I AM BACK after a week's hiatus as I headed back to my original state of New Jersey to visit some friends, do some geocaching, and attend a Super Bowl party. Needless to say, it was very cold out there, talk about the frozen tundra!
But speaking of the Super Bowl, a music blog such as this wouldn't be complete without addressing the elephant in the room....or should I say bunny.....as in Bad Bunny.
I have talked about this halftime show for quite a while now, one that has raised some controversies, much of it stemming from the Puerto Rican rapper's stance on the current administration, as well as having his whole show in Spanish. For me, however, I really didn't care about that as diversity is the key; my chief complaint is that once again, hip-hop dominated the show, as opposed to giving other genres a chance, namely country, which hadn't headlined a show for almost two decades. While Green Day played at the beginning of the game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, and Jersey boy Charlie Puth sang the National Anthem, country once again was shut out.
 |
| Bad Bunny (R) headlined this year's Super Bowl Halftime show, and went head-too-head with Kid Rock (L), who headlined an alternate show put on by Turning Point USA. |
So my opinion of it? To be honest, I didn't really have an issue with it, as far as halftime shows always go. It was always about the props, the pageantry. While it actually masks any musical performance, you have to realize that this is all about theatrics. Bad Bunny is who what he is, and in spite of the performance being in Spanish, apparently there was a message of unity in it. Of course, I have no problem with that, but doing that, while being critical at the same time of the other side of the aisle, doesn't help matters.
Adding some spice to the show were the appearances of Lady Gaga, who did a salsa-ized version of her hit with Bruno Mars, "Die With a Smile", and later, Ricky Martin. As I said, I didn't have a problem at all with the presentation. Will I be a Bad Bunny fan? Probably not, and it doesn't change what I listen to. But, given how halftime shows play out, even with an act that I like, it is what it is....entertainment.
As I mentioned in my last blog, there was an alternate halftime show put on by Turning Point USA, which offered a conservative-based program. Just days before it went off, the performers were announced. It was headlined by Kid Rock, with performances by Gabby Barrett, Lee Brice and Brantley Gilbert. I can't comment on it, as I didn't see it, since I had no idea where to watch it. As I mentioned above, I was away all week, so I didn't "get the memo", nor apparently did anyone at the party. Many of my friends were right leaning (although not necessarily pro-Trump), yet we had Bad Bunny's performances on (with various amounts of people watching it), as opposed to the TPUSA show.
As you'd probably expect, looking at social media, it seems that those on the left praised Bad Bunny, while the right hated it, but there were a few on the liberal side who really wasn't thrilled with that halftime show, or were confused with the presentation. Isn't it funny (or rather sad) that a performance is judged not by the talent of the performer, but rather what their political point of view is. Hence the criticism of Kid Rock's show, called an "embarrassment" by country artist Zach Bryan. I wonder if he actually saw the show, or if he was trying to get "brownie points" from the left.
I am going to just sum it up, and say that politics has ruined music. While I do advocate protest songs, such as Kid Rock's "We the People", Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town", or Bruce Springsteen's current "Streets of Minneapolis", rhetoric from these artists does NOTHING to help them. Alienating half your audience does you no favors. Springsteen's concerts-turned-political rallies have created a backlash among some New Jersey fans who once supported him. And while artists like Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, ("Ohio", about the Kent State shootings) among others have scored hits with protest songs, they were more relevant in its time, as compared to artists like Springsteen who hasn't had a hit in thirty years.
One more thing regarding Springsteen. I mentioned that "Streets of Minneapolis" had hit #1 on the iTunes chart of downloaded songs; on Billboard this week, it does hit #1 on the Digital Singles chart on Billboard. However, on the Hot 100, so far, it has "bubbled under" at #106. It did have several adds on Triple-A stations, which, at this point in time, it probably the only radio format that would play this.
THE START OF THE MONTH also brought us the Grammy Awards, which I will just skim over with the major awards. Once again, despite it not being the dominant genre in 2025, hip-hop nonetheless copped several awards, including Record of the Year for "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA, and Bad Bunny's Debi Tirer Mis Fotos. Other awards went to Billie Eilish and Finneas' "Wildflower" for Song of the Year, and Olivia Dean for Best New Artist. As for the third of the "big three" music events in February, the nominations for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, should be out very shortly.
HOT 100: Speaking of the Hot 100, we had some semblance of movement in the two weeks since I last blogged. Last week, Harry Styles debuted in the top spot with "Aperture", which in turn drops all the way down to #12 this week. It's replaced by Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" which had a steady climb to the top. Olivia Dean's "Man I Need" advanced to #2 last week and holds it this week as well. "Ordinary" by Alex Warren is the one that doesn't budge. Dropped down to #7 last week, it moves back up to #3 for last year's Billboard "Song of the Summer". Bruno Mars' "I Just Might", which debuted at #1 two weeks ago, dropped to #6 last week, and rebounded to #4, and "Golden" by Huntrix is still hanging in at #5, down a notch from 4 last week. Debuting at #6 is Noah Kahan's "The Great Divide".
As you'd expect, Bad Bunny, in anticipation of his halftime show, re-enters several of his songs on the chart, including "DTMF" at #10. Expect some more movement in the wake of the halftime show next week.
SNS 100: Turning to my blog chart, it's a second week at the top for Rick Strickland and Lesa Hudson's "Every Road". I also want to add a big "thanks" for their shoutout to myself and the blog during their Facebook Live show a couple weeks back during the snowstorm. "Pretty Lady" is still hanging strong at #2, and still leads several beach music charts, some for over 20 weeks. It, of course, reigned here for a record 12 weeks.
Brooke Combe moves 7-3 with "How Can I Tell You? (To Love Me More)", as she continues to make the rounds; she appeared last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Jay Vons' "Keep on Moving", a former #1 here, drops 3-4, while Deb Browning and Michael Fite's "Getaway Car" moves back up a notch from 6 to 5, buoys by a video of the song due to come out shortly. Bruno Mars' 'I Just Might" moves 8-6. There are two new entries in the top 10: Starbuck's "Robusto" (15-9) and the Half-Cubes, "Go Back" (14-10).
Several new entries in the Top 20, led by the current national #1 song, Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" moving 34-13 to garner Impact honors. Bradley Denniston's "Backbone Lover" (22-16), Sylvia Johns Ritchie's "No Place Like New Orleans" (33-19), and Stephen Sanchez's "Sweet Love" (35-20), also enter.
Some big moves further down. The Mover of the Week is Jennifer Licko's "Meet Me at the Shag Pad" (80-44), but last week's Top Debut, The Womack Sisters' "I Just Don't Want You To Say Goodbye" moves 47-29. MT Jones' "I Don't Understand" (56-34) and Rivermist's "At the End of the Day" (58-42) also make significant moves.
There are a huge number of high debuts this week, resulting in a very rare phenomenon: Some bulleted songs drop as much as eight positions being pushed down. Bradley Denniston's "Summer Rain" drops 61 to 69, for an 8-point drop; pMad's "Blood" (67-74), James Hunter Six and Van Morrison's "Ain't That A Trip" (63-70) and Tim Izzard's "Man Who Fell to Earth" (64-71) each drop seven notches despite bullets.
DEBUTS: As mentioned above, there are a lot of new songs on the chart, many of them debuting high. They are led by two debuts each by Brooke Combe and The Jay Vons, as I dig deeper into their catalogs. As Brooke's "How Can I Tell You? (To Love Me)" heads towards the top of my chart, which is a standalone single thus far the songstresss had released two prior albums, 2023's Black is the New Gold, and 2025's Dancing At the Edge of the World, and a song from each of those sets are the two highest entries: "A-Game" from the former, at #46, and "This Town" from the latter, a notch above it at #45 to nab Top Debut honors. These earlier efforts from the Scottish Northern Soul artists are just as great as her current single. "This Town" is a soulful, good-time up-tempo romp, definitely a throwback to the 1960's, not only soul, but it has traces of artists like Petula Clark or Dusty Springfield. In contrast, "A-Game", is a slow, bluesy, soulful jam, that is persistent in its approach. It's reminiscent of another soulful U.K. artist: Amy Winehouse. I can see these two songs join her current hit in the top ten very soon. Let's hope Ms. Combe can catch on here in the states. It would be nice if Carolina beach music stations can play some of her music.
Equal in importance to me are two entries by The Jay Vons. These are not current, as the band hasn't released anything since 2019, but have been discovering their album release that year. The band's album The Word has three #1 blog songs on it, and a fourth, "It Was Wrong to Love You", debuts at #49. This, like the previous "Keep on Moving" was released as a single in the day; actually, it was released in 2015 before being included on The Word. It continues the gutsy, poppy sixties vibe of the prior songs. The only thing that will keep this from going to the top will be the other songs that are moving fast. But this song has what it takes to top my list. The other song, also from the album is "Changing Seasons" at #65. Also a single from the album in 2019. This one is another awesome song, a little more mellow but still harkens back to the garage rock era in the 1960's. A bit bouncy as well. It seems like this band could do no wrong. I wish I knew whether they guys were still together. There haven't been any posts on their Facebook page since 2020. But regardless we will continue to explore these gems.
The Black Keys, whose last album yielded four top ten blog songs, two of which are still on the SNS 100, and including two number ones, are right back to follow it with "You Got to Lose", the lead single from their forthcoming Peaches set. This one is a mishmash of early rock 'n' roll, with a bluesy slant, but regardless, it rocks all the way and is very uptempo. A lot of jamming going on here. It will be interesting to see how this one does at radio since it comes on top of releases from their previous effort. It enters at an impressive #52.
Another eclectic songs debuts, "I Need Your Love" by The Milk, another from the U.K (Essex). As has been the case with many songs I've added, this one is rooted in the 1960's, with a few stylistic changes, combing soul, garage, funk and jazz. It's from their current album Borderlands. The song really has a cool sound to it. The organ, and flute at the end clinch it. It debuts at #59.
Next is another band new to SNS, WILLIS, with "Twist of Fate" coming in at #77. This is a smooth ballad that works just fine. The band is a quintet from Nashville, but without any country traces, just a cool, rock-ish slow song that is nice for slow dancing. Retro soul outfit Durand Jones and the Indications, coming off a #2 song with its 2019 "Don't You Know", follow it up with a new song, "Just Take Our Time". A little more mainstream soul this time out, it reminds me so much of Smokey Robinson's "I'll Try Something New". It really seems that soul is taking over my chart, but that's very much a good thing. The song debuts at #81.
Salt Luvs Pepper, fronted by Jimmy Ogburn has had some beach hits, and comes back after a hiatus with "I Love To Love You Baby". More soul, but more of a Detroit variety and bluesy with the wailing sax going on. This is classic boogie-woogie and should result in another beach hit. Arctic Monkeys, another who recently rode to #2 with an older song ("505") also return with a brand-new song, "Opening Night". A bit more understated than the prior song, the English quartet from Sheffield as somewhat of a Bowie feel to it, that could score in alternative circles. Next is Noah Kahan's "The Great Divide", which, as mentioned above, debuts in the top 10 on the Hot 100. This is in the alt-folk vein that will grow with several listens. Finally, we have Alemeda's "Happy with You". Another discovery from The Kelly Clarkson Show (which, sadly has announced that this current season will be its last), has a cool contemporary pop/indie sound to it. It enters at #89.
NO MORE 'JOY'. Finally, I have to announce another major passing, that being of Chuck Negron. If the name isn't familiar, the band he was with is: Three Dog Night. He was the frontman and one of three lead singers in that pop-rock band that rattled off 21 consecutive top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975. The band had three number one songs, "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)", 1970, "Black and White" (1972), and their biggest song "Joy to the World' with was both Billboard's and SNS's top song of 1971. He joined the band in 1967 and stayed until its breakup in 1976. Sadly, he developed a heroin addiction which stalled his career; and it wasn't until 1991 that he overcame it. His solo career started at that time and released seven albums from 1991 until 2017.
Negron passed away on February 2, of heart failure. He was 83.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
February 1 / 8, 2026
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  RICK STRICKLAND and LESA HUDSON (Single Release) (2 Weeks at #1) |
11 |
|
2 |
2 |
21 |
|
|
3 |
7 |
4 |
|
|
4 |
3 |
13 |
|
|
5 |
6 |
16 |
|
|
6 |
8 |
4 |
|
|
7 |
4 |
14 |
|
|
8 |
5 |
13 |
|
|
9 |
15 |
5 |
|
|
10 |
14 |
11 |
|
|
11 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
12 |
12 |
11 |
|
|
13 |
34 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: Dandelion |
4 |
|
14 |
9 |
12 |
|
|
15 |
13 |
12 |
|
|
16 |
22 |
5 |
|
|
17 |
10 |
12 |
|
|
18 |
19 |
11 |
|
|
19 |
33 |
3 |
|
|
20 |
35 |
3 |
|
|
21 |
16 |
20 |
|
|
22 |
17 |
16 |
|
|
23 |
18 |
15 |
|
|
24 |
27 |
5 |
|
|
25 |
28 |
6 |
|
|
26 |
21 |
14 |
|
|
27 |
31 |
6 |
|
|
28 |
20 |
12 |
|
|
29 |
47 |
2 |
|
|
30 |
23 |
10 |
|
|
31 |
30 |
19 |
|
|
32 |
29 |
12 |
|
|
33 |
25 |
17 |
|
|
34 |
56 |
2 |
|
|
35 |
24 |
15 |
|
|
36 |
36 |
4 |
|
|
37 |
26 |
15 |
|
|
38 |
32 |
10 |
|
|
39 |
44 |
4 |
|
|
40 |
43 |
5 |
|
|
41 |
39 |
5 |
|
|
42 |
58 |
2 |
|
|
43 |
46 |
5 |
|
|
44 |
80 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
2 |
|
45 |
45 |
5 |
|
|
46 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  Album: Dancing at the Edge of the World |
1 |
|
47 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
48 |
52 |
4 |
|
|
49 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
50 |
51 |
5 |
|
|
51 |
57 |
3 |
|
|
52 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
53 |
38 |
11 |
|
|
54 |
53 |
5 |
|
|
55 |
55 |
4 |
|
|
56 |
77 |
2 |
|
|
57 |
54 |
5 |
|
|
58 |
68 |
2 |
|
|
59 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
60 |
50 |
25 |
|
|
61 |
75 |
2 |
|
|
62 |
42 |
18 |
|
|
63 |
37 |
16 |
|
|
64 |
62 |
3 |
|
|
65 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
66 |
71 |
3 |
|
|
67 |
40 |
21 |
|
|
68 |
60 |
4 |
|
|
69 |
61 |
5 |
|
|
70 |
63 |
9 |
|
|
71 |
64 |
4 |
|
|
72 |
74 |
3 |
|
|
73 |
48 |
17 |
|
|
74 |
67 |
4 |
|
|
75 |
70 |
4 |
|
|
76 |
49 |
10 |
|
|
77 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
78 |
41 |
10 |
|
|
79 |
79 |
2 |
|
|
80 |
59 |
HUNTR/X
- Golden |
22 |
|
81 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
82 |
69 |
The
Tams - My True Love● |
28 |
|
83 |
66 |
14 |
|
|
84 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
85 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
86 |
85 |
3 |
|
|
87 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
88 |
84 |
3 |
|
|
89 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
90 |
86 |
3 |
|
|
91 |
65 |
15 |
|
|
92 |
82 |
31 |
|
|
93 |
73 |
16 |
|
|
94 |
72 |
14 |
|
|
95 |
88 |
25 |
|
|
96 |
83 |
20 |
|
|
97 |
76 |
10 |
|
|
98 |
91 |
3 |
|
|
99 |
78 |
19 |
|
|
100 |
90 |
31 |
Tremors:
101. Olivia Dean, Man I Need
Tremors: Songs which have steady
or increasing points but not enough to chart on the SNS 100.
Murmurs:
The Chelsea Curve - Rally 'Round
Murmurs: Songs which are in the queue for future adds onto the Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist.
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week
●Songs garnering 25 plays
on Spotify (“Scrobbles”) according to Last.Fm (effective October 2024) ▲ Songs garnering 50 plays.
Songs
on the SNS 100 are included on the following public Spotify playlists
Scenes
‘n’ Soundwaves Top 40: Contains songs in positions 1-40 on the SNS
100
Scenes
41-100 and Newbies Songs in Positions 41-100 on the SNS 100 plus
new additions
Scenes
Recurrents: Songs which had been in
the top 20 and/or songs on the chart 25 weeks or more, that have dropped off
the SNS 100.
(Rob Sheldon
is a music fan who has followed music trends the past 60 years, and covers new
and classic music, specializing in pop, rock, alternative, beach, soul and
country genres). He can be contacted
at rsheldonx4804@gmail.com
