Right | 5ive Songs

1. Lil Nas X, “Dead Right Now”

💿 Montero • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2021

🎵 “Dead Right Now” appears as the second track from 💿 Montero, the debut album by 🏆 Grammy-winning pop artist, 🎙 Lil Nas X.  On “Dead Right Now,” Nas X writes off fake folks.  According to him, these fake folks only acted like they cared about him after he attained fame. Shameful!

On the second verse, Nas X speaks about his issues prior to fame.  These issues include suicidal thoughts.

“If I didn’t blow, I would’ve died tryna be here
If I didn’t go, suicide, wouldn’t be here.”

On the chorus, he gives the middle fingers to the frauds: “I’ll treat you like you’re dead right now /…You wanna fuck with me so bad right now / Well, now you can’t right now.”

2. Doja Cat, “You Right”

Ft. The Weeknd

💿 Planet Her • 🏷 Kemosabe / RCA • 📅 2021

“I got a man, but I want you / And it’s just nerves, it’s just dick / Makin’ me think ‘bout somethin’ new.” Woo! 🎙 Doja Cat keeps 💿  Planet Her fiery with 🎵 “You Right.” “You Right” is  a steamy, honest duet featuring 🏆 Grammy-winning Canadian R&B singer/songwriter,  🎙 The Weeknd.

Clearly, Doja Cat is in a situation.  She has a man, but she wants this other man, damn it! Likewise, The Weeknd feels the same, with the sex playing a big role:

“But-but-but this sex will cloud your memory
A couple of strokes to put it in, then you’ll belong to me.”

Woo! Safe to say, that’s some potent D…

3. Brandi Carlile, “Right on Time”

💿 In These Silent Days • 🏷 A Low Country Sound / Elektra • 📅 2021

“It wasn’t right / But it’s right on time.” 🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Brandi Carlile experienced a productive 2020/2021 despite COVID-19.  She published a memoir (📚 Broken Horses: A Memoir) and recorded a new album, 💿 In These Silent Days, the follow-up to 💿 By The Way, I Forgive You.  Opener 🎵 “Right on Time” is an amazing promo single. “Right on Time” commences simply.  Carlile is initially accompanied by piano, with bass entering the mix.  Brandi sings with great control.  Eventually, she expands her scope, showing off the sheer power of her pipes.  After setting the tone over the course of the first verse, the instrumentation expands on the second, including drums and guitar.  Also, add backing vocals, sweetening the mix as well.  The point is, Carlile does a fantastic job of starting minimal and building “Right on Time” into a gorgeous, grandiose record. So, what’s the one aspect that we haven’t highlighted? The songwriting!

When Brandi Carlile is the songwriter, you can expect nothing short of elite writing.  That’s what we get with “Right on Time.” That said, she co-writes alongside a talented team comprised of 🎼✍ Tim Hanseroth, 🎼✍ Phil Hanseroth, and 🎼✍ Dave Cobb.  The lyrics are poetic, and Carlile sings them with great emotion.  Notably, she highlights the title of her album: “It’s not too late / Either way, I lose you in these silent days.” Carlile = AWESOME – can’t emphasize her awesomeness enough.  “Right on Time” is a single that INDEED arrives right on time.  It plays to her strengths: great writer, great singer, and a top-notch artist.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: July 2021

4. Whethan, “Think You Right”

Ft. ericdoa & glaive

🎵 “Think You Right” • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2021

“You ain’t gon’ fake switchin’ sides (Si-si-si-si-side) / Oh, now you think you’re right (Ri-ri-ri-ri-right).” DJ/music producer 🎙 Whethan dropped a brief single, 🎵 “Think You Right” in 2021. The 22-year-old Chicago electronic standout collaborates with singers 🎙 ericdoa and 🎙 glaive with positive results.  “Think You Right” gets a short intro, setting the tone of the track.  The production work – 🎛 Glasear, 🎛 kimj, and Whethan – is bright and energetic, particularly on the chorus.  The record itself is set in an optimistic, major key.

As things settle in, “Think You Right” is sweet.  The vocals by ericdoa, on the chorus, are exuberant, matching the energetic production work.

“...I try to get in, she want me to let her in
Go back, I tend to reminisce, uh, because.”

We get contrast on the verse, performed by glaive, keeping things from sounding predictable. Glaive’s verse clarifies the love aspect of the song (“And I found ‘me’ advice, it’s called being alone / And I don’t need you at all ‘cause I’ve been good on my own.” All in all, Whethan and company deliver an enjoyable record with a picturesque sound and respectable performances and lyrics.

5. Joji, “Yeah Right”

💿 BALLADS 1 • 🏷 88rising / Warner • 📅 2018

“Yeah, you bet I go to see you when / I’m feeling like a drum without a beat / Yeah, you dance so good / And I think that’s kinda neat.” 🎙 Joji kicks 🎵 “Yeah Right” from 💿 BALLADS 1 off with a bang, asserting on the intro, “I’ma fuck up my life.”  As he sings, the supporting backdrop is moody – clearly embodying the alternative vein and modern R&B sound of the times. He continues to utter the profane, carefree phrase into the first verse, eventually expounding how this “fuck-up” is going down.

“We gon’ party all night / She don’t care if I die / Yeah, right, yeah, right.” Clearly, he is reacting to trauma in his life, likely a breakup, hence he reacts by partying.  The first person that doesn’t care is his ex.  However, if the music video as well as a mental picture of the partying is considered, the strippers/exotic dancers don’t care either, right? The titular lyric recurs on the pre-chorus before more pain is unleashed on the chorus.

“Yeah, you bet I know that she ain’t
Never give a single fuck about me
Yeah, you bet she know that we ain’t
Never gonna be together...”