Randy Ortiz, the singer and reggaeton star known as part of the duo Jowell & Randy, has always had a feeling something big would happen in 2021. He can’t really explain it, but he started anticipating a seismic change a long time ago — he even called out the number …
Read More »The Weeknd Wants to Give the World 'Philip K.' Dick
Nihilism, cocaine, narcissism, misogyny: These are the things that make a new the Weeknd album a Weeknd album. Predictably, After Hours has them all, and doesn’t bother to upend the meticulous mythos the pop star has spent a decade manufacturing. Instead, the Toronto singer’s fourth studio album swaps out one …
Read More »Teddy Pendergrass' Career Was Cut Short. Now It's Being Reevaluated
Teddy Pendergrass’ voice was astounding, muscular enough to lift cars and crack granite. When paired with the elite writers, arrangers and instrumentalists at Philadelphia International Records in the Seventies, the resulting music was often magnificent. Popular, too: Pendergrass released a platinum-certified LP every year between 1977 and 1980. But thanks …
Read More »3 Years Later, Bryson Tiller's 'Trapsoul' Has Aged Better Than Anyone Expected
Bryson Tiller seems like a great guy. He posts candid photos of his first parent-teacher conference and helping out at lemonade stands. His everyman wardrobe is relatable — he famously admitted to shopping at H&M — to the point where it seemed like every twenty-something with one too many breakup …
Read More »Review: Ne-Yo Can't Solve the Mid-Career R&B Riddle On 'Good Man'
American R&B veterans hoping to reach a mainstream audience face a brutal slog. Rap dominates the market, reducing any singer’s chance of landing a hit. And within R&B, the landscape is harshly segmented by age – any singers above 30 not named Beyonce are automatically shunted to Urban Adult Contemporary …
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