Adult Contemporary / Easy Pop
familyStarted 1960sPeak 1975-1995Last big hit still active
The smooth, mature wing of pop: soft vocals, clean uncluttered arrangements, ballads built on piano, acoustic guitar, warm pads and tasteful strings. Tempos sit mid to slow, hooks are melodic rather than aggressive, and production stays low-friction and radio-warm. Music engineered to soothe a grown-up audience rather than provoke a dance floor.
History
Crystallized in the late 1960s-70s as US radio split 'Adult Contemporary' from rock-leaning Top 40, giving softer acts a home. Through the 1980s lite-FM dominated, polishing the sound with reverb and synth pads. The family spans crooners, yacht-smooth grooves, orchestral ballads and Britain's jazzy sophisti-pop, all united by polish over edge.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_contemporary_music
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/adult-contemporary-ma0000002745
- https://www.britannica.com/art/pop-music