Soundcheck

What do you get when you combine a big-time Broadway songwriter, a century and a half-year-old fairy tale, and a couple of cute animated reindeer and snowmen? Turns out, you get a hit. Disney’s Frozen, an adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson story The Snow Queen, has crossed the 500 million dollar mark in global box office sales, picked up two Oscar nominations, and -- for the first time since Pocahontas in 1995 -- has topped the Billboard album chart with its soundtrack. In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Entertainment Weekly reporter Marc Snetiker explains why this movie has been able to do what other recent Disney musicals haven't -- and what's ahead for the Frozen franchise.  

Hip-hop lyrics almost always describe life on the streets -- or what it feels like to get away from life on the streets. Social media is giving would-be hip-hop stars a huge audience for their true to life rhymes. But some rappers in New York City are being a bit too true to life. They’re including some references and lyrics that are landing them attention from an unwanted audience: the New York Police Department. According to a recent article in the The New York Times, the police recently began monitoring YouTube accounts to decode hip-hop lyrics of suspected gang members. David Goodman, who covers the NYPD for the Times, tells Soundcheck host John Schaefer about how the police are using YouTube in an unlikely investigation.  Read David Goodman's piece about the NY Police Department's use of online video here.    Videos like the one below have helped police investigators draw connections between suspects in gang-related crimes.   

Singer-songwriter Diane Birch has had many angels in the music industry looking out for her. The first was Prince, who discovered Birch playing piano at the Beverley Hills Hotel in 2006. She’s also collaborated with musicians from all walks of the industry -- including Questlove, Lenny Kaye, and Elvis Costello. But it was another industry vet — Dap-Kings drummer Homer Steinweiss — who helped her craft her sound on Speak A Little Louder, Birch’s sophomore record. They met at a party as Birch was beginning to conceive the record. After a series of jam sessions, the record’s sound started to coalesce around wealth of influences, from '80s pop to New Wave to classic rock. Yet, that period was also difficult for Birch: she lost her father and went through a breakup her boyfriend. A sense of profound heartbreak is palpable throughout that record, but so is a feeling of hope, filtered through Birch’s incredible piano, songwriting, and vocal chops.  Hear Diane Birch perform pared-down renditions of songs from her album, Speak A Little Louder, in the Soundcheck studio.  

In this episode: Hip-hop lyrics almost always describe life on the streets -- or what it feels like to get away from it. But some rappers in New York are describing life in a little too much detail, which is catching the attention of the NYPD. We hear about how detectives are decoding lyrics to solve crimes – or prevent them from occurring in the first place.  Then: Diane Birch performs songs from her second album, Speak A Little Louder -- a record full of songs she could “dance around the house to and sing into a hairbrush” -- in the Soundcheck studio. And: In case you hadn’t heard, Disney’s latest animated musical, Frozen, is killing it at the box office and on the pop charts. Its soundtrack has been at the top of the Billboard 200 for two weeks and is now set to be adapted for the stage.

From gospel and early soul, to socially-conscious funk and from the Chicago ghetto to jet-setting superstardom, the Staple Singers are one of pop music's most defining acts of the 20th century. The list of the Staple Singers' friends and collaborators reads like a musical biography of the last 70 years: Mahalia Jackson, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Band, Martin Scorsese, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, The Muscle Shoals Swampers, Bobby Womack, Sly & The Family Stone, Jimmy Page, Ry Cooder, Prince. (Whew.)     And last year, at 74, Mavis Staples released another Jeff Tweedy-produced record, the first since her Grammy winning album in 2011. It's proof that the Staples spirit is very much alive and well. Chicago Tribune music critic and co-host of WBEZ's Sound Opinions, Greg Kot chronicles the remarkable family in his new biography, I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, The Staple Singers, And The March Up Freedom's Highway. In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Kot explains that the Staples' refusal to be pigeonholed as "just" a gospel group became its greatest strength.  Interview Highlights Greg Kot, on an old recording of The Staple Singers performing in Ghana, which got Prince hooked: There was a moment in the show when Mavis' eyes started to glisten and she sort of got that far-off look in her eyes, like she was looking at something beyond the horizon. And Prince, watching this particular performance two decades later, was so moved, he says "You know, I recognized my mother, I saw the moment when my grandmother would lose herself at church," what he called the "holy ghost moment." On Pops Staples forming The Staple Singers: He started singing again in a church group [in Chicago]. He got tired of the group, because the guys wouldn't show up for practice. He said, "I know one group of people who are gonna sing, and who will show up for practice, and that's my kids." When he came home from work, he'd gather them around, he had this cheap guitar that only had four strings on it, which was perfect, because he could play the note that each of the kids had to sing. Mavis, the youngest of the children, got the low parts. She was eight.  On Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Staples family: Pops and Martin Luther King were very big fans of each other, and became very good friends. Martin Luther King loved those harmonies, those songs, and they were on a mission, together. When King expanded the movement to the North, to Chicago, he enlisted the singers to help put him on the map there, and brought along a guy named Jesse Jackson.  

In this episode:Throughout the 1950's, '60s and '70s, The Staple Singers created a unique mix of gospel, folk, and rock, earning legions of fans and countless musical devotees. And at 74, Mavis Staples is still winning Grammys and singing for large audiences around the world. Music critic Greg Kot chronicles the extraordinary legacy of the Staples family in his new book, I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, The Staple Singers, And The March Up Freedom's Highway. Then we revisit a 2010 interview and studio session with Mavis Staples upon the release of her Grammy-winning album You Are Not Alone.     And Broken Bells -- the project of James Mercer of The Shins and Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse) -- perform "Holding On For Life," a new song from the highly-anticipated upcoming album After The Disco, plus an older favorite, in the Soundcheck studio.  

At first you may not think that two genres like traditional Jewish folk songs and the exuberant sounds of Afrobeat would sit well together. But as played by Zion80 -- a sprawling 15-piece band led by Jon Madof -- they really do.  With Zion80, Madof, an Orthodox Jew, explores the Jewish folk music of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and filters that through the sounds and Nigerian polyrhythms of Afrobeat master Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The band, named in homage to Kuti's ensembles Afrika 70 and Egypt 80, sets the beautiful melodies of Carlebach on top of dense arrangements and complex beats -- all with the sensibility of New York's downtown improvised music scene. The result is an energetic and spiritual genre mash-up that must be heard. Hear Madof and Zion80 perform in the Soundcheck studio.  

This week, 20 Feet From Stardom was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature. Today we revisit our conversation with the film's director and stars. In David Bowie’s song, "Young Americans," Bowie's distinctive voice is easy to pick out. Yet if you listen closely, you can hear another famous singer wailing on the track in the background: Luther Vandross. Vandross was the rare backup singer who achieved fame all his own. It's a subject addressed in 20 Feet From Stardom, a new documentary focusing on those oft-overlooked singers. The film is filled with fascinating interviews with stars like Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen, rare footage of backup singers at work, and goosebump-inducing clips of the supremely talented vocalists who support big-time artists. Morgan Neville, who directed the film, and singers, Darlene Love and Merry Clayton, join Soundcheck host John Schaefer in the studio for a lively conversation about the previously obscured world of backup singing.    This segment originally aired on June 18, 2013. Morgan Neville, on the difficulty of making a movie about people who stay in the background: It was actually incredibly difficult to research this because nobody ever notices the backup singers. Nobody ever says, "I've got great photos of backup singers." It’s always, "I’ve got a great photo of Tina Turner." And then in the background there happens to be a great setup of backup singers. I had to do all this research of the stars that had backup singers to then actually find the footage, and every time I would find one of these nuggets, it was just incredible. Darlene Love, on learning how to sing through the church: Early in our lives, we learned how to blend. Nobody’s voice could stick out. We had to listen to one another and do inflections together, do little runs — we had to do that together. It became a joy. Actually, it ended up being fun because we could to those kinds of things. And then record producers ended up depending on us to do those kinds of things when we went into recording sessions. Merry Clayton, on the current state of backing singers: There are no backup singers anymore. It’s over. That started going away about the mid-80s. They're all on the road now backing people. They’re making a fantastic living by doing that. Somebody like [Rolling Stones live backup singer] Lisa Fischer can demand unbelievable payment for what she’s doing.   Watch Judith Hill, a young backup singer and one of the stars of the film, perform on The Voice.

The Super Bowl is making a rare appearance north of the Mason Dixon line this year: For the first time ever, it’s coming to New Jersey. And while we still don’t know which teams will be facing off at Met Life Stadium, we do know that Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be taking the stage at halftime. Behind the this year's show is Ricky Kirshner, who's served as executive producer of the Super Bowl halftime show since 2007. The event is a massive spectacle that takes a lot of planning. "We've been working on the staging for months," Kirshner says. "There's a lot to do: What graphics we use in the stage, what pyro we use in the show. It's all very, very calculated, down to the last second." But the Super Bowl halftime show hasn't always been such a big deal. Amos Barshad, pop culture editor for Grantland, runs down the history of the event, from traditional marching bands and the ever-so-cheery Up with People to Janet Jackson's "Nipplegate" and the "playing-it-safe" legacy era that followed -- a who's who of crowd-pleasing iconic stars like The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Tom Petty and The Who.  History Of The Super Bowl Halftime Show: From The Early Days To Now   Super Bowl VII (1973) - University of Michigan Marching Band   Super Bowl XIV (1980) - Up With People   Super Bowl XXV (1991) - New Kids On The Block   Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004) - Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake   Super Bowl XLII (2008) - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers   Super Bowl XLIII - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2009)   Super Bowl XLVII (2013) - Beyonce

In this episode: Before the Super Bowl comes to New Jersey in a couple of weeks, Soundcheck looks back at the history of the Super Bowl halftime show with Ricky Kirshner, the executive producer of this year's halftime show featuring Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then, Grantland’s Amos Barshad walks us down memory lane about how the Super Bowl halftime show went from being a marching band showcase to an Up With People bonanza to a full-on, no-expenses-spared pop concert -- with the occasional controversy thrown in for good measure. Plus: The well-traveled New York guitarist Jim Campilongo and his trio perform in the Soundcheck studio, including one song from his new album, Dream Dictionary.

Every time a song gets played, someone gets paid. The group that makes this transaction happen is ASCAP: the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. ASCAP turns one hundred years old in 2014, and is sailing into some uncharted waters in the age of Pandora, Spotify, and other streaming services. At the helm as President and Chairman of ASCAP is singer, songwriter, and actor Paul Williams. Williams' productive, idiosyncratic career has included writing songs for David Bowie, Three Dog Night, The Carpenters -- and, perhaps most notably, "The Rainbow Connection" for The Muppet Movie. He also recently appeared on Daft Punk's latest album Random Access Memories.     And Williams' career as an actor has been just as diverse: He’s had starring roles in Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, Smokey And The Bandit, Brian de Palma’s Phantom Of The Paradise, and character spots on a number of TV shows. His new book, Gratitude And Trust: Recovery Is Not Just For Addicts, will be released in 2014. In an interview with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Williams discusses his dual roles -- making music and protecting the rights of musicians like himself. Interview Highlights Paul Williams, on music streaming services: Why would I not want Pandora to be a huge success? You have 70 million, 75 million people are listening to our music, why wouldn't I want that? I'm a songwriter! We want them to be a great success, but Pandora is suing us to pay less than they have been paying. They pay eight cents per thousand streams. You cannot make a living in music with that kind of a payment system.  On how streaming services compensate musicians: I don't want to see people who are listening to music pay more, I love the idea of music being delivered to people who love our music for free. What we do want is people who are making money by transmitting the music to pay a fair compensation. On how current royalties and compensation rules don't incentivize creativity:  Bill Withers had one of the best lines ever, talking to a senator, he said, "You know, Senator, if things don't change, we aren't going to be able to make a living doing our songs, we're going to have to find something else to do for a living. And Senator, you do not want Ozzy Osbourne as your plumber." On working with the Muppets: The best job ever is to wake up in the morning, reach over and smack that alarm clock, and realize today I'm going to work with Kermit. Today I'm going to go play in the sand with Jim Henson. It's been the greatest collaboration of my life. He is the Jimmy Stewart of frogs.     Visit Paul's site about his upcoming book, "Gratitude and Trust."

Soul singer Charles Bradley's long path to musical fame has been punctuated by bumpy detours and personal struggles -- from a lifetime of odd day jobs, family tragedies, and poverty. But Bradley always knew he could sing, and kept plugging away anyway. Then in his early 60s, he finally got a shot when Daptone Records co-founder Gabriel Roth caught his James Brown tribute act in a Bushwick club, performing under the name "Black Velvet." Roth ultimately signed Bradley to record his first album, 2011's No Time For Dreaming. It's a remarkable story, now told in the documentary film Charles Bradley: Soul Of America. All those years spent toiling certainly paid off: Bradley captivated audiences with a funky and exuberant live show and songs that exude wisdom as they deal with his experiences and hardships. In 2013, Bradley released his follow-up record, Victim Of Love, another fine collection of dance-ready soul tunes. Bradley returns  to the Soundcheck studio to play songs from that record with his band.     Charles Bradley plays Bowery Ballroom on Jan. 17 and Music Hall of Williamsburg on Jan. 18. Set List: "Crying in the Chapel" "Confusion" "Strictly Reserved for You"

Last summer, '90s rapper Coolio considered auctioning the royalties to his songbook, including his ubiquitous hit "Gangsta's Paradise," with the goal of underwriting a new career as a writer of cookbooks. Recent sample recipe: Mozzarella, For The Pimp-ish Fella. (Really!) While Coolio ultimately decided to hold on to his hits for now, plenty of his songwriting peers have chosen to fund new creative endeavors by selling portions of their royalty streams. Soundcheck host John Schaefer talks to the co-founder of The Royalty Exchange, Wilson Owens, about his site that lets investors bid on royalties.  

At the turn of the millennium, the performing rights organization BMI ranked the top 100 songs of the 20th Century, based on how often they were heard on radio and TV. The No. 1 song on that list? The Righteous Brothers’ recording of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'," one of countless hit songs written by songwriting team Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.      The Grammy-winning husband and wife duo has been writing songs together for more than 50 years, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Now Weil and Mann are depicted in the new Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. The musical focuses on Carole King's early years during the so-called "Brill Building Era," and her partnership with her then-husband and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. It mostly takes place in the Aldon Music offices in New York City's Midtown, where King and Goffin worked literally in the next office over from songwriters Weil and Mann. It's there that their lasting friendship began -- one that continues to this day.  In an interview with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Weil and Mann reflect on those early years of collaboration and share the backstory about some of the most popular -- and some of the least known -- songs from their huge catalog.  Interview Highlights Cynthia Weil, on why there were so many married couples writing hits in the early '60s: There was us and Carole [King] and Gerry [Goffin] and Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. I don’t know. I just think when you put the opposite sexes in a room to write a song, there’s something very sexy about it. Things happen. And they lead to marriage. Weil, on Aldon Music's reputation for being a "songwriting factory":  More than a factory, it was a school. It was like going to rock and roll university. We learned from each other, we learned from [Don] Kirschner, we learned from the radio. We were sponges, just soaking up everything we could learn about writing lyrics. As Barry has always put it, we were the bridge between Tin Pan Alley and rock and roll. Barry Mann, on adapting to the "British invasion" and bands writing their own songs: When the English sound came in — The Beatles, and everybody else — all the songwriters were worried about it, including Cynthia and myself. But if you look at our catalog, we wrote “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” during that period. We wrote “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” during that period. We wrote “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.” So with all our fears, it didn’t matter. We just kept going straight ahead, and we did great.  

Today, Bruce Springsteen officially released his 18th album, High Hopes. “Officially” means just that — the album has been streaming online and floating around on file-sharing services after a much-publicized leak by Amazon in late December. That’s given Springsteen fans time to spend with this odd creature of an album something of an odd creature. Billboard’s Caryn Rose shares her reaction to High Hopes.