Here's all you need to know about this year's best songs.
WASHINGTON 鈥� It seemed as if this year had an endless stream of new music: 2016 saw the release of everything from Beyonce鈥檚 triumphant, visual 鈥淟emonade鈥� to much-needed returns such as Maxwell’s “blackSUMMERS’night.” It was a year doused with nostalgia 鈥� A Tribe Called Quest dropped their long-awaited, final album 鈥� but also a year for continuously rising stars such as Chance the Rapper and Anderson .Paak.
So if you鈥檝e put off listening to new tunes because you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed by all the musical greatness 2016 had to offer, don鈥檛 worry: We’ve got you covered.
(91欧美激情 illustration via AP)
91欧美激情 illustration via AP
10. Bruno Mars, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 What I Like鈥�
While 鈥�24K Magic鈥� is essentially 鈥淯ptown Funk 鈥� Extended,鈥� I鈥檓 not really mad at it. Pop superstar Bruno Mars has always known how to write hooks 鈥� remember how his 2010 debut album 鈥淒oo Wops & Hooligans鈥� brought us earworms such as 鈥淕renade,鈥� 鈥淛ust the Way You Are鈥� and 鈥淭he Lazy Song鈥�? His latest album isn鈥檛 really filled with such unforgettable hooks, but the songs are still infectious thanks to the throwbacks to 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s R&B and funk hits.
Mars doesn鈥檛 reinvent the wheel, but he reminds us why we have those favorite decades of music. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 What I Like鈥� drips with Mars鈥� charm and helps us take the guilt out of our pleasures. As he croons over synth-infused beats about gold jewelry and strawberry Champagne, he adds some much-needed luxury into daily life.
(91欧美激情 illustration via AP)
8. Willow Smith, 鈥淐AVE WALL鈥�
Willow Smith entered the music scene as a confident 9-year-old with the 2010 hit 鈥淲hip My Hair,鈥� but her staying power lies in her growth, with her evolution from dance pop music to gentle, soulful, sometimes-experimental tunes.
Now 16, Smith’s latest release is the three-track EP 鈥淢ellifluous,鈥� as sweet-sounding as the name suggests. It follows her 2015 album 鈥淎RDIPITHECUS鈥� and goes a different direction with stripped-down guitars and Smith鈥檚 soft but resonating voice lilting over carefully picked lyrics.聽Smith sings with the angst and experience of a longer life. But her lyrics are genuine, never pretending to know more than she does: As her voice tears into “CAVE WALL,” singing “Magic, vibrations like magic /
Some of us can’t handle it / But that don’t mean we can’t,” she still has the confidence she started with, but extends it to a wider community.
(91欧美激情 illustration via AP)
7. NAO, 鈥淔ool to Love鈥�
British musician NAO slowly crept onto the scene initially with sparse R&B songs that have evolved into more complex, diverse structures. Her debut album “For All We Know,” released in July, shows how she’s grown from those early days on SoundCloud 鈥� the album is a marker for even better music to come.
鈥淔ool to Love鈥� bounces on fresh rhythms and familiar themes of regretful love. NAO never overextends herself; for a relatively new musician, she has a strong sense of self and a strong musical direction, which means that her record is already more cohesive and dynamic than those of her many counterparts. While she might find inspiration from the legacy of ’90s R&B, production help from A.K. Paul and Maryland duo Abhi//Dijon keep her sound varied and in the present. And while her sweet voice seems like it should be delivering lighter songs, she’s not afraid to go introspective and dig deeper.
(91欧美激情 illustration via AP)
5. Childish Gambino, 鈥淢e and Your Mama鈥�
I was never entirely convinced by Childish Gambino as a rapper; I felt that I could get whatever he had from someone else with better delivery. But his latest album 鈥淎waken, My Love!鈥� has, as Questlove put it best, 鈥溾��
It was the last album I鈥檇 expected from Childish Gambino, also known as actor/director Donald Glover. This new album is steeped in music history 鈥� on the surface it seems like a simple homage to funk/soul masters such as George Clinton, Sly Stone and Prince. But rather than being chained down by the past, Childish Gambino manages to free himself 鈥� his inflections in the opening track and lead single 鈥淢e and Your Mama鈥� seem like they should belong in the 鈥�70s, but they feel right at home in 2016.
The song opens with a heavenly choir suspending listeners in soulful space, but crashing guitars and Childish Gambino鈥檚 pleading bring us back to Earth. Bruno Mars dips into the past on 鈥�24K Magic鈥� but never really reinvents it for this time; 鈥淢e and Your Mama鈥� manages to carve a new space where cosmic melodies and past influences meld together to create movement forward.
There鈥檚 something about music rooted in soul that never feels old 鈥� whatever decade it is and however it is re-imagined, the very essence of the genre manages to capture something essential to being human.
(91欧美激情 illustration via AP)
3. Daniel Caesar, 鈥淕et You” featuring Kali Uchis
You know how there are YouTube rabbit holes? It happens on SoundCloud too 鈥斅爕ou can listen to one mix and all of a sudden, you end up on the page of some Toronto-based singer-songwriter named聽 and you decide to listen to one of his songs. That was in 2014, and the first song I heard was 鈥淧seudo” 鈥斅爄t was like a religious experience. Caesar’s voice聽grips the soul and doesn鈥檛 let go; it’s a smooth tenor that rings clearly and isn’t afraid to flit to the most delicate of high notes. Paired with moody, sumptuous instrumentals, and Caesar’s music is pure emotion without any ulterior motives.
鈥淕et You鈥� slips on like a favorite silk robe, with Caesar’s luxurious voice washing over in a wave of seductive comfort. Virginia singer Kali Uchis lends her slinky vocals, which lift聽the song to new heights when mixed with Caesar’s soaring notes. The production is no-fuss: a steady, sultry beat grounds Caesar鈥檚 heavenly singing. He鈥檚 a master in using vocals as another instrument, layering intricate harmonies without losing anything.
If you get the chance, listen to Caesar’s gorgeous 鈥斅爅ot that down on your to-do list.
(91欧美激情 illustration via AP)
