If you've ever wondered why you love a song and what that says about you this book will help you understand why. Susan is one of the smartest people in the world of music and this book will help you hear music more deeply and more thoughtfully. You can tell why Prince loved working with her Touré, author of I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon Susan Rogers, one of the authors of This is What it Sounds Like, is the sound engineer and record producer behind some of Prince’s biggest hits. So how did she come up with the book’s title? I’m embarrassed to say how long it took me to get it. What I didn’t get was the reason behind the subtitle, ‘What the Music You Love Says About You’, because it doesn’t do a very good job of describing the book. I think a better one would have been this quote, “...understand why you fall in love with a record...by understanding your listener profile". The listener profile it refers to is each person's unique response to seven key elements of music, such as melody, lyrics, timbre, authenticity, and more, that shapes their musical taste. A warts-and-all portrait of the famed techno-entrepreneur—and the warts are nearly beyond counting.

Now an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience, Rogers takes readers behind the scenes of record-making and leads us to musical self-awareness. She explains that everyone possesses a unique 'listener profile', shows how being musical can mean actively listening, and encourages us to think about the records that define us. I had heard Susan Rogers on a radio program, "Think," from KERA, and thought it was interesting to hear her speak about music. I got the book, but frankly, it wasn't nearly as interesting as the radio interview. I should have quit while I (or Susan Rogers) was ahead. But if you want a really good book on the topic, I wholeheartedly recommend Music, Math, and Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of Music, by David Sulzer, aka Dave Soldier, who activates in the same music industry. This is the immense power of lyrics: to enable us to momentarily become someone else." I found the section on lyrics fascinating! Now an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience, Dr Susan Rogers takes readers behind the scenes of record-making and leads us to musical self-awareness. She explains that everyone possesses a unique 'listener profile', shows how being musical can mean actively listening, and encourages us to think about the records that define us. Lively and illuminating, this book will refresh your playlists, deepen your connection to artists, and change the way you listen to music.

Susan Rogers found her superpower in the music world not as a musician, but as a master listener. Rogers’ book is a gift to music listeners of all kinds—because in listening we hear not only the music, we hear the sonic signature of our own soul. At one point, the author says that music that evokes memories are best loved. I can't speak for others, but I have a strong feeling that is not the case for the vast majority of music lovers. Maybe just those who are in a bad time of their lives that hear a song which evokes good past times, and they love it for that.

That's obvious, isn't it? But I'm a bit of all of the above, with a sweet spot for bass guitar and drums. The book doesn't mention any of it. We each seek out different sorts of experiences and emotional rewards from our musical encounters. Some listeners favor songs that evoke sweet nostalgia, while others crave a groove that matches their inner rhythm. Some listeners prefer to let their imaginations wander freely when they enjoy their favorite records, while others visualize specific scenes evoked by a song's lyrics. Some listeners covet innovative sound design, while for others it's all about that bass."

You possess a personalized “listener profile” defined by your brain’s unique response to the seven key dimensions of a record:

The records selected as exemplification in regard to different styles, instruments used, timbre, and other traits are chosen from just a few genres, and the most majority (if not almost all) are american musicians. The author loves most soul, blues, and jazz, and those are the most discussed records. Also, there are plenty of memories from her times as a producer, which didn't add any value to the topic. The mysterious gravitational tractor beam of musical obsession that has directed my entire life has now been explained so eloquently by Susan Rogers. She has guided me on a righteous riff to the engine room of my own unique musical journey Craig Northey, musician and film and TV composer