Songs I Love Right Now

Here's what I'm listening to these days.

Believe Again - Delta Goodrem. So this isn't actually a current single anywhere at the moment (it was a #2 hit in Australia late last year), but I don't care because I love it. It's pretty close to replacing "Out of the Blue" as my favorite Delta single. Her current U.S. single, "In This Life," is pretty great too, but I prefer the dramatic feel of "Believe Again." Both are from Delta, released 7/15 in the U.S.

Built to Last - Mêlée. Mêlée is a rock band from Orange County. "Built to Last" is the second single from their second album, which has already been a major hit in Japan and some European countries, and is now getting airplay in the UK in advance of a single release later this month. It's a good pop/rock track with a nice piano riff. Pretty MOR, but nicely done.

The One - Kylie Minogue. While I liked "Wow" and "In Your Arms," neither are as good as "The One," a dance track with shimmering simplicity a la "Can't Get You Out of My Head" backed by a warm '80s synth arrangement. Great stuff--hopefully she'll land another UK top 10 hit with it.

All Summer Long - Kid Rock. I was skeptical about this for awhile, but after I heard it, I liked it right away. It curbs liberally from Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves in London," making it instantly recognizable. Great summer track.

All The Times I Cried - Sharleen Spiteri. Remember Texas? "Say What You Want?" "Inner Smile?" Well this is their lead singer gone solo. Doesn't stray too far from her Scottish pop band's sound, which is a good thing.

Dance Wiv Me - Dizzee Rascal (feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome). Thanks to Calvin Harris, hot Scottish dance music producer of the moment, Dizzee Rascal finally has a major hit, and it's a great song, mixing up hip-hop and dance. It was the UK's #1 over the weekend.

Give It 2 Me - Madonna. Give it to Madonna for following up ultra radio friendly "4 Minutes" with Hard Candy's hardest dance cut. "Give it 2 Me" is Hard Candy's "Get Together," and it's a great track with a propulsive dance beat and a dirty "get stoopid" breakdown courtesy of Pharrell Williams.

Forever - Chris Brown. When it comes to Chris Brown, I either love or hate his singles. "Run It" and "Kiss Kiss" didn't do it for me, but I liked "With You" and of course his Jordin Sparks collaboration, "No Air." "Forever" is a great follow-up to those tracks, an upbeat dance pop number featuring Chris's vocals auto-tuned to android-like proportions.

Leavin' - Jesse McCartney. This is one that took awhile to grow on me, but now I like it. Sure it's an obvious play to grab the Justin Timberlake fans between JT's albums, but JM could certainly pick someone worse to emulate. Very different than the "Beautiful Soul" sound we're used to from him.