Deadshirt is Listening… Reluctantly Mobbing, Getting Vaguely Emotional, Soaring

Deadshirt is Listening…Bringing you a rundown of our staff and guest contributors’ favorite new tracks released in the past week after they’ve had the weekend to blast them in their cars, in a club, alone in their rooms, etc.

Dominic Griffin is reluctantly mobbing to…

“Blessings (Featuring Drake & Kanye West [uncredited])
Big Sean
Dark Sky Paradise
Rap

http://youtu.be/UOwWr4Icy10

“B-Boy (Featuring Big Sean & A$AP Ferg)”
Meek Mill
Dreams Worth More Than Money
Rap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9f6s9DxkyQ

Big Sean is not supposed to be winning like this. After having his entire sophomore album completely overshadowed by a guest verse on a track that didn’t even make the cut, he’d had as pretty solid 2014, coasting off the cred-building solidity of his 4 Songs EP, which birthed radio hit/near Justin Bieber jam “IDFWU” and rumblings that Sean was planning to release a new album. We all knew a single was on the way, and while I personally hoped it would be the full version of the Ambrosia flipping snippet from the album trailer, you can’t go wrong with a Drake feature. Sean and Drake have notably collaborated in the past, both on “Made” and “All Me” (as well as Aubrey jacking the Supa Dupa Lemonade flow and making it the most ubiquitous, annoying thing in the world), but “Blessings” is a shade different than their past team-ups. First of all, Drake is purposefully trying not to steal the spotlight, which, in it’s own Drake way, seems worthy of more attention. Sean’s the star here, for a change, finally executing that off-kilter double time flow he’s been trying to make a thing for years. It’s like watching Daniel-san finally sweep the leg, hearing him sound this confident without any track-pausing groaners to interrupt the turn up.

That the final version of the song ends with an uncredited verse from label boss Kanye is insane, especially since it’s just Yeezy rapping about sending dick pics on Snapchat and homeschooling his daughter? What the fuck, right?

Even more impressive and considerably more fun to bump, Sean steals “B-Boy” out from under Meek and Ferg with a breathless sprint of a verse. Meek’s never really done it for me outside of a few tracks, but here, he and two of the most spirited, enthusiastic, and energetic emcees in the industry are pure swagger, trading verses on a song that seems tailor made for a throwback music video that deftly references Spring Breakers. Major bonus points for Meek’s classic vine-referencing outro.

Mike Duquette is soaring to…

“Hold On Tight”
Greg Holden
Chase The Sun
Acoustic Rock

https://soundcloud.com/mmmusic/greg-holden-hold-on-tight

I saw the Scottish-born/Brooklyn-based Greg Holden as an opening act in 2013, having no clue just how much I’d like him once he left the stage. But he slyly buried the lede even then: his “The Lost Boy” scored a pivotal scene in Sons Of Anarchy in 2012, and “Home,” a song he co-wrote with producer Drew Pearson, was American Idol winner Phillip Phillips’ debut single (and, with five million copies sold, the best-selling Idol-associated song ever).

That mix of goodwill and stealth has netted Holden a major-label deal with Warner Bros. for his sophomore album Chase The Sun. But success hasn’t spoiled him yet! He’s still got a knack for swing-big choruses (“Don’t take your liiiiiife for granted…”), and his voice is fuller and arguably more pleasing than Phillips’.

David Lebovitz is getting vaguely emotional to…

“I Will Always Love You” (Dolly Parton Cover)
Kristin Chenoweth
Country? Pop? Showtunes?

It’s easy to forget that before Whitney made the song a bombastic ballad, “I Will Always Love You” was a comparatively subtle love song by Dolly Parton. Kristin Chenoweth, being the delightfully twangy musical superstar that she is, offers one of the most stripped down versions of the song ever professionally recorded. Sung in front of her hometown audience with scant more than a guitar, Chenoweth proves that the song can be just as powerful with or without explosive sustained notes. It’s all about venue and emotion.

More Chenoweth please.

That’s what we’ve been listening to this week—what’s got your ear this week? Tweet your recommendations @DeadshirtDotNet or drop us a line on our Facebook page.

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Deadshirt's writing staff is dedicated to bringing you thoughtful and entertaining media commentary. We're mostly indentured, which means we can pass the savings on to you!

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