Popular Music

Pop Album Review: “how i’m feeling now” by Charli XCX — What Life is Like, Sheltering in Place

May 29, 2020
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Charli has successfully dramatized her impatiently jagged state of mind, supplying an emotionally honest stream of consciousness that suggests what she (and no doubt many others of her generation) is feeling and thinking in quarantine.

Music Feature: Gideon King & City Blog — Forward Motion in a Backwards Time

May 20, 2020
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“As artists, it’s our obligation to keep going. I really believe we have to push for the world to open up again.”

Music Appreciation: Two American Musical Geniuses Named Steve, on Their Birthdays — Sondheim and Wonder

May 18, 2020
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Musical theater giant Stephen Sondheim turned 90 on March 22, and Stevie Wonder—for my money, the greatest popular music composer of the last 60 years—turned 70 on May 13.

Arts Commentary: Endangered Species — Independent, Small Venues

April 18, 2020
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What’s happening right now, this is a bloodbath. It is full on slaughter of small businesses. They lie in the streets gasping for breath.

Music Album Review: “Ghosts” — The Cowboy Junkies Confront Heartbreak and Sorrow

April 9, 2020
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Darkness is pervasive in this Cowboy Junkies album, but it is not all-encompassing.

Arts Remembrance: The Three Funkiest Handclaps in Music History — An Appreciation of Bill Withers

April 3, 2020
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When I think of Bill Withers I think of just three handclaps. It’s my favorite example in his music, or just about anyone else’s, of the power of restraint — not slamming and flailing about to shift a groove into overdrive.

Concert Review: Adam Sherman Band at The Burren — Definitely Connecting

March 12, 2020
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Adam Sherman, Cambridge-based musician, voice teacher, and vocal coach never went away.

Concert Review: Vinicius Cantuária at Scullers

February 27, 2020
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Vinicius Cantuária and band offered a night of close-listening interaction between musicians with ears wide open.

Concert Review: Marcia Ball and Sonny Landreth at ONCE — Plenty Rousing

February 26, 2020
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At 70, Marcia Ball is a non-stop pro, particularly at pacing. Early barn burners gave way to the slow blues of “Just Kiss Me.”

Country Music CD Review: Marcus King’s “El Dorado” — An Inspired Detour

January 15, 2020
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In this disc, Marcus King takes a step back from the big, hard-charging sound he has been pursuing to great effect with his namesake band over the past few years.

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