Shawn Mendes (3) – Week Of July 22, 2017

Hey guys! Not too much really happened this week. We did say goodbye to some old songs thankfully. We also got three good new songs on here, one of which I'm surprised debuted so quickly, so that's also good. Aside from that, not too much going on. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Maroon 5 – Cold (#35)
• Niall Horan – This Town (#40)
• Machine Gun Kelly/Camila Cabello – Bad Things (#45)

Last Week's #1 Song: Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay

The Countdown

45. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#43)

44. Maroon 5 – Don't Wanna Know (#44) [3 Weeks At #1]

43. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#30)

42. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#42)

41. Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times (#38)

40. Erin Bowman – Good Time Good Life (#29)

39. Fitz & The Tantrums – HandClap (#37)

38. Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later (#41)

37. All Time Low – Good Times (DEBUT)

36. Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club (#27)

35. Fall Out Boy – Champion (DEBUT)

34. Jon Bellion – Overwhelming (#39)

33. Miley Cyrus – Malibu (#15)

32. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (DEBUT)

31. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#33)

30. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor (#34)

29. Train – Play That Song (#31)

28. Noah Cyrus – Stay Together (#26)

27. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#32) [8 Weeks At #1]

26. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#28)

25. Childish Gambino – Redbone (#36)

24. Julia Michaels – Issues (#24)

23. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#12)

22. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#23)

21. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#25) [1 Week At #1]

20. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#21)

19. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#18)

18. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#19)

17. The Chainsmokers – Paris (#16) [1 Week At #1]

16. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#17)
15. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#20)
14. AJR – Weak (#22)
13. Halsey – Now Or Never (#14)
12. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#13) [9 Weeks At #1]
11. Charlie Puth – Attention (#10)
10. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#11)
  9. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#8)
  8. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#5)
  7. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#9)
  6. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#7)
  5. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#3) [3 Weeks At #1]
  4. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#6) [3 Weeks At #1]
  3. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#1) [4 Weeks At #1]
  2. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#4)
  1. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#2) [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Miley Cyrus – Malibu (–18)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Childish Gambino – Redbone (+11)

New Entrants
~ This week, we have the return of All Time Low as they debut with Good Times. I personally thought Dirty Laundry was a better song. This one's good too, but it's not something that's gonna stick with me. It's pretty close to being in blue right now. Maybe it'll grow on me with more listens. But for now, there isn't that much to it that really stands out.

~ We also have the return of Fall Out Boy with Champion. This is a MASSIVE step up from Young and Menace, which thankfully flopped. That was a mess. Champion was produced a lot better, has great vocals, and has great instrumentals. This feels a little bit more like the old Fall Out Boy that everyone loved and wants again. I think they're going in a good direction if they keep making songs like this one. I'm sure it'll do well here.

~ I'm quite impressed with how quickly Hits 1 picked up on Wild Thoughts. I think this is a reasonable step up from I'm The One. I'm The One had this very weird sound to it and no one sounded good except for Bieber, who actually only sounded okay. Wild Thoughts grabbed my attention right from the start. DJ Khaled really stepped up his game with the production. I love the sampling with the guitar from Santana's Maria Maria. I think it fits well with the rest of song. Rihanna's vocals shine bright like a diamond (see what I did there?) and I think Bryson Tiller has a really solid verse. I think he has a really good voice. All in all, it's a really good song and I hope it does well. It's a lot better than I'm The One, so hopefully it can do better than that song performance-wise.


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list:

• Bebe Rexha – The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody) (DEBUT)
• The All-American Rejects – Sweat (DEBUT)
• Andy Grammer – Give Love
• The Chainsmokers – Honest
• Paramore – Hard Times
• Kesha – Praying
• Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (DEBUT)
• Julia Michaels – Uh Huh
• Harry Styles – Two Ghosts (DEBUT)
• Shawn Hook/Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me
• Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder
• Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
• Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl

~ I'll talk about most of the entrants some other time. The only one I'll talk about now is Sweat. I consider myself a fan of The All-American Rejects. They've had a ton of good songs, mainly from their album Move Along. Sweat is a lot different from what they've done before. But it's still something I can get into. I'll admit that it wasn't that great when I first listened to it earlier this month when it was released. But after a few more listens, I've come to realize that it is a good song. The All-American Rejects have done well yet again.

~ I'm sure everyone wants to know why I dislike Sorry Not Sorry. This sound is just not for her. I don't think it fits with her voice at all. The worst part of the song is easily the chorus. She sounds very pitchy and the background voices that say "I'm not sorry" sound awful. And you'd think with that build-up that the chorus would have a little more to offer. Instead it feels very similar to This Is What You Came For, where the build-up is decent, but the drop (in this case the chorus) is just very underwhelming production-wise. The verses are okay, but not something that grabs my attention. Overall, this is not at all what I was expecting from Demi Lovato. She has done MUCH better, especially with Demi, which had some very enjoyable singles. But Sorry Not Sorry is not a good lead single in my opinion. And it's too bad because I really like her. This is probably the first song from her I've legitimately disliked. Oh well. Maybe her next single will be better.

~ It took a while, but I've finally grown into Imagine Dragons – Thunder. I still don't like the little annoying voice that constantly says thunder. But every part of the song isn't that bad. However, it's still nothing compared to the singles off of Night Visions.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Kesha – Praying
2. Shawn Hook/Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me
3. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You
4. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
5. The All-American Rejects – Sweat


Wild Blurbs
~ For some reason, AJR – Weak is back in the Top 20. I'm honestly just really tired of this song. It's not good at all and the fact that it's still here is pretty annoying. Please drop soon.

~ While Weak is back in the Top 20, Despacito has dropped out of the Top 20 for some strange reason. This song is the biggest song in the country right now, so I'm not exactly sure why it's not getting treated like that. This should be in the Top 5 right now, not outside of the Top 20.

~ I'm also baffled by the jump to #25 from Redbone. I don't see the appeal and this just isn't the type of song I would expect to hear on Hits 1. But the fact that this is popular at all is already mind-blowing.

~ And of course, Malibu just HAD to drop all the way out of the Top 30. Why? Just why? This is actually a really good song and it still does poorly. I don't get it. Hopefully it can hold out a little while longer.

~ Crying In The Club has dropped out of the Top 30. Hopefully it can stay here and leave soon. It's not good enough to be a hit. Try again, Camila.

~ Due to the debut of Wild Thoughts, I'm The One took quite the drop into the Bottom 5. Although this is one of the biggest songs right now, I really don't care if it leaves. It's not that great of a song. I don't know how, but it actually kind of got worse after listening to Wild Thoughts, which is a big step down. It just shows the mediocre side of DJ Khaled.

~ And of course, Don't Wanna Know is still here. Cold is the better song by just a little bit. And for some reason, that one left first. I was hoping I'd never get annoyed with a Maroon 5 song again after Sugar, and now here we are. Do us all a favor and just leave.

~ With our other exits, This Town and Bad Things both got old and it's about time they left.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar
19. AJR – Weak
18. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

1 – Bad:
17. Halsey – Now Or Never
16. Imagine Dragons – Believer

2 – Mediocre:
15. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:
14. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You
13. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay

4 – Good:
12. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go

5 – Great:
11. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
10. The Chainsmokers – Paris
9. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
8. Charlie Puth – Attention
7. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee
6. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
5. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls
4. Lady Gaga – The Cure
3. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. TIE: Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
1. TIE: The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

Total Score: 71/100 = 71% (C–)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way

Most Missed Countdown Song: Pitbull/John Ryan – Fireball

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Kesha – Learn To Let Go (not much good new music out right now)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza (#1)


My Top 5 Picks
1. TIE: The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This
1. TIE: Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
3. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
5. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me

America's Got Talent: Judge Cuts Week 1

Now that the auditions are over, all the acts that advanced have one more performance before it is decided whether or not they'll be advancing to the live shows. There are four weeks of Judge Cuts. Each week, 20 acts perform, but only 7 can advance. Each week, a new guest judge joins the judging panel and they are given one golden buzzer to use on an act they love to send them straight to the live shows, giving them one of the 7 spots.


So here is my review for the first week of AGT's Judge Cuts.


Week 1:

This week, comedian and television host Chris Hardwick joined the judging panel. He's most known for hosting AMC's The Talking Dead and NBC's The Wall.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ-i5mE0G58
Link to Judges' Comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YSG71PUxkw
~ Sara & Hero: Sara & Hero are a dog act. They basically just do a bunch of tricks, but they also have a storyline added to the performance. They got a little bit of a mixed reaction for their audition and just barely got three yes'. This time around, I do think they definitely stepped it up. There were better tricks and there was a better storyline. I don't like very many dog acts because they usually get pretty boring. But I definitely enjoyed this performance. However, I don't think it's something that'll necessarily go far. But it was good.



Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtrCnWTVxY0&t=4s (0:09 - 0:30)
~ The Baker Family: The Baker Family are a bluegrass band. Their performance was really short and really wasn't anything amazing. They were okay, but with how short the act was, it's likely they aren't going through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtrCnWTVxY0&t=4s (0:36 - 0:48)
~ Mariachi Nuevo Santander: These guys are a mariachi group. My review for them is practically as the Baker Family. Their performance was very short and it was only okay. So they're probably not going through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtrCnWTVxY0&t=4s
Link to Judges' Comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JNMbdVuW_Q
~ The Masqueraders: The Masqueraders are a vocal group. Each member is over 70 years old and they've been singing for a good 50 years. They've been trying to make it big, but it just never happened. So now here they are. I really liked their audition and I really like this performance as well. They are very talented singers and I'm glad they decided to come on the show because they have some true talent. My guess is that they'll be going through and they'll probably get pretty far.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW6ZYK16N2c
~ Eric Jennifer: Eric is a comedian. His act was short and really bad. His jokes weren't that funny, him constantly saying, "Make some NOISE," got old really quick, and his presentation was just really annoying. Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum both buzzed the act. Hopefully, he won't go through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cngtKAndtTs
~ Harrison Greenbaum: Harrison is a comedian. Right off the bat, he was much better than Eric. His act was good, but I liked his audition better. This one felt pretty short and not every joke hit me as funny when I first heard them. He might go through, but probably not.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm_Ub29ZxVU
~ Dancing Pumpkin Man: Dancing Pumpkin Man is a dancer. Apparently, this guy had some kind of video that went viral. But I didn't actually know anything about him until his audition. While he's not the best dancer in the world, he is pretty funny. I enjoyed the performance in more of a guilty pleasure kind of way. It's a pretty bad act, but I just enjoy it because it's funny. Heidi Klum buzzed the act, so I have my doubts about him going through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu9NTyv7Cc0
~ Tom London: Tom London is a magician. What he does is he combines magic and technology and creates something that's never been done before. I loved his audition and his performance this time around was really good as well. I've never seen this kind of magic before and it's quite amazing. I have no idea how he did it. He's one of my picks to go through to the live shows.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAfmrQfW8OY
~ Eric Jones: Eric Jones is a magician. He does more simple magic with a pack of playing cards. Not exactly anything new, but still good. I'm having a really hard time believing that he changed the back of a card with just the snap of a finger. I've never seen that before and I have no idea how he did that. And somehow, the card with Chris Hardwick's signature magically moved inside of Simon Cowell's buzzer. I honestly have no idea how he did that. I thought it was really good. He might go through, but I'm not too sure.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGahIBbj-wg
Link to Judges' Comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iStuYtTcvrI
~ Angelica Hale: Angelica is a singer. She's only nine years old and was able to nail Rise Up by Andra Day for her audition, which is a difficult song to sing. Now she picked even more of a difficult song, Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys, and once again nailed it. It's unbelievable how she can hit such high notes at that young age. I thought she was incredible and one of the best performances of the night. Chris Hardwick obviously agreed as he chose to give her his one golden buzzer for the night, sending her straight through to the live shows giving her one of the 7 spots. I'm happy with this decision and I know she's gonna go far.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJlCkZN9AoM (0:00 - 0:48)
~ Danylo & Oskar: Danylo and Oskar are an acrobatic duo. They're also father and son, which I think is really cool. I really liked their audition and I enjoyed this performance as well. They really changed it up this time around. However, the act was really short. So they may not make it through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJlCkZN9AoM (0:49 - 1:28)
~ Lera & Nika Tomanova: Lera and Nika are an aerial duo. Their act was similar to Danylo and Oskar where the act was really short. Their wasn't really too much interesting stuff going on anyway. It was okay. But they're most likely not making through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_cYrRNcsBA
~ Yosein Chi: Yosein is a hand balancer. Out of all the hand balancing acts I've seen, this is probably one of the most dangerous. He even balanced his whole body with just his head on a glass. Then he balanced himself over a bunch of knives. It was pretty terrifying. I'd say he could be a contender for the live shows. But I'm not too sure.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kgki6lHszU
~ Darcy Callus: Darcy is a singer and keyboardist. I remember really enjoying his first audition. His performance this time around was really good as well. He's got a really good voice. And he's pretty cute. But the act was relatively short. So although I want him to go through, he probably won't.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FprPq4Mk5t0
~ Carlos De Antonis: Carlos is an opera singer. Usually I don't have much interest in the opera singers because they all usually sound the same. But I do really like this guy. He's such a likable person and I love his presentation. He may not have the best voice out there, but he puts a smile on my face from the moment he walks out on stage. He could be a contender for the live shows, but I'm not too sure.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWf3KwurWyM
~ Canion Shijirbat: Canion is a multimedia dancer. His act is something that I've seen done before many times and also done better. I liked his audition better. This performance felt pretty boring if you ask me. Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell both buzzed the act. So he's most likely not going through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbVtR0cDO8U
~ Just Jerk: Just Jerk are a hip-hop dance group. They're probably one of the best dance groups I've ever seen on America's Got Talent. It's incredible how in sync they are and I love how smooth their moves were. Like Simon Cowell said, it was like a machine. Considering that we don't get very many dance acts, I feel like they'll have a spot in the live shows.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc5eKiM1YHQ
~ Maw Kitty: Maw Kitty is a singer. I'm not entirely sure how she got through the auditions. I thought she was pretty bad. Her voice sucked and she seemed to only be there for Simon. Mel B and Howie Mandel both buzzed the act. So hopefully, she won't be going through.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIJ9S7cL7hQ
~ The Singing Trump: The Singing Trump is an impersonator for Donald Trump. I honestly love this guy because he's just like Trump. And he can entertain. I love how he chose those two Backstreet Boys songs. I also love how he brought his Secret Service as backup dancers. I honestly just loved the whole act. This is originality at its best and I know this guy is going to go far. If he doesn't make it through, it's obviously rigged. I hope he makes it through because he will help make America's Got Talent great again.


Link to Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T53bybf1pU
~ Demian Aditya: Demian is an escape artist. His performance took place outside as he buried himself in chains. His goal was to escape from there before he ran out of air. There was a camera inside so everyone could see what he was doing on this big monitor. Of course the camera went out and everyone was freaking out until one of the guys filling the hole with dirt ended up actually being him. It's really weird and I don't know how he does it. And I think his wife is acting because I'm sure she would've seen the rehearsal. Overall, it is a good act and I think he'll make it through.


Results:

Link to Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1MAZKmnl_g
Link to Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx_psZgpE8A

Acts Moving Forward:

• Angelica Hale, singer (Golden Buzzer)
• The Masqueraders, vocal group
• Sara & Hero, dog act
• The Singing Trump, impersonator
• Just Jerk, hip-hop dance group
• Demian Aditya, escape artist
• Eric Jones, magician

My Top 5 Acts

1. The Singing Trump

2. Angelica Hale

3. Just Jerk

4. Dancing Pumpkin Man

5. Darcy Callus

Zedd (4) – Week Of July 15, 2017

Hey guys! Still working on catching up on all my posts. The 7/22/17 countdown post should be out sometime this week. But first, I do plan on posting my review of the America's Got Talent Judge Cuts Week 1 either tomorrow or Tuesday. Everything else will be figured out as time goes on. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Zayn/Taylor Swift – I Don't Wanna Live Forever (#37)
• Jason Derulo/Nicki Minaj/Ty Dolla $ign – Swalla (#40)

Last Week's #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

The Countdown

45. Machine Gun Kelly/Camila Cabello – Bad Things (#45)

44. Maroon 5 – Don't Wanna Know (#42) [3 Weeks At #1]

43. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#43)

42. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#39) [4 Weeks At #1]

41. Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later (#38)

40. Niall Horan – This Town (#41)

39. Jon Bellion – Overwhelming (#36)

38. Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times (#35)

37. Fitz & The Tantrums – HandClap (#44)

36. Childish Gambino – Redbone (DEBUT)

35. Maroon 5 – Cold (#34)

34. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor (DEBUT)

33. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#31)

32. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#32) [8 Weeks At #1]

31. Train – Play That Song (#29)

30. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#34)

29. Erin Bowman – Good Time Good Life (#30)

28. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#26)

27. Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club (#24)

26. Noah Cyrus – Stay Together (#28)

25. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#27) [1 Week At #1]

24. Julia Michaels – Issues (#16)

23. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#19)

22. AJR – Weak (#22)

21. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#9)

20. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#21)

19. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#20)

18. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#17)

17. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#22)

16. The Chainsmokers – Paris (#10) [1 Week At #1]

15. Miley Cyrus – Malibu (#25)

14. Halsey – Now Or Never (#12)

13. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#11) [9 Weeks At #1]

12. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#15)

11. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#7)

10. Charlie Puth – Attention (#13)

  9. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#14)

  8. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#18)

  7. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#8)

  6. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#5) [3 Weeks At #1]

  5. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#6)

  4. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#3)

  3. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#2) [3 Weeks At #1]

  2. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#1) [2 Weeks At #1]

  1. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#4) [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (–12)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie Between Miley Cyrus – Malibu and Niall Horan – Slow Hands (+10)

New Entrants
~ We have two new entrants this week, as well as two entrants from two weeks ago that I have yet to review. So I'll do those first. We'll start with the unappealing one, Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club. I'll admit that while this song isn't necessarily awful, it is still pretty flavorless. Camila Cabello's vocals sound okay-ish in the chorus, but the verses suck. The production isn't very exciting and ultimately, this song just isn't something to get excited over.

~ Next we have Calvin Harris with the follow-up to Slide, with Feels. Slide was a very good song and Feels still may have managed to top it. It's a very well-produced funky track that I just have a hard time not getting into. Pharrell's vocals fit very well in the verses and I do like Katy Perry's chorus. This song appears to be doing well, which is good. I hope it does very well because it is a really good song unlike a certain song we got from Calvin Harris last year.

~ With this week's debuts, we have Childish Gambino debuting with Redbone. Honestly, this song is just really strange. If I were to listen to this without knowing who the artist was, I would've never guessed it was Childish Gambino. It sounds much different than his other songs. The vocals are really strange and sound terrible. The production is very unappealing as well. All in all, this song has nothing interesting to it. Hopefully it doesn't stay long.

~ Finally we have Bruno Mars debuting with his second song on the countdown. I found Versace On The Floor to be pretty unappealing at first. But thankfully, David Guetta has saved the song. I love the production on the remix. I like how it's a bit more sped up whereas the original was a lot slower. And unlike 24K Magic, we actually get some good vocals from Bruno Mars. He has a great voice and it's nice to hear him really showing it again. My only criticism is the lyrical content, which is essentially the same as the rest of the 24K Magic album. But I have to say, I'm quite impressed. Thank you, David Guetta, for saving this song.


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list:

• Paramore – Hard Times
• Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
• Julia Michaels – Uh Huh
• The Chainsmokers – Honest
• All Time Low – Good Times
• Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling
• Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (DEBUT)
• Andy Grammer – Give Love
• Fall Out Boy – Champion
• DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (DEBUT)
• Kesha – Praying (DEBUT)
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder
• Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
• Shawn Hook/Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me

Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. TIE: Kesha – Praying

1. TIE: Shawn Hook/Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me

3. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts

4. Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling

5. Fall Out Boy – Champion


Blurbs On The Floor
~ I feel like Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay is becoming quite overrated similar to Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving. It's a good song, but it's really not worthy of being #1 for four weeks. Especially when Zedd has done much better. How come Clarity and Stay The Night didn't do this well when they were both better songs?

~ I just realized this past week that Hits 1 finally decided to fix the ordering of artists for It Ain't Me. They finally changed it to Kygo/Selena Gomez, whereas before it was Selena Gomez/Kygo. Considering that this is Kygo's song and Selena did nothing more than just provide vocals, it should've been this way from the start. That put aside, I am happy to see it back in the Top 5. For a song with Selena Gomez, I'm surprised by how much I like it. But it's mostly for what Kygo contributed. But I will admit, Selena does have a good voice. We just don't hear it much because she chooses to whisper in all her songs. That's why I have such differing opinions between It Ain't Me and Bad Liar.

~ Welcome back to the Top 10, L.A. Devotee. I guess you could say you were somewhat missed. And welcome to the Top 10, Slow Hands. You're welcome to stay as long as you like. Especially when we have that #11 just sitting there trying to get back in.

~ It's nice to see Miley Cyrus – Malibu back in the Top 20. I don't remember the last time a Miley Cyrus song did well on the countdown. But I'm glad Hits 1 is being nice to that song because it really shows Miley Cyrus maturing from the craziness she was from Bangerz. Hopefully it continues to do well.

~ It seems as though Train – Play That Song is starting to lose its steam as it fell out of the Top 30. However, I'm very impressed with its run on this countdown. It's been here since November of last year. That's pretty crazy. At this point it can leave and I won't really care. But I'm curious to see how much longer it can go before it leaves.

~ Hits 1 logic: Let's underrate Harry Styles because he's actually really talented and because Sign Of The Times is actually a really good song. Meanwhile, we'll have Liam Payne in the Top 20. Not because he's talented or anything, but because Strip That Down is more radio-friendly. (Smh Hits 1)

~ Meanwhile Jon Bellion – Overwhelming is doing relatively poorly as predicted. I guess now it's a matter of how long it can stay in the Bottom 15, similar to Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later.

~ It's honestly really annoying how Maroon 5 – Don't Wanna Know is still here. This was never even that good of a song to begin with, yet it's been here since October of last year. I said this song wasn't going to survive overplay and sure enough, I was right.

~ It's about time we said goodbye to I Don't Wanna Live Forever. That one got old a long time ago. Swalla, however, did not deserve to go so soon. I would've loved if it stayed, but I'm not too heartbroken that it left.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar

1 – Bad:
19. Liam Payne – Strip That Down
18. Halsey – Now Or Never
17. Imagine Dragons – Believer

2 – Mediocre:
16. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:
15. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You
14. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay

4 – Good:
NONE

5 – Great:
13. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls
12. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
11. Charlie Puth – Attention
10. The Chainsmokers – Paris
9. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee
8. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
7. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
6. Lady Gaga – The Cure
5. Miley Cyrus – Malibu
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
3. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me
2. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

Total Score: 77/100 = 77% (C+)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Linkin Park – In The End

Most Missed Countdown Song: Linkin Park – Burn It Down

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza (#4)


My Top 5 Picks
1. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This
2. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
3. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
5. Miley Cyrus – Malibu

Top 10 Songs: Linkin Park

If you've been on social media at all today, I'm sure you're well aware of the death of Chester Bennington, who's most known for being the lead vocalist of Linkin Park. I first heard the news just a few hours ago and I'm honestly still in shock. It's just hard for me to let that sink in. Linkin Park is a band I've enjoyed for quite a long time and it's crazy to think that Chester is gone. And he was only 41 years old, which is pretty young. But it is very sad and heartbreaking as someone who is a fan of Linkin Park.


Because of this, I've decided to take some time to do a quick post where I count down my Top 10 favorite songs by Linkin Park. It's been a long time since I've done a Top 10 Songs post. But I feel like now is the best time to do a Top 10 post for Linkin Park. They've been around for quite a long time with numerous albums and I've enjoyed a good majority of their work. But I think the big reason why I like Linkin Park is because they take awesome rock vocals from Chester Bennington as well as fantastic rap verses from Mike Shinoda and combine them, which is something I've never heard before. Those elements have made several amazing songs as you're about to see. So without further ado, these are my Top 10 favorite songs from Linkin Park.



10. Guilty All The Same (feat. Rakim) (from "The Hunting Party")



9. Crawling (from "Hybrid Theory")



8. Castle Of Glass (from "Living Things")



7. What I've Done (from "Minutes To Midnight")



6. Somewhere I Belong (from "Meteora")

5. A Light That Never Comes (w/ Steve Aoki) (from "Recharged")



4. Bleed It Out (from "Minutes To Midnight")



3. Numb (from "Meteora")



2. Burn It Down (from "Living Things")



1. In The End (from "Hybrid Theory")


So there you have it. Those are my personal Top 10 favorite songs by Linkin Park. I don't think we'll be getting another album from them and if we do, it won't be the same. Chester was a huge part in what made Linkin Park very enjoyable. But those were my favorite songs by them. Let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are. That is all I have for you. I hope you enjoyed.

Shawn Mendes (2) – Week Of July 8, 2017

This post did come out a little later than I had intended. My apologizes. The next one should be out before the end of the week and have all the usual content. In the meantime, this is another short post. But it's not like anything really went on this week anyway. No songs leaving the countdown this week, so let's get right into it!



Last Week's #1 Song: Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
The Countdown
45. Machine Gun Kelly/Camila Cabello – Bad Things (#45)
44. Fitz & The Tantrums – HandClap (#42)
43. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#41)
42. Maroon 5 – Don't Wanna Know (#44) [3 Weeks At #1]
41. Niall Horan – This Town (#43)
40. Jason Derulo/Nicki Minaj/Ty Dolla $ign – Swalla (#30)
39. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#40) [4 Weeks At #1]
38. Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later (#38)
37. Zayn/Taylor Swift – I Don't Wanna Live Forever (#39)
36. Jon Bellion – Overwhelming (#34)
35. Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times (#31)
34. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#26)
33. Maroon 5 – Cold (#33)
32. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#24) [8 Weeks At #1]
31. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#27)
30. Erin Bowman – Good Time Good Life (#37)
29. Train – Play That Song (#25)
28. Noah Cyrus – Stay Together (#35)
27. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#18) [1 Week At #1]
26. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#29)
25. Miley Cyrus – Malibu (#22)
24. Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club (#32)
23. AJR – Weak (#23)
22. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#21)
21. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#20)
20. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#17)
19. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#19)
18. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#15)
17. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#28)
16. Julia Michaels – Issues (#7)
15. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#36)
14. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#16)
13. Charlie Puth – Attention (#10)
12. Halsey – Now Or Never (#12)
11. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#11) [9 Weeks At #1]
10. The Chainsmokers – Paris (#14) [1 Week At #1]
  9. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#9)
  8. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#8)
  7. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#13)
  6. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#6)
  5. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#1) [3 Weeks At #1]
  4. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#4) [3 Weeks At #1]
  3. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#3)
  2. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#2) [3 Weeks At #1]
  1. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#5) [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Jason Derulo/Nicki Minaj/Ty Dolla $ign – Swalla (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (+21)

New Entrants
~ I apologize, but the new entrants from these past two weeks will all be reviewed next week. There were none this week, but there were two last week (Feels and Crying In The Club). Those will both be reviewed in the next post (this time I swear).


Blurbs
~ Blurbs will also return next week (I promise this time). I apologize for not having them this week. However, I do still have a Top 20 review for you guys.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar
19. Julia Michaels – Issues

1 – Bad:
18. Halsey – Now Or Never
17. Imagine Dragons – Believer

2 – Mediocre:
16. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:
15. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You

4 – Good:
14. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay

5 – Great:
13. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go
12. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
11. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
10. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy
9. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee
8. Charlie Puth – Attention
7. The Chainsmokers – Paris
6. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
5. Lady Gaga – The Cure
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
3. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me
2. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

Total Score: 77/100 = 77% (C+)


Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza (#7)


My Top 5 Picks
1. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This
2. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
3. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
5. Miley Cyrus – Malibu

America's Got Talent: Introduction

Hey guys! Just like I did last year, this year I will be reviewing America's Got Talent again for the second year now. It is my favorite show currently on TV (but keep in mind I don't watch very much TV). If you haven't seen it before, it's a really cool show. So I recommend it. It's basically exactly what it sounds like. It's a talent competition where one act will win a grand prize of one million dollars. But there are obviously a series of stages to get to that point. We are currently in Season 12, it airs on NBC, and new episodes are on every Tuesday and Wednesday*.

*New episodes currently air only on Tuesdays and will begin to air on Wednesdays as well when we reach the live shows.


I've pretty much already talked about how the show works. The first round of auditions were this week. And the auditions are pretty straight forward. We have our host, Tyra Banks (who is our new host replacing Nick Cannon). Our four judges remain the same. We have comedian Howie Mandel, Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown (known as Mel B), German model Heidi Klum, and record/television producer Simon Cowell. Acts perform for the four judges and each judge votes "yes" or "no" as to whether or not the act should move forward in the competition. An act needs a minimum of three yes' to be put through. In the event of a tie (2 yes' and 2 no's), the act does not go through. The judges have red buzzers to press if an act does not meet their standards. If an act gets buzzed by all four judges, the act is eliminated immediately.

The golden buzzer returns for its fourth season. The purpose of the golden buzzer is to send an act straight through to the live shows skipping the Judge Cuts round. Each judge is allowed to use the golden buzzer on one act, so they must choose wisely. The host, Tyra Banks, is also given one golden buzzer to use.

So that's basically how the auditions go. Last year I did not review the auditions. I began reviewing at the Judge Cuts, which is the second round in the competition. I was planning on doing a post where I go through some of the highlights in the auditions. But due to timing, I may just scratch that and start with the Judge Cuts again. The last set of auditions aired this past week. So starting next week, I will hopefully be able to start reviewing the show while also attempting to keep up with my countdown posts. I know my timing has been off these past several weeks. But I'm trying to improve on that. So I guess we'll see how things go. I really want to do this again so I'm really going to try to get these posts out on a regular basis. If you're not interested in the show whatsoever, you can just disregard the posts and come only for the countdown posts as I do plan on recapping the countdown at the same time. So yeah. That's all I have for you. I'm going to be out tomorrow so the 7/8/17 countdown should hopefully be out on Sunday.