Musical guest appearances are wonderful when done right, and pointless annoyances when done wrong. Here are five from 2012 that were done absolutely right.
1. Lily Rose Cooper on P!nk’s “True Love”
Lily Allen, aka Cooper, is back. With a new name, of course, but the name change hasn’t affected her talent, as “True Love” shows. I was also tempted to include Nate Ruess’ appearance on P!nk’s “Just Give Me a Reason,” just because it’s the one time I’ve actually enjoyed him in a song. Still, I’m so happy that Cooper (I guess we have to start calling her that) is back, so she wins.
2. Nicki Minaj on B.o.B’s “Out of My Mind”
Nicki Minaj is still one of the most interesting people in music, regardless of what her haters say. “Roman Reloaded” wasn’t one of my favorite albums of the year, but it did show that she was trying to keep things interesting, and succeeding. Her performance on B.o.B’s “Out of My Mind,” meanwhile, showed that she could take an otherwise bland song and make it awesome.
3. Iggy Pop on Kesha’s “Dirty Love”
When Kesha named Iggy Pop’s “The Idiot” as one of the main influences for her new album, “Warrior,” it was a little bizarre. Then, she decided to give Iggy a featuring credit, and things became even stranger.
Then, his guest appearance totally rocked, and things became downright surreal. “Dirty Love” is one of the main highlights on “Warrior,” mostly because of Iggy Pop’s performance.
4. Andre 3000 on Frank Ocean’s “Pink Matter”
A couple years ago, I called Andre 3000 the best rapper around. That may have been a stretch, but, based on his performance on “Pink Matter,” I’m almost willing to defend my past self. The man’s still got it.
5. Rosanne Cash on Rhett Miller’s “As Close As I Came to Being Right”
Male-female country duets are fantastic. “As Close As I Came to Being Right” is possibly the best example of one since Loretta Lynn and Jack White sang together on “Portland, Oregon.”
