Good | 3 to 5 BOPS

Good: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 23 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of City Girls, Mary J. Blige, Olivia Rodrigo, Pastor Mike Jr., and Wrabel. 

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less.  3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 23^rd edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with GOOD in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 City Girls, 🎙 Mary J. Blige, 🎙 Olivia Rodrigo, 🎙 Pastor Mike Jr., and 🎙 Wrabel. Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. Pastor Mike Jr., “So Good”

💿 Impossible • 🏷 Worldwide Music • 📅 2023

“I’m only here because He made a way.” Hallelujah 🙌! 🎙 Pastor Mike Jr. gives all the praise to The Most High, God, on the spirited contemporary gospel record, 🎵 “So Good”. “If you only knew where I started from / You would understand the praise,” the choir testifies early on, urging everyone to “Put respect on His name.” Amen 👏 👏 👏! “So Good” appears as the third track on the Alabama pastor’s 2023 album, 💿 Impossible. “So Good” is aimed at a younger demographic, incorporating hip-hop and contemporary R&B cues within the backdrop.  Even if the record is hype and a surefire vibe, it clearly ministers the goodness of God. “So Good” is a testimony speaking to deliverance from the depths, as well as exhibiting faith even when things aren’t working out. Pastor Mike Jr. and choir sing faithfully at one point, “If it’s a no or a yes / You’re still good.” Woo! This is a part of faith that is hard for many to grasp, regardless of how devout or pious. Even in the worst of times, it’s important to continue to praise and serve Almighty God.  Even if you take religion out of the picture, the importance of faith – believing that that NO can eventually become a YES, or something better will happen eventually – shouldn’t be underestimated. 🎵 “So Good” is just that – SOOO GOOD!!!

Appears in 🔻:

• Pastor Mike Jr., “So Good”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 15 (2023)

2. Olivia Rodrigo, “good 4 u”

💿 Sour • 🏷 Geffen • 📅 2021

🎵 “good 4 u” gives 🎵 “drivers license” – the crowning achievement of 💿 SOUR, the debut album by 🎙 Olivia Rodrigo – a run for its money. Written by Rodrigo and 🎼 ✍ Dan Nigro, Nigro also produces alongside 🎛 Alexander 23. Nigro and Alexander 23 craft a lit punk-pop oriented backdrop filled with angst. Rodrigo matches the intensity, bringing ample personality via her angst-filled Gen-Z teenage persona!  Furthermore, she has the songwriting to sell via her performance, dabbling in that ever-relatable topic of heartbreak. The best moment is the chorus where she’s “Cryin’ on the floor of my bathroom / But you’re so unaffected, I really don’t get it / but I guess good for you.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: May 2021
• An Alphabet of Random Songs (2021)
• Best Songs of 2021: Top 20

3. Mary J. Blige, “Good Morning Gorgeous”

💿 Good Morning Gorgeous • 🏷 Mary Jane Productions Inc • 📅 2022

🎵 “Good Morning Gorgeous”, released in December 2021, represents the crowning achievement of 💿 Good Morning Gorgeous, the 2022, 🏆 Grammy-nominated studio album by 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter, 🎙 Mary J. Blige. Blige delivers commanding vocals and has a fine melody to work with.  Melodically, it’s rhythmic, particularly in the second verse. Thematically, she reflects on past pain and vows not to let it bring her down now.  She’s resolved to uplift herself, exemplified in the chorus, where she’s supported by superb backing vocals, upping the ante.

“I wake up every morning and tell myself

‘Good morning gorgeous’

Sometimes you gotta look in the mirror and say,

‘Good morning gorgeous’

No one else can make me feel this way

‘Good morning gorgeous.’”

Worth noting, “Good Morning Gorgeous” was written by an elite team, including  Blige, 🎼 ✍  D’Mile, and H.E.R..  As far as the production (D’Mile and H.E.R.), the sound embodies slow, soulful R&B with old-school vibes.  I love the use of a lilting, six-eight meter as well as a robust bass line. Blige sounds potent and powerful as ever.  This song plays to her strengths, reminding us why she’s among the best in the game.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: December 2021
• Morning: 5ive Songs No. 53 (2022)
• 50 Best Songs of 2022

4. City Girls, “Good Love” (Ft. Usher)

🎵 “Good Love” • 🏷 Quality Control Music / UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2022

Don’t ever doubt 🎙 Usher.  He assists 🎙 City Girls on 🎵 “Good Love” and absolutely kills it.  Even in his 40s, the superstar still has the vocals, swagger, and yes, the sex appeal.  He is the perfect match for 🎙 JT and 🎙 Yung Miami.  It doesn’t hurt that 🎛 Mr. Hanky serves up an energetic, rhythmic backdrop – ample fuel for the fire!

Usher gets it started, hyping things up on the intro, before dropping the centerpiece, the chorus.  Expectedly, the chorus is sexed-up, as he clearly thinks with his pants: “Wanna lay down, make you fall in love / All the freaky things that I can do / I can freak you ‘til the mornin’ / Get on top and ride on it.” Woo! Of course, both City Girls aren’t overdone when it comes to sex.  Yung Miami asserts she’s “Showin’ my coochie print / Crop top, no bra, bitch.” As for JT, in the second verse, she makes it clear, “We ain’t shakin’ ass for niggas with no cheese / And we ain’t pullin’ up for niggas with no keys.” Shallow, but true! She’s truly lit at the end of her verse, asserting, “He want a good girl, that’s too bad / I’m so cunty, I’m too bad.” Day-um!!! “Good Love” is a surefire vibe and a surefire winner!

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Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: July 2022

5. Wrabel, “good”

💿 these words are all for you • 🏷 Big Gay / Nettwerk Music Group • 📅 2021

“Baby, let a good thing, day be good / … Don’t you let a good thing go bad.” Talented openly gay singer/songwriter 🎙 Wrabel (Stephen Wrabel) discourages those bad vibes on 🎵 “good” (💿 these words are all for you, 2021).  On this thoughtful record, he acknowledges a relationship with plenty of good – positives galore.  The problem is that good can easily be destroyed by getting inside one’s head or allowing the past to hinder the present or future.  Wrabel sets the tone on the first verse, which begins abruptly and initially, a cappella. He wows with his gorgeous instrument sounding expressive, nuanced, and authentic. Eventually, “good” expands, including warm backing vocals, prominent piano, and truly rich studio trickery (🎛 STINT produces).

“You see the end before the thing get started,” Wrabel sings in the second verse, adding, “You always bracing for the fall.”  Often, if we’ve experienced adversity, particularly with love, we anticipate the worst.  Wrabel wants to dissuade his partner against this – ruining what they’re building: “I know you still see him in your apartment / Let me in, I’ll paint the walls.” By the second chorus in particular, “good” has grown much grander, as Wrabel masterfully delivers a message filled with prudence and the utmost dedication.  The “ooh-ooh(s)” of the post-chorus only amplify the excellence of this utterly sublime gem from this pop standout.

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Appears in 🔻:

• Wrabel, “good”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 11 (2023)

Good: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 23 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Big Gay / Nettwerk Music Group, Geffen, Mary Jane Productions Inc, Quality Control Music / UMG Recordings, Inc., Worldwide Music; Anastasiya Gepp via Pexels]