A Plea Turned Into Prayer: Neil Diamond’s 1971 If You Go Away on Stones Recast Jacques Brel
On 1971’s Stones, Neil Diamond turned a famous European plea into something quieter, more American,...
Melody Era
The Strange 1967 B-Side Behind World: Bee Gees’ Sir Geoffrey Saved the World and Robin Gibb’s Eccentric Spotlight
On the flip side of a grand Bee Gees single, Robin Gibb turned a miniature...
One Guitar Made It Feel New Again: Josh Turner’s 2016 Forever Country Cover of “Three Wooden Crosses”
In Josh Turner’s 2016 acoustic reading, “Three Wooden Crosses” feels less like a country standard...
A Late-Career Gem Hiding in Plain Sight: Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy’s Walk Away Renee on Adieu False Heart
In the quiet harmonies of Walk Away Renee, Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy turned a...
A Quiet Reunion at Track One: Emmylou Harris’s “Shores of White Sand” Opened All I Intended to Be Through a Jack Wesley Routh Song and Brian Ahern’s Return
Before the album says a word about return, Shores of White Sand lets Emmylou Harris...
Bonnie Raitt Was the Quiet Spark Behind Emmylou Harris’s “Icy Blue Heart” on 1989’s Bluebird
On Bluebird, Emmylou Harris found a colder kind of tenderness in John Hiatt’s ballad, with...
Before the Bayou Myth: Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “The Working Man” Revealed John Fogerty’s Blue-Collar Compass in 1968
Before Creedence Clearwater Revival became shorthand for swampy American grit, The Working Man sketched the...
The Strange Cut Fans Skipped in 1975: David Cassidy’s Massacre at Park Bench on The Higher They Climb
In the middle of David Cassidy’s 1975 bid to be heard as more than a...
A Voice Walking a Tightrope: Linda Ronstadt’s 1984 “Lush Life” with Nelson Riddle Revealed Her Bravest Kind of Control
On “Lush Life”, Linda Ronstadt did not simply sing a standard; she stepped into one...
The Movie Struggled, the Music Soared: Neil Diamond’s Anthem on the 1973 Jonathan Livingston Seagull Soundtrack
In Neil Diamond’s 1973 score for Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Anthem sounds less like a pop...
Before the Arena Roar: Neil Diamond’s “Childsong” Opened the 1970 African Trilogy on Tap Root Manuscript
In 1970, Neil Diamond tucked a quiet doorway into Tap Root Manuscript, and Childsong became...
While the Dance Floor Roared, Bee Gees’ ‘The Way It Was’ Revealed Barry Gibb’s Tender Side on Children of the World
On an album remembered for the Bee Gees’ mid-1970s surge, The Way It Was slows...
The Bee Gees’ Hidden 1991 Groove: “Ghost Train” and the High Civilization Turn Toward Dance-Pop
On “Ghost Train”, the Bee Gees let rhythm carry the memory forward, turning a 1991...
A Christmas Duet Too Easy to Miss: Josh Turner and Missy Robertson’s Why I Love Christmas Brought Warmth to Duck the Halls
In a holiday album built from family, faith, and country humor, Josh Turner and Missy...
Two Baritones, One Quiet Reckoning: Randy Travis and Josh Turner’s 2011 Duet T.I.M.E.
On T.I.M.E., Randy Travis and Josh Turner meet not as spectacle, but as two country...
Two Voices Found Mercy: Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris Recast Leonard Cohen’s ‘Sisters of Mercy’ on 1999’s Western Wall
On Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris turned Leonard Cohen’s quiet...
Before the Superstar Years, Linda Ronstadt Made Paul Siebel’s “Louise” the Quiet Moral Center of Silk Purse
On Silk Purse, Linda Ronstadt found the sorrow inside Paul Siebel’s “Louise” and sang it...
Three Voices Made an Old Carter Family Song Ache Again: Emmylou Harris’s 1980 Gold Watch and Chain with Ricky Skaggs and Linda Ronstadt
On Roses in the Snow, Emmylou Harris turned an A.P. Carter standard into a three-voice...
A Country Ghost Starts Moving: Emmylou Harris’s Rollin’ and Ramblin’ (The Death of Hank Williams) on Brand New Dance
On Brand New Dance, Emmylou Harris turns the Hank Williams story into motion, reverence, and...
A Goodbye That Barely Raises Its Voice: Emmylou Harris Recast Steve Earle’s Song on Wrecking Ball
On Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris turned Steve Earle’s “Goodbye” into something almost weightless — a...
The Quiet Tribute Hidden on 1983’s White Shoes: Emmylou Harris’s Like an Old Fashioned Waltz Honors Sandy Denny
On White Shoes, Emmylou Harris carried Sandy Denny’s song across the Atlantic with the grace...
Inside The Lighthouse: John Fogerty’s ‘Headlines’ Caught the Darker Pulse of Eye of the Zombie
On Headlines, John Fogerty turned the studio into a place of pressure, rhythm, and restless...
The Comeback Had a Wild Grin: John Fogerty’s ‘Rambunctious Boy,’ Blue Moon Swamp, and the Lonesome River Band Lift
On Rambunctious Boy, John Fogerty turns a long-awaited return into something brisk, rootsy, and free,...
Before the Teen-Idol Rush, The Partridge Family’s “Only A Moment Ago” Revealed David Cassidy’s Quiet Vocal Strength
Before David Cassidy became a face on bedroom walls, “Only A Moment Ago” gave listeners...
A Forgotten Turn Toward Grit: David Cassidy’s “Rosa’s Cantina” on the Rare 1976 RCA Album Gettin’ It in the Street
On “Rosa’s Cantina”, David Cassidy sounds less like a poster on a bedroom wall and...
That One Held-Back Note: Linda Ronstadt’s Easy for You to Say Turns Jimmy Webb’s Pain Into Vocal Mastery on Get Closer
On Easy for You to Say, Linda Ronstadt lets Jimmy Webb’s elegant sorrow breathe, proving...
A Dylan Song, A Restless Voice: Linda Ronstadt’s Late-Career ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ on We Ran
In Linda Ronstadt‘s late-career return to rock, Bob Dylan‘s borderland song becomes less a young...
The Night Started With Fire: Neil Diamond’s “Lordy” Opens 1970’s Gold at the Troubadour
Before the familiar hits arrive, “Lordy” throws open the door to Neil Diamond’s 1970 Troubadour...
A Bruised Ballad Behind the Glitter: Bee Gees’ ‘Life Goes On’ on the 1983 Staying Alive Soundtrack
On a soundtrack built for motion, Bee Gees let Life Goes On stand still long...
A Country Baritone Meets an Old Gospel Plea: Josh Turner’s “Almost Persuaded” on the 2008 Billy: The Early Years Soundtrack
In Josh Turner’s hands, “Almost Persuaded” becomes more than an old hymn; it becomes a...