Popular Music
While Freda Payne still sings “Band of Gold” on soul package revues, she has recently rekindled the jazz side of her career.
This album is not a slavish imitation of an old sound but a fresh take on the kind of timeless, tuneful fun that pop music used to be all about.
“Nah Nah Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” lead singer Gary DeCarlo finally lands the spotlight.
Lucinda Williams is one of the few songwriters who seem to realize the messiness of later life is just as loaded with song angles as the restlessness of youth.
Who was this stunning talent with the roof-raising voice and why in the world isn’t she a star, fans would wonder?
Mavis Staples’ voice and stage presence still exude power, still plumb emotional and spiritual depths.
Soul journeyman Lee Fields and the Expressions explore new territory.
Pianist/arranger/composer Billy Childs’s aim was to reimagine Nyro’s music.
The magazine’s Roots and World Music critic looks back at a year of live performances: here are the winners and a few losers.
What came through strongest was Darlene Love’s pride in having a new album out and a comeback underway.
The Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll at Mid-Year: Warming Up a Riff — How It Happened, and Why It Matters