In 1966, the popular music landscape was undergoing a tectonic shift, and caught right in the center was the legendary Della Reese. Fresh off a string of massive pop-jazz hits at RCA Victor, including the number two smash "Don't You Know?", Reese made a radical strategic decision: she jumped labels to ABC Paramount and ditched her polished formula for a hard pivot into gritty blues standards. This episode of pplpod places her 1966 album, i like it like that!, under the microscope to explore the anatomy of a career pivot. We deconstruct the inherent friction of having a manager, Lee Magid, take over the producer’s chair—a move that blurred the lines between artistic expression and commercial calculation. From the lower-case aesthetic of the title to the o ...