Top 50 Singles of 2011: 50-46

50. Jesse and the Toyboys - Push It



In a year without Gwen Stefani, this was the next best thing. A dirty, cheeky party track

49. Leona Lewis - Collide



Leona tackles dance music to stunning effect. Her voice has never sounded better than on this anthemic belter.

48. Penguin Prison - Fair Warning



A reliably cool and catchy 80's inspired pop song. One of Penguin Prison's best, and that's saying something.

47. Vanbot - Lost Without You



A Robyn-esque dance track, dense and layered and utterly gorgeous. One of the best indie tracks of the year.

46. Take That - Love Love




Take That continue their aggressive, electro-influenced sound with one of their best tracks. It just happens to be attached to one of the year's best movies, too.

Pop Blitz 9/19/11

Leona Lewis - Collide
Lewis's career needed a real kick in the butt, and I think this is it. I love hearing her staggering voice over anthemic dance production. This could do for her what When Love Takes Over did for Kelly Rowland. A

The Saturdays - All Fired Up
Similar dance sound, but I just don't really get the appeal of this group. I think I keep comparing them to Girls Aloud and they're suffering from that. It's just a little anonymous and forgettable to me. They've done better. B-

Dappy - No Regrets
The chorus is pretty strong, but the verses let it down. It plods along like a typical Chris Brown song, but I don't think there's a lot of staying power. C+

Coldplay - Paradise
It's a new sound from the band, playing around with an epic, electronic soundscape. Beyond that, though, it's more of the same. I'm not sure it's one of their stronger songs melodically, but it's not bad. B-

Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out
I'm liking this more each time I hear it, but I still think the hook is ten times stronger than the verses (which take awhile to get going). It's no Dog Days, but it'll do for now. B+

Darren Hayes - Black Out The Sun
I'm a huge Darren Hayes fan. Have been since the 90's. Sadly, though, I'm finding this new single kind of... boring? I don't know what it is. It just feels like it's all epic and grand with something missing. Maybe it just sounds too much like all of his other stuff to me. B-

Will Young - Jealousy
This is stunning. It easily leapfrogs over every other Will Young song as my favorite single of his career. I'd like about twenty more of these in his future. This is the kind of thing that'll make him the next George Michael. A

Pop Blitz 1/6/10

Train - Hey Soul Sister
The comeback I didn't think anybody was asking for (yet apparently they were if itunes is any indication), Train are back with something that sounds like solo Rob Thomas or Jason Mraz. It's pretty boring stuff, and that chorus is laaame. I almost kinda used to like these guys. C

3Oh!3 & Katy Perry - Starstrukk
Equal parts catchy and obnoxious, I'm still not entirely sure what to think of these guys. Part of me really just wants them to disappear from Earth. The verses are very, very irritating. The chorus is a bit better, but sounds a lot like their last single. Oh, an getting Katy Perry on here certainly doesn't help matters. C-

The Saturdays - Ego
Picking up where Girls Aloud left off, this is a relatively strong uptempo with a great bridge and chorus but weaker verses. I'm still not sold on this group's potential, but this is a promising step in the right direction. B

Erik Grönwall - Higher
As per tradition, Swedish Idol's winner was saddled with this turgid ballad even though he's got a voice more suited for 80's rock. Loved Erik during the show, but this song pretty much defines crap. They better let him record an album more suitable for his voice. D

Boys Like Girls (with Taylor Swift - Two Is Better Than One
Taylor is everywhere, isn't she? Doesn't matter, as she barely registers here. Seriously, the female vocals could have been anybody. This emo-ballad has grown on me, but there are still so many stronger tracks on the album. B-

Leona Lewis - I See You (Theme from Avatar)
Well, it's no My Heart Will Go On. Like the movie it's supporting, it's quite a pretty experience but lacks any real meat. Leona better start doing better than this if she wants a sustained career. C

Selena Gomez & the Scene - Naturally
I'm actually kind of surprised that this is taking off, not because I don't like Selena (quite the opposite, actually), but because the first (stronger) single pretty much flopped and the album didn't seem to do much better. This is nice in a Hillary Duff sort of way. Fun, throwaway dance pop. B+