Pop Culture

Warm Up this Week: 6 Hot Songs for Your Playlist

By Alison | January 12, 2015 0 Comments

It’s time to put away all those “best of” lists from 2014. Here are six hot songs for your 2015 playlist — the kind of music to listen to while getting ready for a hot date or a night out with friends. You know, during that beautiful time when you’re still running around in your toasty apartment in your underwear and in complete and total denial about all the very un-sexy layering that is inevitably going to happen. And it’s going to happen.

Disclaimer: Not all of these tracks are brand new for 2015, but here’s hoping they might be new to you. Either way, guaranteed they’ll perk up your mood to face the city, Chicago or elsewhere, in January.

Lion Babe — “Treat Me Like Fire”

Lion Babe, aka Jillian Hervey, aka Vanessa Williams’ daughter, had me hooked when I first heard this track in January 2013. When at last she released her EP a couple of months ago, it was worth the wait. Be sure to also check out the excellent track “Jump Hi,” which features Childish Gambino and a Nina Simone sample.

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D’Angelo — “Ain’t That Easy”

Last month, D’Angelo swooped in and screwed up everybody’s year-end lists with the release of “Black Messiah,” his first album in 14 years. Listen to it in full; it is magic. This opening track has him reminding all of us, “You can’t leave me, ain’t that easy.” Duh.

Mirah — “Turned the Heat Off”

I had completely snoozed on Mirah’s latest album, “Changing Light,” until a friend of mine was raving about it last weekend and we immediately put it on to listen. This track is a standout.

Nicki Minaj featuring Beyoncé — “Feeling Myself”

If you haven’t already been blaring this while getting ready to go out, why not? Ms. Minaj and Queen Bey are the best kind of cheerleaders for self-esteem imaginable here. Not going to spell it out for you anymore than that.

Miguel featuring Kurupt — “nwa”

Get ready for Miguel to dominate 2015. He slyly dropped a three-track EP last month, and it’s exactly the kind of smooth sexiness we’ve come to expect from him. (Don’t snooze on the other two songs, either!) Now we just need Frank Ocean to follow suit…(Warning: NSFW)

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Ephemerals — “You Made Us Change”

Soul fans, it is mandatory to check out this London-based band. “Nothing is Easy” is currently one of my most-played albums of 2015. The whole twelve days of 2015 so far.