Sound Opinions in Space, Opinions on Lizzo & Emily King

Space

For Sound Opinions' 700th episode, Jim and Greg are taking the show to outer space! They'll share some of their favorite songs about space in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11  moon landing. Plus, Jim and Greg review Cuz I Love You, the latest from hip hop and R&B artist Lizzo, and pop/soul  singer-songwriter  Emily King talks about the song that got her Hooked on Sonics.

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Cuz I Love You Lizzo

Lizzo

Lizzo has arrived, releasing her first full length album for Atlantic Records, Cuz I Love You. The R&B singer and rapper puts her talents on full display and uses the perks of being on a major label to create a genre-blending record. It's no secret that Jim loves Lizzo, and he's pleased with this album. He enjoys Lizzo's body-positive message, impactful lyrics and colorful personality. He believes she used the major label system to churn out a great pop record that is authentically her. Greg is also a fan, but worries about producers trying to pigeonhole her into a generic pop star role. He loves when the quirky details unique to Lizzo shine through, like her expert flute-playing and vocal inflections. Jim won't stand for any criticism of Lizzo, so they agree to disagree.

Songs About Space

Fifty years ago this summer, the Apollo 11 mission successfully put a man on the moon. In honor of that "giant leap," Sound Opinions is going to space with an interplanetary selection of songs.

Here are Jim and Greg's picks of songs about outer space from across the sonic galaxy, from Sun Ra to Portishead.

Jim

  • Hawkwind, "Space Is Deep"
  • PM Dawn, "Downtown Venus"
  • The Mekons, "Ghosts of American Astronauts"
  • Sun Ra, "Space is the Place"

Greg

  • Parliament, "Mothership Connection"
  • Monster Magnet, "Negasonic Teenage Warhead"
  • The Only Ones, "Another Girl, Another Planet"
  • Portishead, "Wandering Star"

Hooked On Sonics: Emily King

Emily King

Both Greg and Jim applauded Emily King's latest album, Scenery, which moves deftly between pop, soul, funk, gospel and even a bit of rock. For our occasional series Hooked On Sonics, Emily tells us about the seemingly disparate threads that helped to shape her music, and the song that got her Hooked on Sonics: "Castles Made of Sand" by Jimi Hendrix.

Jim

Most weeks, either Jim or Greg take a trip to the desert island and play a song they can't live without. This week, Jim selected "Mother Russia" by Renaissance, a classical-influenced British prog rock group. Jim thinks that the group doesn't get the respect it deserves. He goes on to add that he's "surpised that bands like The Decemberists or Arcade Fire don't mention Renaissance more as one of the orchestral-pop rediscoveries" because he "hears a lot of the roots of what orc-pop has been doing in the last decade in what Renaissance was doing in 1974."

Dear Listeners,

For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!