New Music Friday: Meghan Trainor is back

Look, let's just get stuck into this week's New Music Friday Review without going through a whole preamble cause I got to be honest, it was a tough week for new music last week which saw the returns of Meghan Trainor and DJ Khaled, Khaled bringing along three big name stars in the world of hip hop and R 'n' B along for the ride so I suspect I might well either be pleasantly surprised or getting on board the conga line of suck.

Song: No Excuses 

Artist: Meghan Trainor

So the woman, who many put at the top of their worst hit songs of 2016 lists for "Me Too" and quite rightly so that song was insufferable each and every way you looked at it, is back with a brand new single called "No Excuses" and I have to say the song is growing on me in terms of the instrumentation, it's definitely got that instrumental appeal about it but the lyrics are the problem with this song as per usual with a Meghan Trainor song which are nauseatingly repetitive especially into the chorus until Meghan sings "Your mama raised you better than that, huh!" and the verses really don't tell a story of how this guy is 'disrespecting' her and the "huh!" noise is not at all flattering.

So really it's an instrumental improvement overall. 

Rating: 5/10. I'm sticking with Aretha when I want a 'respect anthem'

Song: Top Off 

Artists: DJ Khaled, Future, Jay Z, Beyonce

Oh boy, I wasn't at all looking forward to writing about this song because it the simple and purest language, I can effectively say this is the WORST song DJ Khaled has ever released. Future sounds like he was having an off day so phoned it in while Beyonce strangely tries rap comes off sounding worse for the effort, Jay Z maybe fares the best but when the most interesting take aways from this song are Beyonce calling out Tiffany Haddish and Kim Kardashian and joining Jay Z in calling for the release of Meek Mill from jail in amidst bragging over their immense wealth, it's really not much of a song at all.

Rating: 2/10

Song: Golden Age

Artist: Fergus James

This song was an oasis in a desert of crap and any wonder it's so good when Mark Lizzotte was one of the co-writers on 'Golden Age" but firstly to explain who Fergus James is, he is an 18 year old from Sydney who is currently getting plenty of attention courtesy of Triple J's Unearthed and cites Vance Joy as one of his influences.

Well I'll say this for Fergus, this song is better than a large majority of Vance Joy's last album, "Golden Age" on piano, synths and percussion but it's done really well and has this absolutely anthemic chorus. This should be a hit but knowing how Australia has kind of rejected music by Aussie artists in recent years I don't hold out much hope

Rating: 9/10

Song: Ballroom

Artist: Jack River

Look, I really don't have much to say about this song except that it is fantastic and that Jack River needs a lot more mainstream recognition. Please give this woman a chance.


Rating: 8/10


Best of the week: In a terrible week for new music, "Golden Age" by Fergus James gets the best

Worst of the week: "Top Off" by DJ Khaled featuring Jay Z, Beyonce and Future


Next  New Music Friday Review:

Jessica Mauboy's song that she will be taking to Lisbon for Eurovision