Previously:
40. Eddy Lee Ryder “County Fair”
If you want Lana Del Rey but without banging cops and alligator catchers, check out Eddy Lee Ryder. “County Fair” is a hazy throwback to Norman Rockwell’s America, but the album hops genres a bit from 70s Adult Contemporary to 60s Swing.
39. DE’WAYNE “synthesizer”
Glam rock from Houston? Questionable. Glam rock from a Black man in Houston? Unheard of! Beyonce needs to grab him immediately for Act III.
38. Paris Paloma “labour”
England’s Paris Paloma released this song in 2023, but I didn’t hear it until it started going viral. I don’t really understand the dynamics of heterosexual relationships because it never looks like all that much fun for the woman, and this song pretty much confirms that!
37. Aqyila “Bloom”
Coming out of Toronto, Aqyila won the Contemporary R&B Song JUNO award last year for “Hello,” but I love the cinematic quality of “Bloom.” Watch out for her debut album dropping later this month!
36. Shakira “El Jefe” feat. Fuerza Regida
Shakira’s last album has a range of styles, but mostly lives within the Latin pop realm. For “El Jefe,” Shakira went polka to collab with Mexico’s Fuerza Regida and produce a traditional Mexican protest song about immigration and underpaid workers. It’s an unexpected highlight not just from the album but from her catalog as a whole.
35. Bryson Tiller “Persuasion” feat. Victoria Monet
I’m not saying anyone should watch Love & Hip-Hop, but I will say that MTV doesn’t show music videos anymore, but they still include music in their shows and let you know who the artists and singles were after the scenes. The wordplay of this song jumped out immediately in an episode of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and it truly tickled me to death.
34. Erika Jayne “Bounce”
I’m not really an Erika Jayne fan, either on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or as a recording artist. But a bop is a bop! Sometimes simple is the way to go, because nobody is trying to remember a million lyrics in the club, so make them tiddies bounce!
33. Ceechynaa “Peggy”
Speaking of tiddies: Ceechynaa has enough to spare for a few people and these lyrics are filthy! Any song that opens with pegging a man on a bus deserves a full listen and everyone from DJs to Cardi B were hooked by the UK’s most explicit sugar baby.
32. Sabrina Carpenter “Sharpest Tool”
Short n’ Sweet is the most consistent pop album of 2024 so picking just one song is a little tough. You could swap “Sharpest Tool” for a few different songs, but this one in particular has a twinkle of guitars driving the song, and the way she uses her voice for the backgrounds hints at some R&B sensibilities we haven’t heard her tap into yet.
31. Yseult “CUTE”
In high school, Yseult skipped classes to audition for Nouvelle Star, a French singing competition where she finished second. That was ten years ago. In the years since, she’s become a model, and actress, and performed at the Closing Ceremony for the 2024 Olympics. A genre-less artist combining elements of pop, R&B, and hard rock, Yseult is on the cusp of stardom — NPR just released her Tiny Desk and they don’t play about who they choose for that.
30. PinkPantheress “Capable of Love”
I did not expect to enjoy this album as much as I did. PinkPantheress really has one trick, so I thought it would get old, but music is so expansive she can occupy a narrow lane and still throw surprises. “Capable of love” is one of those surprises where the song would be solid even if you took the percussion out of it.
29. XG “IYKYK”
Japanese girl-group XG isn’t burning up the airwaves, but they are definitely burning up YouTube. Each single is a music video event, and the visuals tend to outshine the music. “IYKYK” has both the music and the video working at the same level of excellence.
28. Kalisway “Run Under”
If I was a queer Black girl in 1983, I would probably be listening to New Edition like all my friends, and then go home and write a song for myself as part of the group. That’s what this song feels like.
27. JMSN “Soft Spot”
Detroit will always make good R&B, and this white Albanian guy has been helping to carry the torch.
26. Tiera Kennedy “Cry”
Of Beyonce’s four BLACKBIIRDs, I didn’t expect Tiera Kennedy to be the one to appear on another track, but she really knows her way around a hook. Opening with just a hint of Justin Timberlake, “Cry” is stomping country two-step, marching away from a man. As you should, Tiera!
25. Billie Eilish “CHIHIRO”
If you’re a Ghibli fan, you might recognize the name from Spirited Away. Finneas made the beat and Billie had just watched the movie when she decided to write a song loosely based on one of the characters. It’s hypnotic and sleepy in that Eilish way but also magical…in that Eilish way.
24. Psiryn “Sober”
Kandi’s first girl group has been building buzz the old fashioned way, playing small clubs and posting covers over the past few years. On their first single, the girls smashed it and sat on top of the Billboard Adult R&B chart for months. If you really want a treat, check the acoustic live version they just released a few weeks ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4thyR7dJ_s
23. The Beaches “Edge of the Earth”
Technically this album came out in 2023, but when they released “Edge of the Earth” as the final single from the project last year, it popped up on my radar again. With four Juno awards, The Beaches are my favorite Canadian rock band out right now (ever maybe?), and now that they’ve made it onto the US charts (“Blame Brett” was Top 40 on the Rock charts) maybe we’ll have an invasion we can all appreciate.
22. Katie Tupper “Outside The Gate”
From the first syllable she utters, you know Katie Tupper is a special vocalist. A husky alto, Katie keeps it simple and light on “Outside The Gate,” showing that you can be effective without pyrotechnics.
21. Doechii
My favorite concert moment of 2024 was watching Doechii do this song and hit every single syllable. Incredible diction and superior breath control. The Trap Grace Jones introduced her mixtape with this song and introduced rap to the rise of a new Supreme.
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