THEY HAVE SIX SONGS in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, including four of the top five on that chart. They have half my Top 10 this week, including the new number one song and three big moves into the upper part of the chart. While female artists have always been an essential part of music history, they continue to be a voice to be heard. This week's SNS 100 shows all of the four weekly chart awards---Number One, Top 20 Impact of the Week, Mover of the Week and Top Debut, are by women.
Before we get to my chart, let's take a look at the Hot 100, where there is a debut in the top spot, that being Olivia Rodrigo's "Drop Dead". It unseats Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" (at least for now), but the country star also has "Be Her" at #5. And then there's another Olivia, as in Olivia Dean who has two songs in the Top 10 as "Man I Need" is #4 (the first time in months that it hasn't been #2 or 3), and "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" is at #7. Finally, there is Kehlani, who quietly has been racking up weeks in the top 10. Her song, "Folded" is #10 and has been on the chart 45 weeks. While the song is mostly "sparse pop", it's still a decent song which I may add in the future.
 |
| Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" tops SNS this week, and leads a blitz of women singer-songwriters who are making significant moves this week on the SNS 100. |
But let's get to the Scenes 'n' Soundwaves chart, where women are doing just fine. In fact, they are thriving. Ella Langley finally hits the top spot with "Choosin' Texas" in its 15th week on the chart. Thus, the song becomes the 19th song to hit #1 on both the Hot 100 and here, and the first since Bruno Mars' "I Just Might" did it just a month and a half ago. It's also the first song by a country music artist since Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" to hit #1, and only the fifth country artist in the history of the blog to do so. Both "Choosin' Texas" and "I Just Might", in additional to scoring on the big chart, have also gotten crossover beach music airplay, which no doubt adds to their sustainability. It's likely that, as Bruno still sits at #3 on the Hot 100 (and #22 here) that they'll be in the top 10 for months on end, similar to what we're still getting with "Ordinary" (#6 on the Hot 100), and "Golden" (#9 there).
Ella Knocks out sombr's "Homewrecker" which drops to #2 after a couple weeks atop the list, while The Half-Cubes "Whenever You're On My Mind" holds at #3.
But the story in the SNS Top 10 (and Top 20 for that matter) are the presence of female artists. The hit of beach music's "S.O.S. Spring Safari" has undoubted been Vaughan Penn, who has made several appearances at Deckerz during the week-and-a-half festival of shag music. "Bands on the Beach" this week jumps from 13 to 4. Vaughan, while new to the Strand, hails from nearby North Carolina, and has been producing music for 25 years, and many of her compositions have been featured in television shows. She even recorded a Contemporary Christian album duet with Chynna Phillips, part of Wilson Phillips (and the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of Mamas and the Papas fame), in 2009. While she is scheduled for several gigs in North Carolina for the next several months, popular demand has put her back at Deckerz in North Myrtle Beach where she will be performing on Saturday, May 9. Vaughan is one of many female beach artists making moves on the chart this week, but the success is not confined to the Grand Strand. Jennifer Licko's "Meet Me at the Shag Pad" is at #8 this week after peaking at #4, is on many beach lists as well. Another Jennifer, Jennifer James, moves 25-15 with her latest beach hit, "Takin' It Easy".
Jumping from #12 to #6 is another exceptional singer-songwriter, Ruth Morayniss, advancing with "Come the Light". Ruth is from Toronto in Ontario, Canada and is joined on the chart by another from that town, Harley Olivia, whose "San Francisco" moves from #43 to 41 with a bullet this week. And next week, the female quartet The Beaches, also from Toronto will be releasing a new song.
And it's not just north of the border that women are excelling. How about Scotland? Two artists hail from that country across the pond, and both debuting in the top 20. Brooke Combe, already with a #1 to her credit earlier this year, jumps 21-9 with her latest, "Tears Won't Lie". The other one is Anna Lavigne, who has three blog-toppers to her credit, moves from 20 to 14 with "Light". You can also add Jennifer Licko to this list as she has been to Scotland in her travels, which has had an influence on her music.
Finally, let's get back to my home state of New Jersey, where four women are on the chart. That includes Red Bank's Phoebe Ryan, whose "Something to Hope For" is at #13 after peaking at #11 last week. Ms. Ryan is set to release her follow-up "Fall with Me" on May 1 (tomorrow, as I write this). Meanwhile, Metuchen's Sarah Teti moves 60 to 56 with a bullet with her latest, "Borrowed Time", Cape May's C. Lynne Smith goes 47-43 with a bullet with "A Little Faith", and New Brunswick's Kelli Bruno, fresh off her performance at Roselle Park's Arts Festival last weekend, debuts at #96 with "Love and Games". More on that one below.
Aside from Brooke Combe and Jennifer James, other new songs in the top 20 include The Pink Slips' "Catch a Ride" (22-17), another from Ella Langley, "Be Her", (24-18), The Mac Daddy's cover of "Bad Time" (23-19), and Tim Sidden's "Don't Let Us Fade Away" (30-20).
Aside from Ella's #1 and Brooke's Impact, Lesa Hudson's latest duet with Rick Strickland, "Too Late", last week's Top Debut, is this week's Mover (57-45), and finally, the Top Debut goes so another "Carolina Queen", Christina (Cooper) Black, with "A New Lease on Love" at #81. More on that below as well.
BEFORE I HIT THE DEBUTS, one more note: "Pretty Lady" by North Tower resurges from 36-30 in its 32nd week on the chart. The song, which was released at the end of last summer, has returned to #1 on both Pat Gwinn's At the Beach chart, for a 30th week! And on the 94.9 The Surf countdown survey, it has returned to the top for a fourth time. And finally, it hits #1 on this month's Smokin' 45 Chart! The song, of course, spent a record 12 weeks at the top of SNS last fall and into the first week of 2026. It is fast becoming one of the top songs in the history of my blog.
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| Christina Cooper Black performing at Main Street Taphouse, North Myrtle Beach, on April 10. |
NEWBIES: Nine new songs on the chart this week, and true to this week's theme, six of them are by women, including the top three debuts. Christina Cooper Black last released a song five years ago, "I Miss You Babe", about her husband, who had just passed at that time. I discovered the song two years later, and it hit #5 in late 2023. Since then, she has been active on the Grand Strand circuit, playing many venues around the area. That included North Myrtle's Main Street Taphouse where we caught her playing. She also made some appearances at Deckerz during S.O.S.
I'm happy to say that she's released a new song, "A New Lease on Love". Written by Charlie Sattenfield and Jason Sattenfield and produced by Tim Sidden, it's an upbeat, jazzy, big band-ish song that, in a way, is a sequel of sorts to her last song. Christina sings it with conviction, and the arrangement is top-notch. The song is already making inroads on the beach charts, and yes, it's easy to shag to. She has another hit on her hands. It debuts at #81 on the SNS 100 this week.
Another from the Strand, Sylvia Johns Ritchie, follows up her blog top 10 "No Place Like New Orleans", with "Just Can't Help Its", a duet with Doyle Wood. Similar to the prior song, this one is a nice honky-tonk-ish romp with some cool guitar work thrown in for good measure. Somehow, I keep missing performances by Sylvia, as she did appear at Deckerz during SOS. One of these days.... It premieres on my chart at #87.
From the beach, we move to the top of the current pops.... actually, the very top of the Hot 100 for the latest by Olivia Rodrigo, "Drop Dead". Olivia had dominated the Hot 100 a few years back and comes back strong with a song that just debuted there at #1. Centered in the pop lane, but smartly done and produced, it's a great example of the improvement of that genre in recent years. "Vampire" from her last album hit top 20 here, and this one has a shot as well. It enters at #89.
Eclectic duo Moto Bandit had a left-field blog #1 hit with "Private Pile", and comes back with "Twin Flame", at #90. This one has sort of a jangly guitar sound going through it, sort of reminiscent of The Cure....Don Toliver makes his SNS debut with "E85" (#92), sort of an auto-tuned vocal intermixed with a cool instrumental track with a trip-hop beat. Next at #93 is the latest from Portugal. The Man, "Angoon". This one is pretty much all over the place, but the band's reputation will keep this on the chart for a while.
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| Kelli Bruno, who performed at Roselle Park's Arts Festival last weekend. |
Also new to SNS is Kelli Bruno, who performed at the Roselle Park Arts Festival last weekend, despite the rainy weather. She hails from New Brunswick. She enters at #96 with "Love and Games". This is acoustic singer-songwriting at its best. Up-tempo in nature and very emotional as well. This is infectious music and should score very well here.
Next is the latest from Lana Del Rey, "White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter". She tries on a Billie Eilish-like stance, but it's not much of a departure from her somber-like approach she is known for. It comes in at #98. Finally, "bubbling under" at #101 is "Gismen" by Nini Iris, who also performed at Roselle Park's festival. Original known for her stint on The Voice, this song is definitely in a different lane than her performances on the show. Very exotic tone to this, but it's infectious nonetheless, and is different from any of the other songs on my chart this week. Very artful.
FINALLY, a few observations from Roselle Park's Arts Festival last weekend. Apparently, as it did when it was last held in 2024, it rained all day, and although the Breakwater Stage at the town green at Mauri Park was still held there, the Library Stage (in front of the municipal public library) was moved indoors to one of the community centers. While there was a still photo of Charlotte Sessions and other performers posted, for some reason, there wasn't any of Colorjoy. Did they perform, or did they cancel because of the weather? They were set to play out in the rain (inside the band trailer, of course). Anyway, it appears The Saxations, which originally started out as one member, then three, has gained a fourth member, a female, added to the three guys. The duo of Isabelle Latore and Reanna Saldana, once known as the Quaranteens, now have a new name, Rebelle (obviously taken from their first names). Despite the weather, it looked like the day was a success. Hopefully next year I will be able to make it back up to my hometown.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
April 26, 2026
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
2 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: Dandelion |
15 |
|
2 |
1 |
11 |
|
|
3 |
3 |
10 |
|
|
4 |
13 |
4 |
|
|
5 |
6 |
13 |
|
|
6 |
12 |
5 |
|
|
7 |
7 |
11 |
|
|
8 |
4 |
13 |
|
|
9 |
21 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
4 |
|
10 |
5 |
12 |
|
|
11 |
8 |
12 |
|
|
12 |
15 |
10 |
|
|
13 |
11 |
8 |
|
|
14 |
20 |
11 |
|
|
15 |
25 |
5 |
|
|
16 |
9 |
12 |
|
|
17 |
22 |
8 |
|
|
18 |
24 |
9 |
|
|
19 |
23 |
9 |
|
|
20 |
30 |
4 |
|
|
21 |
14 |
12 |
|
|
22 |
19 |
15 |
|
|
23 |
10 |
12 |
|
|
24 |
26 |
9 |
|
|
25 |
27 |
10 |
|
|
26 |
16 |
12 |
|
|
27 |
17 |
13 |
|
|
28 |
31 |
8 |
|
|
29 |
32 |
8 |
|
|
30 |
36 |
32 |
|
|
31 |
18 |
14 |
|
|
32 |
34 |
9 |
|
|
33 |
28 |
15 |
|
|
34 |
29 |
13 |
|
|
35 |
40 |
7 |
|
|
36 |
33 |
15 |
|
|
37 |
39 |
12 |
|
|
38 |
41 |
6 |
|
|
39 |
42 |
5 |
|
|
40 |
35 |
12 |
|
|
41 |
43 |
6 |
|
|
42 |
45 |
5 |
|
|
43 |
47 |
7 |
|
|
44 |
50 |
3 |
|
|
45 |
57 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  RICK STRICKLAND and LESA HUDSON (Single Release) |
2 |
|
46 |
44 |
27 |
|
|
47 |
46 |
Rev. Bubba D.
Liverance and the Cornhole Prophets - Wish You Were Here |
11 |
|
48 |
48 |
10 |
|
|
49 |
37 |
16 |
|
|
50 |
51 |
7 |
|
|
51 |
52 |
7 |
|
|
52 |
53 |
6 |
|
|
53 |
38 |
14 |
|
|
54 |
65 |
3 |
|
|
55 |
55 |
7 |
|
|
56 |
60 |
5 |
|
|
57 |
63 |
5 |
|
|
58 |
66 |
5 |
|
|
59 |
49 |
12 |
|
|
60 |
71 |
4 |
|
|
61 |
56 |
16 |
|
|
62 |
62 |
16 |
|
|
63 |
76 |
4 |
|
|
64 |
67 |
8 |
|
|
65 |
73 |
6 |
|
|
66 |
74 |
4 |
|
|
67 |
68 |
5 |
|
|
68 |
69 |
22 |
|
|
69 |
58 |
17 |
|
|
70 |
81 |
3 |
|
|
71 |
72 |
14 |
|
|
72 |
78 |
3 |
|
|
73 |
82 |
2 |
|
|
74 |
54 |
16 |
|
|
75 |
59 |
8 |
|
|
76 |
88 |
2 |
|
|
77 |
79 |
7 |
|
|
78 |
85 |
2 |
|
|
79 |
87 |
3 |
|
|
80 |
70 |
24 |
|
|
81 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  (Single Release) |
1 |
|
82 |
61 |
13 |
|
|
83 |
83 |
28 |
|
|
84 |
92 |
2 |
|
|
85 |
84 |
4 |
|
|
86 |
90 |
2 |
|
|
87 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
88 |
98 |
2 |
|
|
89 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
90 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
91 |
64 |
15 |
|
|
92 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
93 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
94 |
93 |
4 |
|
|
95 |
97 |
2 |
|
|
96 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
97 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
98 |
89 |
17 |
|
|
99 |
86 |
7 |
|
|
100 |
77 |
6 |
Tremors:
101. Nini Iris, Gismen
Tremors: Songs which have steady or increasing points but not enough to chart on the SNS 100.
Murmurs:
They Might Be Giants - Wu Tang
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
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