RIO Top Ten - Round 3

Some newer readers may be wondering why I'm titling this entry the way I've done. Some may be asking themselves what exactly is a RIO?

The RIO was this brand of MP3 player that I owned four years ago. The title mentions it is round 3 because both rounds 1 and 2 occurred around the same time I owned the RIO.

Basically each round consisted of the top ten songs that I've been jamming to at the time. I no longer have that RIO since it broke on me. It's been replaced with an I-pod I won from my job in a random raffle. I also listen to music via Pandora, a free web-radio interface on Blackberry.

So without further delay, here's my latest top ten songs that I've been jamming to from bottom to the top. These are the top songs that keep me in line during my workouts in and out of the gym.










10) Just Dance, Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster - The truth is I'm not the biggest fan of Lady Gaga. The version of Just Dance that I linked isn't even the version that I like. But her remix of the song is on point. Though mostly I like the rapper interlude where he makes references to Ciara's 1, 2 Step song. Funny thing, that version also has a nicer bass sound. It's that sound that quickly commands my attention whether I'm grooving in the car or moving around in the gym.










9) I Hate This Part - Pussycat Dolls, Doll Domination - Call me crazy for loving these stripper girls. Just about all their singles are catchy if not following the same formula. Then again if it's not broke, why fix it. This particular song seems to bring out strong emotions of remorse everytime it plays. I watch the video every so often, even though I have to ignore the fact that the PCD girls are being all seductive in a desert while Nicole sings at the beginning that she and her beau are driving slow in the snow on 5th Avenue. Why don't videos even try to relate to the lyrics anymore? Hemingway she gets me when she gets all dramatic in the end going "I gotta do it. I gotta do it." Good song to jam to on the elliptical when I got to do those last couple minutes to make it an hour.










8) Circus, Britney Spears, Circus - I think this may have been Britney's 2nd comeback album. But the title song off her album is a real treat to listen. I like it mostly because my life sometimes feels like a circus with the juggling of work, family, and men. And what better song to get through the circus of free weight machines than the aptly titled one from Britney. I also like her distinction in saying there's only two types of people in the world, those who entertain and those who observe. Guess which category I fall under?










7) Scandalous, Mis-Teeq, Mis-Teeq - This group is originally from Britain and the single Scandalous was the first one to my knowledge to hit the states. When I first started hearing it, I remember being turned out by the pulsating hypnotic beats. It's a pretty seductive song and it's one of those songs that makes you want to shake your booty at the gym. But since I'm at the gym, it does give me the energy to pump up an extra two ab curls.









6) I Want You, Paris Avenue featuring Robin One, I Want You - Pandora decided to go complete random on me one evening and this song popped in. Sometimes I gloss through these selections because they're off the wall. I usually give a song at least ten seconds before I decide to do so. I Want You grabbed me especially when the male singer took the reins. I assume his name is Robin One, no idea. But he kind of was giving me vintage George Michael with his voice. Either way it was very hypnotic and I found myself hoping if I ran into Robin One (or a guy I really like at the gym), that he'd want me like I wanted him. Even if I don't go and introduce myself. Corny I know...*LOL*.









5) Cry Me A River, Justin Timberlake, FutureSex / LoveSounds - Justin really stepped his game when releasing this album. As with most songs I like, it's usually something in the lyrics that brings me to enjoy the song. What did it for me was Justin's taunting of said ex-girlfriend who basically didn't appreciate what she had with him and now that she's getting the same treatment from the new person she's with, she shouldn't come crying to him. It's that whole 'the grass is always greener on the other side but it really isn't' scenario. So next time someone dumps you, in the event they try to come back to you, tell them to go fuck themselves and go cry themselves a river.










4) You Gets No Love, Faith Evans, Faithfully - I love how the song starts off with Faith singing "I Know It's Not Too Ghetto" knowing damn well that her pose on the album cover and the video of You Gets No Love shows her at her most ghetto state. This song is definitely the jam even years later. I usually have it playing on repeat at least a half dozen times before moving on to the next song. The video has Faith doing the rap instead of P. Diddy and since I prefer Faith's version, I was disappointed that version didn't make the album. I like how I can apply this song to some many zeros I've dated over the years.










3) Yeah!, Usher, Confessions - Usher to me has always been a hit or miss artist. I liked a few of his songs from his albums but have only been motivated to buy one of his albums, of which the songs I liked weren't from the one I'm highlighting here. But Yeah! is one of those songs that keeps you awake and you can't help but think of Usher's dance moves while trying to make your own moves. That's my honest confession.










2) We Break The Dawn, Michelle Williams, Unexpected - Of course she's more famous as being the bridge girl of Destiny's Child. Her previous two releases were gospel themed so the expectation was that she would release another gospel album. To everyone's surprise, she released a more house sounding album and in the process found a genre that best suits her voice. It's a shame that Unexpected was mostly slept on. Her lead single here serves as a nice techno rich boom that is perfect for when focusing on your arm muscles.

AnD ThE NumbeR OnE TunE PlayinG ON MY RiO!!!!!!

1) Maneater, Nelly Furtado, Loose - There was a lot of controversy when Nelly released this particular album. A lot of folks felt like she was selling out from her folksy style of music. Nelly's own explanation was that she was trying something different because she was at a different place in her life (with recently having a child). So she worked alongside Timbaland and this jam was one of the masterpieces that came off that album. Maneater is absolutely the top favorite jam I listen to when at the gym and on the road. I Like to imagine myself as this Maneater, even though I'm nowhere close to that.

So with that this concludes this edition of RIO Top Ten, even though technically I don't have a RIO no more. What tunes do you all listen to these days?