Maya's Tenfold Tunes: 01/19

As I constantly find myself narrating life's events to an unintentional soundtrack every month of each year, I quickly realized that others probably have as well! It's easy to connect certain songs to particular past memories. With this key notion in mind, I thought it would be fun to rank my ten most played songs from each month from least to most favorite! I will give brief summaries containing my favorite lyrics, musical dynamics, and production characteristics of each song below. If you're intrigued by any of the details listed, I also made sure to include each artist's website, social media, a direct link to the track, and whichever album/single the song was released. Since I decided to only post cover art rather than a video link, I wanted to clarify that these songs are available on all major streaming services (Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Pandora, Youtube, etc.). I hope you enjoy!

#10: "Mania Is Temporary" by Njomza

Album Title: Vacation

Artist Website: https://www.facebook.com/NJOMZAmusic/

Twitter/IG: @NJOMZA / @notnjomza

Song Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/1p2nvOx8oqt2lfKDnOIaUW

Description:

"I'm looking for a, looking for a way out

Giant distance traveled a long way now"

The beautifully electric Njomza first came across my regular playlist as the sultry and mysterious vocalist that accompanied Mac Miller on his love-ordaining "Planet God Damn" from his 2016 album The Divine Feminine. Since that was my favorite song from the album, I always wondered, who was the face to the soothing voice I heard every morning, noon, and night? It wasn't until the end of 2018 that I finally learned the answer. Other than seeing her perform at Miller's memorial tribute that took place in October, I had never put a face with the artist's alias, and then randomly on the way home from college there was a new song titled "Lonely Nights" on my Spotify discover playlist! The song was a lead single of Njomza's latest EP, Vacation, that I gradually placed in my daily rotation. Although the EP has several incredible works, "Mania Is Temporary" is an elusive, mellow introduction to the artist's newest sound. Although the track only lasts about two minutes long, the slow and minor pitched arrangement placed me in a trance every time it came across my phone. Njomza's lyrics are short and sweet, yet they leave such an intriguing resonance that listeners can't resist hearing what's in store for this euphoric eardrum vacation. Although Njomza has worked with the likes of Mac Miller and Thundercat, and even has some writing credits on Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next album, she still has yet to truly impact the general public with her own sound! I believe it's finally time for less adventurous music streamers to have a proper introduction to this brilliant songstress and give her the full credit she truly deserves!

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#9: "U" by Jaden Smith

Album Title:Syre

Artist Website: https://www.jadensmith.com

Twitter/IG: @officialjaden / @c.syresmith

Song Link:https://open.spotify.com/track/3TVhQk4BP6rQTEovefTpNO

Description:

"This isn't me, it's my reflection

My purity is the protection from the insecurities of a section of my soul"

Okay, I can admit that I am a little late to officially join the Jaden Smith train, rather listening to a few tracks like "Fast," "PCH," and " Give It to Em" via SoundCloud, but it's easy to proclaim that his latest work SYRE has me spellbound. It honestly took me a little bit of time to fully understand this album, cause from my initial listen the first thought that came to my mind was "absolutely chaotic." Gradually, the more and more I started to hear the lurking lyrical metaphors, similes and personifications in each song, especially in "U," the more I realized that SYRE bestowed organized chaos. With "U" in particular, I love how the song changes dynamics not two, not three, but four times in wording, dynamics, instrumentation, and emotion. Smith goes from declaratory to hype to rage to resolution, and that's just the words that are leaving his mouth! The production, use of percussion, overwhelming high-hat dynamics, and slightly overbearing impact of everything that accompanies Smith's already intense lyrics makes this whole track a shocking work of art. In all honesty, it's hard to even verbally explain the lyrical genius that Smith has presented with this track, despite people undermining his talent in reference to his last name and parents' legacy in Hollywood. As almost disrespectful as it sounds to even think this... I feel like the Smith offspring (both Jaden & Willow) are going to be the truly musically-gifted generation of one of the nation's most recognizable family dynasties. Sorry Will!

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#8: "Who Hurt You?" by Daniel Caesar

Album Title:Who Hurt You? (Single Version)

Artist Website: https://danielcaesar.com

Twitter/IG: @DanielCaesar / @danielcaesar

Song Link:https://open.spotify.com/album/15M9pZ8gsdoN67yLjyQ039

Description:

"You make me feel so primal and

That's what I am, I'm just a man"

Every avid music listener has at least heard some variation of Daniel Caesar at least once, whether that be on popular radio stations, as a feature on another RnB artist's track, or even a DIY artist covering one of his lovesick songs on social media. Basically, Daniel Caesar is an up-and-coming artist with a very fortunate start to his professional music career, including two Grammy nominations already under his belt. I first heard about Caesar during the summer of 2016, before my senior year of high-school. At that time, he just had a small number of singles that would become hits within the following year, like "Get You," We Find Love," and "Blessed." Although Freudian definitely remained in my top ten albums list from late 2017 to early 2018, I ended up venturing away from Caesar's falsetto croons for a few months to explore other underground artists. It wasn't until I heard "Who Hurt You?" pop up on a station I was streaming while studying that I halted my deep focus and looked to see whose morphed yet still beautiful voice was playing through my headphones. I loved the slight changes in Caesar's vocal styling through production, singing the entire second verse with a warped voice, double-octave lower than his usual range. I also appreciated that this was the first time one of his praised love songs had an actual narration, which is his fling with an obscure "Priscilla." The track also seems much more up-tempo than his usually slow and sensual rhythm that either has some sort of piano or guitar-led melody. "Who Hurt You?" sounds sexy yet sweet, naughty yet nice, and a perfect vibe to help listeners relax, get to work, or take a nightly stroll.

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#7: "Love and Happiness" by Al Green

Album Title: I'm Still in Love with You

Artist Website: https://www.facebook.com/algreen/

Twitter/IG: @algreen / N/A

Song Link:https://open.spotify.com/track/13FkFPnKX1eC2V3nwSy5YB

Description:

"Make you do right, love'll make you do wrong

Make you come home early

Make you stay out all night long"

This entry is a bit of a tribute to one of my best friends, my grandmother. During the second half of the four-week holiday break, my family was helping my granny set up her brand new iPhone6... it was a long Sunday night. Well, seeing that her favorite artist in life is Al Green, my aunt surprised her by making "Love & Happiness" her ringtone. She was ecstatic! For the remainder of the break, I heard Green's tenor voice crooning out the song's title followed by a funky electric guitar being plucked with great care. The bopping tempo not only gives me a feeling of nostalgia for my home or my family, but it also helps me imagine what it was like to be my granny's age in the 1960s. What a time to be a twenty-something right? It's easy to say that I basically took her with me, because every day for the rest of January (and part of February), I couldn't make it through the day without some "Love & Happiness!" For my fellow millennials who possibly have not encountered one of the greatest soul artists in the 1950s to the 1970s, please check out Mr. Green's sweet and stylistic grooves! He is honestly one of the greatest voices to ever impact American music.

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#6: "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" by Ariana DeBose, LaChanze, and Storm Lever

Album Title: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

Artist Website: http://thedonnasummermusical.com

Instagrams: @arianadebose / @_stormieweather / @mslachanze

Description:

"There's nothing left for us here

And we won't waste another tear"

Alright, this one is for all my music theatre nerds out there! The farther I progress into my twenties, the more I realize that though I tend not to listen to Broadway shows' cast recordings' as often, my secret love for them will never subside. While spending the days leading to the new year in Manhattan, I had the incredible opportunity to see Summer: A Donna Summer Musical, narrating the disco legend's life and legacy via a two-hour opera. The show had plenty of highlights, of course (enough that I could probably write an entry about the show alone), but when Ariana DeBose started the initially somber intro to "No More Tears," I knew I was hooked! The song is the perfect female anthem, proclaiming that Donna and every other woman in the world is through with complying to society's rules, regulations, and men. All three leads did an astounding job recreating the song initially recorded by Summer and music legend Barbara Streisand, giving it life, new meaning, and a lasting impression on the whole audience. No wonder I still play it at least once a day while getting ready in the morning!

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#5: "Juice" by Iyla

Album Title: WAR + RAINDROPS

Artist Website: https://www.facebook.com/iylablue/

Twitter/IG: @iylablue / @iylablue

Song Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/2i41oantIIy5n2Hqsnvbgp

Description:

"You just dropped out the sky,

You just fell in my lap, you just crashed in my life

Run that shit run it back"

If you haven't heard of this fiery, floral, red-headed artist, you still have a chance before she impacts the mainstream radio airwaves. 'Cause trust me... she will. I luckily had a chance to listen to her lead single, "Juice," after catching a couple odd yet colorful shots from the song's music video. "Juice" comes from Iyla's debut EP, titled War + Raindrops,that contains five musically diverse R&B and early 2000s pop tracks, and her popularity is skyrocketing literally by the day! Since I listened to "Juice" for first time in mid-January, the song has moved from about 400,000 streams to 2.8 million. The song is an excellently slow yet spunky proclamation of young love that tends to never make sense, but as Miss Iyla reminds the listeners, you usually have to go with the overall vibe. Her backing vocalists also do an immaculate job of establishing a flowing, head-nodding energy to assist Iyla with her nonchalantly fierce flair. Between this song and "Breathing" by AG, I don't know which one makes me want to hop on a giant swing in the clouds more! I believe the public will immediately fall in love with this young vocalist, because she has a bit of everything placed in one act. Her image resembles a model from Tumblr, her vocal stylings mirror those of Neo-soul artists like SZA and Jhene Aiko, her artistic aesthetic insinuates misunderstood beauty, and she's just getting started. I cannot wait to see what else Iyla has in store for the industry, and hopefully we have a full album in the works to be released next year!

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#4: "imagine" by Ariana Grande

Album Title: Thank U, Next

Artist Website: http://www.arianagrande.com

Twitter/IG: @ArianaGrande / @arianagrande

Song Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/61c5zqfBCSPO1tb3DFbbFB

Description:

"Baby, direct it, name in the credits

Like the movies do"

Whew. This one is gonna feel hella biased, but it must be done. So, one thing my readers must learn about me right off the bat in order to have a healthy and happy writer-to-audience relationship is that I absolutely adore Miss Ariana Grande-Butera. We have been in a committed relationship with one another for six and a half years now, so forgive me, but it'll be rare to see one of these lists without her face plastered somewhere down the list. Okay, onto "imagine!" This is probably one of the most vulnerably heartbreaking songs so far in Grande's discography, describing a lovesick girl's fairytale dream to spend a normal day with the love of her life. Granted, all of that feels unattainable when you reign as the world's leading pop star straight out of a short-term engagement and mourning your former lover's passing. Although the falsetto verses, trap-backed chorus, and organ accompanied bridge sound nothing short of a fairytale, the sad reality that this life is far from Grande's reality turns the single into a beautiful nightmare. While it was gradually overshadowed by her two competing singles, "thank, u next" and "7 rings," I will always praise and openly promote the daunting masterpiece that is "imagine." Plus, those perfected whistle-tone notes at the end are basically telling Ms. Mariah to eat her heart out.

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#3: "Wait 4 Me" by Shenzi

Album Title: VOL. 1

Artist Website: https://www.shenzimusic.com

Instagram: @shenzimusic

Song Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0ENsUleyrs4TunU7sRemhZ

Description:

"All I want is you to wait for me too,

I said for wait for me"

The easiest way for me to describe Shezi's lovesick utopia of layered instrumentation is a musical orgasm. Period. I don't know if that is appropriate to say in my first ever published work, but once you hear all the different elements that occur lyrically, emotionally, and in each section of the song, it's hard to consider it anything less than the fact. One small tidbit I adore is the song's introduction, featuring a girl persistently proclaiming that she'll never let go of her lover. I love songs that include not only lyrical or musical improvisations, but also try to include spoken word, whether that be a speech, poem, or even a simple voicemail. Although the band consists of several members, their lead vocalist for this song is a silky-smooth, alluring man, who honestly resembles the likes of Michael Bublé if he ever sang R&B music. "Wait 4 Me" consists of two up-tempo percussion and guitar-heavy verses, a catchy chorus, and a breakdown that resembles the closest thing I'll ever get to technicolor trip. There may or may not be a slamming piano solo featured as well! Overall, Shenzi is already out-creating and outperforming thousands of established bands with this EP, VOL. 1,alone. If you like funk, jazz, emphasized bass, talented pianists, or beautifully orchestrated love songs, then please check out this incredibly talented group on all streaming services!

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#2: "T.F.I.L." by M'Lynn

Album Title: T.F.I.L. (Single Version)

Artist Website: https://mlynnmusic.com

Twitter/IG: @mlynnmusgrove / @mlynnsta

Song Link:https://open.spotify.com/album/2PVubvOYaeBcID26bnMljP

Description:

"Just thinking about all the ways you have hurt me now,

But your love is so hard to find"

Well, go ahead and call the biased police once again, because my one-sided adoration for this song is through the roof! Anyways, time for another story! I promise this one is shorter, but basically my freshman year in college, I roomed with a pretty girl that liked to wear floral dresses, had a tea stash behind her keyboard, and nearly killed every succulent she ever brought home. She was an artistic development major at our music school and had the voice of an angel that was possessed by Carole King. One day as I walked back in our door room, I heard these ethereal, stunning chords being played on the keyboard as she hummed a melody that I would hear pretty much the entire school year. Fast forward another year and the same girl informs me she's coming out with a new single titled "T.F.I.L.," and being the supportive ex-roomie I am, I beamed with excitement that there would be another tune for me to sing along to in the shower. Granted, when M'Lynn released "T.F.I.L.," I did not realize that it was the lullaby I had heard an entire year of my life, or that she had turned a gorgeously somber ballad into a jazzy-flair bop. Yes, M'Lynn, if you're reading this, I called your song a bop. Seriously, the keyboard accompaniment, the vocal clarity, the lazy guitar plucks that sounds like it was being recorded on the other side of the room... it creates the most relaxing, magical serenity that just makes anyone wanna spend a day reading haikus or drive to the beach. So, everyone hurry and stream this baby to death, cause this single is making it to the charts soon! Plus, it's always fun to be a fan before an artist gets trendy, and my dear friend is a walking music trend waiting to happen.

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#1: "Perfect Circle / God Speed" by Mac Miller

Album Title: GO:OD AM

Artist Website: http://www.macmillerswebsite.com

Twitter/IG: @MacMiller / @macmiller

Song Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/4TlN2LSHn3DzauUe77l0ib

Description:

"Opened up my eyes, shit, I’m finally awake, Good morning.

Yeah, Good morning"

It's a little ironic that this song made the top of my list for the month when it was actually the very last song I played in 2018. I know, what a cliché, but it was a beautiful accident! There was no better way to ring in 2019 than hearing "Perfect Circle" effortlessly transition into "God Speed" right at 12:01, making the late Mac Miller, aka Larry Fisherman aka Malcolm McCormick, the first voice to pass my airwaves for the next 365 days. I guess you could call it a bittersweet symphony, but we aren't here to grieve, we're here to celebrate music! Basically, "Perfect Circle / God Speed" is a two-part song smacked right in the middle of Miller's GO:OD AM album, discussing rejuvenation, addiction, a goodbye sentence that turns into a greeting, and a symbolic proclamation that there will always be light at the end of the tunnel. Although the painfully foreshadowing lyrics to the latter end of the work seem more fitting to close out the album, I find it astonishingly symbolic that Miller had another five to six songs to follow such a vulnerable piece of art outing his difficulty to stay clean for those that loved him. As the song's closing depicts Miller waking up his friend and fellow artist, Vince Staples, to get ready for the following day, he subliminally reminds listeners that no matter what happens to us or to those we love, time still goes on. There will always be another day ahead, even on the ones that feel like forever. Although losing such a young talent in his prime felt cruel and unusual, I heard the song as a silent message that it's time to move on to another year, another chapter, another endeavor, as time waits for no one. I will always take Malcolm's legacy on the ride with me, but until then, Good Morning.

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