Otis Redding performs at Monterey Pop Festival, in Monterey, Calif., in June 1967. Photo by Bruce Fleming/Getty Images. It has once again been a long week, so I am once again defaulting to comfort music, and you once again get to hear it, too. You’re welcome. Like I said…

Aretha Franklin. Courtesy: Wikicommons. So, look: I love Billy Porter. He’s amazing, he’s awesome, he’s a fashion icon. He’s an overall talented man. But… what in the world was that cover of “For What It’s Worth” from the Democratic National Convention? It’s like a skit from a second-tier Adult…

Ah, 1968. So long ago, so different. Back then tensions were rising with North Korea, the United States was losing more and more troops in an unwinnable war, and black athletes were taking a controversial stand at major athletic events. Wait…huh… Anyway, the music was definitely better. Like last week’s…

Welcome to RIFF Rewind! Every week of 2018, we’ll highlight the top five songs of a different year as selected by our expert panel of tastemakers, by which, of course, I mean me (with help from my friends Robin St. Clare and Ash McGonigal, plus other contributors and RIFF…