School bells are starting to ring in many areas. As we wind through August, let’s take a look at a few ear candy jams that are bound to be hits that should be on your radar in whichever format you work.
Top 40 – Hot AC
From the TOP40 /HOT AC world this week, I want to start with another cool collaboration between Marshmello & Jelly Roll / “Holy Water.” It sounds like a no-brainer!
Next up, Ed Sheeran / “A Little More” has all the elements of a good pop song from Ed, and the video is very entertaining with Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame returning in an Ed video as his character from the video for “Lego House.”
Rock – Alternative
Speaking of “ROCK”, let’s look at some songs that should be on your radar in those formats.
From the ALT world, Tame Impala / “End Of Summer” has a cool groove, and it looks like KITS/SF and KNRK in Portland agree as a couple of spin leaders in radio currently. The song also has over 2 million streams for the week, certainly worth your ears getting on it!
AAA
From the AAA space, I have this one for the week, Lord Huron / “Watch Me Go,” which scored about 535K streams for the week and has a few believers in radio at this point, including spin leader WXPN/ Philadelphia.
Country
Let’s move to the COUNTRY space for this week. Gabby Barrett / “The Easy Part” is one your ears should be on if they have not been!
Another that should be on your radar this week is Bailey Zimmerman / “It’s All Good.” I really like the lyric “This ain’t just another bump in the road, no we drivin down the wrong way!”
Rhythm – R&B
Switching gears to the RHYTHM world for this week. Daniel Caesar / “Have a Baby (With Me) is a really good-sounding R&B song.
A couple of others to get your ears on this week, Megan Thee Stallion / “Whenever.”
Also, Hit-Boy / “What’s the Deal sounds like a strong choice!
Dance
One from the DANCE world, Chainsmokers & Anna Sophia / “Helium” which is brand new today, and I was impressed by the sneak peek I saw in the video.
So, there you go, cool songs for your ears this weekend. Enjoy!
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Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM. His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media’s Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.
