Pop Kitchen

A New year, a new decade, a new season of Pop Kitchen. And we are kicking things off with Jeff's birthday special. Take a trip with us back to 1983 to talk about a few hit songs that found their way into Jeff's DNA.  And we will, of course, dive into a couple other memorable tunes that burrowed their way into Jeff's musical psyche.  37 years of random musical obsessions...there's a lot to discuss.

Join us for th...

This. Is. The. End...of the year...of the decade...of the inaugural season of Pop Kitchen. Jeff and Lesley take time out of their New Year Celebration to recap and recount some of the best pop songs of this past decade. Who mattered? What did we love? Why did we love it? What songs made a lasting impact on the climate of pop music? We talk about the biggest hits, biggest artists of the past ten years and what made them stand out. S...

The Data is in and theres no denying it. Jeff and Lesley talk about the songs, artists and genres that occupied their headphones this past year. In preparation for their year-end and decade-end episode, we face the music and share our most listened to tracks of 2019. Some surprises along with our obvious favorites.... what did you stream in 2019 ?

Also Discussed

- Katy Perry

- Taylor Swift

-Arizona

- Mansionair

- Kelly Clarkso...

As great as Maggie's new track " Love You For A Long Time " is, it reminded us of the pop greatness of her biggest hit to date , " Light On " 

At first listen, you might not recognize the similarities with Harry Styles " Lights Up ",  but more than the similar titles among other things, the tracks share a co-writer and some west coast synth undertones. Lesley and Jeff break down the lyrical context and speculate wildly at...

It is finally time. Time to get into the history of Max Martin, from Ace of Base, to his new musical & Juliet, and everything in between. Time to talk about the pop genius who helped launched the careers of Britney Spears & Katy Perry, to name a few.  Time to discuss the music master that is responsible for some of the greatest songs of our time. And its finally time to hear the story of Lesley Roy. Pop Kitchen ge...

As Taylor releases a new version of her single, Lover, with megastar Shawn Mendes, Lesley and Jeff are led to discuss duets and collaborations like Ed Sheeran and Beyonce's "Perfect ." Is Camilla Cabello jealous that Shawn is Taylor's Lover?? Is this a better collaboration than Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber? Are we just living in a cross marketing music world? Did Freaky Friday create an entire movie genre? (WAIT! what? that has ...

Omg, we're back again....!!!!! On our first Halloween episode, Lesley and Jeff try to figure out how a song like the Backstreet Boys'  "Everybody" can be so strongly associated with Halloween. But can you discuss Halloween music without talking about "Thriller?"  We think not!!! We talk chromatics, dissonance and using simple bass lines as key features in creating a leading "scary sound."  Other chilling examples inc...

This week, the Gods of Pop demanded we talk about Katy Perry. Lesley and Jeff mystically connect on a mutual favorite Katy track just days before Katy release a surprise new song "Harleys in Hawaii." 

Lesley shares stories of writing and recording with Katy for her own album, Unbeautiful, while Jeff dives into their shared Christian upbringing and its musical influence on Katy’s early writing. They had to talk about it, they h...

Sometimes it happens, we've all been there, the dreaded BREAKUP!! Whether you are peeling yourself off the (pop) kitchen floor or jumping on the couch with middle finger in the air, a great breakup song on repeat can really cure the lonely nights!!!   Jeff and Lesley dissect a recent and a classic breakup song. They discuss the synths and sonics behind Lauv's snap happy " Fuck Im Lonely" the duet with Anne-Marie off his r...

With new music this month from some of the biggest Queens of Pop, we have no choice but to do a little Diva comparison! While Jeff won't shut up about Mariah, Lesley attempts to keep us on track with a review of Celine's new 4 song teaser from Courage, a mini breakdown of Mariah's "In The Mix " , as well as a look at the theme song for the upcoming Charlie's Angels Movie. .........     Maria, Celine, Ariana Oh M...

In Pop Kitchen's first ever interview, Jeff and Lesley talk to Chad Wolf of Carolina Liar and The Federal Empire. They dive into the production behind their 2008 album "Coming To Terms" and chat about Max Martin, Tobias Karlsson and Shellback. Having grown up in South Carolina, Chad discusses the influence the church had on his writing style and how that still provides a force today in his more recent band The Federal Empire. There...

When concept meets track....Lesley and Jeff give a listen to new songs from Katy Perry, Post Malone, and Noah Gundersen.  We're talking about that whole thing where someone has a clever little idea, and they try to match it musically, and it may or may not result in something aurally pleasant.  We'll give you our take on tracks from some of the biggest superstars, and perhaps introduce you to an artist or two you may not ...