It’s that time again…

With just about a month before Rosh Hashana, it’s time for Israel’s major radio stations to prepare for their annual year-end musical countdowns. As expected, Kan Gimmel opened up the voting for their countdown today. (We expect to see the same from Galgalatz any minute.)

With a total of 111 songs competing for the title of “Song of the Year”, their list of songs is certainly a walk down memory lane with regard to Israeli music in 2018 (more accurately, 5778). Voters are asked to select ten of their favorite songs, followed by their selections for

• Male singer of the year
• Female singer of the year
• Group of the year
• Newcomer of the year
• Your single favorite song overall

Based exclusively on my musical tastes, here are some of my favorites from the list (in alphabetical order by artist’s first name in Hebrew):

• Eyal Golan & Zohar Argov – Nachon L’hayom. I will admit that I’m not a mega fan of either singer…but what a cool idea for Eyal Golan (the current undisputed king of muzika mizrachit) to record an entire album of duets with the late Zohar Argov (Israel’s FIRST king of muzika mizrachit). Not quite as sweet as Natalie Cole singing with her late father back in 1991, but a pretty significant entry into Israeli music nonetheless.
• Eliad – Sof HaShavua. Eliad has hit #1 on this countdown in the past, and it’s a safe bet that he’ll score pretty high on this year’s edition as well. Sof HaShavua is a smooth, cool tune that perfectly sets the tone for the chill Israeli weekend, or any weekend.
• Arik Einstein – V’od Lo Amarti HaKol. When a legendary Israeli singer “still has more to say”, five years after his passing, you shut up and listen.
• Hadag Nachash – Sa!. One of the “funnest” songs of the year, by far.
• Noa Kirel and Agaum Buchbut – Etzel HaDoda V’HaDod. Take two of Israel’s hottest teen idols, give them an iconic Israeli song to sing, and showcase their seductive dance moves in a whimsical video – casting the legendary Gidi Gov as “HaDod” (the uncle), and you have the makings of a hit.
• Nadav Guedj – Oolai Nedaber. We sometimes forget that Nadav admirably represented us in the Eurovision at just sixteen years old. Now 19, Nadav still sounds great, and it’s particularly exciting to hear him finally sing in Hebrew. Great job.
• Netta Barzilai – Toy. Number one this year. Like it or not.
• Static & Ben-El Tavori – Namaste. Are they beginning to fall from grace? Don’t think their 15 minutes of fame are up just yet. Out of their three entries this year (the other two are “HaKol L’Tovah” and “Kawaii“), this one is my own personal favorite. Static’s high-speed rapping is quite impressive, and it’s simply a fun song.
• Eden Ben Zaken – Kulam B’eilat. The newly-married celeb has FOUR songs in the running this year. Expect at least three of them to crack the top 20. This particular one perfectly captures the laid-back, party atmosphere that is consistently in the air throughout the resort city of Eilat.
• Anything by Omer Adam. With five songs on the list (including a duet with Shlomo Artzi), it’s safe to say you’ll see this fan favorite in the top 3.
• Eli Botner & Aviv Aloosh – Hachi Karov Eilayich. This guy knows how to write music. With a funky groove and an addictive sound, this fun summer song spent several weeks at #1 this summer. Listen and smile.
• Rita & Meshi Kleinstein – K’chi Lach. If we can’t have Rami and Rita anymore (sniff), at least we can hear their daughter. I love this sweet mother/daughter duet, and Meshi’s voice “meshes” nicely with her mother’s (see what I did there?).
• Shiri Maimon – Kacha Pashut. Because I am a Shiri Maimon fanboy. That’s all.
• Shlomo Artzi – Kayitz Osah Li Tov. A very different side of Shlomo! Produced by “Jordi”, the mastermind behind Static & Ben-El, this hot summer song has been a big hit. Glad to see Shlomo’s playful side for a change.

That’s just a small taste of what 5778 has brought us so far. Take a few moments to peruse Kan Gimmel’s selections for this year, and tell us: what was your favorite song of 5778?

(Oh, and BTW, if you vote for your favorites on their site, you’ll be entered to win a pair of tickets to Eurovision 2019 in Israel. Good luck!)