So many singles, so little time. Here are three songs to stream right away:
No one really knows what to make of Lil Nas X's surprise smash "Old Town Road" (Columbia), a two-minute combination of banjo and trap beats that sounds like a "Saturday Night Live" skit, but maybe that's the point. "My life is a movie _ bull ridin' and boobies," he rhymes, combining country and hip-hop influences. "Cowboy hat from Gucci, Wrangler on my booty, can't nobody tell me nothin'." Will this be the first song that video meme-factory TikTok breaks? Sure looks like it.
Everything about Arcade Fire's version of "Baby Mine" (Disney) is also unexpected. The Canadian indie-rock collective's take on the beloved classic from "Dumbo" is as sweet as ever, especially at the beginning when Regine Chassagne nods to the Betty Noyes original. When Win Butler takes over, the band moves it into the doo-wop era, modernizing it ever-so-slightly at the end without changing the sentiment.
Anderson.Paak's neo-soul protest anthem "King James" (Aftermath/12 Tone) pays tribute to the great LeBron James and Colin Kaepernick without disturbing the saxophone-driven groove one bit. "Let's just not talk about it," he convincingly promises. "If I make a move, you're coming with me."
