Hurricane
JIMMY NEEDHAM

Producer(s): Dale Bray
Writer(s): Jimmy Needham
Label: Inpop

Every summer needs a dynamite anthem to alleviate the torrid heat – and I have just stumbled upon this year’s remedy. The second single off of Jimmy Needham’s Not Without Love is the epitome of “pop ballad,” its lyrics even more accessible than its latching melody. If Needham’s cool Mraz-like delivery of “I need you like a hurricane / thunder crashing, wind and rain / to tear my walls down / I’m only yours now” cannot satiate thirst, nothing else can. Needham has furtively groveled under the radar for the past few years, but expect this epidemic to catapult him into an A-list limelight, perhaps even on crossover formats.

Verdict: 4.5/5

- Clem