Immersed in America: The Creation of Elvis Presley
We know how Elvis Presley’s story reflects on American history, its music and mythology, but how did America help to create Elvis?
adult contemporary
Carly Simon Became a Pop Rom-Com Queen with ‘Coming Around Again’
Carly Simon adapted to the glossier, smoother sounds of 1980s soft-rock, spinning yarns of upper-class anxiety in Coming Around Again.
Love Has Flown: Remembering Olivia Newton-John
Losing Olivia Newton-John this week made for summer dreams ripped at the seams. Like so many of you, she was my first love.
Making Her Move: Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical’ Phenomenon Revisited
Producer John Farrar and the creative team behind Physical recall how Olivia Newton-John brought a Grammy-winning sensation from the studio to the screen.
Joseph Shabason and Andre Ethier Step Out with the Jazzy ‘Fresh Pepper’
Like a well-balanced dish, Fresh Pepper carries a host of elements – goofiness, listlessness, warmth, and desire – that make it a hearty meal.
Barbra Streisand Went to Washington (by Way of Malibu) on ‘One Voice’ 35 Years Ago
Barbra Streisand’s One Voice is a merger of pop and politics, a “rally” attended by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Kurt Russell, and Penny Marshall.
Diana Ross’ Grand Pop Comeback with 1991’s ‘The Force Behind the Power’
What The Force Behind the Power did, more than any other album, is re-establish Diana Ross as a major global recording star 30 years ago.
50 years Ago Barbra Streisand Became a Contemporary Pop Singer with ‘Barbra Joan Streisand’
If Stoney End was Barbra Streisand’s Laura Nyro project, then Barbra Joan Streisand was her Carole King project. Fifty years later, it offers fascinating insight.
Judie Tzuke’s ‘The Chrysalis Recordings’ Highlights Her Early ‘80s Transition to Synthpop
One day, perhaps, the collected works of Judie Tzuke, one of the United Kingdom's most prolific, long-serving, and interesting singer-songwriters, may be seriously reappraised. Until then, dive into The Chrysalis Recordings.
Melissa Manchester Looks Back at 1985 and Her Synthpop Experiments
Pop singer Melissa Manchester made some career calculations in order to stay current in the new wave era, as an expanded reissue of her 1985 album, Mathematics, makes clear. She talks to PopMatters about the pluses and minuses of her 1980s experience.
Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge: Full Moon (Expanded Edition)
Long eclipsed by the works of many country contemporaries, Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge's first album, Full Moon, gets a new look.
Will Downing: Black Pearls
Smooth R&B vocalist Will Downing maintains the utmost consistency on his latest project, covers album Black Pearls.