Review: Margo Price – That’s How Rumors Get Started

This review originally appeared in the July 17th, 2020 issue of the Voice Piece newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

Country music has just as rich of a history as any genre, and it’s taken many forms over the years.  Unfortunately, the version that hit the mainstream radio over the past couple of decades or so has given it a less than stellar reputation amongst fans of pretty much any other genre.  A lot of people now associate Country Music with those who sing that we’ll “put a boot in your ass, because that’s the American way.” It may be true to a certain extent- mostly because the powers that be in the Country Music Industry want it to be that way.  For proof of this, look no further than the drama surrounding “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X.

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Princess Nokia: Innovator of the Year

Destiny Frasqueri, better known as Princess Nokia, is not your typical “rapper”, in fact, I’d rather not restrict her to such a narrow label.  With two releases in 2018, one an ambitious new project and the other a re-issue of her first mixtape, she has shown her ability to not let labels define her and her art, making her one of the most interesting and promising musicians working.

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Happy Pride Month from Voice Piece

June is Pride Month, and we’ve gone rainbow with the colors that represent the LGBT+ community!  Don’t worry, we’ll be doing much more than changing the color of our logo – this month along with our regular content, we’ll be posting about our favorite LGBT+ artists of past and present.

To get the month kicked off, here’s a playlist we made with some songs we love.  Enjoy!

Album Review: Courtney Barnett, a Stranger’s Best Friend

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Tell Me How You Really Feel

For all the articles labeling Courtney Barnett a “slacker,” you’d be hard pressed to find a person with so many extracurricular activities. A record label (Milk! Records), last year’s collaborative album and tour with Kurt Vile, playing in Jen Cloher’s band – if this is Barnett’s process of procrastination, we should all hope to be so productive in the middle of avoidance.

I say procrastination, because you’d still be hard pressed to find someone who would willingly take themselves apart, and dissect the messy innards of their anxiety and self-doubt. Such bravery is a rarity.

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“Girls,” Female Collaboration, and the Hollowness of Mainstream “Anthems”

It sounded like the perfect idea: four up-and-coming stars of the pop music industry collaborating: Rita Ora, Cardi B, Bebe Rexa and Charli XCX.  On a song called “Girls”, with the lead up to the song’s premiere seeming to insinuate that some kind of feminist anthem was incoming.  

What the song ended up actually being was a tone deaf and hollow exploitation of our desire to see some famous women join together for a cause – even if that cause was just making a great song. 

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