Jerry's Pick: "Hell No"

"Hell No"-Ingrid Michaelson

I've been an Ingrid Michaelson fan going on ten-years now.  Songs like "Parachute," "Be OK," "Afterlife" and "Time Machine" are all still in rotation on my iTunes playlist.  In fact, Ingrid's "Boys Chase Girls" was one of my top-10 best picks from all of 2014.

Well, my favorite bespectacled female indy-singer-songwiter may have just released her strongest pop-single to date with "Hell No..." a you-go-girl break-up anthem that you can dance to.

No doubt "Hell No" was inspired by Michaelson's own recent and somewhat messy divorce.  She told the Huffington Post, “We all have been through being wronged, so we created a powerful break up song. This song is not about one specific relationship but about lots of different relationships and how they culled together into one unified force of anger."

For me, Ingrid's new see-ya-later single is a mix of Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and Avril Lanigne's "What the Hell" with a few dashes of Meghan Trainor's "No" sprinkled over the chorus.

"Hell No" was written by Ingrid in Nashville with country music vets Barry Dean and Luke Laird (Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw).  Michaelson told James Dinh of iHeart Radio, “I just wanted to kind of go outside of my comfort zone and write in this different world and see what happened.”  She added, “I think there is definitely a country feeling to the vibe of the song. It's just produced in such a poppy way but we just had so much fun."

With clever/cute/cutting lines like, "I should've known better/I saw her wearing your sweater/Nice glasses, fake red hair/Just like me," I feel the Parker Posey of Pop may have just produced her first true mainstream breakthrough single.  (By-the-way, the song's yet-to-be-titled parent album -- featuring more letting-go/moving-on themed tunes -- is set to be released this August.  And her self-made Snapchat Filters-inspired music video is below.)

So, go ahead... give it a spin!  I'm sure you too with say "Hell yeah!' to "Hell No!"

Jerry's Picks: The Top-10 Tracks of 2014

As some of you may know, I listen to all of the new single releases from record companies each and every week and pick-out the few that I feel are solid enough overall songs to withstand repeated plays.  It's like a durability test for the ears.

Today I reviewed all of my picks from the last 12-months and have selected ten of my favorite tracks that still sound just as amazing as the first time they caused my tympanic membrane to vibrate happily.

I've included each of the song's videos but the focus should remain solely on the music itself.  Check 'em all out.  I hope there's something here you can take with you into 2015!

"MOTHER + FATHER"-BROODS
This brother and sister outfit from New Zealand imported a winner with this sentimental yet optimistic ballad featuring an irresistible hook.



"TEMPLE"-KINGS OF LEON
Am I the only person in the world who still thinks this awesome rocker was inspired by the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”?



"JACKIE KENNEDY"-INGRID OLAVA
I fell in love immediately with this Norwegian vocalist’s delicate handling of lyrics which are chock full of beautiful imagery.



"CAN'T BREAK ME DOWN"-BILLY IDOL
I was a doubter, but that 80s dude with the beached-hair, fist-pump and toothy-snarl has still got it!



"WAVES"-SLEEPER AGENT
A wonderful up-tempo song to close-out the year and say “Goodbye” to all of the assholes who held you back.



"EX'S & OH'S"-ELLE KING
I still think some NFL network should use Elle's (she’s comedian Rob Schneider’s daughter) sassy yet bluesy creation in one of their promos.



"GIRLS CHASE BOYS"-INGRID MICHAELSON
Cute and bouncy, this charming single gives hope to the broken-hearted and lots of poppy-joy to the rest of us.



"I'M WITH YOU"-GROUPLOVE
It may start out with a meandering keyboard but the chorus will have you “ah’ing” and “oh’ing” in a matter of no time!



"CRAZY"-KAT DAHLIA
I love this Cuban-American vocalist’s name almost as much as I love her rapid-fire delivery of the lyrics of this fun song.



"I'M CALLIN'"-TENNIS
It’s the light, carefree vocals of Alaina Moore (wife) and funky guitar-work of Patrick Riley (husband) that had me callin’ back for more.