The Wind – Cat Stevens

no no no no.... too boring, even worse than Dear One by George Harrison. (F ~ 35/100?)

Cassadee Pope – I Am Invincible

though the four chord progression is overdone, the melody and lyrics are powerful. I wasn't sure the lyrics especially concerning "diamond cut to last", but the song is fine overall. (B+)

Ariana Grande – 34+35

Even though the song is very explicit, including an unusual idea with 69 and "fuck me till the daylight", Ariana's pop song is reasonably catchy and well sung. (85/100)

Special Match/Battle: Refrain (Ian) VS Love (A-Lin)

TLDR: "Refrain" (95/100) is a bittersweet love song similar to Love by A-Lin (97/100), but Refrain is too predictable, and not as powerful. "No Time To Die" winning my shuffle encouraged me to boost it to 96, show casing a more unique aspect to 96 compared to 95. While Tribute by Tenacious D is exceptionally …

A Lin [A-Lin] – Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwkncQAGdnc&ab_channel=%E8%8A%92%E6%9E%9CTV%E9%9F%B3%E4%B9%90MGTVMusic Touching and powerful, the transitions between sad and joyful moments present a song much like the ups and downs of real life. Incredibly well done. (97/100) 2024 note: My rating hasn't really changed (if anything, maybe an even higher score, though I am reluctant to hand out perfect scores), but I will not this …

Scatman – Scatman John

With a curious melody and interesting scat, John presents a curious song that differs quite significantly from my usual pop rock selection, though not from the older electronic songs. (B+)

Hooverphonics – Mad About You

with a very soothing sensual voice, you could say I'm Mad About You, Hooverphonics. (A)

Jessie Ware – Soul Control

It's hard to judge how good this song truly is; it has under one million views but excellent reviews under RateyourMusic. I considered that most people would consider this better than Lapis Lazuli, but different taste audiences have differing opinions. My personal view is that the pop half-disco ish idea isn't bad, but might be …

Stephanie Mabey – Zombie Song

Silly and goofy, this is *mabey* a good song, but some people might prefer a more serious message. (80/100)

Disclosure, Aminé, slowthai – My High

though it certainly doesn't deserve my standard "my five rap songs" argument, My High is just a little off base and feels too strange for my taste. (60/100 - F+)