Sunday Spotlight returns.... Sunday 13 January 2019

Happy New Years dear readers and with that I am happy to announce the Sunday Spotlight returns on Sunday 13 January 2019. The (Mini) Sunday Spotlight returns early February on my other blog HERE. Whilst you are there, catch up with one of my many film or TV reviews for your best Summer viewing. Remember in Australia we don't all love cricket or tennis.

Until then have a wonderful night tonight, I am excited to be in Bangkok and I will tell you something for nothing, if New Year's Eve, Eve was anything to go by, this place about to BLOW!

All the best for 2019 and thanks for reading in 2018. Finally well done again to Amy Shark for her album of the year and tomorrow remember the second part of the 200 songs of 2018 will be posted, right here!

Part One - The 200 BEST Songs of 2018, 200-101, Highlights

Here you go, some of the best songs from the past year to bring in the New Year. Your'e welcome!

101 - King Princess - Pussy is God

104 - Cosmo’s Midnight - Talk to Me {Feat. Tove Styrke}

109 - Travis Scott - STARGAZING

116 - Channel Tres - Controller

120 - Robyn - Missing U

128 - 6lack - Switch

141 - 88rising, Joji & BlocBoy JB - Peach Jam

143 - Riton & Kah-Lo - Fake ID

155 - Golden Features - Falling Out

171 - Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel

176 - Disclosure - Funky Sensation {Feat. Gwen McCrae}

190 - benny blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You

Fresh Friday Countdown Returns.... Friday 11 January 2019

Like most things in Australia right now, the Fresh Friday Countdown is having a holiday, so I am for that matter, in Phuket, Thailand. Therefore the Fresh Friday Countdown returns Friday 11 January 2019, however if it was held today, this popular soundtrack tune would be number one...

Yes it's Post Malone and Swae Lee with Sunflower. Currently with over 140 million YouTube streams and appearing on loads of Apple Music playlists for Summer, this is officially a Summer Smash Hit!

Stay tuned for more hits over the Summer Slack Period on New Years Day with Part II of my most excellent tunes of 2018 posted, right here!

Part One - The 200 BEST Songs of 2018 {200-101}

101 - King Princess - Pussy is God

102 - Ziggy Alberts - Laps Around the Sun

103 - Khalid - Better

104 - Cosmo’s Midnight - Talk to Me {Feat. Tove Styrke}

105 - FISHER - Stop it

106 - Middle Kids - Mistake
107 - Gretta Ray - Radio Silence
108 - Childish Gambino - Feels Like Summer
109 - Travis Scott - STARGAZING
110 - Ruby Fields – Dinosaurs
111 - Loud Luxury - Body {Feat. Brando}
112 - CHVRCHES - Miracle
113 - Khalid - Suncity {Feat. Empress Of}
114 - Drake - Don't Matter to Me {Feat. Michael Jackson}
115 - Bishop Briggs - White Flag
116 - Channel Tres - Controller
117 - Bishop Briggs - Baby
118 - Eves Karydas - Couch
119 - Tash Sultana - Free Mind
120 - Robyn - Missing U
121 - Flint Eastwood - Chapter 4 Sober
122 - Eves Karydas - Damn Loyal
123 - Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Talking Straight
124 - Lana Del Rey - Mariners Apartment Complex
125 - BØRNS & Lana Del Rey - God Save Our Young Blood
126 - GLADES - Eyes Wide Shut
127 - Rae Sremmurd – Hurt to Look
128 - 6lack - Switch
129 - The Presets - Tools Down
130 - Eves Karydas - Further Than The Planes Fly
131 - Maggie Rogers - Give a Little
132 - Middle Kids - Salt Eyes
133 - Jorja Smith - Where Did I Go?
134 - Anderson .Paak - Bubblin'
135 - Kira Puru - Tension
136 - Amy Shark - The Idiot
137 - BROCKHAMPTON - 1999 Wildfire
138 - JOY. - Change
139 - SAFIA - Freakin' Out
140 - Kwame –WOW
141 - 88rising, Joji & BlocBoy JB - Peach Jam
142 - Flint Eastwood - Real Love
143 - Riton & Kah-Lo - Fake ID
144 - Skeggs - Smogged Out
145 - KIDS SEE GHOSTS - Freeee (Ghost Town Pt 2)
146 - MØ - Way Down
147 - GRAACE - Last Night
148 - The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar - Pray for Me
149 - CHVRCHES - Get Out
150 - Matt Corby - No Ordinary Life
151 - Clews - Museum
152 - Jack River - Limo Song
153 - Jungle - Heavy, California
154 - Buddy - Trouble on Central
155 - Golden Features - Falling Out
156 - Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - 1999
157 - Slowly Slowly - Ten Leaf Clover
158 - The Vaccines - I Can’t Quit
159 - Kaiit - OG Luv Kush pt.2
160 - Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Mainland
161 - Kali Uchis - After The Storm {Feat. Tyler, The Creator & Bootsy Collins}
162 - Thelma Plum - Clumsy Love
163 - Billy Davies - Shoulda Known {Feat.VanJess & Matt McGhee}
164 - LSD - Genius {Feat. Sia, Diplo & Labrinth}
165 - Alice Ivy - Chasing Stars {Feat. Bertie Blackman}
166 - Miguel - Pineapple Skies
167 - Ruel - Younger
168 - Maggie Rogers - Fallingwater
169 - Tash Sultana - Cigarettes
170 - BROCKHAMPTON - BOOGIE
171 - Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel
172 - The Rubens - Freakout
173 - City Calm Down - In this Modern Land
174 - Julia Jacklin - Head Alone
175 - Confidence Man - Out the Window
176 - Disclosure - Funky Sensation {Feat. Gwen McCrae}
177 - yaeji - One More
178 - Alison Wonderland - Easy
179 - Lizzo - Boys
180 - Vance Joy - I'm With You
181 - Confidence Man - Don’t You Know I’m In A Band
182 - GLADES - Do Right
183 - Moaning Lisa - Carrie (I Want A Girl)
184 - Rich Brian - Cold
185 - LAUREL - Lovesick
186 - The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
187 - SAFIA - Starlight
188 - Courtney Barnett - Need a Little Time
189 - Janelle Monae - I Like That
190 - benny blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You
191 - Flight Facilities - All Your Love {Feat. Dustin Tebbutt}
192 - Angus & Julia Stone - Youngblood
193 - What So Not - Stuck In Orbit {Feat. BUOY}
194 - Mac Miller - What’s the Use
195 - DRAM - WWYD?
196 - Hoodboi - Glide {Feat. Tkay Maidza}
197 - Ajax - I’m Hot
198 - Superorganism - Everybody Wants to Be Famous
199 - Teyana Taylor - Gonna Love Me
200 - Confidence Man - Santa’s Coming Down the Chimney

Album of the year for 2018 & the winner is......

Following on from Kendrick Lamar last year, it's time for an Australian artist who has slayed in 2018. Amy Shark has had a monster (I know) year, Love Monster has been a real hit. I Said Hi is easily one of the biggest songs of 2018, and you will find out 100 of the biggest songs of the year later on today.

Spawning four big radio singles from the Gold Coast act, Love Monster was a gold selling always present album of 2018.

The album debuted at number one on the ARIA charts upon the release, in April she performed at her hometown's Commonwealth Games and I Said Hi has now officially sold 3 times platinum.

There could only be one Album of the Year for 2018, with four ARIA Awards, loads of airplay and a killer year almost behind her, Amy Shark was above the competition from Drake and Vance Joy.

It is a real achievement in 2018 to release a full body of work that speaks to people and almost six months after it's released is still popular and not at the bottom of the bargain bin at JB Hi-Fi.

Well done Amy Shark, looking forward to seeing where 2019 and beyond will take you.

A Christmas Day Spoiler Alert

One final spoiler alert before Part I of the Best 200 Songs of 2018 hits this blog. The next track (at time of posting) has over 6.1 million views!

Well done to Superorganism for making the cut, because if we learnt one thing in 2018, Everybody Wants to Be Famous.

See you tomorrow for Part I of the list. YASS, Happy Holidays!

A Christmas Eve Spoiler Alert

Wednesday evening for Boxing Day I will publish Part I of the best songs of 2018, I already dropped a spoiler about Confidence Man's Christmas jam making the cut, now I am happy to share another jam to make the list.

At the time of posting with over 1.6 million views on YouTube and a remix featuring Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon has also just landed.

This song is DOPE. Her TV series Hit The Floor may have been cancelled however Teyana Taylor is still a star in my eyes, turn this song up LOUD!

Full 200-101 song list published on Wednesday (Boxing Day) evening. Until then...

Summer Music Lists Special - Back Mid Jan, 2019

It's Summer, I've been slack with posts but in a few weeks I will bring you a few more of my annual Summer Music Lists.

I have already shared three lists with you in the first few weeks of Summer, The Hitz of Spring 2018, featuring a massive dance track as your number one, full list HERE

Second up a BUMPER 2-4-1 Males and Females of the year 2018, with Drake and Amy Shark romping it home, full list HERE

Finally thus far, Australian music in 2018 has been wonderful, well done to Amy Shark for taking out the second top spot in as many weeks with I Said Hi, full list HERE 

Tomorrow I may share with you another Top 200 of 2018 spoiler alert, however for now, here are some of my top picks for 2018....

Album of the Year... Announced Wednesday

A few more days and you will find out my Album of 2018, as well as in the evening the first part of my annual 200 Best Songs of that year. This year has been filled with good songs and spoiler alert a festive favourite is my 200th favourite song of 2018. It's been a big year for Confidence Man and no doubt a couple more tracks will also appear in Parts I & II of my 200 list.

Part I, Wednesday, Part II New Years Day, in the evening.

Here is the number 200 of this year and below my three Album of the Year nominees!

My Hottest 100 VOTES!

Hard to choose this year, but here were my ten selections for 2018, heavy as usual with picks for the ladies, oh yes it's Thursday, Ladies Night, oh what a night!!!

Christine And The Queens - Girlfriend

Hayden James - Just Friends {Ft. Boy Matthews}

Hoodboi - Glide {Ft. Tkay Maidza}

Internet, The - Come Over

Janelle Monae - I Like That

JOY. - Change

Jorja Smith - Where Did I Go?

John Butler Trio - Home

Kendrick Lamar & SZA - All The Stars

Wafia - I'm Good

Album of the Year - Vance Joy {NATION OF TWO} Stream

Album of the Year - Vance Joy {NATION OF TWO} Feature

Australian Artist Singles of 2018 - Summer Music Lists Special - Part Three

20 - Vance Joy - Saturday Sun
19 - RÜFÜS DU SOL - Underwater
18 - Hilltop Hoods - Leave Me Lonely
17 - Hayden James - Better Together {Feat. Running Touch}
16 - Missy Higgins - Futon Couch
15 - Hayden James - Just Friends {Feat. Boy Matthews}
14 - Peking Duk - Wasted
13 - Vera Blue - All The Pretty Girls
12 - Birds of Tokyo - Unbreakable
11 - RÜFÜS DU SOL - No Place
10 - FISHER - Losing It
9 - Hilltop Hoods - Clark Griswold {Feat. Adrian Eagle}
8 - KIAN - Waiting
7 - Wafia - I'm Good
6 - Amy Shark - All Loved Up
5 - The Rubens - Never Ever {Feat. Sarah}
4 - Peking Duk - Fire
3 - Vance Joy - We're Coming Home
2 - Dean Lewis - Be Alight 
1 - Amy Shark - I Said Hi

Online/Streaming... NOW! - Digital Releases Edition

A slow week in new music as we head deep into Summer Slack, however a few more Christmas releases are here just in time....

The soundtrack to Spider-Man : Into The Spider-Verse is officially out with a huge guest list including Post Malone and Vince Staples.

Another Ministry Of Sound release is here, this time it's all about Running Trax 2019. So get running bitches.

Zayn Malik has also released an epic release Icarus Falls. Has he finally left One Direction behind?

Final Fresh Friday Countdown (for 2018) #144 - Friday 14 December 2018

20 - Bene - Soaked
19 - Hayden James - Better Together {Feat. Running Touch}
18 - Vera Blue - All The Pretty Girls
17 - Martin Garrix - Ocean {Feat. Khalid}
16 - Post Malone - Better Now
15 - benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid - Eastside
14 - benny blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You
13 - KIAN - Waiting
12 - Billie Eilish - when the party's over
11 - Khalid - Better
10 - Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
9 - Amy Shark - I Said Hi
8 - Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - 1999
7 - Dean Lewis - Be Alight 
6 - Hilltop Hoods - Leave Me Lonely
5 - Loud Luxury - Body {Feat. Brando}
4 - Amy Shark - All Loved Up
3 - Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
2 - Halsey - Without Me
1 - Mark Ronson - Nothing Breaks Like a Heart {Feat. Miley Cyrus}

Album of the Year - Drake {SCORPION} Stream

Album of the Year - Drake {SCORPION} Feature

Male & Female Artists of 2018 - Summer Music Lists Special - Part Two

20. Jorja Smith
20. Calvin Harris

19. Bishop Briggs
19. Ziggy Alberts

18. Normani 
18. Mark Ronson/Diplo (Special mention Silk City)

17. Vera Blue
17. FISHER

16. Janelle Monáe
16. Travis Scott

15. Eves Karydas
15. Miguel

14. MØ
14. Troye Sivan

13. SZA
13. Childish Gambino

12. Halsey
12. Anderson Paak.

11. Julia Jacklin (Special mention Phantastic Ferniture)
11. Mac Miller

10. Maggie Rogers
10. Dean Lewis

9. Charli XCX
9. Matt Corby

8. King Princess
8. Baker Boy

7. Christine (Christine & The Queens)
7. The Weeknd

6. Courtney Barnett
6. benny blanco

5. G Flip
5. Kendrick Lamar

4. Billie Eilish
4. Khalid

3. Tash Saltana
3. Vance Joy

2. Sarah Aarons
2. Post Malone

1. Amy Shark
1. Drake

Sunday Spotlight: Charli XCX

At 26 years old UK singer/songwriter Charli XCX has two record under her belt, a number of MixTapes and a swag full of hit singles under her belt.

Recently supporting Taylor Swift across Australia, Charli XCX has had a monster 2018, finishing up with that massive ode to 1999, 1999 with Aussie Troye Sivan.

Concluding 2017 with that massive track Dirty Sexy Money with David Guetta, 2018 was a high energy assault on commercial and even Triple J.

5 in the Morning became a mini hit on the J's while tracks were penned for Alma, Brooke Candy and more.

With multiple appearances on her mates records, Charli XCX is setting herself up for a big 2019.

It's been months in the making getting Charli XCX her own Sunday Spotlight and it's been worth the wait here is a perfect soundtrack to the start of Summer. Bring on Summer and bring on 2019 for Charli XCX!

Online/Streaming... NOW! - Digital Releases Edition

It's that time of the year and Katy Perry is this week's Christmas spotlight. Following on from the most brilliant Christmas song in years from Australia's own Confidence Man.

Also out this week benny blanco released a mini album, why mini? It's only 7 tracks!


Lastly a new local release from Manu Crooks teaming up with B Wise, it's only two minutes but it's ALL FIRE!

Tomorrow Charli XCX for maybe the last Sunday Spotlight for 2018, how on Earth can it be December already!!!

Fresh Friday Countdown #143 - Friday 7 December 2018

20 - Bene - Soaked
19 - benny blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You
18 - Hayden James - Better Together {Feat. Running Touch}
17 - Vera Blue - All The Pretty Girls
16 - Martin Garrix - Ocean {Feat. Khalid}
15 - Post Malone - Better Now
14 - KIAN - Waiting
13 - Khalid - Better
12 - Billie Eilish - when the party's over
11 - Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
10 - benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid - Eastside
9 - Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - 1999
8 - Amy Shark - I Said Hi
7 - Dean Lewis - Be Alight 
6 - Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
5 - Loud Luxury - Body {Feat. Brando}
4 - Hilltop Hoods - Leave Me Lonely
3 - Amy Shark - All Loved Up
2 - Halsey - Without Me
1 - Mark Ronson - Nothing Breaks Like a Heart {Feat. Miley Cyrus}

Album of the Year - Amy Shark {LOVE MONSTER} Stream

Album of the Year - Amy Shark {LOVE MONSTER} Feature

Hits of Spring 2018 - Summer Music Lists Special - Part One

20 - FISHER - Losing It
19 - Vera Blue - All The Pretty Girls
18 - Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
17 - Peking Duk - Fire
16 - Eminem - Killshot
15 - Billie Eilish - when the party's over
14 - Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
13 - Birds of Tokyo - Unbreakable
12 - Wafia - I'm Good
11 - Khalid - Better
10 - Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - 1999
9 - Drake - In My Feelings
8 - Halsey - Without Me
7 - Martin Garrix - Ocean {Feat. Khalid}
6 - benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid - Eastside
5 - Post Malone - Better Now
4 - Amy Shark - I Said Hi
3 - Amy Shark - All Loved Up
2 - Dean Lewis - Be Alight 
1 - Loud Luxury - Body {Feat. Brando}

Sunday Spotlight: Mark Ronson

2019 is looking fine with a new album (hopefully) from the Uptown Funk king himself, Mark Ronson. Not just new Mark Ronson but hopefully way more Silk City with Diplo!

It's been almost four years since the smashing Uptown Special was released and it featured some stellar bangers, in 2010 he gave us Record Collection, 2007 the brilliant covers record Version and his debut with that classic anthem Ooh Wee in 2003.

On Friday Mark teamed up with Miley Cyrus for a brilliant return to form single whilst his track with Diplo and Dua Lipa under Silk City, Electricity continues to blow up in Australia.

2019 is looking huge for Mark Ronson has recently stated some of the guests for his next project, spoiler alert, it's gonna be huge, take a read HERE.

Right it's Sunday so y'all want to dance, check out the new track below and a swag of other golden nuggets from Mark Ronson...

Fresh Friday Countdown #142 - Friday 30 November 2018

20 - KIAN - Waiting
19 - Martin Garrix - Ocean {Feat. Khalid}
18 - Vance Joy - I'm With You
17 - Post Malone - Better Now
16 - Vera Blue - All The Pretty Girls
15 - Jax Jones & Years & Years - Play
14 - Khalid - Better
13 - Grimes - We Appreciate Power {Feat. HANA}
12 - Billie Eilish - when the party's over
11 - benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid - Eastside
10 - Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
9 - Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - 1999
8 - Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
7 - Loud Luxury - Body {Feat. Brando}
6 - Hilltop Hoods - Leave Me Lonely
5 - Dean Lewis - Be Alight 
4 - Halsey - Without Me
3 - Amy Shark - I Said Hi
2 - Mark Ronson - Nothing Breaks Like a Heart {Feat. Miley Cyrus}
1 - Amy Shark - All Loved Up