Below I’ve listed several songs that, for whatever reason, you may have not heard yet. Some are from once-popular artists whose failed comebacks nonetheless resulted in good music; others are from artists who never quite made it to begin with. All the songs, I think, are worth at least one full listen.
“Heard ‘em All” - Amerie (In Love And War, Def Jam, 2009) I’d forgotten about Amerie until I happened across this song in a dance class several months ago. Its urban jungle drums and heavy bass give it a killer beat that Amerie’s voice blends well with, unlike her previous single “1 Thing”, which gives me a splitting headache if I play it too loudly.
If you’ve been to any club (especially a gay one) in the past year you’ve probably heard this song’s background instrumentals, if not the full song itself. It’s become somewhat of an anthem for voguers across the country, and after a listen it’s easy to understand why. It’s vocals are horribly repetitive, but that’s the point.
“I Like to Fuck” - Hot Rod ft. Tila Tequila
Umm… it’s exactly what you expect. Good, dirty fun.
Turns out the least successful member of Destiny’s Child (you know, the one who isn’t Kelly or Beyonce) has been releasing her own solo albums since the girl group’s disbandment. Admittedly this is the only track of hers I’ve heard (it was upon the recommendation of a friend), but I ended up quite liking it. Williams has a very distinct, somewhat raspy and soulful voice, and I think this song suits her well. There’s also a great remix featuring Flo Rida out there.
You probably haven’t thought of Braxton in a while unless you’ve gone through a recent break-up and put “Unbreak My Heart” on repeat. Regardless, she’s back in 2010 with a new album that dropped in May, and “Make My Heart” is its second single. Its verses feature some funky trumpets that at first sounded a bit jarring to me, but its chorus is a dance-pop frenzy you can totally get lost in, and there’s an awesome dance break thrown into the bridge. But while you’re listening try to ignore the music video, it’s exceptionally terrible.
