The singles bar: spring has sprung edition

The arrival of warmer weather brings the end of the musical drought that lasts through the first quarter, from January to March, of each year. While this music season has been somewhat of an exception due to thrilling (surprise) releases from Rihanna, Beyoncé, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, big pop singles have been in short supply, leaving radio with little material to latch on to. However, the past couple of weeks have seen a bevy of huge releases that will be sure to set the tone for the radio for the next few months until the arrival of the all-conquering songs of the summer.

Fifth Harmony, “Work from Home (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”

Fifth Harmony’s newest offering follows its breakthrough hit “Worth It” (2015) and sees the X-Factor girl group continuing to experiment with a more hip-hop oriented sound. Thanks to sleek production from Ammo and DallasK,the lead single from the group’s sophomore set “7/27,” out May 20, largely succeeds in evolving Fifth Harmony's musical palette without sounding too much like a rehash of its previous hits. While the single does borrow somewhat from a DJ Mustard production in certain places, namely the booming beat that drives the song, the women fully make the song their own, exerting an explicit sexuality not previously present in their work. The appearance of Ty Dolla $ign adds little to the appeal of “Work from Home,” as his verse is inoffensive at best, though it is a step from Kid Ink’s feature on “Worth It.” After tying the peak position of “Worth It” on the Billboard Hot 100, the track is already well on its way to becoming a bona fide hit. Expect everyone to soon be chanting, “You don't gotta go to work, work, work, work, work, work, work.”(Rating: 3.5/5)

Meghan Trainor, “NO”

While Meghan Trainor’s latest effort will not do much to make people forget the questionable lyrics of her debut album “Title” (2015), the Massachusetts-born singer-songwriter is back with a new single that is, lo and behold, not terrible. “NO” trades the doo-wop-inspired aesthetic from Trainor’s debut for a sound straight out of the late 1990s. Arguably the best song of her career so far, the lead single off of her forthcoming album “Thank You," which will be released on May 13, features Trainor telling a man to get lost. With a cadence and flow that sound straight out of a Destiny's Child song, the assertive single has all the hallmarks of an addicting pop song with a great hook built around “My name is no / My sign is no / My number is no.” Thanks to production from Ricky Reed, also known as Wallpaper, the song also echoes the teen pop boom of the early 2000s, incorporating a beat that echoes NSYNC or Britney Spears. Striking a perfect balance between nostalgia and modernity, “NO” demonstrates that Trainor is not going away anytime soon, which is more than okay if the music continues to be this good. (Rating: 4/5)

Ariana Grande, “Dangerous Woman”

After failing to recreate the pop magic of “Problem” (2014) and “Break Free” (2014)with the stale sounding “Focus” (2015), Ariana Grande was forced to go back to the drawing board for the follow-up to her blockbuster sophomore album “My Everything” (2014). Originally titled “Moonlight,” Grande’s third LP has been given new life as “Dangerous Woman,” set to be released on May 20 and marks a departure for the pint-sized diva, with the album’s title track kicking off this superhero-inspired album campaign. The sultry lead single of “Dangerous Woman” borrows heavily from the overall structure and ambience of The Weeknd’s “Earned It” (2015), yet the addition of real guitars saves the song from total copycat status, featuring a rather seductive guitar solo. Grande also goes to great lengths to avoid her bad habits of poor enunciation and oversinging, which is made evident by the cool, smoky sensuality she exudes when crooning “Somethin' 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman / Somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout you / Makes me wanna do things that I shouldn't.” Even though it is by far Grande’s most mature track to date and a welcome return to form after “Focus," “Dangerous Woman” is plagued by blatant unoriginality and ultimately fails to further define Grande as an artist. (Rating: 3/5)