Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys) – Usually, a song about a place is a hackneyed act of overpatriotism and a humdrum namedropping routine you wish that place never existed. Enter the antithesis of it, Empire State of Mind: blustery, thuggy, appropriately proud and grand. From Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 album, the track is so well-crafted it feels glorious to be New Yorker. But credit should be given to whom it is due. Although Jay-Z, the self-proclaimed “new Sinatra”, is at his usual excellent rapping repertoire, the song’s ne plus ultra is Alicia Keys’ strong vocals and lusty shout-outs of the chorus enticing it to ubiquity. Overall, when such two powerhouses collaborate, the song could never go wrong.
Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart (Alicia Keys) – Alicia Keys’ Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart is a much-needed saving grace after the disappointingly mediocre Doesn’t Mean Anything, the first single from her upcoming studio album, The Element of Freedom. Quite a new turf for Ms. Keys, the track which is synth-doused has this nostalgic 80s appeal almost reminiscent of Pat Benatar. Nevertheless, Alicia infused the song with her signature edginess making Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart a winner track.
Fireflies (Owl City) - When the words fireflies, lightning bugs, foxtrot and disco balls are all present in a song sans the mawkish awkwardness, one is toted to a chimerical world. Fireflies with its intelligent electronica tricks by Owl City, thank goodness, is a welcome relief amidst the nondescript sounds bellowing on the radio right now. Whatever inspired Adam Young on this song, it has an inevitable universal effect: “a smile creeping across your face.”
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