C Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 | Playlist

6. The Neighbourhood, “Cherry Flavoured”

Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones • Columbia • 2020

Though a bit quirky, Jesse Rutherford and The Neighbourhood deliver quite the alluring, charming, vibe-laden record with “Cherry Flavoured”, a promo single from the band’s 2020 album, Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones.  With The Neighbourhood songs, you’ve got to appreciate that aesthetic and vibe are quite important.  That’s the case here on “Cherry Flavoured,” where we have a detuned pad and acoustic rhythm guitars that help establish a ‘druggy’ sound.  That druggy sound appears to be by design as ‘highness’ is mentioned throughout the record.

We get the first taste of ‘highness’ on the brief first verse when Jesse sings, “Sweet and sour motivation / Wish I could keep concentration.” Of course, he doesn’t as the chorus addresses his unhealthy high… That said, the refrain, a distinct section that follows the post-chorus speaks of a more positive high:

“Cherry flavoured conversations with you

Got me hanging on

Down to Earth from all the waiting

Take me somewhere beyond.”

Rutherford and company could be referencing fans and those who love them as opposed to potentially destructive drugs.  The second verse is longer and more dynamic than the first, fitting given the progression of the record itself.  It’s followed by the chorus, post-chorus, and an abbreviated refrain.  An outro – an about-face – closes the intriguing “Cherry Flavoured”.

Appears in :

• Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: August 2020
• Cherry : 5ive Songs No. 85 (2021)
• 13 Delicious Cherry Songs

7. BIA, “Can’t Touch This”

For Certain • Epic • 2021

“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard / And they’re like, it’s better than yours / Damn right, it’s better than yours / I can teach you, but I have to charge.” Does anybody remember this aughts classic? Well, if not, let me fill you in! It’s “Milkshake” by Kelis.  Why do I mention this R&B song when I’m supposed to write about the BIA ‘this’ song, “Can’t Touch This” ( For Certain, 2021)? Well, BIA sampled the aughts gem in “Can’t Touch This,” featuring that stellar production by The Neptunes.

Besides sampling “Milkshake,” BIA also lifts off the chorus, tweaking it to her liking in the second verse: “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard (Oh) / in the foreign cars / And they’re like, it’s better than yours / Damn right, it’s better than yours.” Woo! It’s not all borrowing though! BIA brings ample personality in the verses and of course, the centerpiece, the chorus.  Over banging production by IRoccOnTheBeat, London Jae, and DJ Young Pharaoh, she spits:

“No stylist, I don’t do repeats

I got money, bitch, I’m knee-deep

All hunnids, drippin’ in CC

Might pop that pussy like FreakNik

No mileage, boy, you can’t touch this

No bodies, boy, you ain’t fuck shit

I’m on islands, whippin’ them Porsches (Skrr)

Run shit, and your nigga endorse it (Sheesh).”

Woo! BIA doesn’t play around in the least! “Can’t Touch This” BE-OTCHES!

Appears in :

• These 15 Songs are About THIS
• Can’t: 5ive Songs No. 6 (2022)

8 & 9. Years & Years, “Consequences” + “Crave”

Night Call • Polydor • 2022

Once a three-person collective, British synthpop band  Years & Years is now a solo act featuring  Olly Alexander. Despite the changes in the lineup, there’s no drop off in quality, evidenced by the ‘collective’s’ 2022 studio album,  Night Call. Olly gets off to a fast start with “Consequences.”

“You, you lost what you had just as you found it / No matter what you heard / The consequences, you deserve.”  Oh, snap! In this fantastic opener, Olly tells this man he’s going to have to suffer the consequences for mishandling their relationship.  He admits he was blindly in love, essentially, but now his eyes have been opened: “Did I ever give a damn about the pain? / Did I ever really care who was to blame?” Sleek production ( Mark Ralph and King Ed), awesome vocals, and relatable theme and lyrics make “Consequences” a kick-ass start to Night Call.

Olly doesn’t stop kicking ass on the opener though! On another ‘C’ song, “Crave,” it’s safe to say that the craving is S-T-R-O-N-G.  The first three lines out of Olly’s mouth: “You come in and out of my dreams / Fuck with my head / Making me crazy.” The thing is, the Years & Years frontman is spitting straight-up facts.  However, there’s more to it than mere fantasy. This man has caused Olly ample love pain, yet he craves it because he “don’t ever wanna replace all the heartache / For a dream come true / The only thing I crave is the pain from you.” Is that crazy? Yes, but as we all know and can sympathize, love is a crazy thing.  He masterfully captures its effects on “Crave,” another surefire gem from Night Call.

10. Maren Morris, “Circles Around This Town”

Humble Quest • Sony Music Entertainment • 2022

Grammy-winning country singer/songwriter Maren Morris shines on “Circles Around This Town”, the first single from her 2022 album, Humble Quest. On “Circles,” she co-writes with a talented crew: Jimmy Robbins, Julia Michaels, and her husband, Ryan Hurd. Furthermore, ‘it’ producer Greg Kurstin works behind the board.

Vocally, Morris sounds strong on “Circles Around This Town.” Besides being assertive and exhibiting a great tone, she also gives ample personality.  She plays to her country fan base, but pop fans will enjoy this one too. Among my favorite lyrics occurs during the second verse: “So many times, I thought about lеavin’ / Got my ass kicked tryin’ to compete with / Everybody else’s ones that got away.” Thematically, Maren reminisces on her ‘come up’ – how hard it was to get where she is now moving to Nashville.  Even though she’s made it, she acknowledges she’s “Still got the pedal down / Drivin’ circles around this town.” Of course, those awesome lyrics hail from the chorus, which is big and memorable.  Ultimately, “Circles Around This Town” is a terrific song.

Appears in :

• These 15 Songs are About THIS
• Awesome Songs: January 2022

11. Saweetie, “Closer” (Ft. H.E.R.)

“Closer” (Ft. H.E.R.) • ICY / Warner • 2022 

Grammy-nominated rapper Saweetie is scoring hits while simultaneously receiving criticism.  Regardless of the skeptics, she continues to release music including a single with Academy/Grammy award winner H.E.R.  “Closer” appears on the rapper’s 2022 debut album, Pretty Bitch Music.  It falls in line with several pop-oriented records from female rappers.

“Closer” sounds like songs that Doja Cat has released. I doubt this is a coincidence given her success with records like “Say So” and “Kiss Me More”.  Instead of tapping SZA for the assist, it’s H.E.R. who embraces those light, sexy, feel-good vibes.  Saweetie brings a more aggressive, biting approach to her rhymes in the verses, contrasting the smooth backdrop ( DJ Swish, Kaine, Mike Crook, and Ryan Ogren). The rhymes encompass sex mostly (“Take them eight-inch out them drawers / Da Vinci dick, come paint these walls”), with some drip mixed in (“I got ‘em sending Birkins on my birthday”). Is it effective? It works, though it’s nothing brand-new necessarily.

12. Chris Stapleton, “Cold”

Starting Over • Mercury • 2020

“Oh, girl, you know you left this hole / Right here in the middle of my soul.” Grammy-winning country musician Chris Stapleton shines on “Cold,” among the best songs from his fourth studio album,  Starting Over. On this five-minute-plus, gorgeous, minor-key ‘slow burner’, a passionate Stapleton is brokenhearted to the nth degree. “What am I supposed to say / If anybody ask me about you?” he sings on the second verse, adding, “Guess I’ll tell ‘em I’m without you.”

At another point in this heartbroken gem, Mr. Stapleton asserts, this girl “Cut me knife / And put my love on ice.” Man, oh man, I feel that pain! “Cold” is a masterful blend of country and rock, with a dash of soul.  Even with its classic touches – classy strings and Hammond B3 – there’s a crossover appeal.  You don’t have to love country music to love this one – it stands on its own.

Appears in :

• One Hella Cold List of Songs

13. Megan Thee Stallion, “Circles”

Good News • 1501 Certified Ent. LLC / 300 Entertainment • 2020

Megan Thee Stallion enlists Rick Star Did It and Cool N Dre to work the boards on “Circles.” “Circles” is a highlight from her 2020 debut album, Good News. Sampling fuels the fire, this time, enlisting a Jazmine Sullivan gem ( “Holding You Down (Goin’ in Circles)” from Love Me Back) fueling the fire. 

After totally obliterating Tory Lanez, the Grammy winner mostly focuses on being a ‘bad bitch.’ Still, she references adversity (“Bullet wounds, backstabs, mama died, still sad”) and throws some shade (“Niggas love usin’ Instagram like a journal”).  Most importantly, Thee Stallion informs us “We ain’t goin’ back and forth with the lil boys.” ! Worth noting, Tory Lanez is short and very thin.

14. Joshua Bassett, “Crisis”

Crisis / Secret / Set Me Free (EP) • Warner • 2021

“My label said to never have a crisis / And here I am, guitar in my hand, in the middle of one, hmm.”  Oh, the power of honesty and vulnerability! While he’s overshadowed by noise about everything else outside of his music, but the talented Joshua Bassett delivers on his honest single, “Crisis”, the opener from his three-song single/EP Crisis / Secret / Set Me Free (EP).

“Crisis” was penned by Bassett, Derrick Southerland, and Mikey Reaves with Reaves working behind the boards as well.  The sound is a tasty blend of folk-pop, singer/songwriter, and, well, standard pop.  In three minutes, Bassett allows himself to be vulnerable, revisiting a past relationship/break-up (likely Rodrigo).  From the start, he serves up beautiful, compelling, emotional, and honest vocals, clearly affected by the aftermath of the relationship and perceptions of others.  He doesn’t hold back on the pre-chorus, singing, “And if you get to tell your truth, then so do I / And it’s cool if you want me to play the bad guy.” Woo! Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, where Bassett manages to slip in a timely s-bomb:

“But don’t you dare act like I didn’t love you

Don’t go thinkin’ that I didn’t hurt, too

Don’t you ever wonder if I’m okay after all you put me through

Half the shit you’re saying’s only half-true

Messin’ with my life as a career move

I can’t help but wonder why you won’t make it end

Guess you would never dare

You would never dare to waste a crisis.”

Again, I say, WOO! Bassett delivers an enjoyable, honest, and well-rounded record on “Crisis” regardless how you feel about him. He is talented.

15. Avril Lavigne, “Cannonball”

Love Sux • DTA / Elektra • 2022

Sometimes, you can get away from what made you famous and notable initially. For Avril Lavigne, it was an edgier brand of pop – emo and punk-infused.  Then, the Grammy-nominated Canadian musician grew up and moved away from her brand.  At 37, she returned to form – her roots – on her enjoyable seventh studio album, Love Sux. She kicks things off with a bang with “Cannonball.”

“You did me dirty, now I’m gonna live a life without you

I just wrote a song that goes, ‘I don’t give a fuck about you.’”

Holy SHITake mushrooms Avril! “Cannonball” is aggressive and unapologetic – we’d expect no less with a title like “Cannonball.” Indeed, Lavigne comes into Love Sux “like a cannonball” as the chorus asserts.  She keeps things short but potent to the nth degree. The track comprises driving rhythms, heavy guitars, and commanding vocals.  All in all, it is a great start to an album that finds her returning to her roots.