April Favorites

"Sittin' Pretty", Florida Georgia Line: The flow and rhymes of the bridge and chorus of this song are so smooth and irresistible. It's the FLAGA boys at their best, delivering a mellow jam perfect for magic hour on a summer night. Honestly, it's the only song from their new album that grabbed me, but it's got its claws in deep, with a groove that repeatedly finds me at idle moments, and has me humming "Don't matter if we're sitting on the porch, in the car, at a bar / Or a boat down in Panama City / Gonna be a hell of a view / I'm just fine long as I'm sitting next to you, sittin' pretty".

"Shadows", Alphabeat: My love for Alphabeat goes way back to their debut album, the aptly titled This Is Alphabeat, but it took me a while to warm up to their new single (their first new music since 2012's Express Non-Stop, which I had to order from Denmark due to lack of US distribution). While "Shadows" is less giddy than many of their previous hits, it's still got a banger of a chorus that makes this song a certified bop. I hope more new music is on the way from these Danish pop maestros soon!

"Fools Gold", Fitz & The Tantrums: I did own the Fitz & The Tantrums album More Than Just a Dream at one point in time, but it didn't capture my imagination then. It so happens that this year, I've totally fallen for two great songs from that album "HandClap" and "Fools Gold". However, it is the latter of those that I've had on repeat more times than I can count. "Fools Gold" is a paragon of the upbeat-sad-song genre that hooks you with a perfect blend of hope and despair, buoyed by Noelle Scaggs vocals on the soaring chorus.

"Feel The Same", Olly Murs: Not gonna lie, sometimes when I am singing along to this, I slip into JLo's "Love Don't Cost a Thing" (no lawsuits please, though). However, I am so glad that Olly's most recent album has produced this addictive dance-pop banger, because I was a little worried about him after his first single "Moves" (feat. Snoop Dogg), which somehow managed to sound totally like Ed Sheeran (who did co-write the song) and "Feels", by Calvin Harris, all at once; it was a complete mess that totally fell flat for me. Never fear, because "Feel the Same" is here to carry on the tradition of exemplary Brit-pop delivered by earnest young men, just like Olly's other timeless smashes, "Kiss Me" and "You Don't Know Love".

Amidst The Chaos, Sara Bareilles: Sara Bareilles has always been a great songwriter, and her new album Amidst The Chaos is packed with a creatively diverse selection of thoughtfully written songs. Taking the album as a whole, I get a lot of Carly Simon and Ben Taylor vibes from the deep, folky lyrics presented over lush orchestrations. The Carly vibes are strongest on "Orpheus", and not just because Carly has a song of that same title, but also because of the lullaby quality of a songstress singing to her muse / lost love. Another standout is "Poetry By Dead Men", which sounds like what would happen if Francis and The Lights had written a song for Waitress the musical. Meanwhile, "If I Can't Have You" has a great 60s girl group / Dusty Springfield feel, "Wicked Love" serves strong Rufus Wainwright vibes, and "Fire" is a passionate, empowering breakup song. It's exciting to connect with an album by a female artist who is only a few years older than me, and to be reminded by that one album of so many musical influences that have shaped my own life.