Second Listen Sunday: Jennifer Hudson, “The Gift of Love”
Most of the standards, including “O Holy Night,” “The Christmas Song,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” follow familiar structures. However, with Hudson’s rich and resonant voice, the goal isn’t necessarily to reinvent these classics but to interpret them. She treats these songs with respect, bending the notes just enough to make them her own without overdoing it.
Slow Jam Saturday: The Stylistics, “When You’ve Got Love, It’s Christmas All Year Long”
Often, when an artist releases a holiday album, it typically features the usual songs.
Chasing shadows in the age of clout: “Influencers” levels up the game
Kurtis David Harder’s “Influencers” doesn’t just pick up where “Influencer” left off—it leaps forward, shifting the series’ tone from psychological unease to an exhilarating globe-trotting pursuit.
A sinfully good threequel: “Wake Up Dead Man” justifies its own existence
“Wake Up Dead Man” marks the third entry in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” saga, an expansion that feels almost accidental. The first film was a sharp, self-contained mystery—a clever modern riff that didn’t necessarily call for sequels.
Second Listen Sunday: Brandy, “Christmas with Brandy”
As “the Vocal Bible,” also known as Ms. Brandy Norwood, concludes her co-headlining tour, “The Boy Is Mine,” with Monica, I decided to revisit her 2023 holiday album, “Christmas with Brandy,” for this week’s Second Listen Sunday and to kick off the holiday season.
Slow Jam Saturday : Coco Jones, “Skip My House”
Coco Jones is having an outstanding year. As the final season of “Bel-Air” recently kicked off, she got engaged and released a new single just in time for the holidays titled “Skip My House.” Co-written by Jones, Avital Margulies, and Sara Diamond, this catchy song continues the trend she started last year with her impressive EP, “Coco By The Fireplace.”
Opening the Vault: “The New Yorker” at 100 Reveals its secrets
For nearly a century, The New Yorker has been like that cool, enigmatic kid in the corner—impeccably dressed and soft-spoken but always wielding the sharpest pen in the room.
“Tapawingo” is a strange, sweet comedy that refuses to be cool
“Tapawingo” feels like it was fished out of a half-forgotten VHS bin—sun-bleached cover, crooked sticker, and all. Director Dylan K. Narang and his co-writer Brad DeMarea have crafted a comedy that wanders through its own weird ecosystem with the confidence of someone wearing tube socks with church shoes.
“Marty Supreme” is Timothée Chalamet’s sweaty spring toward Oscar glory
Timothée Chalamet keeps swinging for that inevitable Oscar nomination, and in Marty Supreme, he may have found the role that edges him closest yet. Directed and co-written by Josh Safdie (flying solo without brother Benny this time), the film is only loosely inspired by table-tennis legend Marty Reisman.
Will Arnett shines in director Bradley Cooper’s warm, funny, “Is This Thing On?”
Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper shifts from music to stand-up comedy for his third directorial effort, “Is This Thing On?” from Searchlight Pictures. Cooper also co-stars in the film and co-writes the screenplay alongside Will Arnett and Mark Chappell.
Second Listen Sunday: Boyz II Men, “Winter/Reflections”
As R&B fans anxiously await the start of New Edition’s Way Tour with supporting acts Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men, with the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to show some love to the guys from Philly for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
Slow Jam Saturday : Johnny Gill, “Give Love On Christmas Day”
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I decided to venture back to 1989 and show some love to Johnny Gill and his rendition of the classic holiday ballad “Give Love on Christmas Day.” Gill had just finished the successful “Heart Break” tour with his groupmates in New Edition and was working on his third solo album.