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Hearts On Fire: The Underbelly of Soul & Country

By Ilya Zinger, eMusic Contributor

For decades the genres of soul, R&B and country, with their straight-from-the-gut, heart-wrenching songwriting, existed in the shadow of rock's exuberant monolith. Legends like Curtis Mayfield, Gram Parsons and Loretta Lynn never graced a Rolling Stone cover. Yet, certified geniuses Charlie Parker and Biggie Smalls were known to request the twang of a country station from time to time while rock god David Bowie spent the better part of his early career miming the wail… more »