This unique, groundbreaking collection of women writing about different genres of popular music features the freshest names in music, from writers to critics to musicians themselves. Contributors include Patti Smith, Ellen Willis, Kim Gordon, bell hooks, and others.
Exploring Tori Amos's creative journey, this account delves into her personal and professional life, revealing how she navigates the dual roles of a writer and performer while managing family responsibilities. Enhanced by exclusive photographs from award-winning photographer Loren Haynes, the book offers fans an intimate look at her artistic process and the nuances of her experiences. It serves as a unique tribute to Amos for her devoted followers.
An Independent Best Non-Fiction Book for 2024Celebrated music critic Ann Powers explores the life and career of the legendary Joni Mitchell
For decades Joni Mitchell’s life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as—with the other arm—she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered whether there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting. In Traveling, Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys. Through extensive interviews with Mitchell's peers and deep archival research, she takes readers to rural Canada, mapping the singer’s childhood battle with polio. She charts the course of Mitchell’s musical evolution, ranging from early folk to jazz fusion to experimentation with pop synthetics. She follows the winding road of Mitchell’s collaborations with other greats, and the loves that emerged along the way, all the way through to the remarkable return of Mitchell to music-making after the 2015 aneurysm that nearly took her life.
Best Music Writing has become one of the most eagerly awaited annuals out there. Celebrating the year in music writing by gathering a rich array of essays, missives, and musings on every style of music from rock to hip-hop to R&B to jazz to pop to blues and more, it is essential reading for anyone who loves great music and accomplished writing. Scribes of every imaginable sort—novelists, poets, journalists, musicians—are gathered to create a multi-voiced snapshot of the year in music writing that, like the music it illuminates, is every bit as thrilling as it is riveting.