Electronic music pioneer Howard Jones joins us to talk about everything from classic hits such as "Things Can Only Get Better" and "No One is to Blame" to his recent live album, Live at the O2.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott remind our listeners to send in their favorite lyric line, as well as their least favorite lines from songs they otherwise love. Then Richard Evans joins us to talk about his book Listening to the Music the Machines Make.

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Howard Jones

ABOUT HOWARD JONES
Electronic music pioneer Howard Jones first exploded on the scene in 1983 with his synthesizer-led UK Top 5 pop hit “New Song.” His debut album, Human’s Lib, reached #1 in 1984 in the UK and featured the hits “New Song” and “What Is Love?” In 1985, Howard released the follow-up, Dream Into Action, which became a Top Ten Platinum album in the US and featured the smash hits “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life In One Day,” “No One Is To Blame,” and “Like To Get To Know You Well.” Other highlights from subsequent albums include “You Know I Love You…Don’t You?” which hit the Top 20, as well as the US hit “Everlasting Love.”

To date, Howard Jones has sold over 10 million albums and continues to make new music and tour the world. His hits can be heard in high-profile television series and films such as “Stranger Things,” “Breaking Bad,” “Watchmen,” “The Carrie Diaries,” “Superstore” and “Bumblebee”. His most recent studio album is Dialogue, which was released in September, 2022, completing a trilogy of electronic releases that also includes the multimedia project Engage from 2015 and the studio album Transform from 2019. In August he released Live at the O2, which was recorded earlier this year at the famed London arena.

Shelby Lynne is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her landmark classic album I Am Shelby Lynne, which won her a Grammy award for Best New Artist. We recently sat down with Shelby to discuss the evolution of her songwriting, from her early days in Nashville to her recent genre-defying "comeback" album Consequences of the Crown.

PART ONE
Scott and Paul talk about their favorite single lyrical lines, lyrics that bug them from songs they otherwise like, and quibble over one of Kris Kristofferson's best-known lines. Plus, they call on listeners to submit their own choices for discussion on an upcoming episode.

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Shelby Lynne

ABOUT SHELBY LYNNE
Shelby Lynne won the Grammy award for Best New Artist in the wake of her genre-bending and critically-acclaimed 1999 album, I Am Shelby Lynne. But it was actually her sixth studio album on an artistic path that took time to unfold. Lynne and her sister, fellow artist Allison Moorer, grew up surrounded by country music. As detailed in Moorer’s gripping memoir, Blood, they were also surrounded by violence and trauma. Both found escape through music, with Lynne signing her first recording contract at the age of 19. Initially working with legendary producer Billy Sherrill, best known for his albums with Tammy Wynette and George Jones, Shelby released a series of albums from Nashville in the late ‘80s through the mid-‘90s. She won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female Vocalist Award in 1991, and was nominated for the ACM’s Top Vocal Duo of the Year honor with Faith Hill in 1996. Without any major hit singles, however, Shelby eventually took a break from recording.

After moving to Palm Springs, California, and partnering with producer Bill Botrell in 1998, she changed direction and found new footing as an uncategorizable artist committed to artistic integrity. The result, I Am Shelby Lynne, has recently been re-released in a 25th Anniversary edition. Follow-up albums Love, Shelby, Identity Crisis, Suit Yourself, and the Dusty Springfield tribute Just a Little Lovin’ were well-received precursors to Lynne launching her own record label. Her subsequent albums Tears, Lies and Alibis, Merry Christmas, Revelation Road, and I Can’t Imagine all reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk chart, as did her 2017 collaborative album with sister Allison Moorer. Shelby has recently returned to Nashville and has collaborated with Ashley Monroe, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, and others to create her seventeenth album, an unflinchingly honest exploration of heartbreak, called Consequences of the Crown.

Three-time Grammy nominee Tayla Parx talks about her artist career and her role as a behind-the-scenes songwriter who has crafted huge hits for Ariana Grande, Panic! At the Disco, Dan + Shay, and many others.

PART ONE:
Is Dave Grohl this generation's Phil Collins?

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with Tayla Parx

ABOUT TAYLA PARX:
Three-time Grammy nominee Tayla Parx is both a highly regarded artist and a successful behind-the-scenes songwriter. In 2019 she won Billboard’s “Hitmaker” award, recognizing her as the first female songwriter since 2014 to have three simultaneous Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Her hits for other artists include Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes,” “Love Lies” by Khalid and Normani, Dan + Shay’s country chart topper “Glad You Exist,” and the Ariana Grande hits “thank u next,” “7 rings,” and “34+35.” She has contributed to songs by Danity Kane, Fifth Harmony, Jennifer Lopez, Keyshia Cole, Mariah Carey, Jason Derulo, Chris Brown, Pentatonix, JoJo, Alicia Keys, Meghan Trainor, Demi Lovato, Fergie, Big Boi, Christinia Aguilera, Janelle Monae, Anderson .Paak, Kesha, Megan Thee Stallion, John Legend, Dua Lipa, and many others. Her songs have amassed over 15 billion streams on Spotify and have appeared on Billboard’s pop, hip hop, R&B, Latin, and country charts, where she became the fourth Black woman in history to write a #1 country song.

Born in Dallas, Parx’s family relocated to Los Angeles where she studied at Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy. Impressed with her talent, Allen encouraged Tayla to pursue acting. Her breakthrough role came with her portrayal of Little Inez Stubbs in the 2007 remake of Hairspray, and she went on to appear on several Nickelodeon shows before signing her first songwriting deal at the age of 19. As a solo artist Tayla has released three full-length albums, an EP, and a mixtape. Her most recent album is called Many Moons, Many Suns.