Sophie Coran Deftly Combines Jazz, Soul, and Dream Pop on ‘S P A C E’
Philadelphia singer-songwriter Sophie Coran’s debut album S P A C E is warm, sophisticated, and expertly crafted.
r&b
The Metaphysical Dream of BTS’ SUGA aka Min Yoon-gi
In Min Yoon-gi’s (BTS’ SUGA) music there’s a common idea floating of his dreams, even if he hasn’t identified them, or found a way to coexist with them peacefully.
40 Years Ago Rick James’ ‘Street Songs’ Signaled a New Identity for Motown
Rick James’ ground-breaking Street Songs exposed Motown’s struggle to grow and change alongside the shifting pop music landscape.
Nubiyan Twist’s ‘Freedom Fables’ Is a Jazzy Cosmopolitan Celebration
Nubiyan Twist’s Freedom Fables maintains a sense of fun and of engagement among the ensemble and with their invisible audience, that’s as important as the high quality sonics.
She Wants Her MTV: How ‘Private Dancer’ Made Tina Turner a Video Queen
In this PopMatters exclusive, the directors, choreographers, and dancers behind Tina Turner’s platinum-selling Private Dancer video 45 recall how the Queen of Rock went from MTV to number one.
Aretha Franklin: Preacher’s Daughter
Aretha Franklin, born a musical prodigy, was nurtured by her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, and his numerous houseguests of gospel and R&B renown.
What You Want, Baby, Aretha’s Got It
From January 1967 to January 1972, Aretha Franklin, one of 20th-century pop music's towering geniuses, stood the pop world on its head with a run, inconceivable today, of 11 albums. Tony Scherman's biography in progress about the Queen of Soul covers those years.
J Dilla’s ‘Welcome 2 Detroit’ Pointed the Way to 21st Century Hop-Hop
J Dilla's Welcome 2 Detroit announced where hip-hop could go in the 21st century. This reissue, expanded and spread over 12 seven-inch records, with a book that tells the whole story, reveals just how crucial an album it remains.
Arlo Parks Spins Fascinating Tales on ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’
Arlo Parks' Collapsed in Sunbeams is an emotionally wrenching journey through relationship drama set to low-key pop songs with hints of hip-hop and R&B scattered throughout.
Jazz? Soul? A Bit of Both and Lots of Good Vibes on ‘I Told You So’
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio channel the organ soul-jazz of Jimmy Smith and Booker T. on their second LP, I Told You So.
Daptone Records’ Gabriel Roth on Sharon Jones and the Power of Music
A recent compilation of rare covers by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings only highlights what we've long known. Soul music is of a rare and special breed capable of uniting people across many societal lines.