Songs of the Summer 2010: Taio Cruz, Brandon Flowers, Macy Gray, and Joe Nichols

I'm continuing to enjoy the music of the summer and search for the song that most captures the spirit and beat of the times.  Waka Waka remains atop my personal list at the moment, but here are some other great contenders:

Taio Cruz is a Brit with two catchy-pop 80's-style dancefests: Break Your Heart (with Ludacris) and Dynamite. 

Break Your Heart builds to a peak until Ludacris reprises, towards the end of the song, this riff:

Now I may not be the worst or the best but you gotta respect my honesty.

And I may break your heart, but I don't really think there's anybody's as bomb as me.

So you can take this chance, in the end everybody's gonna be wondering how ya deal.

You might say this is Ludacris, but Taio Cruz tell em' how ya feel!

Brandon Flowers used to be with The Killers. I am completely unfamiliar with their music, though I've heard the group's name in the cultural background for about five years. 

Anyway, Flowers has now gone solo. Crossfire is a gem with a sort of quasi-anthemic melody and drumbeat, plus great lyrics.

Crossfire is a definite keeper; something about it reminds me of Viva la Vida, and then I'm also taken way back to 6th and 7th grade and Kansas's late-career rockers.

Macy Gray's got a fun one with Beauty in the World. This song is a spunky mix of the sublime (the aforesaid beauty) and the summer-shakin'-ridiculous ("shake your booty boys and girls").

I'm having a hard time finding good new country songs, which is a bit of a surprise.  The early summer releases from the major stars seem to be repeating the standard themes with nothing as original/fun as I'd hope.  The one exception, though, is Joe Nichols's Gimme That Girl, which riffs on an old country saw but with especially good singing and stylings.

Gimmie that girl with the hair in a mess

sleepy little smile with her head on my chest,

thats the you that i like best,

gimmie that girl.

Gimmie that girl lovin up on me,

old t-shirt and a pair of jeans,

thats the you i wanna see,

gimmie that girl...