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Playlist: What Happened in Vegas? Kelly Clarkson Deep Cuts!

August 1, 2023

What Happened in Vegas? Kelly Clarkson Deep Cuts! On July 28th, the superstar singer-songwriter, inaugural American Idol, and daytime talk queen kicked off her first, long-awaited Las Vegas residency, “Chemistry: An Intimate Night With Kelly Clarkson” at Planet Hollywood’s Bakkt Theater. Across the ten-night run, Clarkson promises fans each night will be different, rotating certain songs in the setlist to perform

Featured·Kelly Clarkson·Music·Reviews

Kelly Clarkson’s Journey From “You” to “me”

Amid increasing suspense, layer upon layer – voice, organ, and then strings, Kelly Clarkson proclaims, “I’m always pleasing someone, honestly, now I’m done,” as her voice itself is stacked into a one-woman choir. Turns out, she’d actually been waiting a lifetime for a moment like this. Kelly Clarkson’s new single

Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” is the most influential vocal performance of all-time.

In May of 1990 Long Island native Mariah Carey “realized a dream,

Nippy is 60: Whitney Houston’s Greatest Live Performances

Whitney Elizabeth Houston lived a life that was akin to a Greek

Review: “West End Girl” by Lily Allen

October 31, 2025

Featured·Now·Reviews

Welcome back, Lily Allen. I mean no shade when I say this, but is it 2025 or 2007? Listening to a Lily Allen album on repeat makes me feel like I’m in high school again. It’s been over a decade since I stopped listening to her music. It wasn’t a

Someone’s Favorite Daughter: A Different Type of Mariah Carey Album Ranking

October 18, 2025

Featured·In Depth·Mariah Carey·Music

It’s tiiiime again, it seems, to reevaluate my Mariah Carey album ranking. Following the release of her 16th set, many publications have done listicles ranking thee D-I-V-A’s incomparable discography. I’ll be doing it a little differently, though. While of course, some of her albums are better than others from an

Mariah Carey "Here For It All" album cover

Through It All, Mariah Carey is Still “Here For It All”

October 6, 2025

Featured·Mariah Carey·Music·Reviews

First Listen: “Here For It All” I was stunned. Before me was an 80-foot-wide, 50-foot-tall glass window overlooking Central Park, a stage overflowing with the sight and scent of floral arrangements, and, seated on two velvet armchairs, music royalty. SZA, the reigning queen of contemporary R&B, was in conversation with

Top 5: Janet Jackson’s “Damita Jo”

March 30, 2024

Featured·Janet Jackson·Music·Retrospectives

On March 30, 2004, Janet Jackson released “Damita Jo,” her eighth studio album. Plagued by backlash and blacklisting following her infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction, one of Ms. Jackson’s best albums was overlooked and remains severely underrated. Featuring gems like the soulful lead single “I Want You” and dance floor

97-Hour Review: On “eternal sunshine,” Ariana Grande proves herself

March 12, 2024

Ariana Grande·Featured·Music·Reviews

Upon the release of the lead single “yes, and?,” I wrote that Ariana Grande was selling herself short by successfully emulating her inspirations but failing to fuse them to form a distinct artistic identity of her own. But with the arrival of its parent album “eternal sunshine,” Grande has done

Review: “yes, and?” by Ariana Grande

January 15, 2024

Ariana Grande·Featured·Music·Reviews

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” is an often repeated adage attributed to Irish poet Oscar Wilde. On her latest single “yes, and?” Ariana Grande serves a delightfully derivative dance bop that flatteringly imitates several of the divas who inspire her artistry. Prancing out of an Oz-induced hiatus, Ariana

Mariah Carey and the Catalyst of “Caution”

November 18, 2023

Featured·In Depth·Mariah Carey·Music·Retrospectives

There comes a time in every iconic music superstar’s career when they must accept they have transitioned from icon to legend. Some do so obnoxiously, others are a little more graceful about it. With the release of her fifteenth studio album “Caution” in November 2018, Mariah Carey humbly embraced her

Taylor Gray talks new single “Crisis,” announces EP

November 13, 2023

Featured·Interviews·Music

Indie R&B artist and playlist curator Taylor Gray is kicking off his first full-length project in five years with a futuristic new single “Crisis,” which dropped on Friday. “I’ve been in my Normani bag, for sure, so it’s time for a project,” jokes Gray. Following the album “Teo” in 2018,

Playlist: Music Box (Mariah’s Version)

August 31, 2023

Featured·Mariah Carey·Playlists·Retrospectives

As I detailed in the Long Island Press, it is clear that Mariah Carey’s “Music Box” album didn’t give a full picture of her artistic ambitions. Carey grew up listening to R&B and was a teenager in New York as Hip-Hop transcended from its basement parties origins to a breakout

Big Purr: The Debut of Toni Braxton

July 17, 2023

Featured·In Depth·Retrospectives·Then·Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton: The Debut It All Started With a Purr. Not quite the kind of vocal purr that Eartha Kitt famously once possessed. This purr was vastly different: vaguely androgynous, with a fry that would horrify most experienced vocal coaches, yet intrinsically worked for her. The purr was deep. One

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Featured

Playlist: What Happened in Vegas? Kelly Clarkson Deep Cuts!

Kelly Clarkson’s Journey From “You” to “me”

Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” is the most influential vocal performance of all-time.

Nippy is 60: Whitney Houston’s Greatest Live Performances

Review: “West End Girl” by Lily Allen

Someone’s Favorite Daughter: A Different Type of Mariah Carey Album Ranking

Through It All, Mariah Carey is Still “Here For It All”

Top 5: Janet Jackson’s “Damita Jo”

97-Hour Review: On “eternal sunshine,” Ariana Grande proves herself

Review: “yes, and?” by Ariana Grande

Mariah Carey and the Catalyst of “Caution”

Taylor Gray talks new single “Crisis,” announces EP

Playlist: Music Box (Mariah’s Version)

Big Purr: The Debut of Toni Braxton

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