Laura Barton

Melisma, the art of running many notes from one syllable, dates to Gregorian chants and Indian ragas. It was adopted by African-American churches and popularized by soul singers like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin. In another installment of our Thursday series, "Sing Out," we’ll find out how melisma became the ...

Lesley Douglas, who coordinates pop music coverage at the BBC, said "For women, there tends to be a more emotional reaction to music. Men tend to be more interested in the intellectual side: the tracks, where albums have been made, that sort of thing." Today: we debate whether there is ...