How We Heard It

Here's some holiday music you'll like for a change

As another Christmas rolls around, you might want to enjoy something more than the same stale songs you hear every year.
This episode Chuck and Wayne dig through a sleigh full of albums to find the right match for you, including more than a dozen newish albums you maybe didn't know about (from Sabrina Carpenter to electronica) as well as older music you may have missed.
Whether you prefer remakes of classic songs by new artists or new songs by classic artists, and whether you like your music lavishly produced or humorous and weird, they've got you covered.
So freshen up your holidays and ho-ho-ho ...

Best breakup songs!

There are breakups and there are BREAKUPS songs.
If you've ever been through a BREAKUP, and even if you haven't, you know nothing gets you through drama like the right breakup song.
But what is the right breakup song? Do you need a good cry or a good laugh ... or maybe a good scream?
In this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran music critics Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell sort through some of the best, and worst, songs to help you move on from a broken relationship. From classic rock and country to modern pop and hip-hop, there's something for you.
And you don't even have to be breaking up with anyone to enjoy.
 

Why aren't they bigger?!? (Acts you may have missed)

We all wonder how some performers made it big. We question their talent, their fans and the world in general when we see their enduring popularity, and frankly we've had enough of them.
On the flipside, we all know performers we think should be more popular than they are. Despite all that they bring to the table, they aren't getting the recognition they deserve.
On this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran music journalists Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe take a look at some unappreciated artists - who they are, why they're special and why things didn't exactly go their way.

'Nepo babies' in music: the good, the bad and the unexpected

Hollywood is full of "nepo babies"- so much so that you might wonder if every famous actor today is the child of a famous actor or producer.
The same is true in the music industry, and you might be surprised who got a leg up on the competition thanks to mom and/or dad.
In this episode, veteran entertainment journalists Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe talk about the celebrity offspring of some of the biggest stars in music - ranging from the Beatles, Frank Sinatra to Hank Williams to Lenny Kravitz, Will Smith and Madonna.
Some of these nepo babies have failed to live up to expectations while others became bigger stars than their parents.
Chuck and Wayne also take a look at Blue Ivy Carter - whose parents, Beyonce and Jay-Z have been trying to make her a star since she was two days old. Is she destined for glory? Does she even want it?
 

Here are the cover songs that got it right (and wrong)

You might be surprised to find out how many of your favorite hits are actually cover songs - from Aretha Franklin's "Respect" to Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U."
This week Wayne and Chuck dive into the powerful world of cover songs - who has done them (spoiler alert: almost everybody) and why they would do them. They talk about who out-"Hurt" NIN, who out-"Creeped" Radiohead and the very rare times other artists have bested the Beatles with their covers of songs by the Fab Four.
The guys also talk about how a song about sex keeps getting covered as a song about religion, and they try to settle the great Whitney vs. Dolly debate.
 

How to use music to get what you need

Music can change your mood instantly. It can bring you joy or sorrow, and it can make you feel weird in ways you can't explain.
Music will make you remember someone you lost, it will remind you of places you've been, and it will conjure memories of the happiest and saddest times of your life. Sometimes even new songs will have a strange effect on you, bringing to mind thoughts you didn't know you had.
This week Chuck and Wayne talk about the power of music, how it can lift you and how it can crush you, and how you can use it to find the connection you need and how you can use it to escape.

Songs we never want to hear again!

Veteran music journalists Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell have heard tons of terrible songs over the years.
These are the worst of the worst.

Creepy songs need love too

There are love songs, breakup songs and party songs ... But on this episode, Wayne and Chuck spotlight disturbing music.
Whether or not these artists intended to chill their audiences, they somehow got under the skin of our not-so-fearless podcasters.
Listen if you dare.

Horrors! Have you missed these scary movies?!

Fans of scary movies have their favorite go-to films, but let's be real: There are so many new ones constantly coming out that it's easy to miss some.
With that in mind, Chuck and Wayne share some of their favorites that may have slipped under your radar, some you might want to see again and some that hardly anyone has ever heard of.
They talk about everything from the mousy woman who has to take on the underworld to the princess who has sex with a catfish and from "'Mean Girls' in a slasher film" to a serial-killer tire (you read that right).
There's something for everyone ... unless you're just weird.

Taylor Swift vs. Beyonce again? Get ready for more Grammys drama

Taylor Swift has had another groundbreaking year in music, but are voters for the Grammy Awards feeling Taylor-Swift burnout?
Beyonce has won more Grammys than any artist, but never for Best Album. Will voters listen to Jay-Z and finally reward her in that category, or will they snub her once again?
What about Grammy darling Billie Eilish? Will voters avoid the whole Taylor Swift vs. Beyonce drama altogether and just give another Best Album win to Eilish?
And what about Eminem, who has never won for Best Album? He's not getting any younger, so will this finally be his year?
The nominations haven't even been made yet, but Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe take an early look at the potential subplots for the 2025 Grammys - the effect that the politicking for awards is having on the ceremony, the spotty history of the Grammys and why these chunks of metal still matter to artists and fans.
Also, Wayne, once a Grammy Award nominee himself, tells his first-person account of being nominated, going to the ceremony and becoming a voter himself.