16. Shamir - “Demon”

Shamir’s soulful falsetto is infectious. It has a biting innocence, like piercing the heart with a butter knife, or yelling at someone in a whisper. There’s a subtle beauty to it, a pureness that strikes the soul and leaves you wanting more.

This jam showcases that quality perfectly. He sings of heartache and the perversion of the heart, yet he wraps it up in a gentle and eloquent beauty. As a result, rather than a demon succumbing to heartache in the aftermath of amorous chaos, he emerges as an angel remembering a distant past, lounging in the clouds far above the troubles of the heart. Whatever it was that tainted his soul, he leaves no doubt that he’s risen above it.