Welcome to this Wednesday's Recommendation Engine from Podcast Rex, rounding up the week in podcast reviews. Get this in an email each week by signing up to be a supporter of Podcast Rex from £3.99.
Apple Podcasts New & Noteworthy:
Spotify New & 🔥
Big new releases: 28 Dates Later.
Fiona Sturges in the FT
- What Now? with Trevor Noah - “It is one of the advantages of celebrity-led podcasts that the hosts can bring in big-name interviewees. But it’s also a blight because the ensuing conversations quickly descend into chummy love-ins.”
James Marriott in the Times
- Boss Class - “The problem is that it seems virtually impossible to talk about management sensibly. All attempts to escape bullshit end up immured in bullshit. Even on this sensible podcast.”
Vicki Notaro in the Times
- Fess Up - “I know how tricky it is to explain how something looks over a podcast, but as beauty is just as much about how it makes a person feel, it works if you have the right balance of honesty, empathy and humour. The Dwyer sisters have achieved this balance, and their openness is the lynchpin of Fess Up.”
Miranda Sawyer in the Observer
- Where It’s At: A Short History of Girlbands - “This is a Radio 1 documentary, as opposed to Radio 4, so nothing is dwelt on for long. Interviews are trimmed into short, snappy clips; topics are dealt with in a couple of minutes. Actually, it’s refreshing not to have a point banged in hard.”
- 28 Dates Later - “Too much chat, not enough action – which possibly says more about me than this gently entertaining podcast.”
The Guardian’s Hear Here column recommends
- Anthems Talks: Transgender Awareness Week - “The excellent manifesto-setting series switches to one-on-one intimate discussions for its collection of five episodes celebrating Transgender Awareness Week.”
- 28 Dates Later - “The post-date debrief with her coupled-up best friend is gold.”
- Username Resurgent - “The story of a 16-year-old girl starting a true crime podcast to investigate her brother’s disappearance.”
- ODB: A Son Unique - “While it might be convenient to see him as a Grammy stage-invading clown, film-maker Khalik Allah’s excellent podcast investigates the real ODB.”
- Moriarty: The Silent Order - “The blockbuster retelling of Sherlock Holmes’s legend returns.”
And in the Guardian’s Guide newsletter
- Where It’s At: A Short History of Girlbands - “It starts, naturally, with the Spice Girls’ reign, before taking in everything from All Saints anti-pop to the rise of Black British girlbands like Mis-Teeq and Cleopatra.
Highlights from the Radio Times
- No Tippy Tappy Football - “A splendidly grumpy example of the genre.”
- Where’s Home Really? - “In series two Jimi Famurewa’s upped his game.”
- The Pursuit of Dadliness - “Erudite chat with guests that ranges from how the dadly can keep up with pop culture to a fascinating exploration of the Western genre.”
- Land of the Giants - “Absorbing.”
Heat’s Top of the Pods
Scott Bryan in Great British Podcasts
- 28 Dates Later - “An easy addition to your podcast routine.”
- Why? - “An engaging podcast that looks at a different scientific question each week. ”
- Life & Art from FT Weekend - “There’s an exploration on the issues in the arts and in our culture, starting with a deep dive into how Athens is coping with a huge influx of tourists.”
- Spiritual Mixtape - “A podcast that helps you find balance again.”
In PodPod’s Earworms column:
- Danni Haughan, Crafted Sound: Ghost Story - “This crazy mishmash of genres has totally got me hooked.”
- Sadia Azmat, Comedian: Off Menu - “It’s very unique.”
- Jack Drury, Shure: Dungeons and Daddies - “Super silly.”
- Ashley Samuels-McKenzie, Unity & Motion: The Wellbeing Wire - “A very humanising podcast.”
- Hannah Cahill, amp: Twenty Thousand Hertz - “I love the sonic deep dives.”
And on Podcast Rex, we’ve been taking a look at the best new music podcasts and the big winners from podcasting’s growing list of awards ceremonies.
