Top 50 Singles of 2014: 45-41

45. Gravitonas - People Are Lonely (ft. Army Of Lovers)



A stark, melodic ballad bringing together two of Swedish mastermind Alexander Bard's pet projects. Delightfully weird, yet emotionally mainstream.

44. BTS - Danger



A charismatic hip-hop track with an addictive, guitar-fueled hook. Remixed later in the year with an equally good, slowed down tempo.

43. Dami Im - Super Love



An Avicii-style dance track that could have been generic if not for Dami Im's superbly soaring vocals.

42. Crayon Pop - Hero 



An off-kilter duet that sounds a bit like Abba on crack. Won't be for everyone, but it's definitely for me!

41. Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good 



An unreleased track by a musical legend, updated with today's production while still retaining its classic, groove-filled feel.

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Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good

"The night's gonna be just fine"

I count myself supremely lucky to have grown up in an era where Michael Jackson was at his peak. I feel like to so many "young people" (listen to me, talking like a grandpa), he's seen primarily as a novelty... an artist so far eclipsed by his own celebrity that he's almost a life-size cartoon or caricature. But my god, he was so much more than that. To me, there will never be another artist who can touch his late 70's to early 90's output, and that's why I get tremendously excited every time it's announced that unreleased material from his vault will see the light of day. Yeah, it's never going to be as exciting as brand new, MJ-approved releases, but I will never be able to get enough of his music. Love Never Felt So Good is Thriller-era disco, on one hand very attached to its time and, on the other, very now in its revivalist sound. There's also a "Justin Timberlake remix" available, but I've got no time for that. The original is certainly not as strong as Thriller's flawless album tracks (ie: I can see why it was left off), but that's like saying a handful of silver isn't as welcome as a handful of gold. It's all good, and I welcome every last bit of Michael's genius with open arms.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber - Slave To The Rhythm

"She works so hard just to make her way"

Just what the hell is this? I was very surprised to find that this song had mysteriously leaked onto the internet. The original, unreleased Slave To The Rhythm is well-known to hardcore MJ fans, and it's one of my favorite unreleased tracks of his. However, it certainly didn't feature Justin Bieber as a duet partner. Weirdly, this seems 100% legit. The production is a little muddled and demo-like, but that's definitely Justin singing Michael's first-verse lines. The original beat has been amped up a bit and brought into our current music climate. I'm not sure I would've had Bieber start things off, but I'm actually very impressed and surprised at how well his vocals match Michael's here. It's no small feat going toe-to-toe with the King of Pop without humiliating yourself. I'm not sure what will eventually come of this remix (is it a single? bootleg? curio?), but I'm kind of in awe that it exists.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Flashback Friday: Michael Jackson - Al Capone

"A madman's out tonight"

This is a bit of an odd Flashback Friday because, even if the song was recorded back in the 80's, it wasn't officially available to the public before this week. Al Capone is one of the awesome demos included in the 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Bad. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how absolutely epic and classic that album was (as well as all four of his first albums), so it's beyond awesome to hear other tracks recorded in that era. There are only a few artists in history that bring me so much excitement from something as simple as b-sides and unreleased material. Michael is right at the top. I would listen to anything he recorded. Al Capone is especially cool because it's the template for what would become the legendary Smooth Criminal. You can hear the similarities--the staccato instrumentation and verses, the urgency of the melody and vocals--but it is really a totally different song. Sort of a shadow version of Smooth Criminal. Its younger, rougher sibling. To me, at least, the existence of this is a very special gift. To the Powers That Be: Please release more.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy Bad 25 here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Michael Jackson - Speed Demon (Nero Remix)

This is why I love remixes. Nero could have chosen a more obvious single from Michael Jackson's classic Bad to reinterpret as part of that album's 25th anniversary, but I think it's awesome that they went for Speed Demon. And boy did they go for it! The song works wonderfully with Nero's usual production style. Who knew that it could work so well as a dubstep track? Unfortunately, the music police have literally disabled streaming of this song on every site possible after it leaked several days ago, so this is the rare instance where I can't let you listen to it. Instead, let me flag this as a necessary track to experience once the "powers that be" deem it appropriate to hear. If you can find it, play it loud. You won't be disappointed. I'm excited for the re-release of Bad, particularly that unseen concert DVD that comes with the deluxe editions. Long live Michael's music, in all its many iterations and remixes!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the re-release here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Pop Blitz 11/23/10

Michael Jackson - Hold My Hand (ft. Akon) C'mon, there's gotta be more interesting stuff in his vault than this. Take Akon out of this song and you'd have something much stronger. As it stands, this just sounds like anyone could sing it. I expect more from Michael. B-

JLS - Love You More
The singles from their first album weren't half bad, but the offerings from the second one have been (so far) pretty awful. This veers into boring Boyz II Men territory. I'm sure it's intentional, but I am not a fan. C-

September - Resuscitate Me
While nowhere near as strong as her very best singles, this is a welcome return for September. I'm actually liking this more and more each time I hear it. A-

Rihanna - What's My Name
A lazy song from a lazy album. It's pleasant enough, but a popstar of Rihanna's stature should aim higher than "pleasant." That being said, it's not something I would automatically turn off if it came on the radio. B

Olly Murs - Thinking Of Me
Now this I would turn off. Or maybe I would keep it on just to make fun of it. The lyrics are dire, the melody is plodding and I'm afraid this could be the last single he's allowed to release. But it does get bonus points for being very easy to mock. D+

Jesse McCartney - Shake
Jesse McCartney is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. There's just enough kitsch in his music to make it enjoyable. I really shouldn't like this stupid song, but as usual with him, I do. B+

Nicole Scherzinger - Poison
Kudos to her for pulling a Bad Romance and throwing it all out there. This is far more interesting than I would have expected from her. I feel like it's got a pretty short shelf life, but for now it's kind of awesome. A-