Books
Songs in the Key of Life (2007)
I wrote a book on Stevie Wonder’s immortal 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life for Continuum’s “33 1/3” series back in 2007. (Since then, the series moved over to Bloomsbury where it continues to thrive today.) This is a deep dive into the music and genius of Stevie Wonder, the trajectory of Motown, and the state of R&B in the 1970s – but also an ambitious exploration of life itself, from birth to death, and onto the afterlife.
The 33 1/3 B-Sides (2019)
I contributed an essay on Frank Black’s 1993 self-titled solo debut album to this collection, edited by Will Stockton and D. Gilson. The book features contributions by 53 authors of the “33 1/3” series, and asks the question: “If given another chance to write for the series, which albums would 33 1/3 authors focus on the second time around?”
