Essential Voices: 150 Best Albums by Female Artists: A personal list (1993-2017, Part 3) + (2017-2021, Part 4)
Essential Voices: 150 Best Albums by Female Artists: A personal list (1974-1992, Part 2)
Essential Voices: 150 Best Albums by Female Artists: A personal list (1950-1973, Part 1)
The story behind the rhythm: Notes on a Brazilian Love Affair, Part 2: Bossa and Beyond
Vincent StephensBrazilian pop music, bossa nova, MPB, Tropicalia, Axe, Samba reggae, Samba, AfroReggae, Olodum, Brazilian hip-hop, Brazilian funk
The story behind the rhythm: Notes on a Brazilian love affair, Part 1: Samba
She writes the songs: Recognizing the art of female songwriting
Ear adjustment: Exploring the untold history of Black Music
Whose history? Re-evaluating the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2016’s Raves & Faves
Songs for Our Now: A playlist for survival and centeredness
Vincent StephensEva Cassidy, Jennifer Warnes, Aretha Franklin, Marion Williams, Paul Simon, Jill Scott, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Rene Marie, Holly Cole, Allen Toussaint, Sarah Vaughan
A Gay Old (and New) Time: What do “gay music” and “women’s music” mean now?
Vincent StephensQueer music, LGBTQ music, divas, Johnnie Ray, Frank Ocean, Johnny Mathis, Liberace, Sam Smith, Chely Wright, Ty Herndon, Billy Gilman, Cris Williamson, women's music, Margie Adams, Holly Near, Jimmy Somerville, Pet Shop Boys, Christopher Nealon, Foundlings
The Best Years in popular music?
Vincent Stephens1984, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Van Halen, The Cars, Hall and Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Bruce Srpingsteen, Don Henley, RUN DMC, Popular music, R&B, rock
The other great musical of 2016: Hamilton can’t get all the buzz this year
“Contagious in His Enthusiasms”: Part 2: Pop, Rock, Country, and R&B edition
Vincent Stephenscountry muisc, Blues, Popular music, singer-songwriter pop, gospel, R&B, hip-hop soul, punk music, New wave, Motown, Stax, Philly Soul, Memphis Blues, Electric blues
“Contagious in his enthusiasms”: A personal list of essential music (Part 1)
Vincent StephensFrank Bruni, Pomfret Street Books, Holly Cole, Eva Cassidy, Linda Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur, Aaron Neville, Ella Mae Morse, Nina Simone, Charlie Rich, Jennifer Warnes, Ronnie Milsap, Susannah McCorkle, Laura Fygi, Janis Siegel, Gregory Porter, Tierney Sutton, Diane Schuur, Rene Marie, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Janis Mann, Patricia Barber, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Chris Connor, Bobby Short, Mildred Bailey, Carol Sloane, Shirley Horn, Andy Bey, Johnny Mathis
Is your music cool enough? Reconsidering notions of ‘indie’ and ‘alternative’ music
Sassy gets her due!
Gender and genre at the Grammys
Vincent StephensGrammy Awards, Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand, Adele, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Lauryn Hill, Carole King
Pop singer deaths—you’re killing me: On the deaths of pop musicians and our fragile personal canons
The Art of Independence: A Riffs, Beats, & Codas interview with jazz vocalist Karen Marguth