Probably a good idea to get this out of the way right from the start, but for as different as I can promise this chart is, like almost all the charts around the world, there are always songs in the English language that make it worldwide, and this is one of those songs. With that in mind, this track is actually by the German/Croatian producer Topic, and the featured artist is Swedish. This was released a long while ago at this point, and there's one good reason it has lasted so long: the bassline. Warping to the beat in the way it does, it is far and away the highlight of what's otherwise a pretty standard deep house track.
9
"ماشي [Mashi]"
Jad Shwery, Jamal Yassine, Rami Chalhoub
My Rating: 7/10
This was, unsurprisingly, completely new to me, and the best way I can describe this song is like a cross between the post-EDM boom Reggaetón with tropical house and atmospheric, Middle Eastern hip-hop, and I'm all for it. Sure, the opening guitar and vocal melody sounds straight out of a garage band demo, but once the beat sets in this becomes a pretty infectious track, and one I couldn't help but dance to in the process of writing this. I will say that for as catchy as the chorus is, it's perhaps too repetitive for its own good, but the final third of the song is truly fantastic, the more traditional Arab music influence coming through and conjuring an image of the desert that contrasts nicely from the more coastal dance stylings of the rest of the track.
8
"Bel Bont El Areed بالبنط العريض"
Hussain Al Jassmi
My Rating: 8/10
Definitely more of a conventional pop direction so far as structure is concerned, the sound of this is what I'm most drawn to, this Emirati singer's earnest vocals somewhat overshadowed by the high quality of the instrumental, an incredibly chilled soundscape that brings me back to what it was like walking along the coast of Dubai, and the kind of music I wish was playing instead of the Western pop music I already knew. It's clear that a tonne of effort has gone into making this song, and for as much as I appreciate that what is surprising me is the extent to which I'm actually enjoying it - I'm excited to check out more from Hussain Al Jassmi.
7
"Shu El Hal"
Banah
My Rating: 8/10
Ok, now
this is an interesting one. Banah's heritage is split between Bahrain and Palestine, and her upbringing has been split between the former and Canada, so when approaching her music her influences have allegedly been derived as much from Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin as they have Fairouz and Um Kulthoum, and all I can say is - yeah. This is exactly the kind of music I was hoping to discover from this series, the kind of song with a bizarre pool of influences that could only get popular in the UK if it blew up on TikTok (hey K, get on that please) and it's a song I feel privileged to have discovered.
6
"Positions"
Ariana Grande
My Rating: 7/10
This was kind of inevitable, but I do think it goes to show just how ubiquitous Ariana is with pop music, and if I'm honest I'm just glad it was this song that ended up here and not
"34+35", because this at least is fun to listen to, albeit pretty unremarkable in every measurable way. Still, it's her best single since
"No Tears Left to Cry", so my complaints are minimal.
5
"Midnight Sky"
Miley Cyrus
My Rating: 5/10
If you've read my Seasonal Recap in which this crops up, you'll know my opinions on this track deviate pretty significantly from the popular, fan and critical consensus, predominantly as I don't see this as the "defining moment" of Miley's career, or any of the other suspiciously unanimous drivel surrounding this song. What it does have going for it is strong writing, particularly in the verses, and an admittedly groovy bassline, but in a year so oversaturated with the eighties, and on a song this emotionally potent, the lack of impact from the guitar is just a wasted opportunity, the synths not quite biting enough... this just doesn't land for me.
4
"نادين شماس - مش عم بقدر نام [Mish 3am Bi2der Nam]"
Nadine Chammas
My Rating: 2/10
I'm not exactly surprised that I don't like this one, making music specifically to spread positivity not particularly appealing to me, and when the instrumental itself is this unashamedly chipper and upbeat, I struggle to process it. It also doesn't at all feel like it fits, the instrumentation so frustratingly outdated, as though she hired a 60s rock and roll covers band comprised of a children to play it, but at the end of the day my frustrations with this song are more distaste than hate.
3
"El Hob El Hob"
Muhammad El Majzoub
My Rating: 6/10
I might not claim to be particularly sane, but I would definitely categorise myself as a generally reasonable person and, as a generally reasonable person, I don't expect good music to come out of a former X Factor winner. But perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, after all, this isn't the first time the Lebanon Top 10 has surprised me. The thing is, I wouldn't necessarily classify this as an especially great piece of music, his singing too melodramatic for my taste, the lack of much of a bass groove severely preventing this song from grabbing me in the way I would like... and yet the rest of the song is insane, an unexpected twist for something that begins in such a generic manner, with piano and a slow synth pad eventually (and I mean eventually) making way for an ultramodern take on Arabic pop that just goes off in the most spectacular way.
2
"Fi Hada"
Adam
My Rating: 4/10
I wasn't expecting much when I heard the embarrassingly cheap attempt at a trap beat enter the equation, and to be perfectly honest there is almost nothing special about this song, feeling overly sincere in the way that pop ballads do, and yet lacking the production know-how or budget to turn this into the engaging listen it had the potential to be, and all in all I'm just left cold to the whole thing, the guitar a nice but underwhelming touch.
1
"I See The Dream (Badna Salam)"
Massari, Ali Gatie
My Rating: 3/10
As with every charity single, the good intentions, sweet sentiment and capitalist guilt is never quite enough to give the song a pass, and for as topical as this might be, I'm not sure shouting out the different countries going through struggles is really enough of a statement. Something about how unspecific and forcedly relatable it is just rubs me the wrong way, and as the best songs prove time and time again being so general is never as powerful, nor as relatable, as songs that take the risk and add the details. It's so necessary, and this song is so lacking in that department, the only solace I take is that it doesn't sink to same depths of Lil Dicky's
"Earth", although most things don't.
Overall, I've got to say I'm rather impressed with the content of this Top 10, the inescapable duds of pop music not all that surprising, and the fact that I did like the majority of songs was a pleasant surprise, although I may have been a little more satisfied had the months-old hits from Ariana, Miley and Topic not been here, but I expect that there'll be much of the same as I continue to explore the music the world has to offer. Adding up the scores this week has got me a 56/100, which means absolutely nothing of course given this is the first time I'm doing this! I'm envisioning spreadsheets eventually, but that'll have to wait a while.
Regardless, thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned - a fun few posts coming up before the next one of these, the next post being a review...
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This was kind of inevitable, but I do think it goes to show just how ubiquitous Ariana is with pop music, and if I'm honest I'm just glad it was this song that ended up here and not "34+35", because this at least is fun to listen to, albeit pretty unremarkable in every measurable way. Still, it's her best single since "No Tears Left to Cry", so my complaints are minimal.
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