here they are:
"Fire" by Black Pumas: The sleek, sophisticated neo-soul music of Black Pumas continues burning up the adult alt charts with their third Triple A radio hit, "Fire". This song should strike a chord with people who were fans of Black Pumas ever since they debuted with "Black Moon Rising", as it continues in the vintage funk/soul direction of that song, as opposed to the folk-soul fusion of their fall '19 hit, "Colors". "Fire" is a song that builds a fire within you...in a good way, of course. The song is a bold declaration of love, with lead singer Eric Burton reassuring his lover that he'll be with her no matter what happens. This is the kind of love we all need these days!
"Salt And the Sea" by The Lumineers: Contrary to their normally sunny sound, The Lumineers are no strangers to dark subject matter. "Salt And the Sea" is the first Lumineers song I've heard so far, though, that sounds as dark as it actually is. The starkness of the song and the fact that it opens with and centers around a minor chord set the tone. As far as Lumineers songs go, "Salt And the Sea" could be likened to a Greek tragedy, with the lead character of the song seeming to plot revenge on his enemy. The ambulances blaring in the background towards the end of the song only add to the disquieting quiet this song has to offer.
"The Buzz" by The Pretenders: A few Pretenders songs from the last 10 years or so, such as "Holy Commotion" and "Boots of Chinese Plastic", have burned with righteous fury. In spite of its edgy title, "The Buzz" is not such a song. However, it does provide a nice fusion of folk-rock and power pop in a way that early Pretenders songs like "Kid" and "Stop Your Sobbing", the latter of which was originally a Kinks song, did. "The Buzz" is basically "Kid - redux", but it is nice to see that Chrissie can still rock it, even softly, after over 40 years of her band's existence. When I saw her without The Pretenders in concert last summer, I was afraid that she had lost her rock and roll spark. With "The Buzz", she's slowly coming back to her senses. Perhaps part of the reason this is a slower song is because the lyrics tell the tale of both a romance gone wrong and how love can be addictive like a drug. Had Chrissie been a newbie at relationships, this song probably would have sounded more raw, but having been through all the experiences she has been through by now, "The Buzz" sounds like a song that came from a defeated lover with a bruised and battered heart.
