Album Reviews, Playlists, and More

Group dynamics are always a tricky thing. Even if a collective is set up with the intention of being a democracy, there will always be some kind of imbalance. Someone’s gonna get more lead vocals, someone’s gonna get more production cred…

When Mike and I started our conversation about Lionel Richie on our 50 For 50 podcast, I asked Mike if he thought Lionel was a bit corny. And that wasn't meant as a dig at Lionel. I think it's something that's unique about the man. When everyon…

1982 was a transformative year for music in many ways. The second British Invasion exploded, thanks to new, fresh acts like The Human League, Yazoo and Duran Duran. Rap music planted its flag with two era-defining singles, “The Message” …

One of the things Mike and I wanted to do with this 50 For 50 project is also create a space to celebrate music. And what better way to celebrate music than to create playlists of all the music we're talking about. As part of our discussion abo…

The members of New Edition found themselves at a series of crossroads when the Heart Break album was conceived and recorded in 1988. After making their debut in 1983 with “Candy Girl”, the group had established themselves as one of the m…