A Different Kind of Ache: Neil Diamond’s 1969 “Both Sides, Now” Gave Joni Mitchell’s Song New Weight
A great cover does not erase the original; it changes the light around it. On...
A Gentle Late-Career Turn: Neil Diamond’s Something Blue Opened 2014’s Melody Road with Hard-Won Warmth
With Something Blue, Neil Diamond did not try to outrun time. In 2014, he opened...
Before the Reunion, This Was the Sound: Bee Gees’ If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else and the Cucumber Castle Years Without Robin
On Cucumber Castle, a tender, elaborate ballad revealed what the Bee Gees sounded like when...
Hidden Inside Odessa, Bee Gees’ Whisper Whisper Is the 1969 Deep Cut That Keeps Unfolding
Some songs announce themselves at once. Whisper Whisper by the Bee Gees does something more...
The Hidden Heart of Deep South: Why Josh Turner’s “Where the Girls Are” Deserves Another Listen
Some of the truest songs on an album are not the ones pushed hardest. They...
The Quiet Truth at the End of Haywire: Why Josh Turner’s “The Answer” Hits So Deep
At the very end of Haywire, Josh Turner stops chasing momentum and leaves the room...
She Made Swing Breathe Again: Linda Ronstadt’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right” With Nelson Riddle on For Sentimental Reasons
On For Sentimental Reasons, Linda Ronstadt does something rarer than revival. With “Straighten Up and...
When Linda Ronstadt Took on Neil Young’s “Look Out for My Love,” Mad Love Found Its Nervous Heart
On Mad Love, Linda Ronstadt turns “Look Out for My Love” into something tense, bright,...
A Different Kind of Empty: Emmylou Harris Recasts My Father’s House on 1986’s Thirteen
On Thirteen, Emmylou Harris does not simply cover My Father’s House; she opens its locked...
The Quiet Turning Point: Emmylou Harris Made “All My Tears” the Soul of 1995’s Wrecking Ball
On Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris did more than record “All My Tears”; she found a...
The Smile You Don’t Expect: Emmylou Harris Lifts Jesse Winchester’s “Thanks to You” on Cowgirl’s Prayer
On Cowgirl’s Prayer, Emmylou Harris takes Jesse Winchester’s “Thanks to You” and gives gratitude a...
So Gentle It Almost Slips Past You: Emmylou Harris’s “Pledging My Love” on White Shoes Deserves Another Listen
On White Shoes, Emmylou Harris turned “Pledging My Love” into something hushed and luminous, carrying...
He Stripped It All Back: John Fogerty’s ‘Workin’ on a Building’ and the Roots Heart of The Blue Ridge Rangers
On ‘Workin’ on a Building’, John Fogerty stepped away from rock stardom and into older...
The Comeback Fire: Why John Fogerty’s “Blueboy” Still Defines Blue Moon Swamp
Released as the third single from John Fogerty’s hard-won 1997 return, “Blueboy” sounds like an...
The Quiet Turning Point: Why David Cassidy’s “Mae” on Dreams Are Nuthin’ More Than Wishes Feels So Personal
On Mae, David Cassidy sounds less like a phenomenon and more like a young artist...
Buried on Crossword Puzzle, The Partridge Family’s It’s A Long Way To Heaven Reveals a Wiser 1973 Sound
On a late Partridge Family album, It’s A Long Way To Heaven catches a bright...
When the Promise Grew Older, Linda Ronstadt’s If I Should Fall Behind on We Ran Hit With Quiet Force
On We Ran, Linda Ronstadt took Bruce Springsteen’s If I Should Fall Behind and made...
The Coolest Left Turn: Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Girls Talk’ on Mad Love Still Sounds Daring
On Mad Love, Linda Ronstadt found a harder, brighter shape for ‘Girls Talk’, turning an...
The Forgotten Flip Side: Neil Diamond’s Once in a While Made the 1977 Desiree Single Feel Deeper
Sometimes the song on the back of the single carries the quieter truth. Neil Diamond’s...
Before Disco Took Over, Bee Gees’ “Wind of Change” Revealed the Real 1975 Turn on Main Course
On Main Course, the Bee Gees stopped leaning on the past and let rhythm lead...
Hidden on Haywire Deluxe, Josh Turner’s Let’s Find a Church Brings His Traditional Side Home
On the deluxe edition of Haywire, Josh Turner slips in a song that sounds less...
Three Voices, One Deep Memory: Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris Sing Lover’s Return on 1999’s Trio II
On Lover’s Return, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris do something rarer than showing...
Before Trio Had a Name, Emmylou Harris’ “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” Let Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt Drift In
Years before Trio became a formal landmark, Emmylou Harris was already finding that rare three-part...
She Didn’t Let the Dream Fade: Emmylou Harris’ “Ooh Las Vegas” and the Elite Hotel Charge That Carried Gram Parsons On
On Elite Hotel, Emmylou Harris made “Ooh Las Vegas” feel like more than a spirited...
The Moment Creedence Clearwater Revival Changed Shape: “Chameleon” and the Quiet Risk of Pendulum
On “Chameleon”, Creedence Clearwater Revival sound less like a bar-band force of nature and more...
When the Smile Turned Inward, David Cassidy’s “Breakin’ Down Again” Revealed the Real Weight of 1976’s Home Is Where the Heart Is
On David Cassidy’s 1976 RCA release Home Is Where the Heart Is, “Breakin’ Down Again”...
A Quiet Storm of a Vocal: Linda Ronstadt’s 1976 ‘Hasten Down the Wind’ Gave Warren Zevon’s Song Its Lasting Spell
On the 1976 title track Hasten Down the Wind, Linda Ronstadt found the still center...
The Quiet Power of Neil Diamond’s Leave a Little Room for God on Three Chord Opera
Sometimes the songs that last are the ones that never push their way forward. On...
The Sky Was the Story: Neil Diamond’s “Lonely Looking Sky” Gave Jonathan Livingston Seagull Its Quiet Soul
In “Lonely Looking Sky”, Neil Diamond turns a film about flight into something deeply human,...
Before the Falsetto Years, Bee Gees’ ‘Turn of the Century’ Opened Bee Gees’ 1st With a Time-Machine Dream
Long before the Bee Gees became pop royalty, Turn of the Century opened their 1967...