--- description: New music from Camila Cabello, Mahalia with Ella Mai, Adam Lambert, IDK, and The Highwomen with Sheryl Crow. title: The 5 Best Songs of the Week From Camilla Cabello's 'Shameless' to Adam Lambert's 'Superpower' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Music](/tag/music/) ## Music Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 5 Best Songs of the Week From Camila Cabello's 'Shameless' to Adam Lambert's 'Superpower'  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 6, 2019 8:30 PM CUT  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 6, 2019 8:30 PM CUT This week, R&B singer Mahalia finds a groove on her new album, while rapper IDK hits the right spot in introspective rap on his major-label debut. [Camila Cabello](https://time.com/money/5117499/camila-cabello-from-high-school-dropout-to-a-20-year-old-chart-topper/ "undefined") teases her sophomore project and takes a new direction on the bold “Shameless.” [The Highwomen](https://time.com/5629961/best-songs-beyonce-lion-king/ "undefined") make the case for supergroups and bring Sheryl Crow into the fold on “Heaven Is a Honky Tonk” off their powerhouse collaborative album. And [Adam Lambert](https://time.com/5535190/2019-oscars-queen-adam-lambert/ "undefined") shows that he’s got an infectious style well beyond his work with Queen on “Superpower.” ## “What You Did,” Mahalia feat. Ella Mai Mahalia is a voice to know in the emergent generation of R&B singers: a silky-sounding young British artist whose music has smoky corners and elegant edges. “What You Did,” off her new album out today, _Love and Compromise,_ is a prime example. Sampling Cam’ron and Juelz Santana’s 2002 hit “Oh Boy,” Mahalia makes good use of that track’s lush beat while singing evocatively about mistakes. “Yeah, you know I love you but I can’t forgive it,” she sighs. “You could tell me stay, but I have to go.” Crooner Ella Mai comes in for a beautiful assist, and when they duet it’s a warm, comforting embrace. The song may be about the dissolution of a relationship, but endings sound sweet coming from Mahalia. ## **“Shameless,” Camila Cabello** Camila Cabello’s first solo outing, the self-titled _Camila_, was an album of intimate, stripped-down pop that let her play with the expressiveness of her voice and clever writing. “Shameless,” one of two new songs off her upcoming sophomore album _Romance_ and a follow up to late-breaking summer hit “Señorita” with Shawn Mendes, sees Cabello go in a new direction: power pop-punk with a dark edge. Cabello’s voice has always been best matched with slinky lyricism, but on “Shameless” she explores new potential with a sound that’s more in the tradition of the guitar-driven angst of Avril Lavigne and some eras of Pink. “I need you more than I want to,” she keeps repeating, baring a fresh intensity. ## **“Superpower,” Adam Lambert** Multi-talented singer-songwriter-actor-_American-Idol_\-star Adam Lambert has spent the bulk of his time since 2012 with Queen + Adam Lambert, in a role as a frontman for the legendary band that Lambert has performed admirably. But don’t forget that Lambert is a solo artist as well, one who excels in funk and soul grooves. “Superpower” is the latest single off _Velvet: Side A_, the first half of his next solo project. It’s got a gritty guitar, juicy bass and lots of funk, with an extra electric guitar riff and gospel choir bridge just to up the ante; it’s born for the dance floor. Turns out, Lambert’s superpower may just be putting on a stylish show across genres. ## “Heaven Is a Honky Tonk,” The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires) feat. Sheryl Crow The Highwomen — the quartet of country-folk star-power that is Carlile, Hemby, Morris and Shires — are kind of a big deal. Not only are they four distinctive voices in the genre coming together for a collaborative album, but also each of these artists is currently at the peak of her game: Hemby was a critical songwriter for the [_A Star Is Born_](https://time.com/5498917/a-star-is-born-music/ "undefined") soundtrack and Nashville hitmaker, Carlile just won a bunch of well-deserved Grammys, Morris is one of the most in-demand [young country stars](https://time.com/5551305/maren-morris-girl-country-music-review/ "undefined"), and Shires is a talented musician, singer and writer with a history of working with impressive acts. So the fact that they carved out the time for this supergroup is a feat in and of itself. Their new album, as encapsulated in “Heaven Is a Honky Tonk,” is a beautifully crafted joint effort filled with specific songwriting, lovely harmonies and aching acoustic twists that takes past classics and country tropes — in this case, Ray LaMontagne’s song of the same name — and reshapes it into something new and all their own. This one also gets a boost from the addition of Sheryl Crow, a veteran of the genre who sounds right at home in this squad. ## “December,” IDK Unless you’ve been paying _very_ close attention, Maryland-based rapper IDK’s debut major-label release _Is He Real?_ might have come as a surprise this week. The mysteriously-named artist (it stands for Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge) tapped a top notch list of contributors; you’ll hear [Tyler, The Creator](https://time.com/4876070/tyler-the-creator-flower-boy-review/ "undefined"), Pusha T, J.I.D., DMX, Burna Boy and others throughout the album, which focuses on questions of the metaphysical but keeps things relatable. “December,” featuring Nigerian artist-of-the-moment Burna Boy, is a moody love song of a rap; IDK slips between singing and rapping effortlessly. “When I saw you I remembered / The feeling of, the feeling of December,” he muses in an introspective slow-burn towards love. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5669863/best-songs-of-the-week-camila-cabello-adam-lambert/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5669863/best-songs-of-the-week-camila-cabello-adam-lambert/"},"headline":"The 5 Best Songs of the Week From Camila Cabello's 'Shameless' to Adam Lambert's 'Superpower'","datePublished":"2019-09-06T20:30:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:00:10.764Z","description":"Camila's new era is just getting started","url":"https://time.com/5669863/best-songs-of-the-week-camila-cabello-adam-lambert/","keywords":["Music","Newsfeed"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/music/","name":"Music"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5669863/best-songs-of-the-week-camila-cabello-adam-lambert/","name":"The 5 Best Songs of the Week From Camila Cabello's 'Shameless' to Adam Lambert's 'Superpower'"}}]}] ```