19. Hold On, We're Going Home (single) / Drake

Shout out to the best R&B radio jam of the year.  The D Man didn't even pick up Drake's new record Nothing Was The Same, but I stopped every time I heard his smooth joint "Hold On, "We're Going Home."  The two-stepping track finds the Canadian-born rapper in full-on Marvin Gaye mode: "I want your hot love and emotion, endlessly."  Enough said.

"Hold On" is a surprising melodic turn for the hardcore rapper.  Drake said he was channeling his inner Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson with the song's classic pop sheen: "I know we're not anywhere near that . . . In approaching this album, I was like man, it would be great if we had a record that was played at weddings in 10 years or that people that are away from their families in the army could listen to.  Something that just has timeless writing, timeless melody."  Mission accomplished.  The D Man foresees a long and happy life at weddings, proms, bar mitzvahs, and awkward church dances where there is a savvy DJ willing to push some boundaries.