Best Of 2010 46-45

46) Janelle Monáe- Tightrope (feat. Big Boi)

Tightrope was the first single released from Monáe’s excellent record The ArchAndroid.  The record itself was one of 2010’s best, and her collaboration with Big Boi on this track is a magnificent piece of unclassifiable funk/pop/soul.  The first thing to highlight is just how good her vocals actually are, every chorus Monáe wails sounds as if it has just time traveled from the 1970’s.  Her vocals, perfect enough to draw comparison with some of the truly great soul singers.  However one of the most remarkable things about Monáe, is that she is not a one trick pony, she manages to combine this utterly staggering voice with a quick and quirky delivery on her verses that would not be out of place on an Outkast record.  Big Boi’s part is flawless as expected with some truly inspired rhyming that really only he could get away with.  Throw in some bizarre backing vocals and a beat as funky as one would expect from such a collaboration and you have a truly perfect pop song.

45) Rihanna - What’s My Name (feat. Drake)

It’s hard to believe that Rihanna is only twenty-two years old.  She already has won a fairly ridiculous collection of awards considering her age and has shifted over sixty million records.  It is fair to say that she is a global superstar, responsible for some of the absolutely finest pop songs of the last five years.  This year’s Loud album is her fifth, and second single What’s My Name featuring Drake, is pure pop perfection.  While Drake’s verse is by no means bad (although it is not a patch on some of his own material from this year’s excellent Thank Me Later LP) it is Rihanna that shines.  Her delivery as usual is perfect, confident and sassy, her Caribbean twang perfect accompaniment to a steady synth-led beat.  On form like this, she is absolutely untouchable as the best pop star in the world and with What’s My Name she has again delivered another pop classic.