Unfortified Castle

Steve Winwood struck a balance between older R&B and soul and his own era's pop rock on one of his biggest songs.

The R&B and jazz virtuoso's artistic voice is shaped by multiple iconic inspirations — including some from his hometown.

TLC, fully immersed in the social world of the mid-90s, remind listeners they can find a way out of the darkness by being their own light.

Labelle's smash hit is so catchy because nearly every individual element is infectiously memorable on its own.

Alabama Shakes strike a beautiful balance between the deeply personal and the globally applicable in the narrative of their debut single.

Mario's signature song may seem simple at first, but closer inspection reveals several largely small, but impactful changes throughout.

A standout from her new record, the string-guided track breaks new ground for Adele in just how personal she allows her narrative to be.

Even with its title and sporting usage, Kool & the Gang's signature song embodies a more laidback form of celebrating.

In my excitement for this coming week, I hear this tune capturing my eagerness to go full speed ahead into these next few days.

...and I had to figure out which one version I liked / wanted to write about the most.

His accomplishments are visible throughout one of the Gap Band's signature and most evergreen songs.

The path between Talking Heads and Mariah Carey is surprisingly straight. And oh, isn't it fitting to talk about Mariah today of all days?

Miguel's most successful song is a modern configuration of the genre, with an old-fashioned word at its core.

Much more than a movie ballad, Seal's signature song deals with a duality between love and addiction for its entire duration.

Just as much as music has the ability to transport oneself to another place and time, it can also further ground you in your present surroun

Rising above the weight of unrealistic physical expectations, she delivers a soulful, guitar-driven affirmation of her self-worth.

In trying to be productive post-heartbreak, Solange captures the difficulty in resolving to face our most pressing problems.

Motown meets wall of sound meets breakup angst meets— wait, this song has an actual ending? Sick!

In reinterpreting Roberta Flack's soul classic, Lauryn Hill does the heavy lifting, but she's also never alone.

It doesn't get more 60s than how the Friends of Distinction spun an instrumental classic. And how do Zambia and Jim Brown each play a part?