Beyoncé’s Renaissance repackages traditional marketing and 1990s-inspired dance music, creating the ultimate combination of streaming sensibilities and feel-good anthems.
The autobiographical songwriting that carried James Taylor to international pop stardom laid a blueprint for songwriters today to blend their romantic and public endeavors through confessional writing.
Harry Styles’ Harry’s House is, to reference his debut solo single, a “Sign of the Times”, experimenting with 1980s synths and 1970s confessional writing.
Maroon 5’s sophomore album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, pivoted away from their pop-punk beginnings and set them up for a decade of pop culture omnipresence.
Alec Benjamin’s (Un)Commentary gets caught up in the details. Is that good or bad? He acknowledges that his cerebral qualities are a strength of his music.
Doubling down on her songwriter image, Olivia Rodrigo makes a pop star rite of passage of her own with driving home 2 u.
Indie poppers Wallows stake out a new middle ground between alternative and pop and prepare for the streaming era on Tell Me That It’s Over.
Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection was the ultimate blend of pop culture and capitalism—that is until she woke up from the dream.
The indie band fun.’s thoughtful pop songwriting on Some Nights ushered the music industry into the internet age and created a still-omnipresent legacy.
Lana Del Rey’s major-label debut Born to Die provides a roadmap for her songwriting journey, and her personification of America reinvents the past to tell modern stories.
Joni Mitchell’s Blue, included in the recently released The Reprise Albums collection, paved the way for future autobiographical singer-songwriters.
The Friends Reunion has awakened the beast of ’90s nostalgia…but what else has it unearthed?
