Weeks like this not only make you doubt the importance and durability of pop music, they’re almost enough to sap your will to live. Pitbull is bad enough, but put Currington and Underwood on top and you’ll be crushed by the mediocrity of it all. Only Capital Cities manage to lighten the load, but not by much.
Billy Currington—“Hey Girl”
#75
Currington’s been around for a while, which means he has a jump on most of the other mediocre cowboys who populate country radio, and he sounds more confident, more professional and assured, as a result. But that doesn’t make him their king. He may have a little more meat on him, but he’s still just another part of the herd.
Carrie Underwood—“See You Again”
#90
“See You Again” is the fourth single from Carrie Underwood’s most recent album, Blown Away. It also happens to be the fourth track on the album. The first three singles were the album’s first three tracks, in order. “See You Again” is easily the worst of the four and represents a massive drop in quality compared to Underwood’s last single, “Two Black Cadillacs”. Really makes you want to hear the album, doesn’t it?
Arianna featuring Pitbull—“Sexy People (The Fiat Song)”
#97
This isn’t truly terrible—Pitbull’s Cuban-American pride gives it a level of meaning most of his records lack—but it’s still a Fiat commercial, and the music overall is a dumb joke that gets less funny every time you hear it. There is one good thing about it: it should pretty much kill any chance of Arianna becoming a star in the U.S.
Capital Cities—“Safe and Sound”
#99
I enjoy their steals, especially when they’re ripping off the Pet Shop Boys, but their L.A. distance and cool makes me doubt their humanity. Oddly enough, they remind me more of Devo than anyone else, only romantic and legato instead of dystopian and staccato. This is interesting, but “Safe and Sound” isn’t much of a song. Even more than the singing, the lyrics seem off—the apocalyptic romanticism isn’t felt, it’s just stuck on, like something they learned in a movie.