June 22, 2021

Title: BACKING VOCALISTS

Constructors: Doug Peterson & Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CROWN JEWEL (16A: Prized part of a collection)

BUBBLEGUM PINK (25A: Color named for something that gets chewed)

APRICOT BRANDY (42A: Orange liqueur)

FROG PRINCE (56A: Royal critter in a fairy tale)

Theme synopsis: The last (BACKING) word of each theme answer is a one-named singer (VOCALIST).

And now a word from our constructors:

Doug: I'm stoked to be making my USA Today debut today and so happy that I got the chance to meet and work with Brooke. I feel this puzzle showcases both of our voices, and hey, we make a great team. :)
We came up with lots of singers and phrases while brainstorming, and as often happens, our favorite theme entry (BUBBLEGUM PINK) was sort of an afterthought. Enjoy the solve, and we're sorry if you catch an earworm.

Brooke: What a joy to co-construct with Doug for the first time (and definitely not the last — go team!) for this very fun puzzle! I'm so grateful that he came to me with this theme idea, and I love the clues that mention food — kokosh! Suero!
I was/am totally starstruck to work with Doug and benefit firsthand from his mastery of the craft, but the best parts were his overall kindness/graciousness throughout the process and how fun it was to tell stories and joke around as we filled and clued the grid. We'll be back soon! :)

Things I learned:

• SKA (38A: The Selecter genre) The SKA band, The Selecter, was originally formed in 1979. The name of the band is based on the Jamaican word for disc jockey, "selector." There have been several different iterations of the band since its formation. The Selecter's most recent album, Daylight, was released in 2017.
• POETS (40A: Elizabeth Acevedo and David Dabydeen, for two) Elizabeth Acevedo is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Poet X, a young adult novel about a Latina teenager who writes poetry to work through the conflict in her life. David Dabydeen has written poetry, novels, and nonfiction. His first book of poetry, Slave Song, was published in 1984. Dabydeen was born in Guyana, and moved to England at the age of 13. His writings often deal with experiences of colonialism and migration. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EVEN (15A: Unlike this clue's number) This was a fun way to clue EVEN.
• PANSY (30A: Flower with a "face") A PANSY is a type of Viola that was a result of cross-breeding in the early 1800s. The characteristic dark blotches on the petals are referred to by growers as the "face." Pansies are also edible (as long as they've been grown without pesticides). I have fond memories of the time (over 30 years ago now!) my husband and I were eating at a restaurant in the San Juan Islands and served a salad with pansies as garnish. The waiter enthusiastically informed us, "You can eat the flowers!" We did.
• ABC (34A: "Big Sky" channel) Big Sky is a TV show based on The Highway books by C.J. Box. The crime drama series premiered on ABC in November, 2020.
• MTV (37A: "___ Unplugged" (acoustic series)) MTV Unplugged first aired in November, 1989, and there have been multiple versions of the show since that time. The show features artists playing acoustic instruments. Some artists that appeared on the show released their session from the show as an "Unplugged" album, including Shakira (MTV Unplugged - 1999), Lauryn Hill (MTV Unplugged 2.0 - 2001), and Tony Bennett (MTV Unplugged - 1994).
• SARI (2D: Garment worn with a choli) A choli is a fitted bodice worn with a SARI. 
• ODE (6D: "___ to Prince" (Hanif Abdurraqib poem)) Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet and essayist. "ODE to Prince" is a poem from his 2016 debut poetry collection, The Crown Ain't Worth Much. You can watch Hanif Abdurraqib recite "ODE to Prince."
• JILL (17D: "First Wives Club" star Scott) In 1992, Olivia Goldsmith published a novel titled The First Wives Club. In 1996, a movie, The First Wives Club, was made based on the novel. In 2009, there was a musical, First Wives Club, based on the movie. The First Wives Club in today's clue is referring to the TV series based on the movie that premiered in 2019 on BET. JILL Scott plays the role of Hazel, one of three women who bond after their marriages fall apart.
• BABKA (25D: Cake similar to a kokosh) A BABKA is a braided sweet bread that originated in Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. It may be filled with cinnamon, chocolate, fruit, or cheese. A kokosh is a cake filled with chocolate or cinnamon; it is not braided, and is generally longer than a BABKA. 
• KITTY (29D: Feline friend, affectionately) You know I'm here for the feline clues! My husband and I frequently refer to Willow as KITTY, usually with a descriptor attached, such as "needy KITTY," "mouthy KITTY," or "up KITTY." (Often she is mouthy KITTY when she wants to be up KITTY!)
• PAS (30D: Faux ___) "Faux PAS" is a phrase borrowed from French that means "false step."
• LIME (39D: Suero fruit) Suero is a non-alcoholic cocktail made with soda water, LIME juice, and salt, served in a salt-rimmed glass. It is sometimes recommended as a hangover cure or an alternative to Gatorade for electrolyte replacement.
• BLIGE (44D: Singer Mary J.) Mary J. BLIGE's debut album, What's the 411?, was released in 1992. Since then she has had many hits, received nine Grammy Awards, and also has a successful acting career.

Geography review: 

• LAOS (39A: Phou Bia's country) Phou Bia is the highest mountain in LAOS.
• ALOHA (61A: Greeting on Kauai) Kauai is the fourth-largest (and second-oldest) of the eight major islands of Hawaii. I was excited to see Kanuai mentioned in this clue, as it is one of the three Hawaiian islands that have not been in the puzzle since I began blogging. (The linked post mentions four remaining, but we did see Hawaii on March 28, 2021.) The islands I'm still waiting for to collect a full set are Niihau and Kahoolawe.
• DENALI (8D: Highest peak in North America) DENALI is located in Alaska, and is the main attraction of DENALI National Park.
• CROW (48D: Montana language ) CROW is spoken by the CROW Nation in southeastern Montana.
• HOPI (49D: Arizona language) Hopi is spoken by the HOPI people of northeastern Arizona.

A delightful musical theme today. I enjoyed all of these theme answers, and even amused myself by imagining JEWEL wearing a CROWN, PINK chewing BUBBLEGUM, BRANDY eating an APRICOT, and PRINCE as a FROG. I also appreciated the musical touches that appeared throughout the puzzle, accompanying the theme and providing BACKING, so to speak. We had LOW notes, a HIT song, some SKA, MTV Unplugged, Mary J. BLIGE, and an ODE to one of our theme artists. Welcome to Doug Peterson as one of our constructors today! Great to see Doug's work in the USA Today. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Tuesday. Now that you've successfully solved today's puzzle and read my blog post, pick your favorite JEWEL, PINK, BRANDY, and PRINCE songs and enjoy a post-solve jam session! Feel free to drop your song suggestions in the comments.