Top 10 Songs Of 2011

[koganbot]

So far. And three of them are holdovers from last year, which I justify down in the wonky notes. I've already posted about Jeremih, the gorgeous tenuousness of the sounds seeming to have nothing to do with the booty-gazing lyrics. You likely already know about the Britney, and if you haven't heard " High High" yet, that's hardly my fault. "Knock Out

Comments

[talrose]

The biggest singles on Chicago radio right now, unquestionably, are "Black and Yellow" and "No Hands," the former by Wiz Khalifa and the latter by Waka Flocka Flame. They are on the radio on at least three or four separate stations three or four times a day. But Wikipedia tells me that they were both released in 2010, though I can't remember ever hearing them before this month ("No Hands" I heard on Flockaveli, and it's a standout, but I don't remember hearing it on the radio the way I heard "Hard In Da Paint").

The other single in heavy rotation is "All Of The Lights," and that would probably be my single of the year so far. Actually, that's not true. My favorite single of the year is either "Love Letter" or "When A Woman Loves (Remix)," both off of R. Kelly's Love Letter, which might have been my #1 album last year, and I'm counting it for 2011, since it came out in December last year. You will not find a smile on my face as wide as the one that appears when the chorus of "Love Letter" pops up for the third time in the song while I'm driving down the freeway. Love Letter is all Sam Cooke-style soul throwbacks, with a little of early '00s R. Kelly circa Chocolate Factory or Happy People/U Saved Me production tricks (water drops, watery keyboards, more water). It's probably his best album, and the singles have been crackin'.

"All Of The Lights" is Kanye featuring Rihanna primarily, but also John Legend, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, La Roux, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Elton John, and Kid CuDi on backup vocals!

[koganbot]

"No Hands" hit the Top 40 back in October and has hung in the top twenty since then. Would assume its r&b play goes back further, but Billboard's chart-history gizmo doesn't stockpile his stuff (or isn't working right), so I don't know more. Also don't know its airplay arc in Denver, since I've pretty much not had time to listen to the radio, having so many things to scarf up on the 'Net. "All Of The Lights" is probably only beginning its run in most places (assuming it gets much of a run): I presume that Kanye airplay gets accelerated in Chicago.

Odd thing, R. Kelly's always been pretty much in one ear and out the other for me (odd because I love The-Dream, who obviously loves R. Kelly). But there's been lots of favorable talk about Love Letter, so maybe it'll be what pulls me in. I actually liked "The Zoo" back in 2007, and then read the reviews with everyone saying that, for R. Kelly, it was second-rate. So something is askew in my R. Kelly listening, I guess.