Why Tracy Chapman made us cry
Her Grammy duet with Luke Combs struck a deeper chord. The magic began the moment the camera panned to Tracy Chapman’s hands on the first...
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Kristi Wooten
Nov 17, 2023
How Rosanne Cash's ‘The Wheel’ became her New York calling card
The 1993 album signaled a rite of passage for women musicians moving to the city and presaged the new Americana movement. By Kristi York...
Kristi Wooten
Jul 30, 2023
Middle-aged Pollyanna seeks new image
Why does being happy make everyone mad? In this newsletter, I find lessons in a beleaguered children’s book, summer concerts, The Bear,...
Kristi Wooten
Apr 26, 2023
Everything But the Girl’s 'Fuse' pulsates through pain and joy
The British duo’s first album in 24 years is a welcome portrait of togetherness amid isolation By Kristi York Wooten Pop music is...
Kristi Wooten
Feb 5, 2023
Mettle detecting on Mars
Has life on earth become too complicated? "I see skies of blue / And clouds of white / The bright blessed day / The dark sacred night /...
Kristi Wooten
Jan 29, 2023
746 Empty Spaces
What happens to cities when no one returns to work? "You're out of your room and down on the street / You can feel the crowds in the...
Kristi Wooten
Jan 22, 2023
A naked Rainbath in Xanadu with the Queen
What 2022 taught me about unprecedented times "A million lights are dancing and there you are, a shooting star. An everlasting world and...
Kristi Wooten
Sep 10, 2022
Duran Duran sparkles in the Hollywood rain
Onstage during a tropical storm, the band lived up to its rock, punk and funk influences It's been a huge year for Duran Duran: The...
Kristi Wooten
Jun 15, 2022
Your job doesn't define you. Your music does.
Kate Bush's triumphant chart return, the Prince Channel on Sirius XM, and Tears for Fears' bucket-list tour "Stars are like diamonds, we...
Kristi Wooten
Jun 5, 2022
The New Era of Invisible Leadership
Humanoids, surviving the pandemic on Zoom, resolve after Buffalo and Uvalde, and a musical spring re-awakening "Better parted / I see...
Kristi Wooten
May 28, 2022
It's time for a change, and we need to talk
Buffalo, Uvalde, Unity in America and Lightning Crashes "I can feel it coming back again / Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind /...
Kristi Wooten
May 14, 2022
Specs and the City
Holy spaces on planes, SJP on Broadway, Rock Hall inductees, Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Jeffersons, Every Mother Counts, and a playlist...
Kristi Wooten
May 1, 2022
The Algorithms Are Trolling Us
Naomi Judd and mental health, Trevor Noah, Cow Burps, Elbow, and Billie Eilish's Mushroom Nike drop. "The first step is to realize that...
Kristi Wooten
Apr 24, 2022
As It Was: Childhood Remixed
Book banning, Bjork, Beatles, E.T., and the Drew Barrymore TikTok that sent me into a spiral. "In this world, it's just us / You know...
Kristi Wooten
Apr 17, 2022
Welcome to Conversation Among the Ruins
"What ceremony of words can patch the havoc?" - Sylvia Plath What do poet Sylvia Plath, painter Giorgio de Chirico, and jazz pianist Joey...
Kristi Wooten
Apr 17, 2022
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis stretch rock balladry to its limits at U.S. Tour Opener
In North Carolina, the Australian musicians counterbalanced scary headlines with songs both mournful and joyful News of the escalating...
Kristi Wooten
Feb 26, 2022
The New Tears For Fears Album Is Right On Time
The Tipping Point offers introspection and gives hope to a hurting, mad world. By Kristi York Wooten Tears for Fears' music has addressed...
Kristi Wooten
Dec 23, 2021
The Best Music Moments of 2021
As old songs provide comfort during a pandemic, are we approaching the end of the "new"? Music journalists take pride in...
Kristi Wooten
Dec 30, 2019
The Must-See Willie Nelson Film You Missed in 2019
Writer and director Lian Lunson talks about working with the country legend on "Waiting for the Miracle to Come."
Kristi Wooten
Oct 4, 2019
Mixing Keyboard Riffs and Famous Friends
Jon Regen's latest album Higher Ground bridges the digital gig economy, with a little help from fellow musicians.
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