+7
1. Aretha Franklin - Think
2. Loretta Lynn - One's On The Way
3. The Piedmont Boys - In Came You
4. Ghoultown - Devil's Comin' 'Round
5. Mitski - Cop Car
6. Stevie Parker - Better Off
7. Nathan Wesley - Man In The Box (cover)
8. The Offspring - Gone Away
9. The Donnas - Who Invited You
10. Khalid - Better
Khalid: I know the name but I don't know much about Khalid. He starts about singing in that lazy, mush-mouthed, mumbling way that's so prevalent nowadays that almost nobody does in a compelling way. There's no emotion, no energy, nothing, and this song is supposed to be about how nothing feels better than whatever "this" is. I've obviously missed something in the lyrics, but I think I can be forgiven because I can't understand half of what he is singing. Perhaps the song is tongue-in-cheek and the idea is that he's going for something like Weeknd lyrics where he's numb but he's doing wild sh*t just to feel something, but the feeling quickly goes away. But The Weeknd makes that stuff compelling, because he actually sings. Maybe Khalid has some better songs. We are a minute in, and I'm already hoping the next three go quicker than the first one. I'm not judging the song based on Khalid's dancing, but his dancing is just as boring as his singing. Sorry to whoever nominated this song, it's just not for me.
Stevie Parker: And instantly I sound like a hypocrite for liking this song a little bit. She does some of the things I complained about in the previous song. She comes off as low energy, but this works a little better, pardon the pun, because lyrically this song sounds a little more fitting for this type of singing. Plus this wasn't all mush-mouthed, and this at least rises and comes down real low and there's movement with her voice. And I at least feel like I'm on some kind of ride with this song. Still, it's not amazing or anything.
Ghoultown: I haven't hit play on this track yet, but judging a book by its cover tells me that at the very least, this track won't be low energy and there's going to be some kind of emotion here. Quick google search tells me these boys are from my neck of the woods. I don't think this particular track is the best of this style of gothic alt-country or whatever you want to call it. But the mid-tier of this type of thing will be more interesting to me than upper mid-tier modern pop music.
Man In The Box cover: The original song is good, and I don't know if anybody has ever nominated a YouTube cover of a song in one of these before. This might be a ground break nomination. And Jayayayayayayasayauyuyuyus Christ this guy can definitely belt this stuff out. This is pretty wild for just a dude on YouTube, impressive really, but I think this is sort like watching an early, silent, experimental short that goes for 20 minutes where you get the cool idea in the first 5-10 and you don't really need to see the gimmick go on that much longer.
The Donnas: I'm not really feeling this, but I don't think they would care, and more power to them for that.
Mitski: I've seen the name a million times, but never plunged into the depths of discovery to purify myself in the waters of Lake Mitskitonka. If this song is indicative of her style, it would be safe to say there is something to her. This gets pretty creepy sounding at times, but I don't know exactly how I feel about how her voice really fits with this music.
The Offspring: Well at least I believe this guy actually feels what he's singing about.
Aretha: My nomination. This song is dope on every level. The piano comes in and the sh*t just hits. That crazy high note Aretha hits is amazing. The chorus of Aretha belting out the word "freedom" is amazing. I love everything about this song. Aretha is a legend.
Loretta Lynn: I am very familiar with this song, but I'm happy to listen to it again. Loretta is every bit the legend that Aretha is. I know it's not a new revelation, but watching this video just reminds me of how much of an influence Loretta had on Kacey Musgraves. I'm a big fan of Musgraves, but she really doesn't hold a candle to Loretta. Loretta is a natural. Even if Loretta wasn't writing her own tunes, she owns everything that comes out of her mouth. It's a lot of that kind of cutesy songwriting that can really come off as unnatural and cringey in the wrong hands, but the charisma of Loretta Lynn is otherworldly.
The Piedmont Boys: I was trying to figure out if I knew the Piedmont Boys, but I can't place them. As soon as country sounds start coming from this video, I knew this round was gonna close out with my top three. Now the question is if I should give this bonus points for being brand new to me. The battle is whether or not this would beat out Loretta. I don't think that'll happen, but clearly this is a good song. Something I'm glad to hear. There's a badass reference to Keith Whitley in here too.