Veteran artists and bands returning with new music in 2025
The annual post on “Veteran artists returning with new music in the upcoming year” has been somewhat of a tradition for us. In view of this, I sincerely apologize for writing and publishing this as late as I have. Two overseas vacations back to back can create a pile...
What the music industry can learn from “Make It Big” by Wham on its 40th anniversary
In an industry wherein sophomore slumps are more the norm than the exception, British duo Wham’s follow-up to their moderately successful debut (titled “Fantastic”) was a quantum leap from its sonic predecessor. The hit album “Make it Big” was also the first sign that...
Coldplay shoot for the moon on “Moon Music” but land on the stars
By guest blogger Akshath Ranganathan At a little over 24 years since the release of their debut album “Parachutes”, alternative rock band Coldplay has successfully managed to dodge the dreaded “legacy act” label that most bands tend to get stuck with over a decade or...
Great Good Fine OK subtly reminds fans at Brooklyn that they belong in the music business’ upper echelons
It feels like a lifetime ago when the term “pop music” was not solely synonymous with what was ubiquitous. When the label “pop” was slapped on to a piece of music, it was implicit that the music had hooks, at least 4-5 distinct melodic sections, and if the musicians...
Pop music fans – change your music consumption patterns to save the music industry
Many of us (especially those of us whose foundational musical experiences in the realm of pop/rock music were over 25 years ago) look at the halcyon years of pop music with fond nostalgia combined with a thinly veiled disappointment in the current pop music scene. The...
Craig David reminds New York City that he was Born To Do it – yet again!
Date: May 10, 2024 Venue: Palladium Times Square ( New York City) Tour: 7 Days Commitment Tour Building a career as a recording artist in the post-90s has felt increasingly like a seemingly insurmountable challenge for a few reasons. First, as record labels have...
“The Greatest Night In Pop” – an exhilarating chronicle of the story of “We are the world”
“I think that it’s best to remember that the price of life this year is a piece of plastic 7 inches wide with a hole in the middle” - says a surprise guest that had just returned from Ethiopia and had been invited by legendary producer Quincy Jones. This line was...
“Breathing” by Great Good Fine OK is 2024’s first great pop single
The world of pop music, for ages, has revolved around radio-friendly “hit singles” – that catchy slice of 3-4 minute-long sonic bliss that stays lodged in the memories of music aficionados for years, if not decades. These singles also serve as catalysts for generating...
Madonna’s Celebration Tour Concert at Madison Square Garden is a story of a girl making it in New York City
Date: January 29, 2024 Venue: Madison Square Garden ( New York City) Tour: The Celebration Tour The word “queen” is unambiguously appropriate for a female artist whose reign (in pop music years) has been almost Elizabethan. Today, with this frame of reference, the...
Veteran Artists and Bands returning with new music in 2024
I am painfully aware that I am over three weeks late with this article. For that, I sincerely apologize. 2023 was quite the year for veteran artists returning with new music. The biggest surprise (and highly unlikely comeback) was that of acoustic folk duo turned...
Netflix’s Robbie Williams paints a vivid portrait of one pop music’s most potent brands
Music documentaries have become catalysts for re-evaluations of the musical legacies of celebrated and lesser-known musicians – especially if these artists rose to prominence in the pre-internet years of contemporary mass pop culture’s heyday. What the pre-internet...
Kings Of Convenience showcase the seductive purity of sonic minimalism at Webster Hall in New York City
When indulging in commentary around Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings Of Convenience, context around their unlikely rise to prominence and their place in the sphere of pop music is king (please forgive the pun). It is impossible to dive right into the core of a review of...