Songs of 2016
One of the most apt tweets I’ve read in the past month was from Emmy Kegler: “2016 has been, for almost all intents and purposes, a garbage fire. But a couple of things have been really great and I wanna collect them all.” Nearly all of my better-than-garbage-fire moments of 2016 have been musical, and these are some highlights of my collecting.
Making a list of songs from a year is incredibly challenging, especially from a year that has been far more interested in providing us with fantastic albums. Please do not hear that as a complaint – far from it! I am so happy that the art of an album is alive and well in our digital world. It’s just that a plethora of great albums makes for a myriad of memorable songs.
In order to make this task of choosing 16 songs somewhat more possible, and to allow for profiling a few more artists, this list does not include songs that are featured on records that have made my 2016 Albums list (although there might be the odd, but justifiable exception). Enjoy exploring some new music or comparing your own lists with mine! Let me know what I missed in the comments or on twitter @PlayListedPod. If a song does not include an embedded video, make sure to click the link in the title to hear it for yourself.
#16 Dang! – Mac Miller featuring Anderson Paak (from the album The Devine Feminine)
This song has very quickly become my feel-good track of the last several months. I have never given Mac Miller a real chance before (being a white rapper and all), but his playful, goofy verses match perfectly with Paak’s laid back vocals. I find it especially satisfying to dance to while cooking or doing dishes.
#15 Don’t Mind – Kent Jones (from the mixtape Tours)
I need at least one guilty-ish pleasure every year, and I’m still not 100% sure whether I spin it at parties for anyone other than myself. It’s basically Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty” reimagined, but I think the Kent Jones version is slightly less terrible lyrically, and far more catchy. Plus it will forever remind me of some amazing teens I met this summer in Pennsylvania who taught me the dance (which you can always find me doing behind the turntables).
#14 Worry – Jack Garrett (from the album Pulse)
I first listened to this song early this year as I was helping a friend put together a break-up playlist – the track fit perfectly, but I forgot about it for a few months (probably sometime after Lemonade took control of all my listening time). “Worry” manages to marry the bitter and sweet of moving on from a relationship in both its lyrics and melody, over a chill beat that works for nearly any occasion.
#13 I Need a Forest Fire – James Blake featuring Bon Iver (from the album The Colour in Anything)
I love this collaboration so much that I’m shipping James and Justin… at least for the sake of a collab album. I have to be careful what playlists I add this song to, because it stops me in my tracks whenever and wherever it’s playing. The ethereal quality is perfect for reflecting upon regrets, distant memories, and other big life questions and feelings. Best listened to from fetal position.
There is a reason why after only a few months of this track going viral, more than 10 other rappers, including Nicki Minaj and 50 cent, have already been part of remixes. “OOOUUU” has quickly become a phenomenon, and there is something very refreshing about having a lesbian rap the gangsta anthem of the year.
#11 Room in Here – Anderson Paak featuring The Game (from the album Malibu)
Anderson Paak’s debut was the hardest not to include in my Albums of the Year list. Instead I’ll focus on the track that stands out to me the most, which is this groovy love song about wanting to spend alone time with the girlfriend. And not to distract from the brilliance of Paak himself, but The Game’s verse here is on point.
#10 The Greatest – Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar (from the album This is Acting)
Warning: the video above does not contain the Kendrick Lamar verse, which means you should probably go listen to that later too. Still, the video seems like the best way to fully experience this song as both an energetic dance/work-out track and a touching homage to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in June. Maddie Ziegler and Sia together demonstrate how we can pick ourselves up in the face of tragedy and threat, and move forward in joyful protest.
#9 One Dance – Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (from the album Views)
I never thought I’d be playing so much Drake at parties, but now that I’m in Toronto and Drake is pretending he’s from the Caribbean (perhaps to woo his longtime crush?), I’m almost convinced. With one of his best samples/featured vocals from Kyla, this song is straight-up contagious.
#8 Find Me – Sigma featuring Birdy
Don’t ask me to differentiate between the song and the music video, which features everyone’s new favourite 12-year-old actor, Millie Bobby Brown. Does anyone else imagine Eleven singing this from the Upside Down? All I know is that since watching this beautiful and dramatic video, all I need to do is listen to this song in order to feel all of my feelings again.
#7 Bourbon – Gallant (from the album Ology)
I tend to be a sucker for songs named after beverages, but it’s a done deal when said song introduces me to a falsetto as smooth and strong as Gallant’s. Once I started paying attention to the lyrics and asking whether he’s comparing love for a woman or his struggle with faith and doubt to addictions, I’m completely slain.
#6 Good As Hell – Lizzo (from the EP Coconut Oil)
If you have had any conversation with me in the past several months, you’ve probably heard Lizzo’s name once or seven times. She seems to specialize in self-confidence anthems, and this is my favourite, although “‘Scuse Me” is also a contender. In my job searching this fall, “Good As Hell” and the rest of the Coconut Oil EP became my interview prep soundtrack, and I highly recommend it for any kind of boost you need.
#5 Overcome – Laura Mvula featuring Nile Rogers(from the album The Dreaming Room)
This was a song that 2016 needed – a rally cry to keep on keeping on, while most likely borrowing from Maya Angelou’s biography title “All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes,” in the outro’s refrain. Mvula is a queen, and although her album The Dreaming Room didn’t make the same kind of impression on me as her debut in 2013, Sing to the Moon, I will always anxiously await any projects she undertakes.
Every once in a while I put TLOP on, but every time I’m reminded that it’s all downhill after this opening track. Not that there aren’t a couple of other great songs, but as an album this is admittedly Kanye’s most unfinished and scattered collection so far. But oh, the hope “Ultralight Beam” creates, reaching deep into gospel and providing space for one of Chance’s best feature verses yet. I think it’s proof that even as Kanye continues to spiral, there is still some connection to his own humanity and brilliance, despite his angry ego.
#3 Show Me Love – Hundred Waters featuring Chance the Rapper #4 Show Me Love – Hundred Waters featuring Chance the Rapper
There is something beyond special about this track, and that something is a kind of holy trinity of Hundred Waters’ spooky earnest prayer-song and the pure joy of Chano mixed over the contagious drums of Skrillex’s keen ear and imagination. This song has become a mantra for me whenever engaging with folks who tempt me to violence.
#2 At Your Best – Frank Ocean (from the album Endless)
There are very few songs that have had the kind of effect on me as this song, Frank Ocean’s cover of Aaliyah’s version of the Isley Brothers’ “You Are Love.” I cannot do anything, even write this blurb, while this song is playing. It’s like Frank’s falsetto has a magical spell that whispers to me: “No typing, No eating, No thinking… Ok, I guess you can breathe a little bit.” I recognize that this experience is due to a number of factors. Like so many of you, I spent a lot of time anticipating the visual album, Endless. Nothing could have prepared me for beginning with this. Sometimes it still takes a couple tries to continue the album past “At Your Best.” Endless indeed. *Warning – the link above is a slightly lower-pitch version that ends up also being remixed. If you have access to an Apple Music link, that’s the best (and only legal) way to have a listen.
#1 Formation – Beyoncé (from the album Lemonade… sort of)
No surprises here, ironically, since this song was initially such a huge surprise to everyone. Do you remember where you were when this song/video was released? It shocked and stopped the world, and was yet another example of Beyoncé refusing to play by music industry rules. Instead of releasing it as a single or even a video on her website, “Formation,” was shared as a private youtube link, individually via email, until everyone knew about it whether they had managed to see it yet or not. Then of course, she performs her brand new song – never mind that it is full of very explicit southern, black, female pride – at the Superbowl halftime show. World stop. Carry on.
I’m not even going to write about the video because there are articles upon articles already out there, analyzing scene for scene. I’ll just say that the song prepared us for Lemonade in the way that I think the spirit of Lemonade prepares us for the work of “Formation.” Although the song is intricately connected to the album, they have been, and are meant to be experienced separately. This song is simultaneously a dance track, a marketing campaign, a protest march, a rally call, a think piece, and an anthem – and it’s damn good at each and every role.
16 Albums of 2016 Part 2 (#8-1)
Time for the rest of the list – here are my top 8 albums of 2016! If you haven’t yet seen my choices for #16-9, you can find Part 1 of my albums list here.
For the most part, you’ll have to find your own way to listen to the albums – most of them are available on all the major streaming services – but in case you’re new to the artist, I’ll post at least one video link from a track on the album. Enjoy, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below or on twitter @DaniceCarlson. Happy Holidays!
#8 Telefone – NoName
Many of us Chance the Rapper fans have been following this long-time Chicago collaborator (formerly NoName Gypsy) for a while now, so when news came of her debut LP, it took me exactly zero minutes to download Telefone. And it’s even better than I imagined it could be. Not only does she show up with what she does best – a gentle flow of honest and poetic wordplay – but she brings in other Chicagoan artists, like Saba and Eryn Allen Kane, for some help with hooks. This album feels like a graceful and deeply mature version of adolescence, still holding on to childhood but constantly hit with daily doses of tragic reality, all in the localized context of her unsafe yet “happy” city of Chicago. My only complaint is that at 33 minutes Telefone is entirely too short, but I usually just end up listening to it twice in a row. It’s hard for me to pick a highlight, but if I had to I would say the tracks “Yesterday,” “Reality Check,” and “Shadow Man.” You can listen to the whole thing for free below via Soundcloud.
#7 ANTI – Rihanna
Released in late January, this whole album was my jam for the first quarter of 2016. You could find me spouting comparisons to Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope over a beer on the regular. Rih Rih sets up her Anti-expectations album (her first for label, Roc Nation) with the very first chorus: “I got to do things my own way darling, will you ever let me, will you ever respect me? No.” And so she does things her own way, and it is as glorious as it is, at times, surprising. While she’s been showing her badassery for some time, ANTI expresses the whole gamut of emotions, including some Amy Winehouse-style vulnerability on “Love on the Brain.” As much as I still love watching what the Drake-featured song “Work” does to a Toronto dance party, my highlights from this record are “Needed Me,” and “Goodnight Gotham,” and the first track that I quoted above, the SZA assisted “Consideration.”
#6 22, A Million – Bon Iver
Having fallen deeply in love with Bon Iver’s first two albums, I was nervous about 22, A Million – especially when they released the tracklist that featured a little more math than I feel comfortable with. It strays sonically from what I’ve come to expect from the band, but since my very first listen I’ve been absolutely mesmerized. Like Radiohead, what manages to remain in Bon Iver’s ever shifting and evolving music is an atmosphere that accesses emotional language beyond words. It seems that as Justin Vernon experiments more and more with heavily filtered and produced sounds, his own voice ironically becomes clearer and more easily understood. So although this album is more electronic and even, at times, robotic, the songs themselves never lose a sense of human intimacy… which is exactly why I would like to make another comparison to Radiohead, but I’ll let you make that connection on your own. The opening/title-ish track “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” seems especially relevant at the moment, and with a perfectly fitting sample taken from Mahalia Jackson’s “How I Got Over,” it holds on to some hope at the beginning of the record. My other choice tracks include “8 (Circle),” – which sounds a bit more like something from their self-titled album – and “33 “God”,” which is embedded below in a video of the live release.
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Before moving on to the top 5, I just want to say that this is the most ridiculous top 5 I can ever remember. #5-2 were some of the hardest spots to settle on, and for a while I considered making a 4-way tie. Seriously, so good. Ok, now that you’re a bit more prepared for how great I think these albums are… on with the list!
#5 A Seat at the Table – Solange
Musically, conceptually, and as a package, A Seat at the Table is flawless. The scaled back production leaves room for the light piano and nearly counter-melodic bass lines, creating what sounds like conversation between the instrumentation and Solange’s soft yet powerful vocals. I have trouble remembering a time when I so loved the use of interludes, in which she uses personal and generational voices (such as her parents, and No Limit label founder, Master P) to delve deeper into a broader experience of being black in America. Each interlude has echoes and hints of songs to come, allowing for smooth transitions between dialogue and melodies. Without question, “Cranes in they Sky” and “Where Do We Go” are two of my favourite songs of not only the album, but the year. Solange sings of strategies and questions that are both timeless and particularly pertinent, and offers songs as signs of healing and possibility without an ounce of naiveté, making ASATT one of the most hopeful collections of the year.
#4 Coloring Book – Chance the Rapper
If you are not yet a Chance fan, I simply don’t know what to say to you. It seems like every time he puts out a new single, I forget about everything else that’s out there. His rhymes are clever and playful and full of joyful energy. Chance has managed to do what only Kanye has come close to doing – he has married hip hop and gospel music in a believable way that stops just short of preaching. Praising, sure, but it’s hard to sound judgmental when you take a “Smoke Break.” The Kanye and Kirk Franklin featuring opener, “All We Got,” is like part 2 of The Life of Pablo’s “Ultralight Beam,” similarly bringing the choirs together, literally and metaphorically, to begin the album. Sometimes I imagine it’s like the start of a hip hop pageant – you can hear a delightful chaos of all the participants warming up their instruments and finding their way to their rightful places in the church. Then suddenly, the album is off with a bang, and while it takes some time for wistful reflection (on “Summer friends”), it’s an animated celebration of life and creativity, bringing in a whole team Chicago collaborators, BJ the Chicago Kid, Jamila Woods, NoName, Saba, and even the Chicago Children’s Choir. He released one of my favourite tracks, “Angels,” early, and it made my songs list of 2015, so that is obviously still a highlight, but I would add “Same Drugs,” with its extended Peter Pan imagery around growing up and apart, and the closer, “Finish Line/Drown.” “How Great,” and even “Blessings,” are nearly too much for this semi-post-evangelical, but both tracks have verses that are pure FIRE. Oh, and “All Night” has been my favourite non-Beyoncé track to spin at any and every party I’ve thrown this year.
#3 HEAVN – Jamila Woods
Jamila Woods’ debut solo LP is phenomenal. Lyrically she shows off her skills as a poet and a spoken word artist, but the music never sounds like an afterthought. Woods defies genre, playing with folk, hip hop, hymns, r&b and lullabies to create a sense of childhood and nostalgia for everyone, even quoting Paula Cole’s Dawson Creek theme song on “Lonely, Lonely.” Like Solange’s ASATT, HEAVN makes use of the interlude/skit in really effective ways; they mostly consist of black women leaving voice recordings talking about their experiences. One of these interludes describes how black children playing outside is proof of the resilience of black people, and it’s hard not to hear that as the underlying theme and image of the entirety of HEAVN. It seems so fitting that Woods played a grandmotherly voice on Chance’s “Sunday Candy,” because on every track she says pointed and difficult wise words like only a grandmother can get away with. Also, like Chance and NoName, Jamila is deeply rooted in the city of Chicago, and regularly reflects on how her hometown has shaped her, not willing to give up any memories, no matter how painful. Speaking of memories, there is plenty of tribute on HEAVN to black women who have already gone ahead, paving a path of resistance, resilience, and healing. Every song on this record is pure art, so I hesitate to name specifics lest you only listen to only one piece of the puzzle. Especially since you can stream or download the whole album for free from Soundcloud.
https://soundcloud.com/jamilawoods/sets/heavn
#2 Blonde – Frank Ocean
Like most of Twitter, I was anticipating this record HARD. Blonde (spelled with masculine on the album cover and feminine in your digital music player) was the second album released in a matter of days, breaking his 4 year streak of silence. For those in need of refresher on the timeline, the visual album, Endless was released only for Apple Music first. It was relieving and beautiful, but when he surprised us with this second album, Blonde, it felt like summertime Christmas. Yet, while I’m happy to loudly defend any album on this list, I’d rather not talk about Blonde much at all, but just experience it alone, loudly over headphones. The album feels laced with subtle knowing glances and inside jokes, along with tornados of feelings and regrets. Frank manages to weave so many real-life tensions right in the music, as songs regularly referencing recreational drug use surround a lecture-interlude about the danger of drugs and alcohol, and descriptions of booty calls are directly before homages to Trayvon Martin – one of many young black men shot and killed by a cop. It’s these uneven, and at times, stream-of-consciousness transitions that make this album sound so very beautifully human. So many moments stop me in my tracks – “Pink & White,” “Nights,” “Solo,” and “Godspeed” are all regular reminders to keep your eyes open to the beauty and life around you, even in the pain and heartache. “Nikes,” is the only video released from this album so far, and just as a warning this is NSFW.
#1 Lemonade – Beyoncé
To some extent I feel sorry for every other album released this year, because Lemonade is so much more than album of the year. It has been nothing less than iconic. For the third time now, Beyoncé has made what I was certain was the defining album of career; first with 4, then in 2011 with her self-titled visual/audial masterpiece, and yet somehow she managed to outdo her only real competition – herself! – with this beautiful masterpiece. With Lemonade we have stories within stories. At surface level, it continues the ongoing drama of Bey’s personal life with husband Jay Z. “Is he cheating on me?” is the question posed early on, and the guiding emotion of the first half of the record. While on one level this is a story of reconciliation between two people, every song seems to beckon more characters in to the narrative using both lyrics and genre. By time time we reach “Daddy Lessons,” we’ve heard the expected pop and R&B with some hip-hop nods, as well as straight up rock-and-roll in “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” when all of a sudden we get a deep-fried, New Orleans style, country song that asks us to consider not only Bey’s relationship with her husband, but also her relationship with her father. Suddenly it’s no longer just about a celebrity power couple, but reaches beyond them to the socio-political importance of all relationships within every community. It’s about the hard emotional work that all mothers and wives inevitably do, and particularly the burden that black women carry for the people they love. It’s about listening to one another’s stories and holding each other up. It’s about doing the personal inner work in order to “get in formation” and stay ready for whatever comes your way. It’s about taking whatever random tart fruit you’re given and making the absolute best damn summer beverage you possibly can. Even more than that, it’s about not taking some white fangirl’s word for it and paying attention for yourself.
As many of you probably know (or could guess), I’ve been hosting mini “screenings” of Lemonade at my house about once a month since its release in May. I might get in trouble for making even a light comparison to The Holy Bible, but I think our reading of media like Lemonade is only made richer when we watch it with others. Each and every person I’ve watched the film with has provided new insights and questions. While I prefer to experience Blonde in private, it’s my belief that Lemonade is best when shared.
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As happy as I am with this list, I was forced to leave out some truly fantastic collections. Honourable mentions go to Kendrick Lamar’s Untitled, Unmastered, Anderson Paak’s Malibu, and Nao’s For All We Know. I’ve been also working on a list of 2016 songs that will purposely look at those not already featured on albums here, so check that out in about a week’s time. This year doesn’t seem to be getting any better, but I hope our collective reflecting and listening will prepare us for all the work left to do as we approach 2017.
16 Albums of 2016 Part 1 (#16-9)
Even before we knew 2016 would be the tragic and eventful year it was already one of pointed artistic and musical responses. Police brutality and racial injustice are nothing new, but our consciousness and ability to talk about it has both increased and escalated to a new level of conflict, especially in light of the campaign for the USA’s now president-elect. And as the whole world seems to be choosing hatred and discrimination over care for our planet, we’ve lost an especially high number of inspirational icons and artists. For many of us, the music of this year has produced the only visible (audible) glimmer of light in the midst of many seemingly hopeless unknowns.
A couple notes to get us started – this is the first year I’ve had such an early deadline for songs/albums I’m considering. While in years past I would include an album dropped in late December, this year I’m only considering complete LPs released between January 1st and December 1st. That way I can write this blog with a little less stress about giving enough of a listen to some hot LP dropped yesterday. I’ve also decided to break this list into two parts to make it a little more manageable. And with all of that out of the way, here are the first 8 of 16 albums that have helped lead me through the processes of grief, celebration, protest, and deep thinking in 2016.
#16 The Suffers – The Suffers
Easily one of my favourite new bands this year, The Suffers’ debut LP is bright, energetic, soulful, and there’s not a single dud on it. Whether you have the chance to see them live, or just blast the album over speakers in your living room, every member and section commands your attention without competing for it. Their lead woman, Kam Franklin, has so much charisma and attitude, matched only by her blaring horn section. Nearly. Oh hey, and three of my stand-out tracks happen to be what they perform for their smile-inducing Tiny Desk Concert! …But also check out “Make Some Room” and the rest of the album while you’re at it.
#15 Moon Shaped Pool – Radiohead
Although I had a lot of anticipation around the release of Radiohead’s latest LP, it took a few listens for me to really fall in love. With every record they release, Radiohead manages to play with such different sounds and yet always create similar deeply moving melodies and soundscapes. Along with many electronic tools and effects, Moon Shaped Pool plays with a much richer orchestral instrumentation than their last several records. But ultimately what convinced me was Yorke’s own voice, consistently dripping with emotional honesty whether I understand his words or not. Album highlights are “Burn the Witch,” “Glass Eyes,” and the last two songs on the album, “Present Tense,” (which is embedded below) and “True Love Waits.”
#14 Love Letter For Fire – Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop
A strong recommendation for anyone who loves The Civil Wars, since Love Letter for Fire is a collection of duets by two incredibly creative, talented, and often solo-performing songwriters. I’ve wanted Sam Beam of Iron & Wine to record more collaborations ever since first seeing him perform with his sister harmonizing at Sasquatch ten years ago, and this record is the answer to that prayer. Jesca Hoop is a new voice to me, but I especially enjoy her sense of humour and quirkiness when paired with often musically melancholic Beam. They balance each other out while adding layers of both harmony and depth to one another’s songwriting. As much as I like their work separately, this collaborative album seems to be greater than the sum of its parts. I particularly like “Know the Wild that Wants You,” “Soft Place to Land,” and the rather odd “Chalk it up to Chi.”
#13 Black America Again – Common
There is rarely a Common record that I don’t love – I’m a sucker for his articulation and enunciation, not to mention his lyrical consciousness. But this is far from a favourite-rapper nod. The more I listen to Black America Again, the more I’m convinced it’s Common’s best work since the 90s, finding that perfect balance of sharp and smooth – angry as hell and calm as dawn – as he describes not only what is wrong with America, but also his hopeful imaginings for a way forward. On top of all of that, the list of features is stacked with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Bilal, Syd (from The Internet and Odd Future), BJ the Chicago Kid, and John Legend. My personal highlights are the title track, “Pyramids,” and the chilling closer, “Letter to the Free.”
#12 Chaleur Humaine – Christine and the Queens
I was listening to this album all year without realizing it could be a contender for this list. Héloïse Letisser (aka Christine) re-released her 2014 album for the Anglophone world in February of this year and has been picking up some serious interest outside of France ever since. On one level, this is creative work around gender, sexuality, and identity, while on another, it’s a collection super poppy synth beats that manage to both excite and relax. The moments that especially stand out for me include her take on Kanye’s “Heartless” in “Paradis Perdus,” as well as “Tilted,” and “Night 52.” Oh yes, and her music videos are almost as cool as her live performances.
#11 Love You To Death – Tegan and Sara
The Canadian twin duo’s 8th album was never going to be the year’s most important album, but it might be the happiest, which is an impressive title given how much of it explores difficult confession, breakups, and regrets. I think Love You to Death is so satisfying for me because it sounds like the album I wanted in Heartthrob. Their journey into synth-pop feels right and complete, and yet they’ve managed to maintain the emotional honesty that made their earlier albums so effective. The whole record is super accessible, but my favourite moments include “That Girl,” “Dying to Know,” “100x” and “BWU.”
#10 We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service – A Tribe Called Quest
The reunion album that no one knew whether they should hope for – especially in the wake of Phife Dawg’s death in March – was released in two perfect volumes and is exactly what our imaginations promised and more. It has everything we’d expect – jazzy hip hop, Q Tip’s classic lyrical flow and Phife’s playful energy, a mix of unexpected samples with live instrumentals, and deep exploration of racism and political corruption in America and worldwide. The timing of this record is creepy, having been primarily recorded early this year but seemingly tailor-made for the post-election experience. The featured verses on this album feel both nostalgic, with old friends such as Busta Rhymes and Consequence, and poetic, with new(er) heavy-hitting friends such as Kendrick Lamar, André 3000, and Kanye West. 18 years was a long time, but it was worth the wait. Literally every song is a highlight.
#9 Blackstar – David Bowie
The year of 2016 basically began with the bad news of Bowie’s liver cancer and death, which brought with it the release of his own personal epitaph. The entire collection is an appropriately dark and eerie prodding lament. There is a deep sense of importance – like we’ve been given this brief but valuable glimpse into the mortality of a legend. Actually, exactly like that. I wouldn’t call this record fun or even enjoyable, but there is mysterious beauty in the jazz inspired arrangements, and David’s own deeply exhausted voice. The title track and “Lazarus,” are the two songs that haunt me most from this album.
That’s it for the moment! Now it’s time to lean into the spirit of advent, and wait for a week to check back to see my top 8 albums of the year!
Your Diva Madness Champion Is…
Finding victory in only 3 votes over her nobel competitor, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin takes home the Diva Cup! Congratulations to all who picked her as their brackets winner, and all those who were rooting and voting for this classic #6 seed.
To continue the celebration of our diva-of-choice, take a look at a post I wrote a few years ago for one of my all time favourite albums (that happens to be an Aretha record), I Never Loved A Man (the Way I Love You).
I don’t know what will be next, so please comment below if you have ideas for music that would make for a good brackets tournament for March Music Madness 2017!
Diva Madness: Championship
And then there were two…
After all the madness, we’ve found ourselves in with a reasonable final match up after all! Although every bracket I’ve seen has been busted, both of these women have been predicted as the ultimate winner of the tournament, and now I am hoping for as close a competition as we had in the UNC/Villanova final game last Monday night. I’m just cheering for a close vote, or something like that, because the truth is, I have argued with myself about who deserves this more: Aretha Franklin or Mariah Carey.
So I don’t know what will happen here, and I promise not to have intense feelings either way. No matter what, I will choose an album for the winner to talk about in a separate blog post next week. As in the final four, polls will be open only until the weekend, but you will be able to vote from your device once every 12 hours. By now you should be very well acquainted with these two legendary divas, so let’s get right to it, shall we?
Actually wait, look what I found. First there’s Mariah singing an Aretha cover.
Now for Aretha covering Mariah….
Yes girl, that happened. And finally, when they appeared on the same stage for the first VH1 Divas performance in 1998.
Ok, now you can vote.
OnRecords 