Contemporary Easy Listening
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Contemporary Easy Listening is the modern continuation of easy-listening values in post-1980 production: soft jazz harmony, adult-pop clarity, bossa or lounge undertow, and highly controlled vocals. The sound is elegant rather than grand, often mixing brushed grooves, mellow piano, acoustic bass, subtle strings, and tasteful digital polish.
History
As the old easy-listening format faded, a newer equivalent appeared in coffeehouse retail, upscale hotel-bar, and adult-album listening cultures, where polished jazz-pop, standards revival, and soft contemporary songwriting met; Basia, Sade, Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, and Michael Bublé became central reference points, proving that the easy-listening instinct survived not as Muzak but as a curated premium mood across late CDs, lifestyle radio, and streaming playlists.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “adult contemporary music”
- Wikipedia, “Adult Contemporary (chart)”
- Museum of Broadcast Communications, “Easy Listening/Beautiful Music Format.”