Rihanna's Work: My Choice for Grammy Record of the Year 2017

The first time I heard this song, I had a feeling that the Grammy voters would choose it as one of the nominees for Record of the Year.

It's Rihanna at her sexiest and most adventurous in terms of phrasing her lines and giving that distinct reggae way of singing the words - making you wonder if they're real lines or just the way West Indian women say their words!

Too bad ANTI was a bit of uneven album, the only other song I liked there was Same Ol' Mistakes.

I think her best album ever was 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad where each just segued effortlessly with the next one, creating a very cohesive pile of dance songs and some ballads.

Well, Work is getting my vote for Grammy Record of the Year.

My Weekly Top 10 (April 15, 2016) #1 Rihanna feat. Drake - Work

Rihanna gets her ninth while Drake gets his 3rd #1 hit in My Weekly Top 10, as Work ascends to the top spot this week.

It's the first hit from Rihanna's Anti album.

Youtube views: 246,347,098 (10.66%)

Drake

Drake has seven top ten hits in my personal countdown. Three of them went all the way to #1.

2010 - Fancy (with T.I. and Swiss Beatz) (#1)

2012 - Take Care (with Rihanna) (#6)

2013 - Hold On We're Going Home (#7)


2014 - Karaoke (#1)

2015 - Hotline Bling (#3)

2016 - Poetic Justice (with Kendrick Lamar) (#7)

2016 - Work (with Rihanna) (#1)

My Weekly Top 10 (February 5, 2016) #7 Kendrick Lamar / Drake - Poetic Justice

Kendrick Lamar's fifth top 10 hit and Drake's 6th, Poetic Justice, moves up this week to #7 in my personal countdown.  It's the current peak position of this song.

My Weekly Top 10 (Dec. 4, 2015) #5 Drake - Hotline Bling

Drake's fifth top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Hotline Bling, stays at #5 this week.  The song has already peaked at #3.

My Weekly Top 10 (Oct. 30, 2015): GTA and TJR Top My Weekly Countdown

Thanks to Body Jam, another EDM hit goes to #1 this week, this time, a collaboration between GTA and JTR, with their crowd-pleasing hit, Mic Check.
Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending October 30, 2015 -

#1 GTA / JTR - Mic Check (#2)

#2 Deorro / Chris Brown - Five More Hours (#1)

#3 Flosstradamus / GTA / Lil Jon - Prison Riot (#3)

#4 Jarryd James - Do You Remember (#4)

#5 Paris Blohm / Taylr Renee - Left Behinds (#5)

#6 Emma White - Rewind (Mikkas Remix) (#6)

#7 Tori Amos - Selkie (#8)

#8 Ricky Martin - Adios (#10)

#9 Drake - Hotline Bling (NEW)

#10 Vanessa Carlton - I Don't Want to Be Your Bride (RE)

Drake Rules My Personal Countdown For the Second Time

Drake gets his second #1 song in my personal countdown this week, as Karaoke ascends to the top. It's one of the gems from Thank Me Later that I have discovered by accident.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending September 26, 2014 -

#10 Lana del Rey - West Coast (NEW)

Lana del Rey returns with her third top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  This week, West Coast, debuts at #10.



#9 Celine Dion - Always Be My Girl (NEW)

Celine Dion returns this week with her 47th top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  Always Be My Girl debuts this week at #9.






#8 George Strait - I Got A Car (#10) 

 George Strait's very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown, I Got A Car, moves up this week to #8.





#7 Amos Lee - El Camino (#9) 

Amos Lee's El Camino moves up to #7 this week. It's his very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown.

 

#6 Shakira - Empire (#8)

Shakira's eleventh top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Empire, moves up this week to #6.





#5 Busta Rhymes feat. Eminem - Calm Down (NEW)

Busta Rhymes and Eminem return to my personal countdown this week as Calm Down debuts this week at #5.  This is Busta Rhymes' fifth visit to my personal countdown and Eminem's fifteenth.





#4 RY X - Berlin (#5) 

 Indie artist RY X's first top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Berlin, moves up this week to 
#4.






#3 Showtek - We Like to Party (#4)

Showtek's third top 10 hit in my personal countdown, We Like to Party, moves up this week to #3.





#2 Jennifer Lopez - First Love (#3)

Jennifer Lopez's sixteenth top 10 hit in my personal countdown, First Love, moves up to #2 this week.





#1 Drake - Karaoke (#2)

Drake gets his second #1 hit in my personal countdown this week, as Karaoke, moves up to the top spot.  It's also his fourth top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  It came from his Thank Me Later album.

Thompson Square Puts Country Music Back on Top of My Personal Countdown

Thompson Square's Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinkin' About puts country music back at the top of my personal countdown.  The song moves from #2 to #1 this week.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending September 19, 2014 -


#10 George Strait - I Got A Car (NEW)

I Got A Car is country singer, George Strait's very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown. It debuts this week at #10.


 


#9 Amos Lee - El Camino

El Camino is Amos Lee's very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  It debuts this week at #9.




#8 Shakira - Empire (NEW)

Shakira gets her 11th top 10 hit in my personal countdown this week as Empire debuts at #8.






#7 Justin Bieber feat. R. Kelly (9)

Justin Bieber's collaboration with R. Kelly, PYD, moves two notches up this week to #7.  



 

 #6 Sam Smith - Stay With Me (#8) Sam Smith's 

Stay With Me moves up two notches to #6 this week. It's his fourth top 10 hit in my personal countdown.






#5 RY X - Berlin (#10)

RY X's Berlin zooms up from #10 to #5 this week.  It's his first top 10 hit in my personal countdown.




#4 Showtek - We Like to Party (#5)

Dance artist Showtek's third top 10 hit in my personal countdown, We Like to Party, moves up a notch to #4 this week.





#3 Jennifer Lopez - First Love (#4)

Jennifer Lopez's First Love continues to move up my personal countdown, landing at #3 this week.



 

#2 Drake - Karaoke (#3)

Karaoke is Drake's fourth top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  It moves closer to the top spot this week at #2.







#1 Thompson Square - Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinkin' About (#2)

Country duo Thompson Square get their very first #1 hit in my personal countdown this week, as Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinkin' About, ascends to the top.  It's also their very first top 10 hit.

Sam Smith's I'm Not the Only One Tops My Personal Countdown This Week

Sam Smith's fourth top 10 hit in my personal countdown becomes his second #1 song.  I'm Not the Only One moves up this week from #2 to #1.  It's the 4th top 10 hit from his album In The Lonely Hour.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending September 12, 2014 -

#10 RY X - Berlin (NEW)

Australian indie singer RY X gets his very first top 10 hit in my weekly countdown this week, as Berlin, debuts at #10.


 

 
#9 Justin Bieber/R. Kelly - PYD (NEW)

Justin Bieber gets his fifth top 10 hit this week, as his collaboration with R. Kelly, PYD, debuts this week at #9.  This is R. Kelly's 16th top 10 hit in my personal countdown.


 


#8 Sam Smith - Stay With Me (NEW)

Stay With Me becomes Sam Smith's fourth top 10 hit in my personal countdown for the year 2014.  It debuts this week at #8.


 


 #7 Calvin Harris - Summer (#10) 

Calvin Harris' Summer zooms to #10 this week.  It's his fifth top 10 hit in my personal countdown.


 


#6 Charli XCX - Boom Clap (#6) 

Charli XCX's first top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Boom Clap, stays at #6 this week, for another week.








#5 Showtek - We Like to Party (#9)

Showtek's third top 10 hit in my personal countdown, We Like To Party, zooms up to #5 this week.  It was in the last Body Jam release, that's why it's here in my personal countdown.





#4 Jennifer Lopez - First Love (#5)

First Love is Jennifer Lopez's 16th top 10 hit in my personal countdown and the second from the latest album AKA.  It moves up this week to #4.




 


#3 Drake - Karaoke (#8)

Drake's fourth top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Karaoke, zooms up this week to #3.






#2 Thompson Square- Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About (#4)

Thompson Square puts country music in my personal countdown as Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About moves up two notches to #2.






#1 Sam Smith - I'm Not the Only One (#2)

Sam Smith tops my personal countdown for the second time as I'm Not the Only One ascends to the top spot this week.

A Great Big World Gets Their Third #1 Song in My Personal Countdown

A Great Big World gets their third #1 song in my personal countdown this week as Already Home, moves from #2 to #1.  It's been a great year for this duo, certainly one of the top acts this year in my personal countdown.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending September 5, 2014 -

#10 Calvin Harris - Summer (NEW)

Calvin Harris' fifth top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Summer, debuts this week at #10.

 


#9 Showtek - We Like to Party (NEW)

Showtek gets their third top 10 hit in my personal countdown this year, as We Like to Party, debuts at #9.





#8 Drake - Karaoke (#10)

Drake's fourth top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Karaoke, moves quietly to #8 this week.



 

#7 Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora - Black Widow (#6) 

 The collaboration between Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora, Black Widow, slips this week to #7, after peaking at #6. It's Iggy's second top 10 hit and Rita's first in my personal countdown.




#6 Charli XCX - Boom Clap (#7) 

 Charli XCX's very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown, moves up this week to #6.





#5 Jennifer Lopez - First Time (#8)

First Love is Jennifer Lopez's 16th top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  This week it zooms up to #5.






#4 Thompson Square - Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About (#9)

Country duo Thompson Square's Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About zooms all the way to #4 this week.  It's their very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown.




#3 Sam Smith - Restart (#4)

Sam Smith has two top 10 hits in my personal countdown this week.  The first one, Restart, moves up a notch to #3.





#2 Sam Smith - I'm Not the Only One (#5)

Sam Smith's second top 10 hit in my personal countdown this week, zooms from #5 to #2.  It's his third top 10 hit in my personal countdown.





#1 A Great Big World - Already Home (#2)

A Great Big World gets their third #1 song this year, as Already Home, moves from #2 to #1.  

Vertical Horizon Tops My Personal Countdown for the Eighth Time

It was really great that the band Vertical Horizon decided to bring their concert here to Manila this year.  Otherwise, I wouldn't know that they have a new brilliant album and I wouldn't have been able to discover all these beautiful songs from their latest album Echoes from the Underground.

Consolation becomes the band's third #1 song from that album, and their 8th #1 overall.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending August 29, 2014 -

#10 Drake - Karaoke (#NEW)

This song from Drake comes from his Thank Me Later album.  Doesn't matter, it's still a great song.  This week, Karaoke debuts at #10.  It's Drake's fourth visit in my personal countdown.





#9 Thompson Square - Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinkin' About (#NEW)

The country duo of Thompson Square gets their very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown this week, as Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinkin' About debuts at #9.  It's also one of the rare country songs that was able to make it into my personal countdown this year.




#8 Jennifer Lopez - First Love (#7)

Jennifer Lopez's 16th top 10 hit in my personal countdown, First Love, slips to #8 this week.  It's the second top 10 hit from her latest album AKA.




#7 Charli XCX - Boom Clap (#8)

Charli XCX's first top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Boom Clap, moves up a notch to #7 this week.  I just learned that this song is in the soundtrack of the summer hit, The Fault in our Stars.





#6 Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora - Black Widow(#9) 

 Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora's very first hit in my personal countdown, Black Widow, jumps from #9 to #6 this week.




#5 Sam Smith - I'm Not the Only One (#10)

Sam Smith's second top 10 hit in my personal countdown, I'm Not the Only One, zooms from #10 to #5 this week.





#4 Sam Smith - Restart (#6)

Sam Smith first top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Restart, moves up this week from #6 to #4. It's his third top 10 hit in my personal countdown.




#3 AJR - I'm Ready (#5)

The AJR brothers move up two places to #3 this week. It's their very first top 10 hit in my personal countdown.



#2 A Great Big World - Already Home (#3)

The duo A Great Big World's third top 10 hit in my personal countdown, Already Home, edges closer to the #1 spot.  Their first two hits, Say Something and I Really Want It, both went to #1.




#1 Vertical Horizon - Consolation (#2)

Vertical Horizon gets their 8th top 10 hit this week, as Consolation, moves up from #2 to #1. It's also the band's third #1 hit from their latest album, Echoes From the Underground.

Chart Performance: Drake

Drake has 13 top 10 hits in the US, including one #1 song.

2009 - Best I Ever Had (#2)

2009 - Forever (with Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem) (#8) 

2010 - Find Your Love (#5)

2010 - Right Above It (with Lil Wayne) (#6)

2010 - What's My Name (with Rihanna) (#1)

2011 - Make Me Proud (with Nicki Minaj) (#9)

2011 - I'm On One (with DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne) (#10)

2011 - She Will (with Lil Wayne) (#3)

2012 - Take Care (with Rihanna) (#7)

2012 -Fuckin' Problems (with ASAP Rocky, 2Chainz and Kendrick Lamar) (#8)

2013 - Started From the Bottom (#6)

2013 - Hold On, We're Going Home (with Majid Jordan) (#4)

2013 - Love Me (with Lil Wayne and Future) (#9)

Jamie Cullum Tops My Personal Countdown for the Fifteenth Time

I am not surprised that one of the songs in Jamie Cullum's latest album, Momentum, has finally topped my personal countdown.  Previous to this week, he has had fourteen chart toppers from his past three albums!  That's how much I love his work!  Anyway, this week, You're Not the Only One, moves from #2 to #1.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending November 15, 2013 -

#1 Jamie Cullum - You're Not the Only One (#2)

#2 Onerepublic - Light It Up (#3)

#3 Britney Spears - Work Bitch (#7)

#4 Justin Timberlake - Take Back the Night (#5)

#5 Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know (RE)

#6 Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High (RE)

#7 Drake feat. Majid Jordan - Hold On We're Going Home (NEW)

#8 Lorde - Royals (NEW)

#9 Ylvis - The Fox (NEW)

#10 Pet Shop Boys feat. Example - Thursday

Majid Jordan

Majid Jordan is a Canadian duo composed of Majid Al Maskati & Jordan Ullman and they are featured in Drake's latest hit, Hold On We're Going Home.  It's their very first foray into my personal countdown.

My Weekly Top 10 November 15, 2013: #7 Drake feat Majid Jordan - Hold On We're Going Home

Drake gets his third top 10 hit in my personal countdown this week, as Hold On We're Going Home debuts at #7.

Drake and Rihanna'sTake Care: Another Favorite Track from the New Body Jam Release

Drake and Rihanna's Take Care has been some kind of slow burn song for me.  I like the song but it hasn't really peaked in a way like the other songs have in my personal countdown list.  However, its inclusion in the latest Body Jam release may allow it to enter the higher echelons of my personal charts, especially that I like how it was choreographed in the latest release.

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Chart Performance: Drake

Drake's eleventh US Top 10 hit, his collaboration with Rihanna, Take Care, has peaked at #7. This week, it rests at #7  Their previous collaboration, What's My Name, reached #1 last year.  

Below are Drake's Top 10 hits in the US -

2009 - Best I Ever Had (#2)
2009 - Forever (with Kanye West, Eminem and Lil Wayne) (#8)
2009 - Every Girl (with Young Money) (#10)
2009 - Bedrock (with Young Money and Lloyd) (#2)
2010 - Find Your Love (#5)
2010 - Right Above It (with Lil Wayne) (#6)
2010 - What's My Name (with Rihanna) (#1)
2011 - Make Me Proud (with Nicki Minaj) (#9)  
2011 - I'm On One (with DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne) (#10)

2011 - She Will (with Lil Wayne) (#3) 
2011 - Take Care (with Rihanna) (#7)

In the UK, the same song slips from #1 to #3.  It is Drake's first UK #1 song.  His only other UK top 10 came last year, with the #9 peak of Bedrock.

2009 - Bedrock (with Young Money and Lloyd) (#9)
2010 - What's My Name (with Rihanna) (#1)

Album-wise, Drake follows up his first #1 album, Thank Me Later, with another #1 album, this time, entitled Take Care.  This gives him two #1 albums in the US!  This week, the album is at #7. 

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