The Track Star Podcast

This week on the Track Star Podcast, we’re joined by New York Times music reporters Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli following the publication of the NYT’s “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.”

As the hosts of the popular music podcast “Popcast,” Jon and Joe are no strangers to passionate debate. Their work often explores contemporary music through both a critical and historical lens, helping listeners make sense of today’s artists in the broader context of popular music.

Although we only have time to dive into a handful of names from the list, Jon and Joe unpack the thinking behind their selections, discuss the challenges of being music critics and reporters in the modern media landscape, and share what continues to inspire their curiosity about music far beyond their own tastes and expertise.

This Episode’s Tracklist:
00:00 - Intro
1:03 - This Is What You Came For - Calvin Harris, Rihanna
10:26 - Digits - Young Thug
18:47 - I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
27:19 - The Book of Love - The Magnetic Fields
32:23 - Obsesión - Aventura, Judy Santos
47:29 - The Rising - Bruce Springsteen

Comedian, actor, and musician Eric André joins Jack for a conversation packed with punk legends, underground hip-hop, and some amazing music stories and further proves his musical knowledge runs just as deep as his comedy.

A lifelong musician who started on piano at age five before moving through tuba, cello, and upright bass, Jack and André trace the artists, records, and experiences that shaped his taste and ultimately led to his own music project, BLARF, which released a new album this year. They chat Death Grips, and him being the only person ever to witness a rehearsal of theirs, the chaos and influence of Butthole Surfers, and the importance of Frank Zappa especially as someone who attended Berklee College of Music.

This Episode's Track List:

All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
Giant Steps - John Coltrane
Poppin' My Collar (feat. Project Pat) - Three 6 Mafia
Get Got - Death Grips
I - Bad Brains
I'm The Slime - Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention
Pepper - Butthole Surfers
Black Satin - Miles Davis
War Over Land - JPEGMAFIA
All Caps - Madvillain
War - Edwin Starr

This week on the Track Star Podcast, we're joined by blues legend Taj Mahal. He spent over six decades expanding what the blues can be, weaving in Caribbean rhythms, folk, soul, and world music along the way. We got to discuss the artists and traditions that shaped both his career and the genre itself.

This playlist spans from Elvis Presley to Harry Belafonte to Miriam Makeba, and Taj Mahal has a story for every single one. He traces where this music comes from and connects the dots across Delta blues, jazz, Caribbean folk, South African rhythms, and Saharan guitar.

He shares how he discovered his favorite song growing up listening to his neighbor play John Lee Hooker on the porch, his deep love of bassists like Charles Mingus and Oscar Pettiford, the trip he took just to hear Ry Cooder play the 12-string guitar. We also talk about some of the standards he introduced and the most meaningful projects he worked on.

This Episode’s Track List:

00:00 - Intro

00:23 - Mystery Train - Elvis Presley

00:40 - That's All Right - Elvis Presley
1:44 - Boogie Chillen - John Lee Hooker

3:15 - Better Git It in Your Soul - Charles Mingus

4:33 - Day-O (Banana Boat Song) - Harry Belafonte

5:25 - Blind Willie McTell - Statesboro Blues

10:44 - Boomer's Story - Ry Cooder

13:36 - Matilda - King Radio

15:35 - Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotten

16:50 - Mbube - Miriam Makeba

17:13 - Mbube - Solomon Linda

18:02 - The Boy in the Bubble - Paul Simon

19:21 - Tamiditine - Bombino

Today, the always iconic Shania Twain is putting her music knowledge to the test. We met Shania on the streets of New York City and had a great conversation about country music, pop icons, the recording process, and her first big hit, "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" Showcasing her broad music knowledge, Shania shared stories about Carole King, Def Leppard, Tanya Tucker, Minnie Riperton, The Carpenters, and Mutt Lange.

This week on the Track Star Podcast, Ziggy Marley joins us to talk about his passion for reggae, the musical inspirations that shaped him, and the legacy he carries as part of reggae’s most influential family. Jack guides Ziggy through a conversation about the genre’s legends, and together they explore some of the artists who helped define reggae from its earliest days.

The discussion begins with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, who, alongside Bob Marley, formed The Wailers in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1963. From those Jamaican roots, the conversation travels through time to other pivotal voices in the genre, including Toots Hibbert and Burning Spear. Along the way, Ziggy reflects on the powerful role community played in shaping reggae and driving its message from the very beginning.

The episode also turns to Ziggy’s work as a producer on the biopic Bob Marley: One Love, which tells the story of his father’s life and legacy. Jack and Ziggy discuss the unique power of music in film, highlighting figures like Jimmy Cliff, who starred in one of the first Jamaican feature films to introduce reggae music to a global audience.

This Episode’s Tracklist:

00:00 - Intro

00:30 - Simmer Down - Bob Marley & The Wailers

3:08 - The Tide is High - The Paragons

3:38 - The Tide is High - Blondie

5:45 - Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear

11:10 - Equal Rights - Peter Tosh

14:06 - Pressure Drop - Toots & The Maytals

17:35 - Tomorrow People- Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers

18:48 - Genius Love - Tom Tom Club

20:35 - The Boy’s Doin’ It - Hugh Masekela

21:47 - Here Comes the Hotstepper - iNi Kamoze

24:45 - Racism Is A Killa - Ziggy Marley

27:57 - No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley & The Wailers

32:24 - The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff