His 2017 Eurovision entry was quite good, but this just completely blows it out of the water. A great ethnic instrumentation really lifts the whole package up, as without it this would just sound like a safe pop song with no particular chorus.
This is Kylie's best song in a REALLY LONG TIME, as she explores her typical electropop venture with some influence of country music. At the age of 50, her music has matured, but in a rather good way instead of going full on sappy like some other artists, kudos on that.
62. Sara de Blue – Out Of The Twilight - TSC323, #ricktworick1, 5th, 76 pts
This would have been an absolutely stellar rock ballad if Sara knew better - her vocal masturbation towards the end of the song really ruins the song, she should have just let the backing vocals stay on their own.
This song is actually fucking terrible and completely incompetent on so many levels, but this chorus is so damn infectious that it makes me forgive all the shitty things that's going on in all the other parts of the tune.
This is basically another version of "Bboom Bboom," but slightly better as the breakdown here isn't as bullshit as the one in that other song. It's also more camp-ish which makes the whole experience more fun.
Meanwhile, the verses here are absolutely stellar, but the chorus is just a bit out of left-field for me to keep myself invested in the song in the long-term. It's still a very solid tune, though, and it's one of the best things MNEK has ever done.
This trumpet solo is some annoying crap that could have been avoided in this, but it's such a well-written pop song that the shitty elements only slightly depreciate the quality of this.
Never quite reaches the climax properly to get it way over the line, still quite a tune.
54. Blessed – See Through All The Colours - TSC328, #Fritzyyyyy, 5th, 98 pts
Easily their best song, this kind of upbeat music that all the pop artists should be doing at the moment, but they don't know because who the fuck knows.
This vintage feel really makes this song, and I love how the producers put a lot of emphasis on the production quirks - Lizzo's adlibs and rapping are not over present which actually adds well to the product. Sometimes less is more.
There are many things that this song does completely wrong - it goes with that terrible latin trend that was legit everywhere in 2018, along with rampant studio overcooking especially audible in the chorus, where all the production elements are fighting for equal space which makes my ears feel quite assaulted. All those faults, yet Mamamoo still managed to get a spot in the top 50. Welp.
To be quite honest, the song idea of "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" is quite horrid on paper as it goes for this bullshit "yoloswag" sound that should have gone extinct many years ago, but the songwriting team behind it did everything they could to get this tune to be of acceptable quality, and they managed to achieve more than that. This sort of a song should be played on huge speakers on full blast to extract all the potential and the full experience.
48. Smith & Thell – Forgive Me Friend (feat. Swedish Jam Factory) - TSC335, #ricktworick1, 1st, 123 pts
This is not the genre that I am usually very into, folk/indie really has to get it mostly right for me to even remotely enjoy stuff from this type of music. Smith & Thell seem to have got the "Mumford & Sons" formula almost spot on, with some fast-paced beat and a great addition of tap dancing incorporated into the chorus which really elevates the tune.
47. Sultan & Shepard – Damn (feat. Red Rosamond) - TSC324, #Eoin, 1st, 113 pts
Depends too much on the style rather than the substance, but this sort of a dance song is so rare these days which makes it no wonder why this tune feels like a breath of fresh air.
"Meggyfa" hugely stands out mostly because there is not much going on throughout the whole tune - its simplicity is what makes the whole product so effective. The guitar solo is so basic, yet it works so well - I feel like I could listen to the MR of "Meggyfa" endlessly.
45. Two Feet – I Feel Like I’m Drowning - TSC304, #Alexeh23, 1st, 109 pts
He's as sexy as this song, and I think this really describes "I Feel Like I'm Drowning" very well.
44. BANNERS – Someone To You - TSC316, #PrincessTeePee, 2nd, 141 pts
Such a simple little song, yet it gets me hooked every time I listen to it. Structurally similar to Smith & Thell's entry with less layering, this aspect makes "Someone To You" superior to "Forgive Me Friend."
43. Ava Max - My Way - TSC307, #Insanity, 4th, 80 pts
She may have a hit song on her hand with "Sweet But Psycho," but this song is superior on almost every ground - better songwriting, better audio engineering, less vocal showoff, shorter length etc. The list could go on and on.
2nd year running for Betsy to finish 41st on my top 100 favourites list. This song has much better songwriting in comparison to Lost & Found, but it slightly loses its touch when the chorus starts. Other than that, it's a great song with a nice classic-anthem feel to it.
