Author:Nick Coleman
***ONE OF BILLBOARD'S TOP TEN MUSIC BOOKS OF 2018***
‘A brilliant book about singing… I have been talking to Nick Coleman about music, in person and in my head, for forty years now. [With Voices] you have the opportunity to hear what I have heard. I hope you take it’ Nick Hornby in The Believer
What happens when we fall in love with a voice; the siren call of someone singing?
The history of post-war popular music is traditionally told sociologically or in terms of musicological influence and innovation in style. Voices takes a different tack. In ten discrete but cohering essays Coleman tackles the arc of that history as if it were an emotional experience with real psychological consequences – as chaotic, random, challenging and unpredictable as life itself.
Voices is the story of what it is to listen and learn. Above all, it is a story of what it means to feel.
Voices isn’t just illuminating and thought-provoking and clever; it is exciting.
—— Roddy DoyleA brilliant book about singing… I have been talking to Nick Coleman about music, in person and in my head, for forty years now. [With Voices] you have the opportunity to hear what I have heard. I hope you take it
—— Nick Hornby , The BelieverA deeply personal hymn, aria, sea shanty and saloon bar serenade… Voices is not merely an elegantly written study of a parade of fabled artists, but a long, heartfelt song of gratitude. It’s well worth hearing.
—— Graeme Thomson , The Mail on SundayUnusual and affecting… An elegant, controlled writer whose curiosity is as engaging as his whooping passion.
—— Jane Graham , Big IssueExhilarating… Coleman hears better and more clearly with half an ear than the rest of us do in a lifetime with two.
—— Alexandra Coghlan , SpectatorNot just a gallery of pen portraits of [Nick Coleman's] favourite singers but an impassioned examination of why certain voices ‘speak’ to us… Like the best music criticism of yore, [Voices] tangentially covers the history of popular music… He’s enjoyably sniffy about Jagger; insightful on Joni… but mostly Voices believes in magic.
—— Chris Roberts , Classic RockA brilliant read.
—— James McNair , NationalA fantastic writer.
—— Lois Wilson , Mojo[Voices] will have you delving into your music collection with fresh thanks and renewed appreciation.
—— Duncan Fletcher , Shindig!Fans of all genres can dip in for thoughts on nearly everyone in the rock canon.
—— Helen Brown, **Books of the Year** , Daily Telegraph[Coleman] hears, listens, better with a quarter of an ear than most of us do with both. He has the knack of summing up a singer with an epigram that makes the listener thrill in agreement
—— The Wall Street JournalA lovely book. A love letter to George
—— Graham Norton, BBC1A touching and vivid nostalgia trip - with great photos
—— BestTop 50 gift picks for the book lovers in your life
—— The HeraldA fond look back at the Wham! star's life in the group that helped define Eighties pop
—— Choice MagazineWill no doubt appeal to the fanbase . . . Humorous and touching
—— Times Literary SupplementJoyful nostalgia
—— Daily ExpressAs a hard-nosed ex-detective, it was a source of much hilarity that I am such a Wham! fan but my copy of this is a prized possession
—— Peter BleksleyOne of the most interesting feminist voices in popular culture
—— The Pool