Meghan Trainor
“Lips Are Movin”
Epic
Trainor has just one hit to her name thus far, and on her “All About That Bass” follow-up, she can’t help but work a sly self-reference into its snappy chorus. “I gave you bass/You gave me sweet talk,” she sings in a Southern-inflected patois over sax bleats, helping solidify her as the self-proclaimed queen of her own genre, “she-wop.”–Andrew Hampp
Meghan Trainor Tops Hot 100 For Eighth Week
Flo Rida Featuring Sage The Gemini and Lookas
“G.D.F.R.”
Atlantic
Flo Rida is hardly an innovative rapper, but he’s a practiced chart-topper thanks to savvy trend-spotting and an ear for underappreciated talent. On his latest, listeners get yet another horn sample and a killer hook from Sage the Gemini. Knock Flo’s lyrical skills if you must, but he knows his way around a hit.– Dan Hyman
Flo Rida Shares ‘Wildest Thing’ He’s Seen On Tour
Mystery Skulls Featuring Brandy and Nile Rodgers
“Number 1”
Warner Bros.
Mystery Skulls (aka Luis Dubuc) hops on the disco-pop nostalgia train for the unshakable “Number 1” off his recently released debut LP, Forever. Guitarist Rodgers powers this dancefloor sharpshooter, where Brandy’s vocals cuddle up to Dubuc’s rusty tenor with delicious results.–Steven J. Horowitz
Exclusive: Brandy Breaks Down the Songs of Her Self-Titled Debut 20 Years Later
Shy Glizzy Featuring 2 Chainz and A$AP Rocky
“Awwsome”
Self-Released
Shy Glizzy’s “Awwsome” stands as one of the most giddily unhinged club tracks of 2014, with the rapper exulting his own brilliance in a helium-throated gonzo flow. Now the long-gestating hit has two established stars on the remix, with 2 Chainz and ASAP Rocky admirably supporting the young artist.–Jason Lipshutz
Watch: 2 Chainz Recreates Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Video
Imagine Dragons
“I Bet My Life”
KIDinaKORNER/Interscope/Igy
Following one of the decade’s biggest debut rock albums is no easy feat, and Imagine Dragons perform an agile pivot on the folk-tinged “I Bet My Life.” A tale of a troubadour settling down with his soulmate, the song is powered by foot stomps and a canyon-sized chorus — a calling card for the band behind “Radioactive.”–Jason Lipshutz
Imagine Dragons Talk Second Album, ‘Radioactive’ Success
Seo Taiji and IU
“Sogyeokdong”
Seo Taiji/Loen Entertainment
K-pop’s folky sweetheart IU and Korean rock legend Taiji venture into new sonic territory with this icy collaboration. The former’s melancholy coos and honeyed harmonies stand strong in the latter’s symphonic storm of crunchy synthesizers, making for one of the dreamiest pop tracks to come out of the country this year.–Jeff Benjamin
Iggy Azalea Featuring MØ
“Beg For It”
Turn First/Hustle Gang/Def Jam
“Beg for It” finds Azalea reheating the same braggadocio that made her famous on “Fancy,” lobbing up similes that don’t quite work (“All yellow gold on me, like I’m Trinidad James”). Good for Azalea, though, for giving some shine to Danish alt-pop newcomer MØ, who sings a twisty hook in her best bid yet for U.S. stardom.–Jason Lipshutz
An edited version of this story first appeared in the Nov. 8 issue of Billboard.