The Billboard top 10 this week shows a very interesting mix of sounds, styles, and artists, from soulful songs to high energy K-pop tracks. Listening to this list feels like exploring a variety of musical worlds, each with its own story and emotion, creating a memorable lineup and captivating its listeners.
1) “I Just Might” (Bruno Mars) – I don’t listen to too much Bruno Mars but after listening to this song, I will be adding it to my playlist. It is catchy and gives off a very 70s disco vibe which I love. I have also seen it said on YouTube that the melody sounds similar to “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and The Wave, and “Move Your Feet” by Junior Senior. Overall I really like this song and hope to hear it around.
2) “Man I Need” (Olivia Dean) – I really like hearing this song when out shopping or on my playlist. Although it is a slower song, the steady drum beat keeps your attention. The more I listen to the song, the more I notice an Amy Winehouse vibe because of Olivia’s soulful voice, on top of the fact that it has a 70s’, 80s’ sound/style of music which I love.
3) “Fate of Ophelia” (Taylor Swift) – I listened to this song after it came out and I enjoy it. It has a really good sound that isn’t like Taylor Swift’s other songs and is probably the only one I go back to listen to besides her earlier classics. It is an upbeat song that takes the tragic story of Ophelia, daughter of Polonious, from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and modernizes it into a love song in classic Taylor Swift fashion.
4) “Golden” (HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI, Kpop Demon Hunters Cast) – As I predicted in my first review of this song, “it’s not going away anytime soon,” and it definitely hasn’t gone away. Proof being that it is still part of this Top 10. I do still like the song, but it’s getting a little old.
5) “Ordinary” (Alex Warren) – This song I also love, it reminds me a little bit of “Golden Hour” because of how he describes the woman in the song. The strings in the beginning, for me, provoke emotion and a feeling of being weightless when the drums start. His voice is also amazing, with a mix of emotional highs and lows.
6) “Choosin’ Texas” (Ella Langley) – This song is a slow country guitar song. I don’t typically like country but this song has a different sound that isn’t the same old country sound. The song is slower but still has catchy lyrics and a nice old country sound.
7) “Back to Friends” (sombr) – I really like this song—it’s catchy with a nostalgic feel. His voice also gives a bit of a Benson Boone vibe. At the beginning, I really like the piano and drum beat created before the vocals. I also really like his higher pitched voice in the beginning as it transitions to a deeper more natural tone then up again. I really like this song and will be adding it to my playlist.
8) “Folded” (Kehlani) -I have never heard of this song before or even the artist but the song has a nice authentic R&B sound to it. I really like the subtle base drop a few seconds in to reallystart the song.
9) “End of Beginning” (Djo) – Another song where I have never heard of the artist but the electric sounds in the back grab my attention. It is a nice subtle rock song that is a goodbye song to the artist’s beginnings but not to forget where he’s from. I also found out that this song was written by Joe Keery who is an actor in Stranger Things.
10) “Opalite” (Taylor Swift) – Another Taylor Swift song that has a similar feel to “Fate of Ophelia.” It starts slower but gets a little faster towards the chorus of the song with a catchy sound and beat. This will definitely be another song that I will go back to much like “Fate of Ophelia.”