Finest Worksongs

How on earth does a group of high school buddies from Bowling Green, Kentucky win multiple Grammy awards for internationally popular rock music? For this listener's choice epipod, Matt and Matt dig in to find out what makes this band so beloved. While Cage The Elephant wear their influences on their sleeves, you'll see that these talented boys from the Bluegrass State are much more than the sum of...

Easily one of the most versatile and collaborative performers in music these days, Anderson .Paak's 2019 album "Ventura" is perhaps the one that feels the most true to who he is. "Ventura" includes all the elements that the artist himself  embraces: old-school soul, hip-hop, R&B and even rap from some of the world's greatest. Paak's gravitas as a drummer, producer and collaborator shines throu...

The alchemy that was the original Van Halen lineup would be almost impossible to replicate. On one end of the spectrum was the late, great Edward Van Halen, an introverted, virtuoso Guitar God who redefined the instrument and never seemed to put it down. On the other side was front man David Lee Roth, The Ultimate Entertainer who never seemed to slow down. The group was balanced out with steady ba...

In a time where pop music was dominated by dance-fueled R&B, slick hard rock, and a burgeoning alternative scene, Matthew Sweet's 1991 major label breakthrough album "Girlfriend" was a refreshing throwback to Beatles-esque recording techniques and guitar-jangle melodies inspired by the Byrds. And, boy, did it resonate. Sweet's songs about heartache and longing, combined with an all-star backin...

Looking back now, it's easy to think that from 1983 and for the next couple of years, Michael Jackson singularly ruled the music world. But to think that would disrespect The Police and how massive their fifth album, "Synchronicity" was. And looking back now -- with almost 40 years(!) to reflect -- it's even more remarkable what a juggernaut Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers produced. Thin...

If Stevie Wonder had never released "Songs in the Key of Life," we'd still be talking about him as one of the greatest -- if not THE greatest -- musician the United States ever produced. But, thankfully, he did. Look at any "best albums of all time list," and this double-album masterpiece is guaranteed to be close to the top. And for good reason. Yes, it contains hits and standards that we all kno...

One of the most unique and also most successful fans to come out of the Research Triangle area of North Carolina in the early- to-mid-1990s was Ben Folds Five. Led by Ben Folds, this three-piece (yes, just three of them) crafted clever, cynical jabs at mainstream society — as well as at themselves. But the songs were beautiful, catchy, and well-crafted, and were pulled from pop, punk, jazz and eve...

Like others in the cursed "27 Club," Amy Winehouse burned bright and hot ... only to snuff out too soon. But what an impression she left, particularly with her "Back to Black" album. The Grammy-winning album is as autobiographical as they come -- and no less haunting. From her signature "Rehab" (where she gives an emphatic "no, no no!" when the idea is suggested to her), to "You Know I'm No Good"...

In the mid-80s. Lionel Richie didn’t just operate in the same orbit as Michael Jackson and Prince — Richie was his a superstar of his own right. And nothing solidified his place on the charts like “Can’t Slow Down.” At a tidy 8 songs, the album still manages to fuse genres: pop, R&B, rock, Calypso, dance and even country. And it was a pop music juggernaut, solidifying Richie (and his sweet ‘st...

It was arguably the greatest gathering of musical talent in one place at one time -- and still is. And it was INSANE. "We Are The World" brought the biggest American music stars of the 1980s* -- and Dan Akroyd! -- to one room to record a song shining a light on the plight of starving people in Africa. The song and the video was beamed incessently to the living rooms and kitchens of America. In the...

Very few musical “events” transform the pop music landscape – and pop culture – overnight. But Nirvana’s “Nevermind” absolutely did just that. Coming seemingly out of the blue (but really from the Pacific Northwest), Nirvana gave power to the disillusioned children of the ‘80s, the latchkey kids and wannabe punks who were just searching for authenticity. In the blink of an eye, the hair metal, gla...

It's only natural that Matt & Matt kick off Season 4 of Finest Worksongs with a non-charting song of covers by a country artist, right? But Emmylou Harris' 1995 album "Wrecking Ball" deserves any and all recognition. It was a vast departure for the seasoned country songstress; that's gonna happen when you partner with Daniel Lanois. "Wrecking Ball" -- which includes collaborations with Neil Yo...

Matt & Matt close out Season 3 with another "Listener's Choice" epipod. Finest Workfans voted for The Killers' debut album "Hot Fuss" to be the album du jour. Though they may have been caught up in the mix of other similar-sounding bands like the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and Interpol, The Killers have managed to put together a long and inspired career. And this is the one that started it all....

For our second annual Christmas epipod, Matt & Matt discuss two albums that — each in their own way — set the standard for holiday collections. Phil Spector’s “A Gift for You” changed altogether how Christmas albums were created. Initially a flop, it is now essentially against how all Christmas albums are compared. Conversely, “A Very Special Christmas” introduced the idea of the philanthropic...

It's the classic "full creative control" story. Artist earns the respect (and the right) to do things as he wants. He goes against the grain to bring his vision to light. But upon hearing the final product, the record executives can't believe it's actually final. Sorry, bub. Creative control means creative control. And in this case, Willie Nelson's 1975 album, "Red-Headed Stranger," not only prove...

With a rock and soul sound reminiscent of the Stones, the Black Crowes are timeless. But when they broke — and BIG — in 1991, they occupied a space and time all of their own. “Shake Your Moneymaker” is Southern rock mixed with 60s soul at its best. Chris Robinson’s anguished vocals and brother Rich Robinson’s songmaking abilities resulted in a slew of hits like “Hard to Handle, “Jealous Again” and...

When one thinks of the top rock albums of 1991, undoubtedly certain classics come to mind. Nirvana's "Nevermind." Pearl Jam's "Ten." "Achtung Baby" by U2. Metallica's so-called "Black Album." Guns'n'Roses even released "Use Your Illusion I & II" that year. But when Spin magazine unveiled its best album of the year, that honor went to Scotland's Teenage Fanclub for their "Bandwagonesque." And f...

For cynics and critics, "Green" was supposed to be the beginning of the end for R.E.M. After all, the Athens, Ga., band had culled a following throughout the country by essentially touring nonstop and bringing their DIY ethos to college radio -- a medium they practically helped create. "Green" was their first album with Warner Bros. Records -- and their deal with WB was (at the time) the most lucr...

For cynics and critics, "Green" was supposed to be the beginning of the end for R.E.M. After all, the Athens, Ga., band had culled a following throughout the country by essentially touring nonstop and bringing their DIY ethos to college radio -- a medium they practically helped create. "Green" was their first album with Warner Bros. Records -- and their deal with WB was (at the time) the most lucr...

There’s a very good chance that if you’ve set foot in a random bar in the South over the last 25 years, you've heard the song “Straight to Hell.” This song has all the makings of a prototypical country song: twang; heartache; self-loathing; a catchy, singable chorus to raise a beer to. But it’s a song about a latchkey kid with a somewhat loose, disinterested mother. The song, off Drivin’ N Cryin’s...

In many ways, Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” – which turns 25 years old this month – was the un-“Full Moon Fever.” When it was released, “Wildflowers” seemed sparse and stripped down, especially compared to his previous offering. But it not only featured Petty’s hit-making skills – the album produced bona fide Petty radio and MTV hits like “You Wreck Me” and “ You Don’t Know How it Feels” – but it gave...

As forerunners of alternative hip-hop, A Tribe Called Quest helped set the standard. They led a movement of thoughtful rap, fused by music inspired by their parents and lyrics inspired by their lives in Queens. Led by Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, Tribe’s second album, “The Low End Theory” pays homage to jazz and bebop while dropping insightful rhymes about the shadiness of the music business, poseur rapp...

Before they reached international stardom thanks to the song "'74-'75," The Connells were something of a regional favorite to music fans along the Eastern seaboard. Man, could they pack a house. The band composed some of the most pop-centered, unforgettable, singalong songs of the late-'80s and '90s -- ANYWHERE. It also didn't hurt that they came across -- even on stage -- as just normal dudes. Th...

In our second ever "Listener's Choice" epipod, we take the Wayback Machine to 1998 when boy bands ruled the world. More specific, NSYNC took the pop world by storm with their debut album. This was the world's first glimpse of Justin Timberlake, but NSYNC was more than just JT. In fact, they were a perfectly constructed boy band of the finest ilk -- even if the group didn't reach its full potential...

It’s an album full of rage caused by racial injustice. It’s an album borne out of the voices of the oppressed. It’s a musical masterpiece of dope beats, thumping bass and intellectual rhymes that spotlight police brutality, racial undercurrents and the promise of a pyrrhic breaking point. The album is also 32 years old. The fact that Public Enemy’s seminal “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us...