Time ⏰ | 5ive Songs

On the 86^th edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with TIME ⏰ in some form or fashion.  

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elcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff! There’s a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  On the 86^th edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with TIME ⏰  in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. 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 2020-21 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. The song at hand, 🎵 “Right on Time”, serves as an amazing opener and promo single.

“Right on Time” commences simply with Carlile accompanied by piano, with bass entering the mix.  She sings with great control, eventually expanding her scope, showing off the sheer power of her pipes.  The instrumentation expands on the second verse including drums, guitar, and backing vocals sweetening the mix as well. Carlile does a fantastic job of starting minimal and building “Right on Time” into a gorgeous, grandiose record. The songwriting is elite with Carlile collaborating with 🎼✍ 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.” “Right on Time” plays to her strengths: great writer, great singer, and a top-notch artist.

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2. BJ the Chicago Kid, “Time Today”

💿 1123 • 🏷 Motown • 📅 2019

“My body all over your body, babe / If you want, we can roll up and pour up some Hennessy, oh-oh.” Woo! Following a three-year hiatus, 🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 BJ the Chicago Kid returned with an excellent sophomore album, 💿 1123, in 2019. One of the brightest moments from 1123 is the throwback gem, 🎵 “Time Today.” The Chicago Kid is in top-notch form – autopilot – delivering an incredibly expressive and soulful performance.  Of course, doesn’t hurt that the song is sexy as hell.

BJ, who can sing any- and everything, sounds most potent on a neo-soul cut such as this one.  Again, throw love and sex into the equation, and “Time Today” is even more intriguing. The best moment, as you’d expect, is the chorus, where he makes it crystal clear there’s slots available on the schedule! Here, BJ’s assertiveness really shines through. 

“I got time today-ay, yeah
I got time today-ay, yeah
Lead me to the spot, I’ll lick every drop
I’ll be dippin’ in your honeypot, throw away the clock.”

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3. Brent Faiyaz, “Wasting Time”

Ft. Drake

🎵 “Wasting Time” • 🏷 Lost Kids • 🗓 2021

Continuing a hot streak in 2021, 🎙 Brent Faiyaz (Christopher Wood) drops a stellar single, 🎵 “Wasting Time”.  Joining him with the assist is 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper/singer, 🎙 Drake, who drops some bars here.  One reason why Drizzy is a perfect fit? “Wasting Time” dabbles in those ‘matters of the heart,’ and we all know the rapper is good at being “in his feelings”.

“Wasting Time” commences with warm, lush strings, that set the tone.  The production is superb, thanks to the skills of a veteran team, 🎛 The Neptunes (🎛 Chad Hugo and 🎛 Pharrell Williams). Faiyaz enters post instrumental intro, joined by drum programming.  He spoils the listener with his refined, smooth pipes, intact with harmonies and falsetto – he’s on-point.  On the memorable chorus, he sings, “If you’re gonna waste your time / Then waste your time with me.” Right on! Rightfully, he performs most of this five-minute record, with Drake arriving just prior to the three-minute mark. Drizzy contrasts with his rhythmic rhymes, accompanied by harder drum programming.  His verse is colorful, including the ways he’ll spoil her, pop culture references (including “Purple Rain” and Aaliyah), and the unforgettable line, “Flushed the Magnums just so they not collectin’ my specimens, damn (damn).” All in all, “Wasting Time” is another surefire winner for Brent Faiyaz – all boxes are checked off here with great vocals, fine production, a strong guest spot, and relatable theme and solid lyrics. 

 

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 13 W Songs: No Rhyme or Reason

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4. Moneybagg Yo, “Time Today”

💿 A Gangsta’s Pain • 🏷 CMG / N-Less / Interscope • 📅 2021

“I don’t like niggas; I don’t like bitches / I don’t like nobody.” Well, da-yum 🎙 Moneybagg Yo! The Memphis rapper is tough AF on the brief but potent 🎵 “Time Today”.  The standout appears on his 2021 album, 💿 A Gangsta’s Pain.  Here, I heart his masculine sound, unapologetic nature, and the sound of his flow.  Notably, the best part of the record is the beginning of each verse, which is infectious.

“I just looked at my wrist, I got time today
Fuck it I’m crossin’ the line today.”

In addition to memorable, unapologetic lyrics – “A huncho it cost you a Quavo to book me” – “Time Today” features malicious-sounding, minor-key production by 🎛 Real Red and 🎛 YC. The backdrop provides ample fuel for Yo’s fire.  No, Moneybagg Yo doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but he does give us a respectable, hard-nosed, tough banger. #FACTS!

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5. Cyndi Lauper, “Time After Time”

💿 She’s So Unusual • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 🗓 1983

“If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me / Time after time.” Classic! Iconic! When you think 1980s, it must include 🎙 Cyndi Lauper – it’s a non-negotiable people! Lauper secured her status as a musical legend with her debut album, 💿 She’s So Unusual.  That 1983 gem features three key hits: 🎵 “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, 🎵 “She Bop”, and the song at hand, 🎵 “Time After Time.”

“Time After Time” was one of two no. 1 hits by Lauper (🎵 “True Colors”, from her 1986 sophomore album of the same title, being the other).  Written with 🎼✍ Robert Hyman and produced by 🎛 Rick Chertoff, “Time After Time” wins you over the very first time you hear it.  We get great, memorable lyrics (“Secrets stolen from deep inside / The drum beats out of time”), awesome vocals, and a vibe and overall aesthetic that could only be created by Lauper.  Timeless “Time After Time” listening to it!

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 13 Alluringly Awesome After Songs

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Time ⏰: 5ive Songs No. 86 (2021) [📷: A Low Country Sound, Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, CMG, Clovis Cheminot, Elektra, Interscope, Lost Kids, Motown, The Musical Hype, N-Less, Oladimeji Ajegbile, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pexels, Pixabay, Sony Music Entertainment]

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