Listening Closer: Giddens, Tharpe, and a Musical Communion

Community is what draws me to artists who focus on something besides themselves, who seek to respect the greatness that has inspired them and to give new, lasting life to occasions of beauty, vision, and excellence. That’s what draws me to Rhiannon Giddens. To Sam Phillips. To Sister Rosetta.

Listening Closer: Breaking Up is Hard to Sing, Our Favorite Breakup Songs

In a sequence of thirteen songs, Sam Phillips was telling us the story of a marriage. And it took me to pieces, song by song.