{"id":3835,"date":"2025-08-15T10:38:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T10:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=3835"},"modified":"2025-08-15T10:38:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T10:38:00","slug":"book-review-kristofferson-67-astounding-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=3835","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

by Richard Somma<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Nonfiction \/ Music<\/p>\n

ISBN: <\/strong>9798891327337<\/p>\n

Print Length:<\/strong> 292 pages<\/p>\n

Publisher:<\/strong> Atmosphere Press<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Reviewed by Phillip Zozzaro<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>A window into the heart and mind of a beloved musical talent<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kris Kristofferson was a talented singer & prolific songwriter who released 18 solo albums in addition to nine collaboration albums (\u201cThe Highwaymen,\u201d Rita Coolidge, Barbra Streisand) during his life.<\/p>\n

Kristofferson\u2019s skills as a lyricist often paid dividends for the artist who used his work, such as Johnny Cash (\u201cSunday Mornin\u2019 Comin\u2019 Down\u201d), Sammi Smith (\u201cHelp Me Make it Through the Night\u201d) and posthumously for Janis Joplin (\u201cMe and Bobby McGee\u201d). When listening to a song, there is often a personal connection between the listener and the balladeer.<\/p>\n

In Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs<\/em>, author Richard Somma dives deep into the world of Kris Kristofferson, examining his background, influences, and environment that lit his flame of creativity.<\/p>\n

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Somma provides a roadmap for optimal listening, choosing songs that were either written or recorded by Kristofferson or recorded by a musical act who impacted Kristofferson. Somma helps us see the deeper meaning in songs like \u201cHelp Me Make it Through the Night,\u201d a song about lost love where the influence of country singer Hank Williams is undeniable.<\/p>\n

The tragic story of a drunkard is narrated in \u201cSunday Mornin\u2019 Comin\u2019 Down,\u201d a country song that would be recorded by Cash, Ray Stevens, and Kristofferson. In addition to breaking down the song selections by decade, Somma supplies the reader with crucial information to the song (i.e. Album, release date and record label) as well as elucidating how he came to his conclusions about particular tunes.<\/p>\n

Kris Kristofferson could take a subject such as Hollywood and the abuse of the star system and turn it into a powerful critique, such as in \u201cGolden Idol.\u201d The dispirited soldier arriving home to the jeers and taunts of ungrateful protesters is reflected on in \u201cViet Nam Blues.\u201d Kristofferson was able to infuse his lyrics with free verse poetry that was powerful and often personal.<\/p>\n

Richard Somma possesses a golden ear for lyrical intent. Yet his book has a two-fold purpose: share his appreciation for the music of Kris Kristofferson and allow the reader to listen for themselves and detect the subtle nuances of the late singer\/songwriter. Somma provides the links for both fascinating literature on the late singer but also links to the songs listed (via Spotify and other outlets).<\/p>\n

Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs<\/em> is an insightful book fueled by the love of music. The interpretation of song lyrics has been done before, but Richard Somma\u2019s book stands out as a more personal effort. This faithful, well-rendered book is an excellent companion for those who are already in love with Kristofferson and those who are about to be.<\/p>\n

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Thank you for reading Phillip Zozzaro\u2019s book review of Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs <\/em>by Richard Somma! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.<\/p>\n

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The post Book Review: Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs by Richard Somma Genre: Nonfiction \/ Music ISBN: 9798891327337 Print Length: 292 pages Publisher: Atmosphere Press Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Phillip Zozzaro A window into the heart and mind of a beloved musical talent Kris Kristofferson was a talented singer & prolific songwriter who released 18 solo albums in addition to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}