Best Songs Of 2016 (So Far) | Year in Review Playlist

16. Nick Jonas featuring Tove Lo, “Close”

[Last Year Was Complicated]

Like Zayn, Nick Jonas seems to want to make it clear that he is a sexually active young man – the purity ring is off! While Jonas hinted at this sentiment on his 2014 self-titled album, he truly made it clear on Last Year Was Complicated.  Interestingly, one of his best and sexiest moments is among the least explicit – fantastic duet “Close” with Tove Lo.  The song is sensual, but Jonas perfectly incorporates substance by referencing romance, something many songs fail to balance these days.

17. Mike Posner, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza (Seeb Remix)”

[At Night, Alone.]

What’s interesting about “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” is the version that became popular.  Mike Posner released the track originally in 2015 off his EP, The Truth.  The version that became a big hit was the Seeb remixed version.  Regardless, the song is well written and definitely a far cry from Posner’s past hit, “Cooler Than Me.” Here, Posner shows he has more songwriting chops than anyone likely ever imagined.

18. Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”

It’s rare that a soundtrack song makes a big splash that actually transcends the soundtrack that it hails from.  That’s the case with Justin Timberlake’s sunny, feel-good “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” While “Can’t Stop the Feeling” may not be pop’s second coming, it’s fun and infectious.  It’s certainly a notch above some of The 20/20 Experience’s less satisfying moments… The falsetto = on-point. 

19. Charlie Puth, “One Call Away”

[Nine Track Mind]

Keeping it 100, most critics panned Charlie Puth’s debut album Nine Track Mind and for good reason.  The album was sappy, safe, and could’ve used some edge and taken more risks.  All that said, Puth had one great moment – “One Call Away.”  Even with its utterly ridiculous reference to Superman and a cringe-worthy desperateness from Puth, it hard to deny the catchiness. Is this on the level of “See You Again?” No, but there’s something here…something.

20. Panic! At The Disco, “Death of a Bachelor”

[Death of a Bachelor]

Emo/alternative/pop-punk and jazz/vocal/easy listening usually don’t go together.  In the hands of Brendon Urie – frontman and the sole remaining original member of Panic! At The Disco – these styles can co-exist in one superb song. The title track from Death of a Bachelor is simply gorgeous, thanks to excellent production work, dynamic vocals from Urie, and memorable songwriting.  In other words, Brendon Urie pulls off his Frank Sinatra inspired song with flying colors.