Soft Rock
Also known as Soft Rock Ballads
A radio-friendly branch of rock that softened the edges without losing the hook, soft rock grew out of early-1970s pop-rock and singer-songwriter culture and became a lasting FM staple.
Origins and context
The style took shape in the early 1970s within U.S. pop-rock and singer-songwriter circles, with California bands and radio-friendly album rock helping define its mainstream sound.
History
Soft rock emerged in the early 1970s, partly as a reaction to the heavier, rougher sounds that had defined the late 1960s. AllMusic describes it as commercial and inoffensive in the era’s own terms, smoothing singer-songwriter and pop-rock ingredients into a broad radio style; Apple Music’s artist writeups for acts like the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Bread, and Carole King point to the same overlap of intimate songwriting, California pop, folk-rock, and polished production.
Notable artists
- EEagles
- FMFleetwood Mac
- BBread
- CKCarole King
- AAmerica
- CChicago
- JTJames Taylor
- ASAir Supply
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
Eagles
- 4
Fleetwood Mac
