Awesome Songs: August 2022 | Playlist 🎧

Awesome Songs: August 2022  features music courtesy of Beyoncé (thrice), Nicki Minaj, Panic! At The Disco, Rod Wave, & Ruel.  

It’s that time! Time for what? Time to select the best songs of the month! All the songs on 🎧 Awesome Songs: August 2022 were released as singles or as an album track in August 2022, or whereabouts (I reserve the right to make exceptions).

Musicians that made our ears perk up in the month of August include 🎙 Beyoncé (thrice), 🎙 Nicki Minaj, 🎙 Panic! At The Disco, 🎙 Rod Wave, and 🎙 Ruel among others. So, without further ado, here are those 🎧 Awesome Songs: August 2022!

1. Beyoncé, “Church Girl”

💿 RENAISSANCE • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia • 📅 2022

“Nobody can judge me, but me / I was born free.” True, 🎙 Beyoncé, however, that didn’t prevent the 🏆 Grammy-winning superstar from receiving ample controversy with her phenomenal, 2022 album, 💿 RENAISSANCE.  🎵 “Church Girl” rubbed some Christians the wrong way, namely ✝ Bishop Patrick Wooten who characterized the highlight as a “piece of trash,” “sacrilege,” and mentions Bey’s lack of salvation.  Da-yum Bishop! So, why so much noise surrounding this joint? I mean, Beyoncé and her production team (including 🎛 No I.D.) construct a soulful, gospel-tinged backdrop, which delivers on those churchy vibes.  Furthermore, one of the four samples used arrives courtesy of renowned gospel collective, 🎙 The Clark Sisters (🎵 “Center of Thy Will”).

The problem, for some, is that this sanctified sample, and religious-minded title, eschew traditional Christianity.  You might say those saints disapprove of the likes of “She gon’ shake that ass and them pretty tig ol’ bitties.’” Furthermore, thot-driven lyrics like “I’ll drop it like a thottie, drop it like a thottie,” don’t align with such values. Regardless, songwriter (and Clark sister) 🎙 Twinkie Clark thanked Beyoncé for sampling it!  Furthermore, others have come to her defense, including 🎙 Tank and contemporary gospel musician, 🎙 Deitrick Haddon. “Church girls actin’ loose, bad girls actin’ snotty!” Regardless of the controversy or the polarizing nature of “Church Girls,” it tickles my fancy 😈!

Appears in 🔻:

• Beyoncé, “Church Girl”: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 20 (2022)
• Church ⛪: 5ive Songs No. 44 (2022)

2. Panic! At The Disco, “All By Yourself”  

💿 Viva Las Vengeance • 🏷 Fueled By Ramen • 📅 2022

“If you give a listen / You sweet little kitten / Sittin’ downstairs in your room…” Um, meow, 🎙 Panic! At The Disco 🎵 “All By Yourself”, the penultimate track from the band’s seventh studio album, 💿 Viva Las Vengeance, is a thoughtful, uplifting number. 🎙 Brendon Urie seems to paint a picture of a girl (we assume) who’s a nonconformist and seems to be more of a social outcast.  She appears to take refuge in music, specifically the rock and roll aesthetic.

Urie empowers her, and others like her to use their voice to speak volumes:

“All by yourself, all by yourself

You can change everything all by yourself

All by yourself, all by yourself

You’re the queen, you’re the king

All by yourself.”

Urie, adorned with luscious backing vocals, suggests the power to “change everything” is in your own hands and on your own terms.  He has a valid point (for the most part). This is an anthem for the misunderstood, something Urie does an especially fine job of highlighting with key details in the second verse.  So, if you’re considered different, embrace your differences, and don’t be afraid to use your voice. Personally, I find that to be a takeaway from 🎵 “All By Yourself”. Another takeaway – it’s one of the great moments from Viva Las Vengeance in my eyes. Brendon sounds amazing!

 Appears in 🔻:

• Panic! At The Disco, “All By Yourself”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 14 (2022)

3. Ruel, “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF”

🎵 “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF” • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 2022 

🎙 Ruel (Ruel van Dijk)  continues to build a compelling case as pop’s next big thing with his second single of 2022, 🎵 “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF”. You could say  ‘he’s got the hot hand’ with this short but utterly sweet, up-tempo joint.  As he leaves his teen years, he continues to ‘grow up,’ aka uses some choice words!

Despite that f-bomb on the bridge, the messaging of “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF” is on-point. Ruel wants to help this person get past their issues but has trouble penetrating through the wall.  “I wanna help you, but it’s hard to get through all of your walls / I hope you know that I’m rootin’ for ya,” he sings in the first verse.  It’s much of the same issues in the second verse, where he asserts, “I wanna help you, but I can’t so I’m walkin’ away / I’m rootin’ for ya, still rootin’ for ya.” During the chorus, he seems to reference that help is available, but basically, “Selfish ways are suffocatin’ / I can’t save you now / Oh, why’s it always you against yourself?” As stated, the messaging and theme are on-point.  Also, even though I made out that f-bomb to be negative, it also fits van Dijk’s message/narrative: “You’re goin’ out almost every night / And you wonder why you feel fucked up / Said you wanna try a better lie / Until you realize nothing’s enough.” Woo! Ruel, who is no longer a boy, is growing up and maturing into a fantastic musician. 🎵 “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF” is a 4-star gem!

4. Nicki Minaj, “Super Freaky Girl”

💿 Queen Radio: Volume 1 • 🏷 Young Money / Republic • 🗓 2022

“I can lick it, I can ride it while you slippin’ and slidin’,” Nicki Minaj proclaims on the pre-chorus of her single, 🎵 “Super Freaky Girl” (💿 Queen Radio: Volume 1 ), which finds her playing true to self.  She continues, “I can do all them little tricks and keep the dick up inside it.” Yeah – holy sugar-honey-iced-tea, Nicki! If the title sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because it samples the beloved, 1981, 🎙 Rick James classic, 🎵 “Super Freak”.  It’s safe to say, Nicki embodies the spirit of the original, and then some! “Super Freaky Girl’ was produced by 🎛 Dr. Luke, 🎛 Malibu Babie, 🎛 Vaughn Oliver, and 🎛 Aaron Joseph.

As always, Nicki Minaj gives us unapologetic, hypersexual rhymes.  Clearly, pleasure is on her mind, as evidenced by the pre-chorus alone. She’s not even suggestive, she just ‘goes for the kill.’ During the chorus, she emphasizes freakiness, literally spelling it out.  It’s tongue-in-cheek.  Besides sex, Nicki is cocky and confident, characterizing herself as “the baddest alive,’ and asserting that she “Keep these bitches on they toes like Manolo.” We’ve heard some form of this from Minaj for years, so it feels like she’s in her zone.  It’s worth noting that her rhymes are a blend of slower, moderately paced, and fast-paced. “Super Freaky Girl,” her best single in years,  reminds me of an earlier hit, 🎵 “Anaconda”.  The distinction between the two? “Super Freaky Girl” debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

5. Rod Wave, “Stone Rolling”

💿 A Beautiful Mind • 🏷 Alamo / Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 2022

“Uh, he’s a rolling stone, he’s a rolling stone / Long as the wind blows, I’ll be long gone… / Drive with many miles of roads and still can’t find my / My home.” Woo! 🎙 Rod Wave keeps things real on 🎵 “Stone Rolling”, the third single from his fourth studio album, 💿 A Beautiful Mind. Producing this latest melodic but hard-hitting banger is 🎛 TnTXD, 🎛 SephGotTheWaves, and 🎛 Geovocals.  The biggest selling point of the backdrop is the knocking trap beat.

In “Stone Rolling,” Wave is honest and transparent about his dreams as a child, as well as his come up.  Part of those dreams was the desire to travel, with Rod rapping, “Like if I make it out this shit, I’m goin’ straight to Cali.” That of course is a dream so many of us have at some point.  He goes on to highlight achieving his aspirations, but at the same time, it’s not the ‘end all, be all’ – he’s still in search of home.  Two lyrics that stand out in the verse are, “I just woke up on my tour bus, I don’t know where I’m headed / I been out on my own since I turned eighteen,” as well as, “Is there a heaven for a G? Where can I go to get some peace? / I wanna settle with my kids, buy a crib by the beach.” Rod does a fabulous job of being authentic and personal. 🎵 “Stone Rolling” marks another highlight.  It’s great that he’s living his dreams and is in a much better place, but, you still hopes he does find a permanent home beyond stone rolling.

6. ROSALÍA, “DESPECHÁ”

🎵 “DESPECHÁ” • 🏷 Columbia • 🗓 2022

Does 🎙 ROSALÍA ever disappoint? The answer is a resounding No – it’s not possible!  Therefore, 🎵 “DESPECHÁ” marks another impressive record for the 🏆 Grammy-winning musician.  Even if you don’t understand much (or any) Spanish, you can still find the utmost pleasure in listening to a ROSALÍA joint.  Short and sweet clocking in at under 3 minutes, the Spanish musician brings the heat.

The music is the first part of “DESPECHÁ” that catches my ear. The production is slick, defined most by the beat and piano ostinato that constructs the groove.  Also, key is the vocal performance by ROSALÍA.  She has a beautiful and pure instrument that exudes no shortage of exuberance.  Furthermore, she has a huge personality, which makes “DESPECHÁ” – and her music in general – so captivating.  So, with lit music/production and awesome vocals, the final piece of the puzzle is the theme and lyrics.  Well, perhaps the reason ROSALÍA has so much attitude is that she’s out (at the club), having fun, and has taken him out of the picture. Woo! 🎵 “DESPECHÁ” is a fabulous addition to any playlist, particularly if you want to be carefree, dance, and have fun.  I’d argue guys are invited to enjoy too, just don’t be a loser like the guys ROSALÍA is leaving behind.

7. Benson Boone, “Ghost Town”

💿 Walk Me Home… • 🏷 Night Street / Warner • 📅 2022

“It’s dark, it’s cold / If my hand is not the one you’re meant to hold.” Whoa! 🤩🎵 “Ghost Town” begins 🎙 Benson Boone’s artistic journey on 💿 Walk Me Home…. A gorgeous, soaring ballad, “Ghost Town” plays directly to his strengths.  How so? Well, the young man has a robust voice with a wide range, which is successfully captured in this opener.  Yes, technically, “Ghost Town” arrived as a single back in 2021 but (1) I didn’t hear it until 2022, and (2) the EP was released during the span that 🎧 Awesome Songs: August 2022 encompasses. It fits, y’all!

Where does this ghost town come into play? Oh, matters of the heart, of course, as the aforementioned lyrics suggest.  The chorus sums up Boone’s heart situation perfectly: 

“Maybe you’d be happier with someone else

Maybe loving me’s the reason you can’t love yourself 

Before I turn your heart into a ghost town

Show me everything we built so I can tear it all down

Down, down, down, down.” 

Appears in 🔻:

• Ghost Town: 3 or 4 BOPS No. 20 (2022)

8. Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers, “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” (Ft. Beyoncé)

🎵 “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” • 🏷 RI Top Ten • 🗓 2022 

In case you weren’t aware, 🎙 Ronald Isley, the lead vocalist for the iconic soul collective, 🎙 The Isley Brothers, is a young, 81 years old.  In 2022, he returns with a new version of The Isley Brothers’ classic, 🎵 “Make Me Say It Again, Girl”.  Joining him on this remake is none other than🎙 Beyoncé, who collaborates with Isley for the very first time with superb results.

Did 🎵 “Make Me Say It Again Girl, Pts. 1 & 2” require a remake? No. The original, from the 1975 album, 💿 The Heat Is On, is awesome.  That said, this rework is legit. The smooth pipes of Ronald Isley remain elite – it’s truly surprising he’s in his eighth decade.  Furthermore, Beyoncé proves to be the perfect duet partner, showing how refined her instrument truly is.  She’s duetted with other veteran artists (those many years her senior) many times, and the results never fail to impress.  Given the timbre of Isley’s voice, as well as her own distinct pipes, the chemistry between the two is epic.  “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” reduces the length of the seven-and-a-half-minute original to five-and-a-quarter minutes, still giving the listener that lusciousness, sigh. No, 🎵 “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” won’t change your life, or the face of R&B music, but this remake is absolutely beautiful!

9. BLACKPINK, “Pink Venom”

🎵 “Pink Venom” • 🏷 YG Entertainment / Interscope • 🗓 2022

They’re back! Who? K-Pop collective 🎙 BLACKPINK, of course! The girls return with a bang with 🎵 “Pink Venom” which is totally tuned in and turned up from the jump.  The biggest selling point is arguably the production by  🎛 TEDDY which is slick AF.  There’s no question that he puts in work with an assortment of musical ideas and beat switches, which are all the rage these days. Also, credit TEDDY for the oriental stylings which appear at the beginning and recur throughout much of “Pink Venom.”

Of course, it’s not all the production that makes “Pink Venom” so potent. BLACKPINK is totally tuned in as well.  It begins with the chanting of the group’s name during the intro, crescendoing as “Pink Venom” establishes itself.  You’ve got to ‘heart’ the attitude that the girls bring to the table, exhibiting and showcasing ample personality.  Like many of their singles, the girls give the audience bilingual treatment, performing in both Korean and English.  Even though it’s tough to decipher Korean if you don’t speak it, there’s enough English (and attitude) to provide context to what the girls are serving up.  Obviously, it’s “…the pain like / This that pink venom!”  While there’s arguably a bit too much going on at times, “Pink Venom” is ear-catching from start to finish.

10. DaBaby, “Waitress”

🎵 “Waitress” • 🏷 Interscope • 🗓 2022

Once you’ve tarnished your reputation, it’s incredibly hard to build it back up.  For 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 DaBaby, he ‘messed up a good thing’ – his flourishing career – by going homophobic. Ugh, you hate to see it.  In rebuild mode, DaBaby delivers a respectable banger with 🎵 “Waitress”, expected to appear on 💿 Baby on Baby 2.

“Waitress” lacks substance, but it doesn’t lack attitude and fire.  After stating, “I’ma let the beat build on this one” in the intro, DaBaby drops the chorus, in typical agile, unapologetic fashion.  He’s profane, to say the least: “Yeah, man, fuck all these niggas hatin’ on me / Yesterday, I fucked the waitress / I came outside with my plate, she was waitin’ on me.” Woo! Of course, he goes on to add, “She be tellin’ me to smile when she ride my dick.” Beyond the sexed-up chorus, during the verses, DaBaby flexes hard, touting baller status (citing 🏀 Devin Booker), drip (“I tried to back up the Maybach / But it was too close to the Lambo’…”), and of course, more sex (“Yeah, we gon’ fuck on the floor, she gon’ throw back / Yeah, ‘bout to pull out a wig, need some more tracks”). “Waitress” won’t change your life, but it showcases part of the reason folks liked DaBaby before his faux pas.

11. EST Gee, “Love is Blind”

🎵 “Love is Blind” • 🏷 CMG / Interscope • 📅 2022 

“Come take a trip down memory lane with a gravedigger / A made nigga, poppin’ painkillers don’t make me think different.” Woo! Following a brief intro on 🎵 “Love is Blind”, rapper 🎙 EST Gee jumps right in, turned all the way up! “Love is Blind,” which clocks in well under three minutes in duration, packs a punch nonetheless. It features a banging, malicious trap beat, produced by 🎛 FOREVEROLLING and 🎛 Marko Lenz. Besides the banging beat, I love the dark, synth horns as well as the piano ostinato, which brings some classiness to this grimy, gritty rap banger.

“Bossed up, I bought all my whips with cash, it came with paper tags / Three kilos and one five hundred grams, all my Cubans dance.” And again, we all say, WOO! EST Gee drops unapologetic, agile rhymes. He flexes like a B-O-S-S. There’s one big verse, with the rapper talking his sheee-it. Unsurprisingly, “Love is Blind” is set in a minor key, further cementing its hard-nosed, menacing nature.

“Riata Drive, whoever tryna collide, know it’s suicide

Love is blind, so is my left eye, so fuck the other side.”

Appears in 🔻:

• EST Gee, “Love is Blind”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 19 (2022)

12. Beyoncé, “Cuff It”

💿 RENAISSANCE • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia • 📅 2022

“I feel like fallin’ in love (Fallin’ in love) / I’m in the mood to fuck somethin’ up (Tonight, I’m fuckin’ somethin’ up, baby).” Ooh wee, 🎙 Beyoncé! Go on and do the day-um thang, gurrlll! The 🏆 Grammy winner is open about her intentions and what she desires on 🎵 “Cuff It”, a surefire highlight from her highly anticipated, 2022 album, 💿 RENAISSANCE. The best way to describe how she’s feeling: sexy AF, of course.=

When we think of cuffing, we think of locking down that partner exclusively. All indications on “Cuff It” suggest this sexy joint is monogamous.  That said, monogamous doesn’t have to be vanilla either.  Clearly, Beyoncé is having a hell of a night, and the feeling should be the same for the audience listening to this slickly produced pop joint.  See the third verse: “Hypersonic, sex erotic / On my body, boy, you got it / Hit them ‘draulics while I ride it / Got me actin’ hella thotty.” Woo! Jesus! If you have any plans to “fuck up the night,” I highly encourage you to allow Queen Bey and “Cuff It” to serve as the soundtrack.  It’s one of the best songs from the totally stacked RENAISSANCE.

Appears in 🔻:

• Beyoncé, “Cuff It”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 58 (2022)

Awesome Songs: August 2022 [📷: Alamo, Andrea Piacquadio, Brent Faulkner, CMG, Columbia, Fueled By Ramen, The Musical Hype, Night Street, Parkwood Entertainment, RCA, Republic, RI Top Ten, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner, YG Entertainment, Young Money]