Moment | 3 to 5 BOPS

Moment: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 71 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Brent Faiyaz, Hozier, Isaac Dunbar, Kings of Leon, and Whitney Houston. 

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 71^st edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with MOMENT in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Brent Faiyaz, 🎙 Hozier, 🎙 Isaac Dunbar, 🎙 Kings of Leon, and 🎙 Whitney Houston. Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Brent Faiyaz, “Moment of Your Life” (Ft. Coco Jones)

🎵 “Moment Of Your Life” • 🏷 ISO Supremacy / UnitedMasters LLC / High Standardz / Def Jam Recordings • 🗓 2023

“You lookin’ better than you ever did,” 🎙 Brent Faiyaz (Christopher Brent Wood) sings in the first verse of his 2023 single, 🎵 “Moment of Your Life”.  He continues, “If you told me the secret, I would spread that shit to every girl that I meet.” Hmm, and why is that, Brent? “So they would know how to be / That shit tastes fresher than a peppermint.”  The big takeaway from the excerpted lyrics of this contemporary R&B joint is L-O-V-E. On “Moment of Your Life,” he taps the talented 🎙 Coco Jones for the assist.

“Moment of Your Life,” like many R&B records, has a full cast of songwriters: Wood, Jones, 🎼✍ David Patino, Donald Holmes, Emmanuel Arah, Gerard Thomas, Missy Elliott, and Terrance Davis. Produced by 🎛 Mannyvelli, Sparkheem, and Dpat, “Moment of Your Life” samples the 1998 🎙 Nicole Wray song, 🎵 “Boy You Should Listen”.  In fact, that’s where those ‘old-school,’ rhythmic, 90’s R&B sounds originate.  Furthermore, melodically, “Moment of Your Life” lifts off the 90s tune, which is a win for both Brent and Coco.  Following his smooth performance in the first verse and the chorus, Coco Jones takes the reins in the second verse, wowing with her rich, robust pipes (“Tonight, baby boy, you lookin’ better than you ever did / I’ll show you my secrets, can you handle it?”).  The chemistry when both artists perform is incredible, including harmonized vocals and trading lines (the bridge).  Even the contrast between the two is fabulous, particularly how Jones’ ad-libs cut more than Brent’s – she delivers more grit in the final chorus.  The chorus, of course, is the crème de la crème – that realization of love:

“And I got every other thing that I need and want but you

And I’ve been wantin’ you, so what you wanna do tonight?

Make this the moment of your life.”

Brent Faiyaz, with the help of Coco Jones, delivers a fantastic R&B duet with 🎵 “Moment of Your Life”.

2. Isaac Dunbar, “Intimate Moments”

💿 evil twin • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2021 

“I’m scared to love and bare the rest.” That is an honest and authentic lyric from alternative pop wunderkind, 🎙 Isaac Dunbar.  It’s also incredibly relatable.  The contents of those lyrics seem representative of 🎵 “intimate moments”.  Dig deeper into this highlight from Dunbar’s 2021 album (EP), 💿 evil twin, and he reveals his fears:  “And I might cry but I’ll never show it / Can’t let you down, can’t let you down / I have a fear of intimate moments / If you’re around, why am I down?” So, he has a partner, at least in the context of the song, but he also has anxiety? Yes, that is the situation and honestly, no, it is not far-fetched or unusual.  It speaks to how complicated relationships are and how tough it is to for some people to be vulnerable – be an open book.   

With a stellar theme and thoughtful and emotional songwriting, there is no shortage of positive attributes that make “intimate moments” a winner.  The production (🎛 Joel Little) , sound, and aesthetic are terrific.  Dunbar, of course, is incredibly gifted, shining with  a calm, cool, collected brand of vocals in the verses. Generally, in the verses, he sings in his lower register, in more of an undertone, which is win.  Even so, he impresses with a tuneful melody, particularly in the chorus.  Speaking of the chorus, Dunbar rises to the occasion vocally sans over singing.  The bridge marks a welcome contrast, though doesn’t depart too far from what Dunbar established through most of 🎵 “intimate moments”. All told, it is a terrific song. 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Isaac Dunbar, intimate moments: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 12 (2023)
• Intimate: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 24 (2023)
• 13 Truly Close, Intimate Songs (2023)

3.Kings of Leon, “Waste a Moment”  

💿 WALLS • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2016  

🎵 “Waste a Moment” serves as the opener from 💿 WALLS, the seventh studio album by 🏆 Grammy winning rock band, 🎙 Kings of Leon.  “Waste a Moment” is all about rebelliousness and being carefree. The female protagonist is a “ticking time bomb, time bomb gonna blow us all away.” Her boyfriend is described as “a live wire, wire, shooting sparks in the night.” Woo! The production work is exuberant and enthusiastic in quality.  The groove is fantastic, while the guitars sound particularly exceptional. 🎙 Caleb Followill delivers powerful, clear vocals. The chorus serves as the epic centerpiece:   

“Oh, take the time to waste a moment 

Oh, facing where the lines are broken 

Oh, name a price to all this living 

Oh, never ask to be forgiven.”  

Appears in 🔻:  

• Waste: 5ive Songs No. 38 (2021)
• 11 Songs That Totally Are NOT a Waste! (2023)

4. Hozier, “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)”

💿 Nina Cried Power (EP) • 🏷 Rubyworks / Columbia • 📅 2018  

“When stunted hammers place with men, my mere monstrosity / Alarms are struck and sure as shook by sheer atrocity.” Man, that’s brilliant songwriting, 🎙 Hozier.  In the context of his 2018 EP, 💿 Nina Cried Power (EP), 🎵 “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)” follows the cool though potent “NFWMB”. “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)” brings a quicker tempo and more assertiveness from Hozier.  By the final chorus of “Moment’s Silence,” the Irish singer/songwriter is totally turned up, showing off those commanding, impressive pipes.      

“Like a heathen clung to homily   

Let the reason come to the common tongue of your lovin’ me   

It’s a silent night upon rosary  

Let the reason come in the common tongue of you lovin’ me.”   

Hozier incorporates religious references, many of which are critical of some of the church’s viewpoints, particularly regarding sex.  You might say, Hozier doesn’t keep quiet!  

Appears in 🔻:  

• 13 Quiet Songs U Should Turn Up Loud (2022)

5. Whitney Houston, “One Moment in Time”

💿 I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2021

“Each day I live / I want to be / A day to give / The best of me / I’m only one / But not alone / My finest day / Is yet unknown.” What beautiful, beautiful lyrics.  With so many hits to her name, it seems sometimes that the 🎙 Whitney Houston gem, 🎵 “One Moment in Time” doesn’t get enough credit.  This ballad was penned by Albert Hammond and John Bettis. The perfect fit for a big-voiced diva like Houston, she performed it at the 1988 Summer Olympics.  Ultimately, “One Moment in Time” wouldn’t appear on a studio album. 💿 Whitney had been released in 1987, and her next album, I’m Your Baby Tonight didn’t arrive until November 1990. Eventually, this no. 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 appeared on greatest hits compilations, though sometimes, it also manages to be omitted.  That’s a travesty for a gold single.  Thankfully, 💿 I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston includes this moving ballad.

In the verses, Houston shows control.  She never over sings highlighting the tunefulness of the melody.  At the same time, she sings with incredible authenticity, expression, and nuance.  The sense is always that Whitney is leading up to something bigger – truly momentous.  That moment, of course, is the beloved chorus.  Here, she soars, showing off her powerhouse vocals, backed by an awesome musical arrangement and grand production by the legendary 🎛 Narada Michael Walden. “Give me one moment in time / When I’m racing with destiny,” she sings radiantly, continuing, “Then in that one moment of time / I will feel / I will feel eternity.”  Besides the chorus, another epic moment is the bridge (“You’re a winner for a lifetime / If you seize that one moment in time / Make it shine”), which prepares for a truly gargantuan final chorus and the big finish, where Houston proclaims, “I will be free.” 🎵 “One Moment in Time” marks another utterly sublime moment from the Whitney Houston catalog. #ICONIC.

Appears in 🔻:

• Whitney Houston, One Moment in Time: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 135 (2023)

Moment: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 71 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; ISO Supremacy / UnitedMasters LLC / High Standardz / Def Jam Recordings, RCA; ]