13. "Sugar," Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds (2015)
Many of my generation (let's call them Gen X) lament the quality of today's pop music. Granted, they're mostly talking about Top 40 radio. I mean, I suppose they are. I dunno. Typically, I don't jump on that bandwagon because I have this thing about not sounding too much like our parents who hated everything we listened to. Sure, I'm not an active fan of everything that is popular these days, but that hasn't stopped me from trying. I've spent the last several years actively seeking out new artists and new music to listen to and that led me to Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds. They are a soul/rock band that's put out some nice work this decade. My favorite album of theirs is The Weather Below and it features "Sugar," a song that always brings me joy. It's bouncy, flirty, and groovy and Arleigh Kincheloe's vocals are superb.
I'm not a music analyst or critic. I don't know chord structures or progressions or any of that. But, I try to avoid the whole I-know-what-I-like approach to sharing music I enjoy. Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, like Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Nights Sweats (who will appear later on this list), feel like some kind of throwback to a pure sound that mixes soul, r&b, funk, and rock. It's a sound that feels alive. Like I said earlier, I'm not one to lambast current Top 40 music. But, I will say this. "Sugar" is better than much of what got airplay in the 2015 and I'd put it up against pretty much anything that finished in Billboard's Top 100 songs of that year. It's featured in the movie Bad Moms Christmas, which is cool. So, if you're looking for something new, go seek out Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds.
Also, this song is totally about getting it on, so there's that.