New hits from Madonna, Swift and Sheeran

The year 2019 is halfway over and during such times, it is customary to find the big guns in the music business in the U.S. of A. coming out with their favored releases. This is done obviously to take advantage of the big money spending during the holiday season and also to make the Aug. 31 deadline for the Grammy nominations. But no matter what the reason, these upcoming weeks are virtual feasts for music lovers.

Already off and running is the Material Girl Madonna with the all-new Madame X. The 60-year-old pop superstar has released her most daring album in years and her fans gobbled up the record in massive volumes to make it to No. 1 seller in the Billboard chart on its first week out. Madame X is made up of titles like God Control, Bitch I’m Loca, Medellin featuring Maluma and Killers Who Are Partying plus such sweet affecting gems like Crave and Come Alive. Listen and I am sure you will understand why this became Madonna’s 10th No. 1 album.

No. 6 Collaborations Project by Ed Sheeran is set for release on July 12. The 15-track LP features 22 all-star cast collaborators. This means no solo tracks here by Sheeran. Every tune is a collab with truly big names. Already out in the market as the album’s initial singles are I Don’t Care, a fun collab with Justin Bieber and Sheeran’s latest attempt at hip-hop, Cross Me, with Chance the Rapper and PnB Rock. Up next is Beautiful People with Khalid. Both of these will be included in the album.

The others included in the No 6. Collaborations track listing are the following: South of the Border with Camila Cabello & Cardi B; Take Me Back to London ft. Stormzy; Best Part of Me ft. Yebba; Antisocial with Travis Scott; Remember the Name ft. Eminem & 50 Cent; Feels ft. Young Thug & J Hus; Put It All on Me ft. Ella Mai; Nothing on You ft. Paulo Londra & Dave; I Don’t Want Your Money ft. H.E.R.; 1000 Nights ft. Meek Mill & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie; Way to Break My Heart ft. Skrillex; and Blow with Bruno Mars & Chris Stapleton.

Set for release on Aug. 23 is Lover, the much-awaited new album by Taylor Swift. This is said to contain at least a whopping 16 new songs. Lover got off to a good start with the first single ME!, a light confection featuring Brendon Urie of the rock band Panic! At The Disco. The second, You Need To Calm Down, a nod at the LGBTQ community and to tolerance, dropped last Monday. The rainbow-colored video features celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Adam Lambert and ends with Swiftie dressed as a box of French fries hugging frenemy Katy Perry who was costumed as a cheeseburger.

Great going Tay. But You Need To Calm Down debuted in the charts only at No. 2. So, the big question remains.

Who will dethrone the rampaging upstart Lil Nas X, whose first single Old Country Road with assist from country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, grabbed the top rung in Billboard’s Hot 100 and has decided to stay on? The hip-hop/country concoction is not showing any sign of slipping down and it has been No. 1 in the hit list for 12 weeks now. It is really beginning to look like there is no stopping Lil Nas X.

Just think, the initial singles from Sheeran, I Don’t Care, Swift, Me! and the second try again from her, You Need To Calm Down, all failed to do that. The last collab from hip-hop biggies Chris Brown and Drake also got the boot from the top rung. So did Madonna’s Medellin, a collab with Maluma. So now, let us keep watch on Chris Brown’s new singles, collabs with Bieber titled Don’t Check On It and No Guidance with Drake. Maybe one of these will be the lucky song to kick Old Country Road out of No. 1.

Or maybe another newcomer will do the honors or still maybe, it will be Lil Nas X himself. Set for release any time now is the first single off his debut album. Titled Panini, the single is said to be totally different from Old Country Road but also hot, hot, hot.