UKMusicLova's Hot 100 of 2017 [#1]

by **UKMusicLova** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:11 am

2017 has been an incredible year for me. I have been lucky enough to do something I've always wanted to do, but wasn't sure I'd ever be brave enough to. I've been travelling around various countries around South East Asia and Oceania, experiencing amazing cultures, foods and people. In between, there has been plenty of down time travelling between locations or just taking some time to reflect, so there has been ample time to listen to music!

There has been some great music released this year, from all genres and locations, and a lot of great music that would have typically stayed underground that has been front and centre on radio and the charts.

After a hiatus last year, I'd like to present my top 100 songs of 2017. I have tried to rank my favourite songs, but as per normal I hate ranking so I'll probably disagree with some of my own rankings as we go along :lol:

I hope you enjoy it, and even if you find one new song that you love in my list, that's a job well done!

I have a classic poll, with some potential #1 contenders. Please choose either the song you'd like to win, or the song that you think will win...never sure how these are meant to work :lol:

by **UKMusicLova** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:30 am

Like I mentioned, there were a tonne of songs in 2017 that I enjoyed, and below are selection of the tracks that I love but didn't quite make my top 100.

Just missed list...

Code: Select all: Alma & French Montana - Phases Amber Mark - Lose My Cool Ariana Grande - Everyday (feat. Future) Avicii - Lonely Together (feat. Rita Ora) Billie Eilish - Bellyache Cashmere Cat - Quit (feat. Ariana Grande) Charlie Puth - How Long Chlöe Howl - Magnetic CNCO & Little Mix - Reggaetón Lento (Remix) David Guetta & Afrojack - Dirty Sexy Money (feat. Charli XCX & French Montana) Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl Elli Ingram - Table For Two Era Istrefi - No I Love Yous (feat. French Montana) Future - Mask Off Gabrielle Aplin - Waking Up Slow HAIM - Want You Back J Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente Jax Jones - Instruction (feat. Demi Lovato & Stefflon Don) Jessie Ware - Midnight Jonas Blue - Mama (feat. William Singe) Kali Uchis - Tyrant (feat. Jorja Smith) Kesha - Praying Khalid - Young Dumb & Broke Kygo & Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me Little Mix - Power (feat. Stormzy) Liv Dawson - Painkiller Maroon 5 - What Lovers Do (feat. SZA) MØ - Nights With You N.E.R.D & Rihanna - Lemon Niall Horan - Too Much To Ask Niia - Sideline (feat. Jazmine Sullivan) Niia - Nobody (Atom Tree Remix) Paloma Faith - Crybaby Post Malone - I Fell Apart Princess Nokia - G.O.A.T. Sampha - (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano Selena Gomez - Fetish (feat. Gucci Mane) Sigala & Ella Eyre - Came Here For Love Sigrid - Don't Kill My Vibe Sinead Harnett - Unconditional Tash Sultana - Mystik Tayá - Deeper Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do The Kite String Tangle - The Prize Tom Grennan - Praying Toni Braxton - Deadwood Tove Lo - Disco Tits

A few of my favourite albums coming next!

by **Fan** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:51 pm

Yay! Looking forward to this, Carly. Your taste was, and still is, always amazing and I am sure I'll discover some new gems in here as well.
Shame Power missed out though. Love that song and Stormzy verse is strong ('you can be a woman and be a boss and wear the trousers, at the same time <33 ). Shame for Praying missing out as well, one of my favourites.

Voted for Jorja in the poll, just because I think you like her and I would love her do to well in here.

by **Thriller** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:30 pm

Voted for Dua. Good to hear you've had an exciting year of travelling!

Loads of good songs not making your 100 so this should be good.

by **UKMusicLova** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:59 am

T O P
A L B U M S

by **UKMusicLova** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:29 pm

M U R A..M A S A
Mura Masa

H I G H L I G H T S | Messy Love; Lovesick; 1 Night; Firefly; Who Is It Gonna B

Mura Masa definitely jumped straight into it, releasing an incredible debut album with an all star cast including the likes of A$AP Rocky, Charli XCX and Damon Albarn, amongst others. However with all of these features, Mura Masa's production remians the constant throughout keeping the project very cohesive despite the varied guest artists and sounds that Masa has played with. He may be working with Jamie Liddell or Desiigner but you can hear Mura Masa a mile off. I like how he doesn't try and fit the featured artists in a way that doesn't work, but instead really utilises what each artist brings to the table, to the fullest. The album has been a long time coming, 'Firefly' featuring NAO was released back in 2015, so there is always a worry that an album can sound a bit dated, but in this case it definitely doesn't. The album has the quality where it can be played during a party or a summer barbecue, but still has those more introspective moments like 'Messy Love' and 'Blu'.

by **UKMusicLova** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:29 pm

S Z A
Ctrl

H I G H L I G H T S | Supermodel; Love Galore; Drew Barrymore; Prom; Broken Clock; Normal Girl

I've been listening to SZA's music for a few years now, I've always been a fan of her stuff, but wouldn't say anything really left much of an impression on me. Until she released her full length debut album, 'Ctrl', this year that is. It is so rare that you come across an album that is so intimate sounding, and so brutally honest. It almost feels like we are listening to SZA's diary rahter than listening to a music project. Right from the acoustic led album intro 'Supermodel', where SZA admits to f*cking her boyfriends homeboy while he is Vegas with some hoes, you know that SZA is keeping it one hundred honest with her listneners. Whilst it's such a confident sounding album, with SZA finally letting her vocals take reign over the production, the album tackles vulnerability so wonderfully. Esepcially love the subject matter on '20 Something', sometimes we feel like we should have it all together in our mid-20s, but that is not always necessarily the case. I love the lyrics "How can it be 20 something, all alone, still not a thing in my name" - basically that's me Miss 20 Something! I love the album is really a representation of what it is like being a woman in 2017, growing up in the era of smartphones and social media.

by **UKMusicLova** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:30 pm

K E L E L A
Take Me Apart

H I G H L I G H T S | Waitin; Take Me Apart; Better; LMK; Onanon; Altadena

Somehow on this project Kelela has been able to demostrate a perfect marriage of the past and future. The album certainly takes influence from the likes of Janet Jackson and Aaliyah, but manages to sound so futuristic as if those aforementioned artists exist in an alien alternative universe. Kelela's vocal delivery takes from 90s R&B so wonderfully, but with some really interesting electronic production, providing the perfect platform for Kelela to ponder on the ideas of love, lust and hurt. First single, 'LMK', proved that you can do something slightly more radio friendly without losing your identity, and in a perfect world the song should have charted highly. The album is full of great, almost dystopian production, from the likes of Arca, but one of my favourite moments of the album is the beautiful ballad, 'Better'. It's very bare, production wise, allowing for Kelela's beautiful tone to take centre stage, however just as the listener becomes complacent with the song as it is, abruptly some metallic beats take over the song showing Kelela's bravery to not follow convention.

by **UKMusicLova** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:30 pm

L O R D E
Melodrama

H I G H L I G H T S | Green Light; Homemade Dynamite; The Louvre; Liability; Sober II (Melodrama)

Lorde's debut single, 'Royals', and its host album were almost ridiculing pop music however the success the project brought the Kiwi star, has now thrown her into that world that she eye rolled at before. I was interested to what Lorde would come up with, now with greater label spending with her second album. She sure hasn't disappointed, with 'Melodrama' she hasn't lost what made her great but instead honed in on it and further improved on it. The project is off to a great start with the pop stomper, 'Green Light', which shows that Lorde can do upbeat, and I love that it's an alternative take on a break up anthem. The bulk of the album deals with the topics of emotional confusion and loneliness, so I quite like how the album is bookended by 'Green Light' and 'Perfect Places' which are displays of resilience. It's a very confident project, and Lorde has delivered an album here which is very authentic and extraordinary.

by **UKMusicLova** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:31 pm

K E N D R I C K..L A M A R
DAMN.

H I G H L I G H T S | DNA.; HUMBLE.; LOVE.; XXX.; DUCKWORTH.

There were a lot of high expectations following 'To Pimp A Butterfly', which many critics praised as one of the best hip-hop albums of recent years. When Kendrick released 'HUMBLE.', there was certainly a lot of conversation created by the release. Firstly the visual was fantastic, but it did initially cause some split. Some people criticised the song for being too simple for Kendrick's standards, however I was firmly in the camp that was happy to see Kendrick release a track that was more fun but still contained great lyrics. On the surface, 'DAMN.' feels like a more mellow project than its predecessor, however delving into the lyrics you can hear that same sense of anger and frustration. Whilst being a shorter album, the project still touches on the subjects of race barriers, depression, sexual tension, and the pressures of success and wealth. The storytelling in 'DUCKWORTH.' in particular, is just hip hop at its best. There are a couple of star features on this album features, notably Rihanna and Bono - and even Geraldo Rivera's dumbass comments about Kendrick's 'Alright' performance from the BET Awards make an appearance on 'DNA.', however Kendrick is firmly the star of this album.

last.fm · by **Carbon** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 5:01 pm

not a fan of Lorde's album, it was a bit disappointing for me, love some track off the SZA and Kelela albums but haven't yet fully absorbed them. Lana's LFL is stunning

by **JSparksFan** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:34 am

"Deadwood" is the biggest loss for me in your missed set. It's Toni's best song in ages, perhaps in as many as 17 years.

Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl
J Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente
Kesha - Praying
Khalid - Young Dumb & Broke
Kygo & Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me
Little Mix - Power (feat. Stormzy)
Maroon 5 - What Lovers Do (feat. SZA)
Niall Horan - Too Much To Ask
Paloma Faith - Crybaby
Selena Gomez - Fetish (feat. Gucci Mane)
Sigala & Ella Eyre - Came Here For Love
Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do
Toni Braxton - Deadwood
Tove Lo - Disco Tits

As for the albums, SZA's, Kendrick's, and Lorde's were among the best reviewed LPs of the year, if not the Top 3, but I wasn't as impressed with them. I do love "The Weekend," though. I think that's one of the most accessible songs of the year.

Dua Lipa, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Lana Del Rey put out decent albums this year. I was particularly impressed with (and surprised by) Niall!

by **king_oxymoron** » Sat Dec 09, 2017 1:25 am

I voted for Wild Thoughts, I have a feeling New Rules will do real well but I didn't know if it was well enough to be No.1.

Enjoyed the Lorde album, she was epic at Glastonbury too!

by **Fan** » Sat Dec 09, 2017 10:23 am

Both Kelela and SZA have delivered such consistent records, lush <3
Melodrama is amazing, one of the best records I have heard this year.

by **UKMusicLova** » Sat Dec 09, 2017 1:23 pm

Thanks for the comments! Let's dive into this then.

100. FRENCH MONTANA | Unforgettable (featuring Swae Lee)

Kicking off the top 100 is French Montana's smash hit, 'Unforgettable', featuring Swae Lee from hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd. The song became a huge hit, and is very on trend with its great production inspired by the recent popularity in Afrobeats. Swae sets the mood of the song with his rather lengthy first verse and chorus, it is full of vibes and the chorus is so easy to sing along with. The title is quite ironic though, as I find French Montana quite a forgettable rapper and this song would have just been just as great without him as Swae Lee pretty much carries the whole track!

99. HARRY STYLES | Sign Of The Times

There was so much hype surrounding the release of Harry Styles debut solo single, and especially with the talks of his solo project taking influence from the likes of David Bowie, I think everyone was quite interested to see how solo Harry Styles would sound. With his first release, it turned out that it wouldn't sound too dissimilar to some of 1D's later ballad tracks so didn't quite live up to the hype. Still it's a great ballad, Harry sounds great and I do think it builds up amazingly to the end which is actually pretty epic!

98. KATY PERRY | Swish Swish (featuring Nicki Minaj)

The most boring pop feud of all time, Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry, took another turn when Katy released the sassy 'Swish Swish' featuring Nicki Minaj. The song has a generic, albeit fun, production courtesy of Duke Dumont and some catchy meme-like lyrics such as "karma's not a liar, she keeps receipts" which is meant to spike your intrigue in the Taylor/Katy drama. I think this could have been a bigger hit than it was, but unfortunately the horrible video didn't really help it. By the way, you should check out the Blonde remix if you're after a great party track!

97. TEI SHI | Keep Running (One Bit Remix)

Whilst I do really enjoy the original version of this song, I find it so weird listening to it now after becoming so used to the incredible One Bit remix. The song was just designed for an amazing remix, and One Bit really did deliver. They let Tei Shi's vocals still shine, but give the song a whole other dimension. The original is a hazy R&B inspired pop song, where there is an air of vulnerability to the Argentinian/Canadian pop star's vocals and lyrics, but keeping this sensual feel to it. This was the first taste of Tei Shi moving from her more indie pop vibe to a more R&B tinge on her amazing debut album, 'Crawl Space'.

96. CAMILA CABELLO | OMG (featuring Quavo)

I don't necessarily think this song is anything too unique, or couldn't be done by a multitude of artists, but there is something so confident and badass about it - something I wouldn't have expected from Camila. I just love the ice cold production, with lyrics like "If I don't send for you, best not come for me" and Camila sounds great delivering it rather than making it sound cringe. The song was written by Charli XCX, whose demo I wouldn't be against hearing to see how it would sound! Quavo works well on the track, it's one of those songs that needed a rapper on it, and he delivers a great verse. Also bonus points for nice cover art! :lol:

by **Benjamin** » Sat Dec 09, 2017 1:33 pm

Voted for SZA in the poll.

Yay for French Montana, Harry Styles, Katy Perry and Camila so far

by **JSparksFan** » Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:04 pm

"Unforgettable" is good; I ranked it similarly. "Sign of the Times" was the expected Harry single for me. I liked it at first, then grew to love it over time. The video is absolutely beautiful.

Ah, I actually enjoyed the "Swish Swish" video. :lol:

The song isn't Katy's best, though, and I agree that she and Taylor have the most inane feud in the history of music feuds.

I never liked "OMG". I remember playing "OMG" and "Havana" right after each other, and immediately dismissing the former in favour of the latter. Then "Havana" grew on me like lice. :lol:

I just listened to "Keep Running" (the One Bit remix) and I really like the chorus!

last.fm · by **Carbon** » Sat Dec 09, 2017 10:31 pm

Swish Swish is good, though gets old fast. the beat is amazing and even Nicki actually adds to the song instead of just being filler as usual

by **luckyONE** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:48 am

voted for RIHANNA (DJ KHALED

) in the poll.

from the songs that missed the Top 100, my absolute favorite songs are "Look What You Made Me Do" and "Crybaby".

From the albums, I know "Melodrama". While I was absolutely obsessed with "Pure Heroine" in 2013/2014, unfortunately "Melodrama" is not my thing at all. I do enjoy "Homemade Dynamite", though.

"Swish Swish" is cute and "Sign Of The Times" is a nice song to listen to on the radio.

by **UKMusicLova** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:10 am

I was the same, Akini, re: Camila. I didn't think either song was too special, but then a certain song about a certain Caribbean capital city ended up becoming one of my favourite songs of the year :wink:

I normally do lots of 10 to keep this moving, but I was lazy last night so I'll do another 5 and then normal service will resume from the next update!

95. ZEDD | Stay (featuring Alessia Cara)

Here is a song that I have had an interesting relationship with. I started off not too keen on it, then it grew on massively and I couldn't stop playing it, and now I find it quite difficult to listen to it because I heard it too much! Zedd and Alessia come together to release a uptempo song about being unable to let go of a deteriorating relationship. Alessia sounds great vocally on this, and the chorus is just such a catchy ear worm that you can't help but belt along too. I think Zedd's big production really suits Alessia's emotional vocal, and will be interesting to see if Alessia builds on this direction with #AC2

94. ALMA | Chasing Highs

Bright-haired, Finnish pop star, Alma, has been releasing banger after banger and 'Chasing Highs' is possibly her biggest to date. She has mastered the big pop hook, with tropical beats and Alma's distinctive, smokey and powerful vocal. Whilst this has become Alma's biggest song to date, I did expect it to be even bigger as it has such an insatiable chorus that gets lodged in your brain after a few listens, and sounds like worldwide smash hit. Will be interesting to see where Alma goes next in 2018, as there are few Scandinavian (does Finland classify as Scandinavian) pop stars looking to hit in 2018.

93. MIGUEL | Sky Walker (featuring Travis Scott)

Miguel is one of my favourite male artists, and I love how he is so versatile with the genres he has taken on and delivered consistently. Sky Walker feels slightly like Miguel dipping his toes into something slightly more mainstream, with the song following the current trend in trap-influenced hip-hop, however Sky Walker has so many layers to its production which elevates the song from becoming generic. Miguel's delivery is so smooth on this track, and Travis fits well onto the song. After listening to Miguel's latest album "War & Leisure", it's clear that this is just Miguel having fun as its quite different from the rest of the album.

92. LANA DEL REY | Love

This track felt like Lana was offering something for those fans of her debut album, Born To Die. The guitars that replaced the strings, have been replaced with strings again. The song is all about being young and in love, set against the sombre production that Lana is famous for, but with more optimistic and positive lyrics than usual! She sings about mundane activities that the young of today indulge in, but it doesn't matter when you're young and in love! It's quite a lovely sentiment actually, and the track really builds sonically on that optimism as well.

91. JESSIE WARE | Selfish Love

On 'Selfish Love' Jessie documents a tumultuous relationship which you stay in as you can't resist the desires you have, and constantly looking for the upper hand by playing games. The Bossa-Nova influenced production, paired with Jessie's breathy vocals, whisks you away to a old fashioned Spanish telenova. Whilst she asks these questions of her lover doing things she doesn't agree with, she doesn't actually care about the answers as she is so deep into this intense relationship. I feel like Jessie is channeling Sade more than ever on this song, which is no bad thing. Also the visual is one of her best to date, turning from what looks like a upper class couple on holiday to a crime movie!

last.fm · by **Carbon** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:09 pm

for some reason I haven't heard Miguel's single yet (but I heard Told You So), and I'm downloading the album right now to finally give it a spin

Love is truly stunning, and your description is very accurate - the optimistic tone and lyrics about mundane things of youth are such a refreshing change for her. probably in my top 5 Lana songs

Selfish Love is also great, it was an improvement to the lead single. love the Spanish vibe, love the music video

>>> LastFM · by **Tansike** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:24 pm

Can't say much about your favorite albums. Loved "Melodrama" though, so glad it's one of your faves this year. "Damn." left me surprisingly cold after really enjoying "To Pimp A Butterfly", but it's still a solid record to me (i have to say i'm usually not a fan at all of that genre, so that's already a lot :oops:

)

On the songs list, so far i like...

99. HARRY STYLES | Sign Of The Times
98. KATY PERRY | Swish Swish (featuring Nicki Minaj)
96. CAMILA CABELLO | OMG (featuring Quavo)
95. ZEDD | Stay (featuring Alessia Cara)
92. LANA DEL REY | Love

"Stay" is definitely my fave out of these. Wasn't a fan of it at first and it took ages to grow on me, but now i really think it's one of Zedd's best releases so far. "Love" was a great return for Lana, while i enjoyed "OMG" slightly more than i enjoyed "Havana" back when they came out.

by **JSparksFan** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:30 pm

"Stay" is okay, but I find the chorus grating, so I don't play it often.

Luke Skywalkin' on these haters alone makes "Skywalker" a winner in my book. :lol:

I agree that "Love" felt like a natural progression from Born to Die. I'd say the same applies to "Summer Bummer" and "Groupie Love".

"Selfish Love" is good!

I just listened to "Chasing Highs," and I liked it enough to add it to my Spotify music library.

by **heppolo** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:34 pm

97. TEI SHI | Keep Running (One Bit Remix)

The crucial highlight of this bunch at least.

by **toni_pest** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 1:04 pm

Unforgettable and Swish Swish are bops, appropriate positions for both

UKMusicLova's Hot 100 of 2017 [#1]

Hottest Song of 2017?