62 songs and albums submitted this week for review
Six songs that are crossing the border
Need Your Love, single by One Republic, Emilio Piani. Almost hypnotic, this collaboration between the American band One Republic and French-German classical street pianist Emilio Piani hits all the right buttons. It is catchy, unique, familiar, lovely. The track reframes OneRepublic’s pop sound around Emilio’s cinematic piano arrangement, and it works. Stream on major platforms.
New Religion single by Bebe Rexha & Faithless. A2026 single by Bebe Rexha and the British electronic group Faithless, released as the lead single from Rexha’s fourth album Dirty Blonde. It’s an electronic dance anthem that blends diva house, dance‑pop, and house, but is built around a kind of dark, hypnotic EDM groove. The US-UK collaboration is rising up the charts in Mexico. Stream on all major platforms.
Homewrecker, single by Somber. An unusual intro that is a bit confusing, but it finds its feet by the third line and then grooves along nicely, collecting listeners in both the US and Mexico. American singer‑producer Sombr turns conflicted desire into a bright indie‑pop single about falling for someone who’s already committed elsewhere. An upbeat groove with live guitars, drums and glossy production gives it sparkle. Stream on major platforms.
Rosita, single by Tainy, Rauw Alejandro & Jhayco. Urbano latino /reggaetón, slickly produced although it takes awhile find its center with Tainy’s trademark atmospheric synths and a slightly eerie 4/4 groove, built around a hook. Verses from Rauw and JHAYCO trade flirtations, although the echo effects can be overdone. Puerto Rican reggaeton that is finding a home in the US and Mexico. Stream on major platforms.
Adio Adios single by Mariangela. Mexican singer‑songwriter Mariángela Guerra, who records as Mariangelah, has produced a light, danceable Latin pop / regional‑inflected mid‑tempo ballad with a heartbreak theme (part of a three-song cycle about a past relationship). She blends pop structure with norteño/cine de oro Mexican touches — accordion, saxophone and rhythmic cumbia‑styled percussion. This makes it authentic and very listenable. I like it. Stream on major platforms.
Tengo que contarte, single by Julieta Venegas. Venegas does conversational style so well, and here she is doing it with Natalia LaForcade in a 2026 single released as part of Venegas’s album Norteña. The song is a norteño‑inflected cantina ballad that blends Julieta’s singer‑songwriter pop with regional Mexican elements — accordion‑driven arrangements, a barroom atmosphere, and a conversational vocal delivery, but it is smoother and more melodic than many norteño songs.
Patrick O’Heffernan
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