Tag Archives: music

White Paper: Better Man and the Truth of Robbie Williams: Artifice, Confession, and the Performance of Self

Posted on October 7, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This paper examines Better Man (2024), the feature film biopic directed by Michael Gracey and centered on British pop icon Robbie Williams, through the intersecting lenses of production, narrative structure, and public reception. The film’s unusual use of a … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Complicated History of the Release and Reception of Music from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Posted on October 6, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) occupy a unique and paradoxical place in rock history — as both a symbol of musical harmony and a case study in artistic conflict. Their recordings, both together and apart, trace the … Continue reading →

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White Paper: From “Not Reckless II” to Global Arena Rock: What Bryan Adams Has—and Hasn’t—Said About Into the Fire, Waking Up the Neighbours, and 18 ‘Til I Die

Posted on October 2, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Adams has publicly framed Into the Fire (1987) as a purposeful break from the teen-nostalgia/romance formula of Reckless (1984), accepting that some listeners expected a sequel and didn’t get one. He has said he wasn’t fazed by the … Continue reading →

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Set the Night to Music: A Long-Form Essay on Authorship, Interpretation, and Reinvention

Posted on September 30, 2025 by nathanalbright

Introduction In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Diane Warren’s ballads were unavoidable on American and international radio. Her songs were cinematic in scope yet crafted for intimacy, built on broad themes—love, longing, reconciliation—that made them adaptable across genres. Few … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Biblical Meaning and Importance of Heman and Ethan as Ezrahites in Psalms 88 and 89

Posted on September 29, 2025 by nathanalbright

Introduction The superscriptions of Psalms 88 and 89 identify their authors as Heman the Ezrahite (Psalm 88) and Ethan the Ezrahite (Psalm 89). These details, often overlooked, are not incidental. Biblical superscriptions frequently connect the psalms to historical figures, lineages, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Profit Pressures Behind Radio Format Changes — With Portland & The Dalles as Case Studies

Posted on September 28, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary Radio stations change or shutter formats when revenue, costs, and audience reach fall out of balance. In mid-2025 Portland lost “Bella 105” (Hot AC) when Audacy flipped 105.1 FM to a simulcast of sports “1080 The Fan,” and … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Belated Success of Buckingham Nicks (1973): What It Reveals about Two Troubled Careers—and What Could Come Next

Posted on September 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary After five decades out of print and absent from digital platforms, Buckingham Nicks was officially remastered and released on September 19, 2025, across streaming, CD, and multiple vinyl editions via Rhino. Early indicators—sell-outs of limited vinyl, retail chart … Continue reading →

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Album Review: Buckingham Nicks

Posted on September 26, 2025 by nathanalbright

Buckingham Nicks, by Buckingham Nicks For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of Fleetwood Mac. Yet until a few days ago, this particular album was nearly impossible to find, having been out of print for … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Tragedy of the Emotionally Damaged Smooth Operator: Sade’s Archetype and Drake’s Adoption of the Model

Posted on September 25, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This paper explores the tragic archetype embodied in Sade’s 1984 hit Smooth Operator—a figure of surface charisma concealing inner wounds—and examines the cultural and artistic consequences of Drake adopting this archetype as a model for identity and artistry. … Continue reading →

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White Paper: A Pardes Analysis of Trumpets in the Bible

Posted on September 23, 2025 by nathanalbright

Introduction Trumpets are among the most significant ritual and symbolic instruments in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. From Sinai to Jericho, from the Temple to the Last Trump, they are bound to revelation, warfare, worship, and eschatology. To … Continue reading →

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