Pop Sweep: December 19, 2015...

It's time to roll out the first of today's "music sweeps", checking out the songs making their way on to the charts in Billboard magazine. As usual, I'll start off on the pop side of things, then later in the day move on to the newest in rock, R&B, country, and dance...

On the "big" chart, Billboard's Hot 100, which combines tallies of radio airplay from all formats, sales (like iTunes and Amazon MP3), and internet streaming (like Spotify and YouTube), Adele's "Hello" is on top for a sixth straight week....

(Extra bonus points to Mariah Carey, who ushers in the holiday seasons with her classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You" re-entering the chart at #26. When she first released her Merry Christmas album in 1994, the song wasn't available as a single (and at that time unable to chart), so it's only in its 11th week total on the Hot 100 and close to its #21 peak so far. Can it beat it this time?)

In another very quiet week new music-wise, half of the six entries on the chart come from the singing competition The Voice. Now I haven't hidden my frustration and now avoidance of these types of shows, which unfortunately took a noble concept (giving exposure to new talent), and ended up playing out like a reality show. As American Idol/X Factor capitalized on the bickering between the judges, and trashing the contestants in the case of Simon Cowell, The Voice at first was like a breath of fresh air with its positivity and seeming nuture of its talent. However, in time that has fallen to shit with such obvious rigging of the stakes as well as total focus on the judges rather than the singers (used now as just karaoke pawns) that it amazes me why it's a surprise that none of the winners of these things lately have had any measure of lasting success. And now we come to this season, and the "stunt" casting of Christian pop singer Jordan Smith, who lands at #61 with his version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Beyond the fact that the song has been way overused in these singing competition shows, the tie-in between the holy-roller singer and the title seem so tenuous that it may have been a toss-off decision by a producer. Yes, he's got a voice, but the emotion is so not matching the lyrics of the song. And the canned applause from the audience makes it even worse, like he's a skater in the Olympics, not a singer. But that's my opinion. Here ya go...

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


 And now for something completely different, rapper Yo Gotti drops in at #87 with "Down In The DM". It's the second Hot 100 hit from his upcoming The Art Of Hustle album. The first, "Errbody", hit #98. A lazy track namechecking the Twitter feature is a one-note deal...

New Jersey's own Charlie Puth follows up his top-40 hit "Marvin Gaye" with "One Call Away" at #89. After being a side-man for rapper Wiz Khalifa, and his cute retro duet, this solo presents him as a straight MOR "safe choice", like this generation's Tommy Page...

The second finalist from The Voice entering the Hot 100 at #92 is Barrett Baber, who mentor Blake Shelton resurrected the #1 country hit from Conway Twitty, "I'd Love To Lay You Down". The original, which Baber added the "Just" to apparently, hit the top of the chart in 1980. His voice is kind of interesting, with a touch of a memory of the lead singer of Dr. Hook, but the cover doesn't hold a candle to Conway's controlled determination in his delivery...

Thanks to people flocking to YouTube to watch the video, K-pop comic star PSY returns to the chart at #97 with "Daddy" featuring CL (of the K-pop group 2NE1). His fourth trip on the American pop chart, it's also his first to miss the top-40; the viral video phenomenom "Gangnam Style" (which now has racked up over 2 billion YouTube views) made it to #2 in 2012. The thing is, there can be no way he could reproduce the impact the wall of random genius that older video had on American culture, and he doesn't really try, though this is as close to the frenetic fun that "Gangnam" was, save for the jarring special effect placing his head on a dancing boy's body....

The third of The Voice entries at #98 is Madi Davis, who has since been voted off the show, with Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". As much as I appreciate when the contestants on these shows take a different path instead of direct karaoke, this breathy, wide-eyed adult-pop watering down seems a little weird, and I blame Zooey Deschanel for all of it.

And now on to the pop radio format charts...

On the Mainstream Top-40 radio panel, "Hello" chimes in for a third week at #1...

Rapper Post Malone drives in at #38 with "White Iverson". This take-off on Drake's lazy rap-sung delivery is done respectably for what it is. That's the best I can do, though "I need that money like the ring I never won" is quite clever, and deciding to name-check a retired controversial player is genius...

The third single from Justin Bieber's Purpose album, "Love Yourself", pops in at #39. His handlers were smart to use great dancers to star in this video instead of the Biebs himself, as it detracts from the smart-ass diss of an ex that smacks of Selena Gomez...

R&B singer Tinashe arrives at #40 with her "Player", featuring another "bad boy", Chris Brown. Her breakthrough single, "2 On", climbed to #22 on this chart. The production on the song is its best asset, as the dancing on the video, which detracts from Brown's unnecessary rap cameo (he should have stuck with the backup vocals)...

Meanwhile, on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format, Adele is on top for a third week with "Hello"...

...while her new radio single "When We Were Young", last week's "Pop Pick", comes in at #34...

The third single and title track from Kelly Clarkson's Piece By Piece album enters at #35. The lead-off single "Heartbeat Song" peaked at #6 at this format. This pensive yet propulsive record, my "Pop Pick Of The Week", presents a mature artist in her artistic prime analyzing her problems in her past and comparing it to the happiness she finds today...

Since it was a big departure for country familial trio the Band Perry to go "electro" on their new single "Live Forever", it's not surprising that the song, which stalled in the top-30 on the country chart, finds a home on this format at #37. And as much as I appreciate their willingness to experiment with different genres, the result here is a little more bland that it could've been. I mean, did seven people actually need to write this song? It's their second time on this list; they went to #4 with "If I Die Young".

Donut-licker and Scream Queen Ariana Grande returns at #38 with "Focus". A virtual rewrite of the biggest hit from her here, "Problem", the record does its job sonically (with an uncredited Jamie Foxx providing the tagline), and it's close and far enough away from "Uptown Funk"'s breakdown pattern to get her back on radio's good graces...

And lastly, on the Adult Contemporary, or "easy listening", radio chart, Adele reigns for a fourth week...

...as the format furthers its holiday conversion as all three debuts are seasonal offerings. At #23 is Kenny Rogers with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles on "Here It Is Christmas/Baby It's Cold Outside". Last year "Baby It's Cold Outside" was the most overused standard of the season, but at least after a year to get over, the pair take the song in a different path, and Nettles' voice is wonderful as always, compensating for Kenny's lecherous growl...

Easy-listening piano guru Jim Brickman enlists Charlie Alan at #26 with "Hitch A Ride With Santa". As much as I like more original Christmas fare mixed in, this is a little squeaky clean for me, but I can appreciate the fit in the "safe programming" of the format...

Michael Buble', who has one of the biggest holiday albums of all time with his Christmas, which has sold over 9 million copies, is back at #30 with "The More You Give (The More You'll Have)". Cribbing the tempo of Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", the suave crooner sells this missive of charity pretty well, and is a good party-opener...

Well, that's it for the start of today's musical journey. I'll return with the latest on rock radio...