The Singles Jukebox, 2024: March
Starting off with one of my least-liked singles of the year!
Billy Joel - Turn the Lights Back On
I'd like to keep them off, please. [1]
Beyoncé - 16 Carriages
First of all, this ain't country just because it has some acoustic finger picking in it. This sounds more Lumineers-core to my ears, especially the way it gets stompy as the arrangement gets bigger and swells with strings near its end. The lyric could be more effective with better music and a less sweet vocal. Maybe bring it back for that purported "rock" album and let Jack White go loose, encourage Beyoncé to go full Tina Turner -- that'd work. [5]
Usher ft. Summer Walker and 21 Savage - Good Good
I love the lyrical conceit of this. It's a bit off-brand for Usher, who even admits in the first verse, "Usually my exes turn to enemies" -- and who's recorded more songs about their exes? But this is so positive, across Usher's, Walker's, and 21's verses; it's also quite buoyant for a defiantly midtempo record (that bass thump is doing a lot of work). Walker sounds great alongside one of the great R&B artists and singers of the past 30 years. Even 21, whom I usually scorn, fits right in here. Genuinely superb R&B. [9]
LE SSERAFIM - Easy
A snap music breakdown and a mightily bass-heavy track are two things I didn't expect from one of K-pop's hottest girl groups; LE SSERAFIM really are making it look easy here (sorry). "Easy" just glides along, so smooth. [7]
Xavi - La Diabla
His voice belies his years (he's not even 21 & sounds like a norteño singer some 20 years his senior), and the simple acoustic dual guitar accompaniment works in the song's favor. [6]
Selena Gomez - Love On
I wish her voice — and this song, all whipped cream with nothing underneath it — had as much weight as her acting. [5]
Brittany Howard - Prove It to You
A slightly warped take on late '90s prime-era deep house — think Masters at Work-adjacent — is easily the last thing I expected from Brittany Howard's sophomore solo album. And she sells it, with smart, crisp production and a voice that really can seem to sing anything. I love when queer art is this good. [8]
Dua Lipa - Training Season
Her singles have a habit of sneaking up on me. "Levitating" improved by hearing it constantly out in the wild (I don't generally do terrestrial radio, but it was unavoidable). "Cold Heart"'s mash-up eventually sucked me in, and I can't get the short sharp (un)shock of "Houdini" out of my head (it's an [8], just a sparkling pop single). "Training Season" won't join that class, as it has nothing to it but a mild EDM build (ca. 2008) in the chorus that just -- ends. And Lipa sounds even more bored than usual. [4]
YG Marley - Praise Jah in the Moonlight
A mid trad reggae record is still a mid trad reggae record, no matter a) the artist's lineage and b) whether it blows up on social media. [3]
Feid & ATL Jacob - Luna
Not sure what makes this autotuned reggaeton single so different, why this has become the global smash that others haven't. It's perfectly serviceable and perfectly average. ATL Jacob's beat sounds like a preset, while Feid comes across as a baby Bunny, perhaps without the personality. Maybe that's the answer? [5]