Best Local Song

Atlanta’s consummate power-pop songwriter Blake Rainey takes a drunken stroll through the bars of Little Five Points on the 7-inch “FUCKED UP IN PUBLIC” from the Young Antiques (Young Antiques Music). A rapid-fire jangle and searing lead follows our hero through his mini odyssey in this night in the life of a working man. www.myspace.com/youngantiquesrock less...

Warning: Do not attempt to ride out while bumping “SWEET GEORGIA” by Konvict/Def Jam signee Cyhi Da Prynce unless you’re prepared to spend a grip on gas. That’s because shawty gets around like Tupac — especially within the 13th colony. A twanged-out acoustic guitar and bare-bones backbeat (Crown Kingz Productions) make a less than likely pairing with Da Prynce’s lazy, lyrical flow. But together they fit like shrimp and grits as the Stone Mountain native guides listeners through his stomping ground — which seemingly covers every speck of red clay south of the Appalachian Trail and north of the Okefenokee Swamp. He makes pit stops through towns (Forest Park, Macon, Dublin), colleges (Georgia Southern, Fort Valley, UGA), Atlanta thoroughfares (Campbellton, Bankhead, Glenwood), and even lock-ups (Hancock in Sparta and DeKalb County Jail). But buried within this veritable state anthem, Da Prynce delivers a winding narrative of his own dope boy travels and travails, as he reminisces from the back of a tour bus. And when he hoarsely sings the hook — “I say ohh-oh-ohh, swee-et Geor-jah” — it’s so heartfelt, it’ll put Ray Charles on your mind. www.myspace.com/dapryncehoodlum. less...