Let's Get Loud 💃
Aaaaaaack, Only Murders finale, and lists! Oh my!
Hey Poddy People,
How you doin’? I am currently learning the complicated lesson on network effects for a startup's growth and looking to apply it to Great Pods. Aack!
Reviews update: If you are a podcaster with a Critic review, feel free to send it my way and I can add it to the Great Pods directory. The writeup should have at least something telling us, the reader/listener, why the reviewer liked or disliked the podcast, not just a description.
TV - Pod Update:
Only Murders In The Building wrapped up the first season this week. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s great, and with a podcast premise. There is also a supplemental official podcast. See the Honorable Mention section below.
Being the Ricardos released their movie trailer this week as well. The movie stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, while it’s written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. Based on the life of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, many fans were unsure of the casting, but the trailer looks promising. I bring this up because you can get your Lucy fill with two podcasts right now: Let’s Talk To Lucy and the new season of TCM’s The Plot Thickens.
Industry News: Did you know there was an American Influencer Awards Show? I didn’t. Well, they added a Podcast of the Year category now. Nominations include Alexandra Cooper, Laverne Cox, Dax Shepard, Emma Chamberlain, Kaitlyn Bristowe, and Molly Sims.
Table of Contents:
Two Recs w/ Critic Reviews
One Honorable Mention
Two New Releases
A short list of just added podcast/reviews
Top five pages on Great Pods this last week
On to my picks this week…
Podcast: Loud
Genre: Music History - Documentary
Publisher: Spotify
I recall reading a Critic review of Loud a couple of weeks ago and adding it to GP. I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to listen to it until KQED radio re-aired a segment discussing the podcast. I easily burned through four episodes. Loud, a Spotify exclusive to the app, is the in-depth history of the musical genre, reggaeton.
It was the perfect addition to your listening queue if you are hitting up the gym and want to try a podcast as part of your workout. It reminded me of that fun Netflix documentary, This Is Pop, but for listening.
While Daddy Yankee made reggaeton mainstream, the history of the genre can get quite deep with host/artist Ivy Queen.
An in-depth review from the Times:
Isabelia Herrera - New York Times
“It forces us to listen to reggaeton with complexity — as much complexity as the music and its history hold in the first place.”
The quick review from PodcastReview.org nails the feeling I got while listening:
Podcast Review Staff - PodcastReview.org
“The Spotify Original is rich in both sound and narrative, with the company’s licensing coming in handy to play the genre’s foundational hits. The music — five minutes do not pass without a sample — propels the show forward.”
I just learned what DemBow is via the podcast.
Podcast: Aack Cast by Jamie Loftus
Genre: Society
Publisher: Jamie Loftus, iHeart
Comedian Jamie Loftus (My Year In Mensa) is back with another solid podcast based on the classic newspaper comic strip, Cathy.
About: In this podcast, Jamie Loftus weaves between reporting and fiction, putting a cruelly treated cartoon everywoman in context.
Friend of GP, New York Times producer and columnist, Pheobe Lette recently did a Q&A with Loftus: Read it here. Part of my decision to look up more about the podcast was because of the article.
Hot Take: I feel like we are witnessing the type of growth an artist would go through from album to album. Except, in this case, it’s podcast to podcast. There was something about My Year In Mensa that was wham-bam, moving at a mile a minute that was great as a freshman entry. Then you get Jamie’s second podcast (or album), Lolita, which is far more serious, but there is curiosity in her nuance and research that was well-developed.
Finally, in her third podcast series, you hear all the growth from the previous two podcasts in the premise, research, jokes, and interviews. We are seeing the growth of a podcaster and that’s exciting for me. Just like Loud, I burned through three episodes already. I like using the phrase “burning through” this week. Cut me some slack!
Marnie Shure - AV Club
“Loftus, nimbly zooms in and out on Cathy’s 34 years on the funnies page to examine the strip’s place in comics history...”
Honorable mention
Podcast: Only Murders In The Pod
Genre: TV & Film
Publisher: Straw Hut Media
Having mentioned the show above, the supplemental “aftershow” podcast just finished the season just like the show. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You have a great behind-the-scenes look with the entire creative team episode to episode. Something I love to compliment is their choice of editing. When a guest has a long-winded answer, they slowly faded them out with the host summarizing their answer and moving on to the next question/discussion point. Mental note taken. I burned through all ten episodes already.
New Release Honorable Mention: Launched this week is Backstage Pass with Eric Vetro.
About: “On Backstage Pass, Eric’s celebrity students retrace their vocal journeys, from the very first song they ever sang, through notable challenges in their careers.”
In episode one, Ariana Grande chats about singing the national anthem at the Florida Panthers game when she was eight. She is such a delight.
New Release Honorable Mention: Also, launched this week is Lemonada’s first True Crime Podcast, Believe Her.
About: “In September 2017, young mom Nikki Addimando shot and killed her partner, Chris Grover. She was sentenced to nineteen years to life in prison for murder. Through rare access to police audio, a month-long trial, conversations with Nikki, and original reporting, journalist Justine van der Leun lays out the killing, the evidence, and the aftermath.”
You made it this far!
These are the just added podcasts/reviews to the site. Not all are listed. Go to the website to explore more!
Recently added to the directory:
Dr. Death Season 3: Miracle Man
True CrimeFinding Q
Society - Audible ExclusivePretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham
Society - ConversationThe Birthday Cake Game
GameshowPrincess of South Beach
Telenovela - English and Spanish
And finally, these are our top five visited pages in the last 7 days according to Google Analytics.
Tommies & Jerries
I need to listen to this one.
Keep safe, get the booster, and be kind!
XOXO
Captain Ron
Great Pods is a website that uses podcast critic reviews and ratings to help you find & decide your next podcast listen.