Tag Archives: R&B
Tom’s Top 10 of 2014, Pt. 1
In December 2013, as regular readers may recall, I decided to catch up on the state of contemporary music by listening to and reviewing an album every day for a month. My listening in 2014 was more evenly spread out … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 2010
As the first decade of the third millennium comes to a close, you may have noticed that, when I like a band, I really like a band, to the point that their releases tend to dominate my Top 5’s. So … Continue reading
Album Review: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, “Give the People What They Want”
When Give the People What They Want (2014) opens with dramatic timpani hits and Morse Code guitar licks, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d accidentally queued up Motown’s Hitsville U.S.A. box. Sharon Jones & her expert backing band, the Dap-Kings, … Continue reading
Tom’s Top 5’s: Albums of 1976
A look at Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1976 reveals that, if disco hadn’t yet conquered the world, the sound was on the ascendent: “Silly Love Songs,” “Disco Lady,” “Play That Funky Music,” “A Fifth of Beethoven.” For my … Continue reading
Album Review: Janelle Monáe, “The Electric Lady”
When Janelle Monáe’s debut LP The ArchAndroid dropped in 2010, it introduced the world to a consummate artist with little time for labels. Her tuxedoed stage persona and omnipresent pompadour challenged norms for female self-presentation in the world of popular … Continue reading
Revolutions Per Minute 