Regardless of what your opinion normally is on expensive, over-the-top performances, it’s hard not to get caught up in the glitz and glam of the yearly Super Bowl halftime spectacle. This year, the honor of performing went to Rihanna, whose performance may not go down as one of the all-time greats, but deserves credit for… Read more
As much as people seem to dislike the Grammys and distrust their perpetually scandal-plagued decision-making body, there’s no doubting the authority the awards body holds. Even as viewership remains far below the 20 million+ it once regularly enjoyed, the performances still have the power to make waves, who wins still makes headlines and who loses… Read more
Photo Credit: AB+DM Every generation needs an artist who is unafraid to write cheesy, feel-good, uplifting anthems; an artist who would rather risk being saccharine than sour. Natasha Bedingfield (“Unwritten”), Kelly Clarkson (“Stronger”), and Katy Perry (“Firework”) have all alternately held this title and fulfilled their role dutifully. It would be unfair to dismiss Lizzo’s music… Read more
Photo Credit: Collages via Billboard Most people will tell you that the only success that translates financially is “success.” In music, certainly, it’s thought to be almost entirely mathematical: the more records an artist has sold, the more “successful” they are (of course, in recent decades the number of downloads and streams would also have… Read more
It’s widely debated if – or at least to what degree – rap is rock ‘n’ roll. In New York City, where hip-hop originated, a few rock bands were among the first to recognize the significance of rap, as shown by the Tom Tom Club’s single “Wordy Rappinghood” and of course Blondie’s number one smash… Read more
Photo Credit: Dave Meyers Following Coldplay’s discography from its late ’90s beginnings to modern-day is a baffling and frustrating experience. The band was heralded by critics from the outset as rock’s most promising new act; winning two Brit Awards and one Grammy for their debut LP Parachutes, as well as a nomination for the coveted Mercury… Read more
Photo Credit: Getty Images for The Recording Academy (All Photos) The 2021 Grammy’s were one to remember. During the COVID-19 pandemic, award shows like the Oscars, Emmys, and Golden Globes were struggling to adapt to a blend of in-person and virtual acceptances, and pulled off their respective shows with varying degrees of success. The Grammys… Read more
Photo Credit: Tim Saccenti Nearly four years of “everydays” have passed since the release of Coldplay’s last full-length studio album A Head Full of Dreams in 2015, so it might be easy to assume that with sixteen tracks clocking in at nearly an hour, the band’s new album Everyday Life is on some level an effort to make up for lost time. Either way, this new record is time well spent, as it’s got emotion, quality, diversity and,… Read more