LONG-form "[RE]DISCOVER" CAMPAIGN articles
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- '80s Hair Metal That Actually Holds Up
- The Best in Timeless (and Not-So-Timeless) '80s Rock
- From Alt to Pop: When Did Alternative Music Officially Go Mainstream?
- Classic '90s Alternative Artists and Their Modern-Day Doppelgängers
- Rest in Peace, Emo! Long Live Emo!
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Short-form SEO-focused "Editor's Takes" published by Amazon Music
Comedy Central’s Hell Of A Week with Charlamagne Tha God
Lenard McKelvey calls himself “the Ruler of Rubbing People the Wrong Way.” Rolling Stone magazine calls him “the hip-hop Howard Stern.” And the rest of the world calls him by his showbiz name, Charlamagne Tha God. ...read more on Amazon Music
Lenard McKelvey calls himself “the Ruler of Rubbing People the Wrong Way.” Rolling Stone magazine calls him “the hip-hop Howard Stern.” And the rest of the world calls him by his showbiz name, Charlamagne Tha God. ...read more on Amazon Music
Travis Beachum's Impact Winter
There's no shortage of vampire novels, comic books, films, and TV shows. As a narrative podcast, though, Impact Winter has an edge. The apocalyptic near-future thriller uses spatial audio technology, delivering the effect of 3D surround sound. ...read more on Amazon Music
There's no shortage of vampire novels, comic books, films, and TV shows. As a narrative podcast, though, Impact Winter has an edge. The apocalyptic near-future thriller uses spatial audio technology, delivering the effect of 3D surround sound. ...read more on Amazon Music
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin is not a typical historian. In fact, he's not a historian at all. His background is in TV news, and he's a former radio talk show host. So he describes himself as more of a fan of history. ...read moreon Amazon Music
Dan Carlin is not a typical historian. In fact, he's not a historian at all. His background is in TV news, and he's a former radio talk show host. So he describes himself as more of a fan of history. ...read more
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan Van Ness is famous for the beauty expertise he shares on Netflix's Queer Eye reboot. But he does so much more. He's a hairdresser by trade. He's also a bestselling author of a memoir and kids' books, a stand-up comedian, an activist, an actor, and a podcast host. ...read more on Amazon Music
Jonathan Van Ness is famous for the beauty expertise he shares on Netflix's Queer Eye reboot. But he does so much more. He's a hairdresser by trade. He's also a bestselling author of a memoir and kids' books, a stand-up comedian, an activist, an actor, and a podcast host. ...read more on Amazon Music
NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
The beloved radio news quiz show Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me made its modest debut on Chicago's WBEZ in 1998. Since then, the program has become an institution on NPR and as a podcast. The Peabody winner now brings its distinctive format to an audience of 6 million listeners per week. ...read more on Amazon Music
The beloved radio news quiz show Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me made its modest debut on Chicago's WBEZ in 1998. Since then, the program has become an institution on NPR and as a podcast. The Peabody winner now brings its distinctive format to an audience of 6 million listeners per week. ...read more on Amazon Music
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Few in the self-help industry have placed a sharper focus on finding one's purpose than Jay Shetty. His podcast, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, indeed "makes wisdom go viral" with its entertaining and relatable guests and topics. ...read more on Amazon Music
Few in the self-help industry have placed a sharper focus on finding one's purpose than Jay Shetty. His podcast, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, indeed "makes wisdom go viral" with its entertaining and relatable guests and topics. ...read more on Amazon Music
Sylvester Stallone's The Comeback
As the host and executive producer of The Comeback, Sylvester Stallone, says, "When you're going through hell? Keep going." The subjects of The Comeback podcast not only kept going, but they beat the odds to cross the finish line. ...read more on Amazon Music
As the host and executive producer of The Comeback, Sylvester Stallone, says, "When you're going through hell? Keep going." The subjects of The Comeback podcast not only kept going, but they beat the odds to cross the finish line. ...read more on Amazon Music
Long-form essays for Amazon Music
Page Title: "What Is Spatial Audio, and What Songs Use It Best?"
Meta Description: Amazon Music now features spatial audio for Unlimited members. An immersive, surround sound-enhanced listening experience is now available at your fingertips!
There was zero chance this article was getting submitted on time. Because once you slip on a pair of headphones (any headphones!) and hear your first Dolby Atmos or 360 Reality Audio on Amazon Music, it's all over. You’re in for hours of helpless music consumption.
It's the kind of superior audio experience that sends you down a very long and thrilling rabbit hole of listening pleasure—whether you like it or not! So get ready for a new, expansive way to experience your favorite music and podcasts.
What is spatial audio?
Spatial audio is an audio format that delivers surround sound for music streaming and podcasts. It's sometimes referred to as "immersive audio," because of the added space, clarity, and depth it provides. It pulls you right into the music and makes sound burst to life. ...read more
Meta Description: Amazon Music now features spatial audio for Unlimited members. An immersive, surround sound-enhanced listening experience is now available at your fingertips!
There was zero chance this article was getting submitted on time. Because once you slip on a pair of headphones (any headphones!) and hear your first Dolby Atmos or 360 Reality Audio on Amazon Music, it's all over. You’re in for hours of helpless music consumption.
It's the kind of superior audio experience that sends you down a very long and thrilling rabbit hole of listening pleasure—whether you like it or not! So get ready for a new, expansive way to experience your favorite music and podcasts.
What is spatial audio?
Spatial audio is an audio format that delivers surround sound for music streaming and podcasts. It's sometimes referred to as "immersive audio," because of the added space, clarity, and depth it provides. It pulls you right into the music and makes sound burst to life. ...read more
Page Title: "Nearly 20 Years Gone, Karen Dalton's Own Time Is Now"
Meta Description: Self-sabotage was largely what kept Greenwich Village folk legend Karen Dalton from fame in her lifetime; now her genius is finally coming to light.
Not to lay a guilt trip on "The Bard," but if Bob Dylan would have announced how he felt about Karen Dalton's music back in the mid-'60s—instead of nearly ten years after her death—who knows how her career might have panned out?
Very early on in Dylan's highly idiosyncratic 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, he says, "My favorite singer in the place [the legendary Greenwich Village folk club Café Wha] was Karen Dalton. She was a tall white blues singer and guitar player, funky, lanky, and sultry. Karen had a voice like Billie Holiday and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed and went all the way with it. I sang with her a couple of times."
"Went all the way with it" is right. She was self-sabotaging in more ways than one. ...read more
Meta Description: Self-sabotage was largely what kept Greenwich Village folk legend Karen Dalton from fame in her lifetime; now her genius is finally coming to light.
Not to lay a guilt trip on "The Bard," but if Bob Dylan would have announced how he felt about Karen Dalton's music back in the mid-'60s—instead of nearly ten years after her death—who knows how her career might have panned out?
Very early on in Dylan's highly idiosyncratic 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, he says, "My favorite singer in the place [the legendary Greenwich Village folk club Café Wha] was Karen Dalton. She was a tall white blues singer and guitar player, funky, lanky, and sultry. Karen had a voice like Billie Holiday and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed and went all the way with it. I sang with her a couple of times."
"Went all the way with it" is right. She was self-sabotaging in more ways than one. ...read more
Album summaries for Amazon Music
Olivia Rodrigo
SOUR
Geffen Records
SOUR
Geffen Records
When her debut single, “drivers license,” became a worldwide phenomenon, we found out Olivia Rodrigo was far more than the Disney TV roles that introduced her to us. Likewise, SOUR, her debut album, proves across 11 achingly vulnerable but defiant tracks that Rodrigo’s songwriting prowess extends far beyond that initial indie-pop chart-topper of early 2021.
Album opener “brutal” head-fakes us into thinking we’re in for 34 minutes of woe-is-me gloominess; instead, its moody, melancholy orchestration abruptly gives way to a tossed-off studio instruction from Rodrigo saying, “I want it to be, like, messy!” Then it’s all punky guitars, bashing alt-rock drums, and sassy, biting lyrics grappling with how messy, indeed, young adulthood can be.
From there, SOUR serves as a gut-wrenching but savvy and strong-willed rumination on a whole lot of heartbreak over a presumably short period of time (after all, Rodrigo was just 17 when she wrote the album, mainly with producer Dan Nigro). “traitor” is a bittersweet bedroom-pop ballad lamenting how a recently former BF could possibly move on so fast; Lorde-esque sophomore single “deja vu” scathingly rebukes an ex for shamelessly recycling the routines Rodrigo thought were special only to them; and SOUR’s second Billboard No. 1, the Taylor Swift-ian (by way of Avril Lavigne) pop-punker “good 4 u,” is a sarcastic send-off of an ex-beau thriving only after Rodrigo hooked him up with a therapist.
It begs the question: Who are these chumps making the catastrophically poor decision to spurn someone as lovely, talented, and über-sharp as Olivia Rodrigo? Oh well, their loss is our ears’ gain. We can only hope the suffering that inspired SOUR has been made up for just a bit by Album of the Year honors from Billboard and Rolling Stone; appearances on the Albums of the Year lists of everyone from NME and the BBC to Pitchfork and the New York Times; the armfuls of high-profile Grammy Award nominations (including the "big three": Album, Song, and Record of the Year); and SOUR’s thorough domination of streaming and sales platforms across the globe.
Album opener “brutal” head-fakes us into thinking we’re in for 34 minutes of woe-is-me gloominess; instead, its moody, melancholy orchestration abruptly gives way to a tossed-off studio instruction from Rodrigo saying, “I want it to be, like, messy!” Then it’s all punky guitars, bashing alt-rock drums, and sassy, biting lyrics grappling with how messy, indeed, young adulthood can be.
From there, SOUR serves as a gut-wrenching but savvy and strong-willed rumination on a whole lot of heartbreak over a presumably short period of time (after all, Rodrigo was just 17 when she wrote the album, mainly with producer Dan Nigro). “traitor” is a bittersweet bedroom-pop ballad lamenting how a recently former BF could possibly move on so fast; Lorde-esque sophomore single “deja vu” scathingly rebukes an ex for shamelessly recycling the routines Rodrigo thought were special only to them; and SOUR’s second Billboard No. 1, the Taylor Swift-ian (by way of Avril Lavigne) pop-punker “good 4 u,” is a sarcastic send-off of an ex-beau thriving only after Rodrigo hooked him up with a therapist.
It begs the question: Who are these chumps making the catastrophically poor decision to spurn someone as lovely, talented, and über-sharp as Olivia Rodrigo? Oh well, their loss is our ears’ gain. We can only hope the suffering that inspired SOUR has been made up for just a bit by Album of the Year honors from Billboard and Rolling Stone; appearances on the Albums of the Year lists of everyone from NME and the BBC to Pitchfork and the New York Times; the armfuls of high-profile Grammy Award nominations (including the "big three": Album, Song, and Record of the Year); and SOUR’s thorough domination of streaming and sales platforms across the globe.
Kanye West
Donda
GOOD/Def Jam
Donda
GOOD/Def Jam
One thing’s for sure: the general fascination surrounding rapper Kanye West won’t be dulled once listeners take in his 10th studio album (and 10th consecutive Billboard No. 1, tying him with Eminem and Elvis Presley), the sprawling Donda. Named for his late mother, Donda West, this 27-song, nearly two-hours-long release gives us perhaps our most intimate glimpse yet into a figure whose public persona may confound, but whose standing as a viscerally thrilling artist unquestionably persists.
It wouldn't be a proper Kanye West release without controversy, and indeed, there were unprecedented pre-release listening events at Chicago's Soldier Field and Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium that led to many late tweaks and delayed release dates; vocals from Chris Brown and Soulja Boy were unceremoniously scrapped, while contributions from some of the year's most maligned figures—including Travis Scott, DaBaby, and even Marilyn Manson, whose participation amidst mounting sexual assault charges garnered the album a zero-star review from the British Independent—were kept; and, naturally, a few cuts take obligatory swipes at top pop chart competitor Drake.
However, near-countless star appearances by the likes of Jay-Z (the rock guitar-fueled "Jail"), Kid Cudi (gospel, hip-hop, and pop chart hit "Moon"), Roddy Ricch (the mysteries-of-life-pondering "Pure Souls"), Baby Keem ("Praise God," which incorporates recitations from Donda's namesake), the Weeknd (first single and top gospel chart-topper of 2021 "Hurricane"), and many many more make for an unparalleled guest list.
West's longtime interest in juxtaposing the secular and the divine in his lyrics continues throughout, as tracks like "Come to Life," "God Breathed," "Heaven and Hell," and album ballast "Jesus Lord" mix hallelujahs with introspection and spiritual doubt. Another standout track on the other hand, "Lord I Need You," is not about the Lord at all, but instead poignantly, albeit brashly, addresses what the casual listener most likely came to hear about: the souring and dissolution of West's marriage to Kim Kardashian.
A lot of ground is covered by Donda. Is it always cohesive? Nah. Is it wildly ambitious? Sure. Is it essential Kanye West? Yes, indeed.
It wouldn't be a proper Kanye West release without controversy, and indeed, there were unprecedented pre-release listening events at Chicago's Soldier Field and Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium that led to many late tweaks and delayed release dates; vocals from Chris Brown and Soulja Boy were unceremoniously scrapped, while contributions from some of the year's most maligned figures—including Travis Scott, DaBaby, and even Marilyn Manson, whose participation amidst mounting sexual assault charges garnered the album a zero-star review from the British Independent—were kept; and, naturally, a few cuts take obligatory swipes at top pop chart competitor Drake.
However, near-countless star appearances by the likes of Jay-Z (the rock guitar-fueled "Jail"), Kid Cudi (gospel, hip-hop, and pop chart hit "Moon"), Roddy Ricch (the mysteries-of-life-pondering "Pure Souls"), Baby Keem ("Praise God," which incorporates recitations from Donda's namesake), the Weeknd (first single and top gospel chart-topper of 2021 "Hurricane"), and many many more make for an unparalleled guest list.
West's longtime interest in juxtaposing the secular and the divine in his lyrics continues throughout, as tracks like "Come to Life," "God Breathed," "Heaven and Hell," and album ballast "Jesus Lord" mix hallelujahs with introspection and spiritual doubt. Another standout track on the other hand, "Lord I Need You," is not about the Lord at all, but instead poignantly, albeit brashly, addresses what the casual listener most likely came to hear about: the souring and dissolution of West's marriage to Kim Kardashian.
A lot of ground is covered by Donda. Is it always cohesive? Nah. Is it wildly ambitious? Sure. Is it essential Kanye West? Yes, indeed.
Maroon 5
JORDI
222/Interscope/Polydor
JORDI
222/Interscope/Polydor
Despite tackling some heavy topics, the Maroon 5 album JORDI still wants its tunes to mercilessly stick in our heads and make us dance—a mission well-accomplished. Three and a half years in the making, the pop-rockers’ seventh album (and seventh Top Ten hit) is named in tribute to the band's manager and singer Adam Levine's lifelong best friend, Jordan Feldstein, who died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism in late 2017.
Feldstein was the architect of M5's rise to the top of the charts in the early Aughts; he was a tireless promoter of the band, and a passionate fan of all music in general—a point Levine stresses when mentioning the joy Feldstein (whose younger siblings are actors Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein) would have felt over the stellar song selection as well as the superstar guests featured on the album that bears his nickname.
At the very tip-top of the album's guest list is Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks, whose rich vocals provide extra oomph to the chorus of "Remedy." Megan Thee Stallion rules over the middle section of hit single "Beautiful Mistakes," first with her rapped verse but also by adding a sung melody (new territory for her at the time of recording). The wildly talented H.E.R., a dream collaborator according to Levine, soulfully and effortlessly carries the opening verse of "Convince Me Otherwise." And fallen rapper Juice Wrld contributes the eery line, "Have you ever had a make-out session with death?" to the star-crossed "Can't Leave You Alone."
Meanwhile, the album's first and biggest single actually dropped almost two years before JORDI's release. "Memories" is a simple meditation on loss directly inspired by Feldstein's passing. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on three other Billboard charts, and so connected with listeners that four remixes were subsequently released, including one featuring the late Nipsey Hussle & YG that closes out the LP.
Levine says JORDI was designed to "move people in the right ways." In terms of moving souls, and feet, it very clearly succeeds.
Feldstein was the architect of M5's rise to the top of the charts in the early Aughts; he was a tireless promoter of the band, and a passionate fan of all music in general—a point Levine stresses when mentioning the joy Feldstein (whose younger siblings are actors Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein) would have felt over the stellar song selection as well as the superstar guests featured on the album that bears his nickname.
At the very tip-top of the album's guest list is Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks, whose rich vocals provide extra oomph to the chorus of "Remedy." Megan Thee Stallion rules over the middle section of hit single "Beautiful Mistakes," first with her rapped verse but also by adding a sung melody (new territory for her at the time of recording). The wildly talented H.E.R., a dream collaborator according to Levine, soulfully and effortlessly carries the opening verse of "Convince Me Otherwise." And fallen rapper Juice Wrld contributes the eery line, "Have you ever had a make-out session with death?" to the star-crossed "Can't Leave You Alone."
Meanwhile, the album's first and biggest single actually dropped almost two years before JORDI's release. "Memories" is a simple meditation on loss directly inspired by Feldstein's passing. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on three other Billboard charts, and so connected with listeners that four remixes were subsequently released, including one featuring the late Nipsey Hussle & YG that closes out the LP.
Levine says JORDI was designed to "move people in the right ways." In terms of moving souls, and feet, it very clearly succeeds.
Tones and I
Welcome to the Madhouse
Bad Batch/Sony Music Australia
Welcome to the Madhouse
Bad Batch/Sony Music Australia
Tones and I says she's not as nice as she seems, and she's not as happy as you'd expect, either.
Really? She went from busker in the Australian beach town of Byron Bay to massive global pop phenomenon in 2019 thanks to her smash hit "Dance Monkey." And that year also spawned a wildly successful EP, The Kids Are Coming, along with too many ARIA Awards (Australia's Grammys) to list here.
Also notable: throughout much of its 46 minutes, Welcome to the Madhouse, the debut album from this gifted singer/songwriter/producer (née Toni Watson), is positively dripping with bouncy, celebratory exuberance. The music to first single "Fly Away," for instance, can't get much more anthemic—to hear crowds clap and sing along to its gigantic chorus must feel glorious.
Then again, no concerts followed Madhouse's summer 2021 release, due to the pandemic. Instead of touring the world as scheduled, Tones endured Melbourne's strict lockdown. And the tragic loss of a close friend a few months earlier, which inspired album tracks like "Sad Songs," "Fall Apart," and "Bars (RIP T)," was still setting in.
"Fly Away"—as happy as that track sounds, and as confident and commanding as her R&B-tinged vocals come off—was more of a public statement of disbelief on both how far she'd come and how anxiety-ridden her new life in the spotlight made her. Another anthemic single, the thumping "Cloudy Day," is likewise full of questions, but also encouragement, and represents a healthy turning point in the grieving process for her friend.
The don't-believe-your-own-hype track "Westside Lobby" is where Tones admits “I’m not that f—ing nice,” and "Just a Mess" is a downright gloomy breakup number—although it's happily fiction; turns out Tones had actually found new love by the time she wrote it, and was just ruminating on how she'd feel if they split.
So Tones and I may not be as nice as people think, or as happy as we'd expect her to be...but it sure seems like she will become so soon.
Really? She went from busker in the Australian beach town of Byron Bay to massive global pop phenomenon in 2019 thanks to her smash hit "Dance Monkey." And that year also spawned a wildly successful EP, The Kids Are Coming, along with too many ARIA Awards (Australia's Grammys) to list here.
Also notable: throughout much of its 46 minutes, Welcome to the Madhouse, the debut album from this gifted singer/songwriter/producer (née Toni Watson), is positively dripping with bouncy, celebratory exuberance. The music to first single "Fly Away," for instance, can't get much more anthemic—to hear crowds clap and sing along to its gigantic chorus must feel glorious.
Then again, no concerts followed Madhouse's summer 2021 release, due to the pandemic. Instead of touring the world as scheduled, Tones endured Melbourne's strict lockdown. And the tragic loss of a close friend a few months earlier, which inspired album tracks like "Sad Songs," "Fall Apart," and "Bars (RIP T)," was still setting in.
"Fly Away"—as happy as that track sounds, and as confident and commanding as her R&B-tinged vocals come off—was more of a public statement of disbelief on both how far she'd come and how anxiety-ridden her new life in the spotlight made her. Another anthemic single, the thumping "Cloudy Day," is likewise full of questions, but also encouragement, and represents a healthy turning point in the grieving process for her friend.
The don't-believe-your-own-hype track "Westside Lobby" is where Tones admits “I’m not that f—ing nice,” and "Just a Mess" is a downright gloomy breakup number—although it's happily fiction; turns out Tones had actually found new love by the time she wrote it, and was just ruminating on how she'd feel if they split.
So Tones and I may not be as nice as people think, or as happy as we'd expect her to be...but it sure seems like she will become so soon.