New Music Friday Review: 26th January.

Sorry this is so late, truth is I have been really lazy and New Music Friday last week really wasn't anything to get overly excited about, sure, Justin Timberlake brought in one of my favourite country artists Chris Stapleton for a collaboration on JT's new album, and there's a strange collaboration between country singer Maren Morris with EDM stars Zedd and Grey and also Lady Gaga.


Song: Say Something
Artists: Justin Timberlake, Chris Stapleton




Part of me is annoyed that it's taken Chris Stapleton collaborating with Justin Timberlake for Stapleton to have any kind of mainstream currency on the Australian singles chart given Stapleton's back catalog includes the incredible "Parachute" from the album "Traveller" o "Second One to Know" from "From a Room Volime 1' both of which are still better than this song. Oh sure, the song is okay with it's more acoustic Latin than Americana/roots vibe in the production and the harmonies between Timberlake and Stapleton are alright, it's okay without really being anything great.


Rating: 6/10


 Song: Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?) - Piano version
Artist: Lady Gaga



Lady Gaga is finally bringing down the curtain on the Joanne era with a piano version of the title track and really for all the attention seeking loud and kind obnoxious pop songs she has done, this might well be the best thing she has ever done, a tribute to her Aunt Joanne that is deeply emotional and played completely from the point of view of Lady Gaga's family with the production with just a piano and acoustic elements with Lady Gaga's voice bringing the emotion. Nice job from Gaga and Mark Ronson.


Rating: 8/10



Song: The Middle
Artists: Maren Morris, Zedd, Grey




Zedd has a habit of collaborating with mostly female pop singers with his most successful collab being "Stay" with Alessia Cara which spent some time in the ARIA singles chart top ten last year and I have to say that the least impressive thing about this song is that Zedd repeats the formula for "Stay" with the similar ticking sound etc to make "The Middle" sound perilously close to "Stay" part 2 except trading Alessia Cara for country singer Maren Morris. None of this awful production is Maren's fault, she is doing her level best to sell the song but I think I'll stick with "My Church" and Maren's collab with Niall Horan "Seeing Blind".

Rating: 5/10. Maren Morris singing is literally the best thing about this and saved it from lower.



Song: Perfect
Artists: Topic, Ally Brooke



For those who aren't familiar with the name Ally Brooke, she is a member of Fifth Harmony, this song is her second venture outside of the Fifth Harmony environment, she's teamed up with German DJ Topic who in 2016 scored a top 20 hit with "Home" featuring Nico Santos, so how is "Perfect"? Honestly it's your stereotypical EDM love song with Brooke singing about her partner telling her she's perfect every time she's feeling "not really worth it", the lyrics are kind of cute but the production isn't any different to what I hear from a Marshmello or Zedd song


Rating: 6/10. It's okay but it's not great by any measure.


Best of the week: I am giving this to Lady Gaga for "Joanne (Where do You think You're Goin')". That song connected for me


Worst of the Week: I hate myself for doing this because I adore Maren Morris but "The Middle" by Maren, Zedd and Gray is getting basically for being 2nd part of a previous hit song.


Next New Music Friday review:
"Savior" by Iggy Azalea feat Quavo (as if there hasn't been enough Migos related material around lately)
"Wasted" by Peking Duk
"Mistakes' by Middle Kids
"Tonight" by Baby Animals

See you soon for ARIA top ten/chart review and "A Hit Somewhere Else in the World"