Cover art for Crooner
Published
Reaktion Books, December 2023
ISBN
9781789147667
Format
Softcover, 224 pages
Dimensions
21cm × 14.8cm

Crooner Singing from the Heart from Sinatra to Nas by

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Crooners sing close to the mic in a soft, intimate style. In this book Alex Coles explores the crooner in popular music from the 1950s to the present.

Each chapter focuses on one song and one singer - Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, Barry White, David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Tom Waits, Grace Jones, Ian McCulloch, Nick Cave and Nas - and examines in detail how each contributes to the crooner image. The book describes how crooners traverse era, gender, geography and genre - where Barry White developed out of disco, Nick Cave sprung from alternative rock; where Grace Jones was born from reggae and funk, Nas originated from hip-hop. Ultimately, Coles shows how the crooner continues to be a figure that enables listeners to reflect on and communicate their emotions.

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