Reporter
Reed is a pop music critic covering everything from indie rock and folk to Latin pop and hip-hop. He previously worked at The Standard-Times of New Bedford and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with degrees in journalism and Spanish.
Latest stories
Critic’s picks: Pop music
By James Reed , Globe Staff
After a lengthy hiatus and no new album since 2000’s “Voodoo,” D’Angelo made a triumphant return to performing live last year.
It’s never ‘Too Late’ to discover Carole King
By James Reed , Globe Staff
My mom was only 15 when Carole King’s landmark record, “Tapestry,” was released in early 1971, but she listened to it on a loop in college after hearing “It’s Too Late” on the radio.Up until then my mother’s taste in music leaned toward the Beatles and Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World.” King’s music was different — written for everyone, but from a woman’s perspective. “Her songs had meaning,” my mother told me recently, before she launched into the first line of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” “Tapestry” became something of a soundtrack to my childhood, the one album my mother kept on cassette and transferred to every new car she got. King will be at TD Garden on May 30 for the Boston Strong benefit.
It’s never ‘Too Late’ to discover Carole King
By James Reed , Globe Staff
Carole King’s “Tapestry” became something of a soundtrack to music critic James Reed’s childhood, the one album his mother kept on cassette.
Charli XCX takes the pop world by storm
By James Reed , Globe Staff
Charli XCX’s new album “True Romance,” which is technically her second but sounds like a debut, has generated a healthy dose of buzz.