Joe Cocker. Joe Cocker, what a voice. The news has come through that the soul singer – one of the most distinctive soul / R&B singers England ever produced – has died aged 70 of lung cancer. I never saw him live but everyone who did during his regular visits to New Zealand always raved…
Category: Artists: I-P
Maroon 5 & Needless Swearing In Pop Music
With Maroon 5 scoring their ninth US top 10 hit in Maps (from their upcoming fifth LP V), I thought it was about time to address my three main feelings about this band: #1: Adam Levine should stop needlessly swearing in songs that sound like sing-alongs for the kids i.e. Payphone (“one more stupid /…
Lionel Richie Review – ‘All The Hits, All Night Long’, Anaheim 2014 + Lionel & Nicole At The Piano
The view from the 5th row at the Honda Centre, Anaheim, June 3rd. It wasn’t just Barry Gibb I was lucky enough to see live in LA a couple of weeks ago, it was also Lionel Richie. Between the two of them, these genius pop songwriters have written 25 US#1 hits (16 for Barry, nine…
So Long Frank Lloyd Pam! – Pam Corkery Leaves Newstalk ZB’s ‘The Two’
Not the finest headline, but it has a decent ring to it. On a flight to LA a couple of weeks ago I was in a bit of daze thinking about the sudden departure of my dear friend and co-host Pam Corkery from radio for a return to politics. I’d found out midday Friday that…
Marvin Gaye: 30 Years Since His Death, His 75th Birthday & My 5 Favourite Songs
Last week was simultaneously 30 years since Marvin Gaye was shot dead as well as being what should’ve been his 75th birthday. For me, Marvin epitomises much of the human condition as well as being one of the giants of popular music history. Marvin Gaye was an artist torn so desperately in so many different…
Diana Ross Turns 70 – 3 Of Her Best Superstar-Written Songs
For Diana Ross who turned 70 today, here are three of her biggest hits. For a full tribute to her towering role in 20th Century popular music, click here to link to a piece in the British paper The Telegraph written to mark her 70th. But for now, I want to focus on just three…
The Top 5 Underrated Lionel Richie Ballads
In my attempts to get over being unable to attend last night’s Lionel Richie concert (and mini-Commodores reunion with bassist Ronald LaPread), I thought I’d bust out another one of my “underrated” lists. A few days ago I wrote of Lionel Richie’s considerable funk credentials with a piece about the 10 best Commodores funk songs,…
Missing Kiwi On MH370 A Passionate Lionel Richie And Bee Gees Fan
The latest developments in the mystery of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 have turned attention towards the pilot and have in turn raised hopes, albeit faint, that the people onboard may still be alive. It’s really only when you find out the personal stories about people involved in tragedies that your cold fascination with a news…
The Lorde Headline You’re Not Reading – ‘Team’ Becomes The 3rd Biggest Kiwi Hit In America Ever
Yesterday’s twin Grammys for Lorde and co-writer / producer Joel Little make it one of the most significant days in New Zealand music history. Winning Best Pop Vocal Performance and the even more prestigious Song Of The Year, Lorde also got strong reviews for her live rendition of the song in question, Royals. With Royals…
RIP Phil Everly – A Forgotten 80s Top 10 Hit With Cliff Richard
Single sleeve, 1983. Phil Everly – one half of pioneering rock ‘n’ roll duo The Everly Brothers – has died aged 74. My appreciation of The Everly Brothers initially came through the incredible artists they directly influenced – everyone from the Beatles to the Beach Boys to Simon and Garfunkel to Bob Dylan to the…
Commodores Bassist Ronald LaPread’s Powerful Tribute To Nelson Mandela – 1 Of The Commodores Most Inspiring Songs
Nelson Mandela. Last night on The Two on Newstalk ZB we paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, taking calls from listeners for the entire three hours about what the great man meant to them. One of the callers was none other than former Commodores bassist Ronald LaPread. Having grown up in Alabama during the Civil Rights…
So What If We’re Controlling All The Oil? Prince, Sheryl Crow & The Debate Over Deep-Sea Oil Drilling
Sheryl Crow. In New Zealand right now there is a huge amount of talk about the rights and wrongs of deep-sea oil-drilling, so I thought it only appropriate to find a way to link this topic to a couple of songs. Like a lot of debates, I’ve been frustrated at peoples’ desire to make this…
