emotion about his life and how he feels all while maintaining the beat. With two different sounds in the chorus and the verses you'd think that it might clash, but it actually is worked together very well. By jumping between meaningful thoughts expressed by Diddy back to the recurring beauitful voice of Skylar creates a very effective sound.

The lyrics obviously come from the heart and are true, this is Diddy's song about his life, not some manufactured song built to just make money. Everything in the song comes to its peak at the intense end. The continually growing verses explode into a massive effect and then we're taking back to a powerful chorus to finish the song. This could very well be one of the first hits of 2011.

On a completely unrelated note I have discovered an awesome mash-up of two of my favorite songs this year, check it out here. Considered it a Christmas present from me, happy holidays!

David Guetta - Who's That Chick

With all the free time on my hands this week I've decided to do an earlier post and maybe another one later in the week. The release of this single seems a bit unusual since both David Guetta and Rihanna have a current hit rising the charts, but it may be explained by Rihanna's adiction to constantly releasing new music. Anyways Rihanna is known to have a pretty basic style while David Guetta is a little more unpredictable, I'm happy to say that this song falls into the unpredictable category. With electronic effects and a dancy sound it is definetly a great track to dance to. We get to see something new from Rihanna with neat effects on her voice and just an overall electrodance style that is a nice change from her last few songs. Rihanna's voice works very well with this type of song it seems.

The song immediately opens up in a high pace verse and continues to build all the way to the end. By the bridge we've reached a climatic point which leads into a perfect finish. The lyrics aren't particularily meaningful, but they get the point across which is good enough in a song like this. It's nice to have a dance song that doesn't just use nonsensical sounds to make a good beat. Overall it is worked together nicely with the perfect balance between electric sounds and Rihanna's vocals to make a perfect dance song.

Suzie McNeil - For Christmas Time

For the holiday season I thought it would be appropriate to post about a Christmas song. "For Christmas Time" has one notable point which is that it isn't so much of a Christmas song as it is a love song, which has its pros and cons. It's not a particularly unique story, just the usually I'll be home for Christmas thing, yet that's the thing about Christmas songs they follow classic procedures. As far as this one goes it actually has a very personalized sound from Suzie; fusing familiar beats from her with tender love and catchy licks. Overall it creates a very nice warming feeling.

Another question, should this really be a Christmas song? Really it doesn't have all that much to do with Christmas, just longing to see a loved, which happens to centre around Christmas. Maybe we could connect to this song more if we saw it as a relationship instead of just a holiday tune. On the other hand it is a nice switch from the normal jingly seasonsal songs that we get, and maybe it is better to have a few of these songs for the holidays.

Suzie McNeil is very underrated as a talented artist, but this song is still great for Christmas or anytime. Perhaps it's best that it sticks as a Christmas tune as it gets a chance to stand out and a chance to be played at least for one month. I definetly think that it one of the better Christmas songs this year.

Chris Brown - Yeah 3X

Whatever you think of Chris Brown as a person, there's no denying that he knows how to make a very infectious dancy sound. This song has all the necessary assets to be a perfect dance song: catchy electronic sounds, carefree lyrics, and the buildup into an intense finish. This song is very similar to Chris's previous hit, "Forever" only with a more evolved sound. The song has been put together cleverly to make a growing dance sensation that makes it impossible to resist.

With a name like "Yeah 3X" you'd think that I would be annoyed by nonsensical lyrics, but it actually all works in a nice balance. As a dance song the lyrics aren't completely original, but that doesn't matter too much as the only purpose is to get you to dance really. The song isn't fake ane manufactured which is what's important for a song like this.

This song is overall a great dance track and could easily become a big comeback for Chris Brown.

Nicki Minaj - Right Thru Me

So, Nicki Minaj has been featured in several songs this year and usually adds a nice little touch with her unique style of rap, she's recently had a few solo hits and she's got another one. The problem, though, is that she seems to have lost a bit of her edge that makes her such a great rapper. Lately her raps have lost her bouncy rhythm and style and have become more bland, "Right Thru Me" is a similar situation. Rap really is speaking musically, yet she doesn't seem to have much beat or tune at all through the most part of this song. The one exception is the chorus which combines a catchy beat with a beautiful tune.

The song does have some admirable qualities too. Stylistically it is skillfully done with great background sounds that builds up into an intense bridge. Lyrically the song has tells an interesting story about a troubled relationship that is easy to connect to, especially with Nicki's longing voice. Overall it offers both a dance track while keeping a deeper meaningful message. Hopefully Nicki will have her previous style in future songs and keep making great hits.

Good Charlotte - Like It's Her Birthday

One thing I will never understand is what is so appealing about songs that are about getting drunk. Do people like hearing about it, do people like singing about it? In my mind getting drunk is just gross and I'd rather not hear about it; yet here we are with "Like It's Her Birthday" a song that is just that. The lyrics talk about getting drunk at a party, but there also seems to be some sort of story trying to be told. However I was lost after about the first verse, so not only are the lyrics annoying but also confusing.

But let's move away from the negativity and onto the good stuff, since this is actually a very well done song. Using elements of both rock and dance it creates a very nice effect that should make the tune enjoyable for everyone. The sound is unique compared to most of today's hits, not quite experimental, but still something a little different. As I'm sure I've mentioned before I don't care for sounds as lyrcs like, "Eh eh eh" or "Ooh ooh ooh" which this song does have its share of, however they are worked into the song well that it isn't as noticeably annoying.

Further improving this song is the reference to the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta a Feeling" (it better be a reference otherwises they're just plain ripping them off.) So if you like Pop and Rock and getting drunk you'll probbly like this song. For everyone else this is still a great song that I suggest you try, just ignore the lyrics.

Far East Movement - Rocketeer

After yearing the incredbly annoying "Like A G6" I figured that Far East Movement was going to be a band with terrible, obnoxious, pounding songs, but their new single is actually very well done. Combining Ryan Tedder's tender voice and their bouncy sound they come up with a beautiful song similar to B.o.B's "Nothing on You." Ryan sings a pretty recurring theme throughout the song, will Far East Movement create more dancy, but still nice beat. Using clever lyrics and great music they create a very well flowing songs that's very easy to dance to or sing along. Lyrically the song has a sweet message of speaking to a loved one.

Ryan Tedder and Far East Movement doesn't seem like working combination, but they work the verses and chorus together perfectly which makes a wonderful sound; and hey who would have thought that the band who brought you "Like a G6" would be capable of a tender love song? Overall this song is perfect in almost every way and is a huge improvement from their last song.

Bruno Mars - Grenade

The dreamy voiced singer who brought you beautiful love songs like "Nothing On You" and "Just the Way You Are" has another single that's also tender, but now laced with acid. Bruno sings about a lover whom he would die for, but knows that they don't love him back. The lyrics are creative and insightful; they help to create a story in the song. By using a grenade as a metaphor for love makes the song more unique than other similar love songs. The beautiful words are backed up by the just as nice background music and beats. Together the effect is an emotionally moving tune that can make you think.

I do have one small problem with it however. I feel like loving and hating lyrics contradict each other slightly in the way that they are used in the song. I can understand exactly what's being said, "I love you but you don't love me back." Yet both sides are so extreme that it creates too completely different ideas. On the one side there's, "I love you so much I would die for you," and on the other, "You're horrible person from hell." I know that relationships can have deep feelings, but really are you going to die for someone that you seem to utterly hate. I feel like it could of been worded a bit better to give a more conflicting image rather than polar opposites.

So overall I feel that everything about this song creates a beautiful masterpiece. The lyrics may be contradictory, but that doesn't take away from the beauty. Hopefully this will be Bruno's second solo hit.

Jason Derulo - What If

Jason Derulo has stated that he wants to be like Madonna in the sense that she always changes her style, and so far he has done nothing but this. He started with his electronic apology song, "Whatcha Say", then there was his sexy club/dance hit, "In My Head", which was followed by the bouncy slightly whiny break up song, "Ridin' Solo" and now he has a slow tender love song. "What If" offers a much more pure form of love, getting married and living happily ever after. The song isn't particularily catchy but it still has a nice beat. The song is overall very beautiful and emotional.

However there are few problems with it. The main thing is that it could be a little boring. The lyrics are tender, but there is nothing too special or unique about them. It's slow throughout the whole song, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I feel that it needs to build into something bigger. What could also be a lack of creativity is that the catciest line is, "Doo doo doo doo" which again could work, but in this song seems a little out of place and unoriginal.

In conclusion, the song might be a little bland but still offers a very sincere loving message. Who knows what style Jason will switch to next.

Black Eyed Peas - The Time

I'm not really a fan of a lot of the Black Eyed Peas previous hits, but this song is hard not to like. The Peas have two major sounds, the obnoxious pounding such as "Imma Be" and the fast paced dance like "I Gotta Feeling", this song combines both so everyone's happy. This song also shows a bit more diversity than before by having both Fergie and Will. I. Am. take turns during the chorus, plus Taboo and Apl. De. Ap. feature in throughout the verses; everyone with their own unique style.

The song uses a noticeable amount of electronic sounds which add a nice dancy vibe to the song. The effects may sound slightly annoying, but I feel that the effect that is achieved works to make the song more interesting. The lyrics are a little nonsensical at times, like the recurring "Dirty Bit"which I can never understand, but that's nothing new to the Black Eyed Peas. I truly feel like this song is going to be a major hit for the Peas.

And yes, once again I'm doing two songs this weeks. I might have to make this my new format.

Shontelle - Perfect Nightmare

And on to the next song of this week. Sadly this song has quite a few problems that can make it a little unjoyable. The major issue is that Shontelle has completely scrapped her own style to use other styles, namely Rihanna's. The two singers already sounded pretty similar, but now Shontelle has absolutely ripped off Rihanna's music right down to the little details, such as the dancy beats, the pleading voice, and the repititive chorus. Of course this is not the first time that artists have ripped eah other off, but Rihanna's style does not work with Shontelle, especially when she has her own. She already had a hit earlier this year, "Impossible", which was much more unique. Shontelle needs to go back to her old "Impossible" sound instead of butchering Rihanna's.

The song does have a nice somewhat haunting tune through the verses, but the annoying repititive chorus does not help this. Another problem is that the soulful vocals clash with the dancy background beats which causes an odd sound. The lyrics themself are unique and can stir some emotion, but I don't feel much emotion in Shontelle's voice. Overall I feel like this song could have been a hit if it had been for Rihanna and some changes were made, but I would much rather hear a song like "No Gravity" as Shontelle's next single.

Sara Bareilles - King of Anything

I've never considered myself a fan of adult style of music, but it's songs like this that make me not so sure. This song carries a bouncy beat and unique tune that works into a nice catchy diddy. There is a nice sound from the background and the front vocals that help to add to this great song. The lyrics are clever, but not confusing so they are easy to understand and relate to. They definetly offer a situation that is familiar to a lot of us, and finally ask the question,"Who died and made you King of Anything" I can really see this as a great followup to Sara's previous hit, "Love Song" with effort and time put into making a wonderful song and not just a quick remake. It might not make a big splash on pop charts, but it is still a great tune and should get some recognition for that.

PS I'm doing another double post this week due to all the new music I want to comment on.

Ke$ha - We R who we R

With a massive ammount of great singers releasing singles at this time Ke$ha has entered in the fray, sadly her song doesn't have what it take to compete. The rap/dancing track is a fine song to dance to and I find it enjoyable, but there's nothing that makes it stand out from so many other similar songs. With great songs from P!nk, Katy Perry, and Rihanna currently out and the possiblitlity of new Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Britney any day Ke$ha needs something strong and unique to top her competition. "We R who We R" bears striking resemblance to Usher's "DJ Got Us Falling in Love" and has unoriginal, uncreative lyrics that seem to lack any soul. The song pretty much feels like a hastily slapped together mesh of old dance tracks in an attempt to create a hit before the end of year. The song is sure to be a hit like Ke$ha's last couple of singles, but in the rising war of divas she's not going to come out on top if she doesn't try a little harder.

Marianas Trench - Good to You

Marianas Trench have two signature sounds, the rock dance style and the soul-driven love song, this definetly falls into the latter category. The song has the familar sound from past hits from Marianas Trench plus Kate Voegele as a featured artist adds a subtle but nice touch. The songs message is far from original but the way that it is sung can cancel that out. The beautiful voices deliver a clear loving plea to someone which sound very real. However, what cannont be forgiven are the lyrics; there's really nothing clever or special about them. I also find it quite annoying when things like "Oh oh oh" or "La la la" are treated like they are actual lyrics; in this case the bridge consists of only "Whoa-oh-oh". Overall I think that the song is nicely done and has a sweet sound, as long as you don't mind the lame lyrics it is quite a good love song.

P!nk -- Raise Your Glass

And the second post of the week is a song from P!nk called "Raise Your Glass". It defintely has a familiar P!nk sound yet still original making an overall great song. Using a combination of both rock and dance the song creates an irresitable beat with clever lyrics. The song resemble previous hits from P!nk such as "U + Ur Hand" and "So What" but it also has its own qualities that make in unque, exciting and fun. Plus a spoken line in the bridge that adds a nice humour to the song.

"Raise Your Glass" will be on P!nk's Greatest Hits album and it's easy to see why. It has taken some of P!nk's greatest aspects and merged them into this awesome song that is sure to become her next Great Hit.

Shakira -- Loca

Doing an earlier post since there's been so much new music this week that I really want to go over, so I figured I'd try to do two songs this week. First up we have Shakira's new single off her upcoming album. Sadly Shakira seems to be suffering from the same problem as Rihanna, which is not coming up with anything new and exciting. She's had some really well done latin pieces such as "Hips don't Lie" and "Whenever/Wherever" and she had her interesting "She Wolf" song, but "Loca" isn't anything to get hyped up about. It's the familar latin sound, but there's nothing different about it and it's not too special.

Of course, I don't mean that the song is horrible, just unoriginal, but there is plenty to like about it. The verses have Shakira's famous bouncy sound and the chorus had a pretty catchy beat. Interspersed lines from Dizzie Rascal adds a nice touch, unlike so many other songs that just feature famous artists for one verse, this song keeps Dizzie through out it which makes the song overall more interesting. The song isn't particularily dancy but there is a nice beat throughout the song that gives a handclapping/singing along vibe. This song could very well become a hit, which really is what Shakira needs right now; but I think she needs to get more creative if she really wants to make an impact.

Aleesia - Angel

There are a lot of good songs out there that after you start hearing it a few times you realize how good it is; but this song made an instant wonderful impression on me. The fast paced dance single makes it impossible to resist getting up and moving or singing along. The repititive electronic chorus is really cleverly made to have such an infectious sound. The lyrics have a clear meaning and, although the idea may be cliche, they way that they're sung makes them sound true and believable.

What I really find super about this song is that it could very easily be annoying. With repeated lines and autotune this could be just another irritating dance song; but it has been done well. Aleesia's voice works well and the way she sings the lyrics makes you believe that she truly is in love. I'm really looking forward to this song coming popular and I only wish that it could have been longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Edward Maya - Stereo Love

Yes I know that this song came out a while ago, my radio station just started playing it so I've had a chance to listen to it a few times and appreciate it. So, there are two things that you first notice the interesting choice of an accordion and the beautiful voice of Alicia/Vika/Mia/ whoever does the vocals. The singing is very pretty and makes the song quite enjoyable, but the accordion can get a little annoying after you hear the same lick over and over thoughout the song. But that can be ignored due to the beautiful voice and dancy beat that make it overall a really great song. But as I said earlier the accordion is quite repitive and the song itself seems to just repeat the same thing over and over again meaning that it could get quite tiresome if you hear it too much. However I think I will enjoy listening to it for a while since it is a nice piece.

Also I still can't figure out why it's called "Stereo Love"

Michael Buble -- Hollywood

Like the title says the second song that I will be posting about is the new Michael Buble one. I didn't hear anything too special the first time I heard, but it's definetly a song that grows on you. You can hear the similarities to his last hit, "Haven't Met You Yet" but there are differences too. "Hollywood" has a more toned down and smoother feel; which means that it's a nice song to snap along to when you don't feel like dancing. This style also has a disadvantage though which is it could easily get old if it is overplayed.

I'm not sure how I feel about the lyrics. It has an odd message, but it's not like it's an abstract idea which is a little annoying. Overall I do like the song and it would be something great to listening to in the background once in a while; but I still have to hope that I don't hear it everytime I turn on the radio though.

Rihanna -- Only Girl (In the World)

So I'm starting off my reviews with what is sure to be a major hit by the end of 2010. To be honest I was expecting a lot more from Rihanna. I mean there's nothing wrong with the song, but there's nothing really amazing about it; and since Rihanna is at her fifth album and is a worlwide star, I think she should being aiming for amazing. It seems like Good Girl Gone Bad was Rihanna's big hitmaker and Rated R was her experimental time, so where does that leave us with this new album? With just this one song so far it sounds pretty much the same as Good Girl Gone Bad. The lyrics are nothing special and the beat is catchy but not quite danceable. Of course, it'll probably end up being a smash hit, and by that time I'll be sick of it. It's really too bad, since I was expecting more from Rihanna. I can just hope that the rest of her album has some better songs.

Makeover

So, this blog was orginally for my Journalism Class (hence the URL) but I'm pretty sure that that's done so I've decided to use this blog for another use. I've decided to give my personal reviews on music that I hear during the week. I know that there are a bazillion other sites and blogs like that, but this is more for my own amusement than to actually do something productive. If you're reading this then I hope you come back again sometime and enjoy my blog ^-^