Dondria’s “You’re the One” was a real surprise when I heard it among a countdown of rather anonymous Southern rap last month on an Augusta hip-hop station.  It’s so…economical (3 minutes long!).  It gets in and gets out of there, never straining for your affection trying to prove itself like some other soul songstresses out there (ALICIA KEYS).  The song is a modest one, slight even, but I appreciate it for its casual retroism and avoidance of a swing-for-the-fences arrangement.

—Lucas