Jamieson Cox

How a Wave of Ascendant Pop Stars Could Define the Next Decade of Music

While 2019 may not have been an explosive year in pop music, it teed up the personalities and story lines that could define the next decade in listening. A new generational gap opened up, one...

By Jamieson Cox January 23, 2020

How Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty Pushes Her Out of Her Comfort Zone

Carrie Underwood built one of the most consistent careers in country music on songs about other people. She named her last album Storyteller for a reason: she likes booming power ballads, rowdy revenge tales and...

By Jamieson Cox September 13, 2018

Christina Aguilera Is Hitting the Reset Button on Her New Album Liberation

Christina Aguilera has always been driven by reinvention. She shakes off a part of herself with each new album cycle, tapping into a character or concept that can house whatever is energizing her creatively. First...

By Jamieson Cox June 14, 2018

U2 Shows Off Hard-Won Experience

Each recent U2 album has endured some kind of complicated gestation before its eventual release. Songs of Experience, the band's 14th LP, is no exception: the companion to 2014's Apple-branded blunder Songs of Innocence was...

By Jamieson Cox November 30, 2017

Tyler, the Creator Opens Up

Tyler, the Creator's career has been defined by immaturity. The Odd Future ringleader's many talents--his ear for production, his gravel-studded growl, his cross-disciplinary aesthetic--have often been overshadowed by his penchant for lurid imagery and homophobic...

By Jamieson Cox July 27, 2017

R&B's New Wave Is All About Creative Destruction

From the minimalism of Syd to the progressive lyricism of Kendrick Lamar, here’s a tour of the shape of music to come

By Jamieson Cox March 31, 2017

Kehlani Turns Candor Into Virtue

Kehlani Parrish doesn't mince words. The Oakland, Calif.-based singer spends most of her debut LP, SweetSexySavage, laying down romantic ground rules in frank, flirty terms. Take the funky single "Distraction," on which she eschews love...

By Jamieson Cox February 9, 2017

Sampha Sisay Is Hip-Hop’s Secret Weapon

The London-based singer-producer Sampha Sisay is a secret weapon many of this decade's most popular musicians have somehow agreed to share. You've probably heard him before, a spectral presence haunting the edges of albums by...

By Jamieson Cox February 2, 2017

Rap's Middle-Aged Everymen Return, Trash Talk In Tow

When hip-hop veterans Jaime "El-P" Meline and Michael "Killer Mike" Render came together to record their first mixtape as Run the Jewels, they weren't expecting much out of the side project beyond fraternal fun. "When...

By Jamieson Cox January 12, 2017

Review: Jamie xx Plays With Different Hues on In Colour

By lovingly exploring the sounds of eras past, Jamie xx generates a sound that's all his own

By Jamieson Cox June 5, 2015

Shania Twain on Her New Music: People 'Have Never Heard Me This Way Before'

As she preps her last tour—and her first new album in over a decade—the legendary country superstar says she's ready to reinvent

By Jamieson Cox May 27, 2015

Review: Mariah Carey Collects All of Her Hits on #1 to Infinity

The album provides a reminder of just how thoroughly she dominated the 1990s

By Jamieson Cox May 20, 2015

How Destiny Is Changing to Give Players What They Want

A Bungie insider took us inside the process

By Jamieson Cox May 18, 2015

Review: Mumford & Sons' Switch the Sound Up on Wilder Mind

The band is finally starting to catch up to its success

By Jamieson Cox May 1, 2015

Watch the Video for Erik Hassle's Funky New Single 'No Words': Premiere

The Swedish crooner's new single has the makings of a summer smash

By Jamieson Cox April 13, 2015

This Is Why Joni Mitchell Is Your Favorite Musician's Favorite Musician

The singer-songwriter, who was hospitalized last night, gave voice to musical feminism in an era where women had to fight with tooth and claw for artistic legitimacy

By Jamieson Cox April 1, 2015

Listen to Rihanna Collect Her Debt on a Swaggering New Single

The singer follows up the light and lovely "FourFiveSeconds" with the woozy urban banger "Bitch Better Have My Money"

By Jamieson Cox March 26, 2015

Why Zayn Malik Has the Makings of a Great Solo Star

It's not yet clear what Malik's departure will mean for One Direction—but on his own, he could forge an impressive career

By Jamieson Cox March 25, 2015

Review: Courtney Barnett's Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit Makes Listlessness Vital

Even her minor efforts glow and sparkle with attitude, intelligence and good humor

By Jamieson Cox March 24, 2015

Kendrick Lamar’s Butterfly Effect

A new anthem of black identity

By Jamieson Cox March 19, 2015

To Pimp a Butterfly Is an Angst-Filled Anthem for Blackness

The rapper's third album issues challenging questions about black identity and leadership

By Jamieson Cox March 17, 2015

How Drake Became Rap’s Unlikely Titan

His new album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was an instant hit

By Jamieson Cox March 12, 2015

Review: Rebel Heart Is Madonna's Most Consistent Album in a Decade

Because nobody can poke fun at Madonna like Madonna

By Jamieson Cox March 9, 2015

Listen to Kanye West's New Single 'All Day'

It's dark, triumphant and provocative

By Jamieson Cox March 2, 2015

Review: Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late Marks a Transitional Moment

It's an invitation back into the dark lanes, private vehicles, and smoky clubs that make up Drake's world

By Jamieson Cox February 13, 2015

Review: Fifth Harmony's Reflection Has Many Layers

Reflection covers a surprising amount of stylistic ground

By Jamieson Cox February 3, 2015

Review: Belle and Sebastian Are as Nice as Ever on Their New Album

The band’s ninth studio album, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, is flavored with political awareness and a sonic adventurousness

By Jamieson Cox January 20, 2015

Review: Mark Ronson's Uptown Special Is at the Mercy of His Collaborators

The British super-producer has style to spare on his latest LP — even if most of it comes courtesy of his high-profile friends

By Jamieson Cox January 13, 2015

Madonna's Next Album Is Shaping Up to Be Her Best in a Decade

The singer's surprise release of several new songs reveals that the Queen of Pop hasn't lost her edge

By Jamieson Cox December 22, 2014

Review: David Guetta Falls Behind His Contemporaries on Listen

The super-producer who helped make EDM part and parcel with mainstream pop doesn't sound so fresh on his latest LP

By Jamieson Cox November 24, 2014

Review: Mary J. Blige Turns Dance Diva on The London Sessions

On her new album, the R&B queen teams up with top UK talent with thrilling results

By Jamieson Cox November 24, 2014

Review: One Direction Hit Their Stride on Four

On Four, One Direction's members are more involved in the composition of their material than ever before

By Jamieson Cox November 17, 2014

Review: Stars' No One Is Lost

The high-risk, high-reward Canadian group releases its seventh album

By Jamieson Cox October 9, 2014

Review: Prince Is Revitalized on Art Official Age and PlectrumElectrum

On a pair of new albums, the Purple One is more relevant than he has been in decades

By Jamieson Cox September 30, 2014

Review: Chris Brown Chases Hits, But Mostly Misses, on X

There are a few standouts on the troubled R&B star's latest LP, but taken as a whole, X is cynical, trend-chasing and largely impersonal

By Jamieson Cox September 16, 2014

Spoon Stirs Up New Album They Want My Soul

The band’s first album in four years drops Aug. 5

By Jamieson Cox July 31, 2014

REVIEW: Alvvays Make Sunny Guitar-Pop Gold on Self-Titled Debut

The Canadian pop band's sunny debut puts lead singer Molly Rankin in fine company

By Jamieson Cox July 21, 2014

Florrie Drums Up a New Song in "Little White Lies" Video: Watch

The long-bubbling singer's first proper single makes a big impression

By Jamieson Cox July 8, 2014

Chart Attack: Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith

Two soulful Brit crooners on the rise

By Jamieson Cox June 12, 2014

REVIEW: Miranda Lambert Strikes Gold on Platinum

The country superstar delivers more sass, twang and brio on her fifth studio album

By Jamieson Cox June 3, 2014

REVIEW: Ed Sheeran Multiplies His Appeal on x

On his sophomore set, the singer-songwriter uses his softness to his advantage

By Jamieson Cox May 31, 2014

Coldplay’s Tragic Magic

The rock band has a new brand of heartache

By Jamieson Cox May 15, 2014

REVIEW: Coldplay Makes Tragic Magic on New Album Ghost Stories

It's a smaller, softer Coldplay — for better or for worse

By Jamieson Cox May 14, 2014

Say Lou Lou Goes Bittersweet on "Peppermint": Premiere

The Australian-Swedish duo recall a particular flavor

By Jamieson Cox May 6, 2014

Galantis' New Single "You" Is a Pop Chemical Reaction: Watch

New pop from Sweden (where else?) is a synth-spangled dream

By Jamieson Cox April 10, 2014

PREMIERE: Marsha Ambrosius Gives Marathon Soul on New Single "Run"

The Grammy-nominated songbird premieres a new cut from her upcoming LP

By Jamieson Cox April 2, 2014

Boots and Sia Take a "Ride Ride Ride": Listen

King B's favorite producer strikes out on his own

By Jamieson Cox March 25, 2014

Wrathschild Make Epic '80s Movie Pop With Debut Single "Fall Into Love": Listen

They want the real thing

By Jamieson Cox March 24, 2014

Lykke Li's "No Rest For the Wicked" is Full of Virtue

The Swedish songbird's evolving sound is increasingly classic

By Jamieson Cox March 19, 2014

Sia's "Chandelier" Is the Year's Most Sobering Party Anthem: Listen

The Aussie singer-songwriter's new single is brilliantly unhinged

By Jamieson Cox March 17, 2014