David Guetta
“Sexy Chick” (feat. Akon)
Radio station: Z104.3 (Top plays for week of Jan. 24)
Although David Guetta won a Grammy for Best Remixed Recording last weekend, he is best known for this radio/club staple. Akon, who seemingly can’t go longer than six months without a hit, helps Guetta marry the worlds of French house and unadulterated pop. The result is a dumb, but unquestionably fun, ode to beautiful women.  WESLEY CASE, B

Citizen Cope
“Healing Hands”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (Top plays for week of Jan. 24)
The first single from Cope’s upcoming The Rainwater LP, starts out slowly and simply, and then transforms into a labyrinth of Caribbean rhythms. Cope plays two sold-out shows at the Recher Theatre Thursday and Friday, and the full-length album arrives next week.  WTMD

LADY GAGA
“Bad Romance”
Radio station: Z 104.3 (Top plays for week of Jan. 17)
We will remember Lady Gaga’s triumphant run on top of the charts not for “Poker Face” or “Just Dance,” but rather this impeccable pop song that sounds both modern and timeless. It’s pure Gaga all the way, from the thick synths to a chorus that refuses to quit. We cheer for Gaga because she embraces all aspects of stardom, and her songs legitimize her kookiness. “I’m a free bitch, baby,” she says, not sings, for emphasis. As if we needed a reminder.  WESLEY CASE, B

FINLAY MORTON
“The Devil Ain’t Getting My Soul”
Radio station: wtmd 89.7 (Top plays for week of Jan. 17)
The Scottish singer-songwriter conjures the dark arts and channels a latter-day Leonard Cohen with Morton’s gruff delivery backed by an angelic choir. Learn more about his new album, Back to Basics, at finlaymorton.com. WTMD

DIERKS BENTLEY
“I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes”
Radio station: WPOC 93.1 (Top plays for week of Jan. 10)
Dierks Bentley’s latest single (from his fourth album, Feel That Fire) is a country ballad that could use a bit more spark (perhaps Audio Cialis?). The solid melody feels weighed down by subdued production and Bentley’s languid delivery. Our hero wants to comfort his girl by making her close her eyes, but where’s the passion before the nap?  WESLEY CASE, B

BROKEN BELLS
“The High Road”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (Top plays for week of Jan. 10)
Danger Mouse keeps pace with Jack White in terms of spawning new musical projects. This year finds the producer extraordinaire teaming up with The Shins’ James Mercer, who lays down laidback vocals over some Nintendo-esque samples. Check out the full-length debut on March 9.  WTMD

TREY SONGZ
“I Invented Sex” (feat. Drake)
Radio station: WPGC 95.5 (Top plays for week of Jan. 3)
There’s a lofty expectation set when you’re telling a girl, “You’re going to think I invented sex,” but R&B singer Trey Songz sells it enough to land all the one-night stands he wants. The hook slowly bring us to the bed, and copulation commences as Drake bats clean up. There’s nothing groundbreaking in Drake’s verse, but it’s his ability to balance endearment and carnality, swag and sincerity, vulnerability and masculinity, that keeps us around until the end. WESLEY CASE, B

YEASAYER
“Ambling Alp”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (Top plays for week of Jan. 3)
The experimental Brooklyn, N.Y.-based band broke through at 2007’s SXSW and turned heads during a tour with MGMT. Yeasayer’s sophomore release, Odd Blood, is one of the highly anticipated releases of early 2010. And if this leadoff single is any indication, feel free to believe the hype. Catch them at Washington’s 9:30 Club on April 3. WTMD

IYAZ
“Replay”
Radio station: z104.3 (Top plays for week of Dec. 27)
“She’s running through my mind all day,” sings the British Virgin Islands-born Iyaz on his hit single, “Replay.” This J.R. Rotem-produced sugar-rush features an undeniable, slightly Auto-Tuned chorus. It all goes down incredibly easy, and that’s point: When the melody can carry the entire track, don’t overthink it.
WESLEY CASE, B

MONSTERS OF FOLK
“Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (Top plays for week of Dec. 27)
Yim Yames gets theological and takes the lead with falsetto vocals on the super group’s latest single. It’s a M.O.F. track that would feel at home on a recent release from Yames’ full-time job with My Morning Jacket. WTMD

PEARL JAM
“Just Breathe”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (Top plays for week of Dec. 20)
Eddie Vedder and company return with their ninth studio album, Backspacer, released on their own label. This gentle acoustic ballad recalls Vedder’s solo work on the “Into the Wild” soundtrack and finds the legendary band in fine form. WTMD

KE$HA
“Tik Tok” (video above)
Radio station: Z104.3 (Top plays for week of Dec. 20)
If a song ever owed its existence (or at least popularity) to Lady Gaga, it’s Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok.” There’s no mistaking its resemblance to Gaga’s “Just Dance,” particularly in the sticky chorus. But is it any good? If you like when Fergie raps and grinding on the dance floor, then sure, it’s good for that. WESLEY CASE, B

Ludacris returns with “How Low” {thanks, LOS ANGELES TIMES}

LUDACRIS
“How Low”
Radio station: 92Q JAMS (Top plays for week of Dec. 6)
Are we to believe Ludacris’ claim that he’s “top five, dead or alive”? It’s debatable (he’d be disappointed to see my list),  but what’s not up for question is his uncanny ability to churn out club bangers. Luda does his typical tongue-twisting to run down a list of ethnicities he wants to bang (very few unaccounted for), while the deceptively menacing T-Minus beat steals the show.  WESLEY CASE, B

FANFARLO
“Harold T. Wilkins”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (Top plays for week of Dec. 6)
The London collective continues the tradition of bands such as Arcade Fire and Beirut with their use of trumpet, violin and mandolin to extend the indie-rock soundscape with their debut album, Reservoir. Unfortunately, Fanfarlo’s current trek across the U.S. was marred in Portland, Ore., when a thief stole frontman Simon Balthazar’s laptop, sketchbook and passport from the band’s van. WTMD

This guy is coming for your heart. And your soul. And your wallet. {thanks, AP}

OWL CITY
“Fireflies”
Radio station: WMMX 106.5 (Top plays for week of Nov. 29)
Adam Young, 23, has made quite a splash with his one-man band Owl City and his hit single “Fireflies.” I’m still trying to figure out why. Not only would the song’s twee-ness make even Michael Cera recoil, but “Fireflies” is a gross retread of Ben Gibbard’s work with The Postal Service. Young overemotes, “’Cause I’d get 1,000 hugs / From 10,000 lightning bugs / As they tried to teach me how to dance.” There are no excuses for writing this trite. WESLEY CASE, B

DEVENDRA BANHART
“Baby”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (Top plays for week of Nov. 29)
Freak-folkie Devendra Banhart gets funky with “Baby,” the debut single from his seventh studio album, What Will Be. Banhart recently joined Beck’s Record Club, helping to cover Songs of Leonard Cohen. Check out the results at beck.com/record_club. WTMD

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing “Empire State of Mind” during the World Series {thanks, AP}

JAY-Z
“Empire State of Mind” (feat. Alicia Keys)
Radio station: WPGC 95.5 (top plays for week of Nov. 22)
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit my allegiance to the Philadelphia Phillies has, um, slightly clouded my appreciation for this New York City love letter. But reality bites, and there’s no sense in denying the power of Jay’s gushing ode to his home state. When he performed this soaring Blueprint 3 cut at 1st Mariner Arena in October, the crowd didn’t care it was a Yankees anthem; the song had transcended location and represented something bigger. Baltimore, Manhattan, Des Moines, it doesn’t matter. If you love where you’re from, it’s hard not to throw your hands up during that Alicia Keys hook. And for rap purists, Jay still has gems hidden in plain view: “Caught up in the in-crowd, now you’re In Style / And the winter (or as Jigga pronounces it, “Anna Wintour”) gets cold, en Vogue with your skin out.” Yup, still got it.  WESLEY CASE, B

DAVID BAZAN
“Bless This Mess”
Radio station: WTMD 89.7 (top plays for week of Nov. 22)
The creative force behind Pedro the Lion returns with his first solo album, Curse Your Branches. Bazan’s single, “Bless This Mess,” is a bittersweet ode to wrestling with personal demons: “[T]hrough a darkened mirror I have seen my own reflection / and it makes me want to be a better man / after another drink.” Take a look in the mirror and download the track for free at barsuk.com. WTMD

Taylor Swift’s latest single, “You Belong With Me,” is No. 1 on MIX 106.5 this week {thanks, AP}

TAYLOR SWIFT
“you belong with me”
Radio station: MIX 106.5 (Top plays for week of Aug. 17)
It’s become natural to expect an ace single from the 19-year-old singer-songwriter, and “You Belong With Me” doesn’t disappoint. The song’s charm is immediate because of Swift’s feathery voice and soaring chorus. But the real treat is also Swift’s most distinguishable quality  as a pop star — melodrama. She’s a teenager and feels no guilt in reminding us. “She doesn’t get your humor like I do,” she sings of her rival. Swift’s hopeless yearning induces the best type of nostalgia — the crystal-clear kind. WESLEY CASE, B

LEVON HELM
“when i go away”
Radio station: 89.7 WTMD (Top plays for week of Aug. 17)
Levon Helm’s musical impact stretches more than four decades, including seminal work as the drummer for the Band. The 2007 album Dirt Farmer marked Helm’s first solo album in 25 years and earned him a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album. This year’s follow-up, Electric Dirt, finds Helm in fine form with this dark leadoff single about mortality that would be a great theme song for a long-lost season of “The Wire.”  WTMD