Pop Sweep: March 23, 2013...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off today's five-part "chart sweep" sampling the newest songs making their way on to this week's singles charts in Billboard magazine. As always, I'll start off on the pop side of things...

On the big chart, the Billboard Hot 100, the mag continues to make a mockery of itself as Baauer's "Harlem Shake" remains at #1 thanks to their rule-rigging allowing all jacked up 30-second clips used by the public for the joke meme to count as though it was a "listener" on a streaming radio station. I really don't know how they justify it in the first place (well, they can't, that's why they've shut up about it or "downplayed" it), but a song that is not even on the top 75 radio songs of the week is goosed up like this is pretty much a spent farce right now. And their claim that all 48 million "views" are American is kind of funny as well, since I can pretty much view clips from all over the world that aren't available here and I'm sure computer-savvy foreigners already can slip in to the American interwebs. Nice going, dumbasses.

Anyway....

The top debut on the chart this week is the first hit from one of country star Luke Bryan's "Spring Break" series, "Buzzkill", which comes in at #74. Bryan has had six top-40 hits on this chart, with "Drunk On You" going to #16 last year...Even though his EPs have been more party-like, this is one of his more serious heartbreak songs, though chock-full of rulebook cliches, though he really does know how to 'sell' the song, and it's a winner in that aspect.

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Child of destiny Kelly Rowland returns at #96 with "Kisses Down Low". Apart from her on-hiatus group, Kelly has three songs of her own hit the top 40, with her duet with Nelly, "Dilemma" hitting #1 for seven weeks in 2002. Not one for the kiddies, this jam is good for her R&B ventures, though I love my Kelly dancing (see Guetta, David)..

Brad Paisley gets a extra head start since spring hasn't even arrived yet before his new single "Beat This Summer" arrives at #97. I'm looking forward to his upcoming Wheelhouse album due in April. By the way, Billboard chart editors, this is how you can incorporate modern sounds into a real country song, instead of calling Max Martin vehicles "country". Seventeen of Brad's singles have reached the top-40 on the Hot 100, with his duet with Carrie Underwood, "Remind Me", reaching #17 in 2011..

The rapper behind the top-40 hit "Bandz A Make Her Dance", Juicy J, follows up that single with "Show Out". The former Three 6 Mafia member comes in at #98.. Featuring Big Sean and Young Jeezy, this is the kind of rap record that irks me when critics dismiss "Thrift Shop" for being a novelty. Fuck, that track, funny as it is, is a closer statement on real life than this tired posturing complete with ho's and alcohol. (NSFW)

The last debut on the Hot 100 this week at #100 is American Idol winner from last season Phillip Phillips, who enters with "Gone, Gone, Gone", his third to make the chart. One of his covers from the show, "We've Got Tonight", snuck in at #97, then his "winner's song" "Home" reached #6 last year...

...and now for the format sub-charts...

On the Mainstream Pop radio chart, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ascent to #1 with "Thrift Shop"...

The sole debut of the week is the latest pop offering from Taylor Swift, "22", at #38..and now we've entered the age of hack "Instagrammed" videos...

Meanwhile, at the Adult Top-40 format panel, Maroon 5 jump up to the top with "Daylight"...

The high debut of the week is the conquest of alt-rap gurus Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at #35 with "Thrift Shop", which as I said makes a bigger statement on materialism within its comedy than half of the rap product out there...

After their high-profile stint on Saturday Night Live a few weeks back, Alabama Shakes take their top-5 Triple-A rock hit "Hold On" to this format at #38.

The last entry on this list at #40 is Tampa singer/songwriter Matt Hires with his first, "Restless Heart", and humorous take on trashy love is my pop pick of the week...

Lastly, on the Adult Contemporary chart, Phillip Phillips' "Home" hangs on for an eighth week at #1...

The top debut here at #23 is the return of Canadian neo-classic vocalist Michael Buble' with "It's A Beautiful Day", sure to put a smile on the faces of millions of soccer moms everywhere, though his sarcastic take on the subject is kind of nice, and let me tell you this "lyric video"is one of the best-executed. His last non-seasonal hit, "Hollywood", reached #6 on the AC chart in 2010...

The other entry here at #30 is indie-hipster-rockers fun with "Carry On". Their last, "Some Nights", made it to #7 here...

That does it for the pop side of the house...I'll be back in 90 minutes with the newest on rock radio...

In the meantime, you can check out my personal Top-100 tunes of the week by clicking here....