Book Review Blog — Riffs, Beats, & Codas

Riffs, Beats, & Codas

Reflections from a singular voice: A review of My Name is Barbra

Vincent StephensDecember 3, 2023Barbra Streisand, My Name is Barbra, memoir, pop divas, traditional pop, musical genre, women and music

Understanding contemporary music one genre at a time

Vincent StephensDecember 11, 2021pop music, Kelefa Sanneh, musical genre, Major Labels, rock criticism

A unique but incomplete American tale

Vincent StephensSeptember 13, 2021Americana, country music, John Milward, Gram Parsons, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, musical genre

Musicals for the mass audience

Vincent StephensAugust 11, 2020Kelly Kessler, musicals, Broadway, Television Studies, TV musicals, Web 2.0

Beyond the Book Review: A feast for the ears—60 Significant Vocal Jazz and Traditional Pop albums

Vincent StephensDecember 3, 2017vocal jazz, cabaret, traditional pop, classic blues, bebop, swing

A relentless nod to the past

Vincent StephensDecember 1, 2017vocal jazz, jazz singing, cabaret singing, traditional pop, Will Friedwald

Alive and playing

Vincent StephensOctober 8, 2017

The art of the “Divine One”

Vincent StephensAugust 5, 2017vocal jazz, Sarah Vaughan, women and music, bebop

“Let them know who you are”

Vincent StephensDecember 4, 2016Rashod Ollison, memoir, Soul Serenade, soul music

Writing 1971 into rock history

Vincent StephensSeptember 17, 2016Never a dull moment, 1971, David Hepworth, rock music, rock criticism, Rod Stewart, The Sound of the City, Flowers in the Dustbin, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Carole King, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Linda Ronstadt

The life and music of Michael Jackson

Vincent StephensMarch 9, 2016

Confessing, obsessing and professing: Carly Simon bares her soul

Vincent StephensJanuary 31, 2016Carly Simon, Boys in the Trees: a Memoir, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, singer-songwriters, pop music, rock music

Music, money, and Bunnies: Playboy’s adventures in popular music

Vincent StephensAugust 31, 2015Hugh Hefner, Playboy Club, Playboy Penthouse, Playboy After Dark, Playboy Jazz

Listening to Lady Day with fresh ears

Vincent StephensJune 5, 2015Billie Holiday, John Szwed, Farah Jasmine Griffin, vocal jazz, swing, Diana Ross, Lady Sings the Blues

The melodies still linger on

Vincent StephensMarch 31, 2015American popular song, Great American Songbook, standards

Struggling to be heard: Billy Eckstine’s fight to sing

Vincent StephensMarch 1, 2015Billy Eckstine, vocal jazz, bebop, black music, Cary Ginell

Singing the colorline: “Ol’ Man River” and the politics of race

Vincent StephensMarch 1, 2015Ol' Man River, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Paul Robeson, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Todd Decker, George & Ira Gershwin

The last word on Miss Peggy Lee

Vincent StephensFebruary 9, 2015Peggy Lee, vocal jazz, swing, pre-rock pop, James Gavin

A Reckoning for the Queen of Soul

Vincent StephensFebruary 9, 2015Aretha Franklin, pop divas, soul music, vocal jazz, black music, David Ritz

Singing her own melody

Vincent StephensFebruary 9, 2015Sheila Jordan, vocal jazz, bebop, Ellen Johnson