What is Slow Rock/Soft Rock, Light Rock or Easy Rock?

Slow Rock/Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock and roll to compose a softer, more toned-down sound for listening, often at work or when driving. Soft rock is usually sung with higher-pitched vocals, and the lyrics tend to be non-confrontational, focusing in very general language on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of pianos, synthesizers and sometimes saxophones. The electric guitars in soft rock are normally faint and high-pitched.

History

Soft rock emerged in the early 1970s, both as a reaction against the increasingly heavy music (punk rock and heavy metal etc.) that was developing at the time, and also as a reflection of the changing priorities of the Baby Boom. What set 1970s soft rock apart from its 1960s counterpart, which for lack of a better word is usually just called "pop", is that in the 1960s pop existed for those who simply didn't like rock; the 1960s' pop artists usually were vocalists who were stylistic throwbacks to the pre-rock era. Soft rock developed organically to suit the needs of those who did have rock listening experience; as such, it can be considered a bona fide rock genre.