Pop Sweep: December 29, 2012...

Hey gang, I'm back to kick off today's five-part "Chart Sweeps" of the newest songs making their way on to the weekly music singles charts at Billboard magazine. We'll start with the latest on the pop side...

On the big chart, Billboard's "Hot 100", Bruno Mars is locked up at #1 for a second week with "Locked Out Of Heaven"...

Well, The Voice came to a totally anticlimactic close this past Tuesday (I didn't even bother watching the entire finale), but since the sales chart is a week behind, two finalists from the week before enter the chart. With the chart's highest debut at #40, ex-Hey Monday singer Cassadee Pope pretty much assured her win since iTunes sales are multiplied ten times in the voting tallies, which I guess is in some ways a smart move, since beside the obvious making money aspect it gives the person a stake in the win and not random multiple free phone/internet voting. Whatevs. Besides her pitchy, non-descript voice, Cassadee is the big seller this week with her not-country version of Keith Urban's Stupid Boy (which peaked at #43 on the Hot 100 in 2006) which Billboard magazine editors are either lazy or paid off or something to deem this a country song. Mind you, this was better than her previous efforts, but country? Really?

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Well Pope, "ringer" that she was, was a better choice than the Scottish barband singer Terry McDermott, whose rote version of the Beatles' #1 hit "Let It Be" is in at #70. (The third finalist, Nicholas David, is right under the Hot 100 at #1 on the "bubbling under" chart)...

Seventeen-year-old Chicago rapper Chief Keef puts his second single on the chart as "Love Sosa", after his nickname, comes in at #82. The kid born Keith Cozart took "I Don't Like" to #73 earlier this year...Oh lord this is not my gig in any way, but hey, it's selling to someone... (NSFW)

Singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves, who was a finalist on Nashville Star five years ago, debuts at #88 with her first hit, "Merry Go Round". It's already in the top-30 on country radio. And like another veteran from that show, Miranda Lambert, her plain and simple real-life country lyrics is a nice (if bracing) change from the usual cliche' going strong in Nashville right now...

Rapper Big Sean is in at #89 with his fifth Hot 100 hit as a lead artist, "Guap". He has previously made the top-10 both as a lead artist on "Dance (A$$)", and supporting Justin Bieber on "As Long As You Love Me". The steel drum backdrop does set it apart from the heap of brag-rap that's out right now, and it's comic value if higher than normal ("Guap" means money)... (NSFW)

Carrie Underwood's third single from her Blown Away album, "Two Black Cadillacs", drives in at #90. The fourth-season American Idol winner has accrued four Hot 100 top-10 hits, with her "winner's song", "Inside Your Heaven", being a #1 single from 2005...

Newcomer John Hart jumps in at #93 with "Who Booty" featuring IamSU. The song just made the top-40 on the R&B airplay chart...for such a simplistic "ass" track, this song got mad background production going on here, and his voice is like Drake's but higher and a smidge less aurotuned...(NSFW)

The last entry on the Hot 100 is Trinidadian rapper Trinidad Jame$ with "All Gold Everything" this is not the song I can go blasting out the speakers of my car. And lord, such issues with women....(MAJOR NSFW)

Meanwhile, on the radio-monitored Adult Top-40 chart, American Idol reigning champ for now Philip Phillips climbs to #1 for the first week with "Home"..

The high debut here at #38 is the former top-5 modern rock hit "Take A Walk" by Passion Pit...

...While the other entry at #40 is Voice coaches Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton with "Just A Fool"...

Finally on the Adult Contemporary format which is full-on in Christmas mode, Rod Stewart's "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" remains at #1 for a fourth week...

While Richard Marx's "Little Drummer Boy" hangs on in the top-10, another track from his notable Christmas album, "O Holy Night", appears at #19...

The other new song here is Voice coach Cee-Lo Green with a song from his holiday set, "All I Need Is Love" with the Muppets (can you recognize the Sesame Street-used interpolation here?)...

That's a wrap for the pop side...when I return I'll have the latest on rock radio...