Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

John Legend has a new album out. This is his eleventh but he hasn’t made anything quite like it before. It’s called Muse and it’s a 16-track record produced in full by Pharrell Williams, who also helped co-wrote and appears on six songs. The two have been friends for more than twenty years, but this is their first full-length collaboration. The project took shape after Legend appeared on Clipse’s comeback album, Let God Sort Em Out last year which Pharell also produced. The result trades the straightforward love-song approach for more of a concept album feel: a narrative story driven by dramatic strings, big horns, and cinematic soundscapes layered over contemporary beats. All the while, Legend has also been working on the theater side of his career. He wrote the music for Imitation of Life, a new musical at The Shed in co-production with the National Black Theatre, starring Tony winner Adrienne Warren.

On today’s episode, Justin Richmond talks to John Legend about making Muse with Pharrell, what it meant to make something a little out of his oeuvre and how writing for the stage on Imitation of Life differs from writing for his own repertoire.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from John Legend HERE.
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To close out the year we’ve been revisiting some favorite conversations from over the years. We started a couple of weeks ago with Patti Smith and Raphael Saadiq. This week we’re revisiting a conversation with English pop singer/songwriter RAYE. RAYE just won the Mercury Prize over the weekend for her sophomore release, THIS ALBUM MAY CONTAIN HOPE. that featured the huge single Where Is My Husband?

But this conversation covers her debut album, MY 21ST CENTURY BLUES which won Album of the Year and a historic total six wins at the 2024 Brit Awards. In our chat we discuss how a quote from Nina Simone gave her the courage to take control of her career and she explains the inspiration behind her sprawling multi-part single, “Genesis.”
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite RAYE songs HERE.
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For more than 20 years, Rhiannon Giddens has explored the musical traditions that shaped American culture, often bringing overlooked Black musicians and their contributions into focus. On her new album, Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, she brings together collaborators from throughout her career for a collection of songs deeply rooted in her native North Carolina.
In this conversation with Bruce Headlam, Rhiannon talks about the making of the album, how Emily Dickinson’s poetry inspired the title track, and why preserving the human element of music is more important to her than ever. She also discusses her new book, Go Back and Fetch It, which explores the early history of Black music in America and the Caribbean, and the influence of musicians like Elizabeth Cotten and Ola Belle Reed. Along the way, Rhiannon reflects on the importance of making music with other people, the traditions we've lost along the way, and the creative process behind her Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Omar.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Rhiannon Giddens HERE.
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Today we’re revisiting a conversation with R&B great Raphael Saadiq. Since this conversation aired, Raphael’s brother and bandmate in trio Tony! Toni! Toné!, D’Wayne Wiggins, passed away. In this episode we revisit some of the early days and recordings sessions of Tony! Toni! Toné!, their reunion tour and D’Wayne’s early involvement with Destiny’s Child. We also dive deep into Raphael’s solo career which has seen him release five albums starting with 2002’s Instant Vintage. His most recent album, Jimmy Lee, is a collection of very personal songs about the real traumas he and his family experienced growing up in Oakland, CA. Raphael’s also done some amazing work behind the board. He’s produced and written for the likes of D’Angelo, TLC, Mary J. Blige, Solange, Earth Wind and Fire and just recently he worked on a handful of songs on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. He’s also earned an Academy Award nomination for his work as a film composer.
Justin Richmond talks with Raphael Saadiq from his studio in Los Angeles about some of the incredible work he’s done recently. Raphael breaks down his collaboration with D’Angelo on the classic track “Lady,” and how Sly Stone bassist Larry Graham influenced a generation of musicians coming up in the Bay Area.
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Australian singer-songwriter Grace Cummings has one of those voices that’s hard to forget. It’s raw, powerful and deeply expressive, capable of moving from a delicate whisper to a full-throated roar.
Broken Record host Justin Richmond first discovered Grace in 2019, when her debut album, Refuge Cove, was released on Flightless Records, the label founded by members of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. With its stripped-down arrangements, plaintive songwriting and commanding vocals, the album quickly became one of Justin’s favorites.
Since then, Grace has expanded her sound considerably. For her two most recent albums, 2024’s Ramona and this year’s Bloodhorse!, she teamed up with Topanga Canyon-based producer Jonathan Wilson, who has worked with artists including Angel Olsen, Father John Misty and Margo Price. Together, they’ve moved beyond the spare acoustic sound of her early recordings, building lush, dramatic arrangements around Grace’s unmistakable voice and deeply personal songs.
On today’s episode, Grace talks with Justin about making Bloodhorse!, her Irish heritage and the influence of traditional Irish folk music on her songwriting. She also treats us to two performances, playing “Judy’s Pool” and “John Lennon.”
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