Buried on 1971’s Sound Magazine, The Partridge Family’s “Rainmaker” Shows the David Cassidy Most Fans Missed
On a bright, carefully polished 1971 pop album, “Rainmaker” gave David Cassidy room to sound...
Melody Era
When Linda Ronstadt and Nelson Riddle Turned “Someone to Watch Over Me” Into the Quiet Heart of What’s New
On What’s New, Linda Ronstadt and Nelson Riddle treat “Someone to Watch Over Me” not...
The Quiet Surprise on Get Closer: Linda Ronstadt’s “Talk to Me of Mendocino” Deserves a Second Listen
On an album remembered for its polished early-’80s glow, Linda Ronstadt slipped in a song...
The Day the Bee Gees Broke Their Ballad Spell: Why “Jumbo” Hit So Differently in 1968
Before the Bee Gees became fully identified with exquisitely wounded ballads, “Jumbo” arrived in 1968...
That Smoky 1991 Spark: Neil Diamond’s Hooked on the Memory of You with Kim Carnes Gave Lovescape Its Most Human Moment
Some collaborations do not chase drama; they deepen it. On Hooked on the Memory of...
A Late-Career Grace Note: Linda Ronstadt’s I’ll Be Seeing You on Hummin’ to Myself Still Cuts Deep
By the time Linda Ronstadt returned to this old standard in 2004, she was no...
That Voice Went Even Lower: Josh Turner’s Deeper Than My Love Was the Quiet Stunner on Punching Bag
On a 2012 album full of polished country craft, “Deeper Than My Love” stood out...
The First Sound of Her Future: Emmylou Harris and Bluebird Wine on Pieces of the Sky
With Bluebird Wine, Emmylou Harris opened Pieces of the Sky not with grand declaration, but...
Buried Deep on Elite Hotel, Emmylou Harris’s “Satan’s Jeweled Crown” Revealed Her Quiet Debt to the Louvin Brothers
On Elite Hotel, Emmylou Harris sang Satan’s Jeweled Crown as both country tradition and quiet...
After Blue Ridge Rangers, John Fogerty’s “Comin’ Down the Road” Marked a Quiet but Crucial Return to His Own Name
Sometimes the most important turning points do not arrive with a roar. “Comin’ Down the...
Hidden in Plain Sight: Why David Cassidy’s “Preyin’ On My Mind” Deserves a Fresh Listen
Before the image of teen-idol fame could settle into something fixed, David Cassidy recorded a...
Before the Fame, Linda Ronstadt’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” on Hand Sown… Home Grown Already Pointed to Everything Ahead
On her 1969 solo debut, Linda Ronstadt found in a Bob Dylan song the easy...
Hidden on Neil Diamond’s 1969 Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show, Glory Road Hints at the Bigger Voice to Come
Before the arenas, before the grand singalongs, Glory Road caught Neil Diamond in motion—restless, searching,...
The Soft-Spoken 1982 Hit: How Neil Diamond’s Be Mine Tonight Reached the Adult Contemporary Top 5
In a changing pop era, Neil Diamond turned to grace instead of volume, and “Be...
Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love
A Tender Whisper of Devotion That Echoes Through Time When one thinks of the golden...
Buried at the End of Idea, Bee Gees’ Swan Song May Be Barry Gibb’s Most Tender 1968 Performance
At the very end of Idea, the Bee Gees left behind a song that feels...
When Nashville Turned Slick, Josh Turner’s “Cold Shoulder” Held On to Real Country Heartache
On Punching Bag, Josh Turner gave heartbreak a low, steady pulse, and “Cold Shoulder” stands...
The Track That Gave Haywire Its Backbone: Josh Turner’s “Friday Paycheck” and the Working-Man Heart of a 2010 Album
On Haywire, Josh Turner’s Friday Paycheck gives the album a firmer pulse, turning a successful...
The Quiet Power in Linda Ronstadt’s “I Keep It Hid” Made Winter Light Feel Like a Private Confession
On Winter Light, Linda Ronstadt found strength in restraint, and her reading of “I Keep...
She Came Home in Song: Linda Ronstadt’s El Crucifijo de Piedra on 1991’s Mas Canciones
On Más Canciones, Linda Ronstadt did more than revisit a tradition. With El Crucifijo de...
The Climb Country Radio Couldn’t Ignore: Emmylou Harris’ Heartbreak Hill on Bluebird
Heartbreak Hill gave Emmylou Harris one of her most persuasive late-1980s chart moments, a record...
Three Voices, One Ache: Why Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt Made “Those Memories of You” the Soul of 1987’s Trio
On Trio, “Those Memories of You” became more than a song about longing. In the...
The Unexpected Voice Beside Her: Why Emmylou Harris’s My Antonia with Dave Matthews Still Cuts So Deep
On Red Dirt Girl, Emmylou Harris turned inward, and “My Antonia” became one of the...
The Restless Spark of 1983: How Emmylou Harris Gave Drivin’ Wheel Its White Shoes Fire
On White Shoes, Emmylou Harris turns Drivin’ Wheel into pure motion—half road song, half roadhouse...
When the Storm Rolled In: John Fogerty’s “Change in the Weather” and the Dark Mood of 1986’s Eye of the Zombie
On “Change in the Weather”, John Fogerty steps away from the familiar rush of open-road...
The Heat Comes From the Voices: John Fogerty’s “A Hundred and Ten in the Shade” and the Fairfield Four on Blue Moon Swamp
On Blue Moon Swamp, John Fogerty found a way to make roots rock feel lived-in...
The David Cassidy Chapter America Missed: “She Knows All About Boys” on 1985’s European-Only Romance
Some records do not disappear because they failed; they disappear because they were heard in...
Hidden on Shopping Bag, The Partridge Family’s “There’ll Come a Time” Let David Cassidy Finally Speak for Himself
Behind the bright television-pop sheen of The Partridge Family, “There’ll Come a Time” offered something...
Hidden in a No. 1 Album, Linda Ronstadt’s “Simple Man, Simple Dream” May Be the True Heart of Simple Dreams
On an album crowded with radio favorites, “Simple Man, Simple Dream” feels like the inward...
Hidden in Plain Sight, Linda Ronstadt’s “White Rhythm & Blues” Is the Soul of Living in the USA
Sometimes the truest song on a blockbuster album is the one that never fights for...