Episodes
At Ye's listening events, true believers rally around a chaotic idol
February 20, 2024 10:30Vultures 1. His new collab with Ty Dolla $ign is now a No. 1. album.'/> Kanye West has made stumbling rollouts, toxic comments and blown deals his calling card. But at the launch for his new album Vultures 1, it's clear there's one place where his magnetism hasn't faded. (Image credit: Jason Martinez) * This article was originally published here
Can Thom Yorke escape his own voice?
February 19, 2024 10:09The second album from Radiohead offshoot The Smile is very good. But can its singer ever transcend his role in his revolutionary other band? * This article was originally published here
The Paranoid Style blends rock with literary flair with 'The Interrogator'
February 18, 2024 10:06The Washington D.C.-based band is led by Elizabeth Nelson, who is also a published music critic. It shows — the music is packed with wordplay, jokes and an undercurrent of serious dread. * This article was originally published here
Is André 3000 in his jazz era?
February 17, 2024 10:06During his residency of the famed Blue Note jazz club in New York, the OutKast-rapper-turned-flutist showed us why New Blue Sun is both less and more than that question. (Image credit: Dervon Dixon) * This article was originally published here
New songs by Brittany Howard, Jim Kweskin and Colby T. Helms crackle with energy
February 16, 2024 10:15Fresh Air's rock critic recommends three songs that transcend age and genre: Howard's "Another Day," Kweskin's duet with Maria Muldaur, "Let's Get Happy Together," and Helms' "Leanne." * This article was originally published here
On 'What Now,' Brittany Howard is a virtuoso in pursuit of a flow state
February 10, 2024 10:03The former Alabama Shakes leader is in total control of her new album's genre-defying odyssey through this thing called life, evoking the mastery of another do-it-all maestro: Prince. (Image credit: Medios y Media/Getty Images) * This article was originally published here
'Fresh Air' marks the 100th birthday of legendary opera soprano Maria Callas
October 26, 2023 10:12Widely considered the greatest singing actor in opera history, Callas died in 1977 at the age of 53. Now, several new releases celebrate both her singing and her acting. * This article was originally published here
Blink-182 is back with reunion record 'One More Time'
October 21, 2023 10:15Blink-182's new album is called One More Time, and it's the first for their classic lineup in 12 years — the same three members who landed those pop-punk hits in the late 1990s and early 2000s. * This article was originally published here
'Archives' box set surveys a crucial part of Joni Mitchell's pop career
October 14, 2023 10:27The five discs in Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 3, The Asylum Years (1972-1975) represent both a summation of Mitchell's pop achievement and a harbinger of her later, more experimental work. * This article was originally published here
An appreciation of Von Freeman, the patron saint of Chicago jazz musicians
October 03, 2023 10:06The tenor saxophonist, who died in 2012, would have been 100 on Oct. 3. Freeman's weekly jam session at the New Apartment Lounge on Chicago's South Side became an international pilgrimage site. * This article was originally published here
On 'Scarlet,' Doja Cat finds power harnessing the darkness of online vitriol
September 29, 2023 10:06The pop star has always loved out-trolling her trolls. But Doja Cat's fourth album and dramatic rollout pushes that persona further, interpreting her antics through a playfully demonic lens. (Image credit: Illustration by Jackie Lay) * This article was originally published here
Celebrating jazz great Sam Rivers, on what would have been his 100th birthday
September 26, 2023 10:21The composer and multi-instrumentalist from El Reno, Okla., played blues, bebop, big-band music and free jazz — and sometimes a mix of everything. Rivers also gave other musicians a place to play. * This article was originally published here
Musician Allison Russell is full surprises and ambition on 'The Returner'
September 13, 2023 10:03The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist spent years in various bands, including Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters. Now Russell's startling sophomore album serves as a sort of rebirth. * This article was originally published here
Tiny Tech Tips: From iPhone to Nothing Phone
September 12, 2023 10:09As the world waits for the iPhone 15, a loyal iPhone user tries out a competitor, the Nothing Phone 2. (Image credit: courtesy of Nothing) * This article was originally published here
Critic's corner: Blur's 'The Ballad of Darren'
September 09, 2023 10:15British band Blur, lead by singer-songwriter Damon Albarn, has a new album. It's called The Ballad of Darren. * This article was originally published here
Nicki Minaj paints hip-hop pink — and changes the game
September 08, 2023 10:27The 2010 Nicki Minaj album Pink Friday brought vibrant new shades to hip-hop. (Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) * This article was originally published here
Bon Iver wasn't born in a vacuum — it took an 'Epoch' to form
August 30, 2023 10:26DeYarmond Edison's Epoch revels in the early alchemic triumphs of Bon Iver and Megafaun members. But the box set also reminds us that no moment of creative inspiration takes place spontaneously. (Image credit: D.L. Anderson/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Noname's 'Sundial' pursues a hip-hop revolution
August 29, 2023 10:12The Chicago rapper and poet is among the greatest lyricists of her generation. In asking tough questions of the art she practices, her third album reveals a fearless and visionary performer. (Image credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) * This article was originally published here
After 12 years, pianist Awadagin Pratt rediscovers his sweet spot
August 28, 2023 10:27Absent from the recording studio for more than a decade, the restless musician has commissioned six composers for his new album. (Image credit: Rob Davidson/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
'Verdi Choruses' showcases the impressive variety of a master's choral music
August 27, 2023 10:09Verdi imagined each of his operas painted with a different tincture. Conductor Riccardo Chailly puts together an exciting new album of Verdi's choruses, from his best known to his most obscure. * This article was originally published here
Wayne Shorter, From Here to Eternity
August 26, 2023 10:21Nearly six months after his death, a tribute concert and a documentary attempt to capture the spirit of the perpetually exploring saxophonist and composer. (Image credit: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images) * This article was originally published here
Becca Mancari fights for their existence with an expanded pop palette
August 25, 2023 10:24On Left Hand, Mancari positions themselves in the eye of sonic storms to communicate emotional truths with startling clarity. (Image credit: Sophia Matinazad/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
'They Live In My Head' is as vital any album the Bush Tetras have ever made
August 22, 2023 10:21Bush Tetras formed in NYC in 1979, at the height of the punk era. Decades later, the band brings a sustained energy to a new album, an urgency to get things said and to make some different sounds. * This article was originally published here
Jazz pianist Sonny Clark gets first-class treatment on a new box set collection
August 17, 2023 10:21Clark recorded nine sessions with the prestigious Blue Note label between 1957 and '61. A new set featuring his work as band leader for the label showcases his crisp, tuneful creativity. * This article was originally published here
From NPR's 'Alt Latino,' a review of Karol G's 'Manana Sera Bonito: Bichota Season'
August 15, 2023 10:24NPR's Alt Latino host Anamaria Sayre reviews Colombian singer Karol G's second album of the year, Manana Sera Bonito: Bichota Season. * This article was originally published here
MeShell Ndegeocello shows off her range and experience on 'Omnichord'
August 11, 2023 10:06Ndegeocello has combined soul, funk, pop, hip-hop and jazz to create a unique body of work over the course of her more than 30-year career. Now in her 50s, her latest album is The Omnichord Real Book. * This article was originally published here
2 Live Crew fought the law with its album, 'As Nasty As They Wanna Be'
August 10, 2023 10:25In 1989, 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be became the first album declared legally obscene, and the group's legal battles set a precedent for the rappers that followed. (Image credit: Raymond Boyd / Contributor/Getty Images / Michael Ochs Archives) * This article was originally published here
Eric B. & Rakim change the flow of rap with 'Paid in Full'
August 04, 2023 10:15With their 1987 debut album Paid in Full, Eric B. & Rakim introduced internal rhyme schemes to rap, and changed the flow of hip-hop forever. (Image credit: David Corio / Contributor/Getty Images) * This article was originally published here
Jessy Lanza's bubbly house music dwells in the moment
August 03, 2023 10:26On her new album, the electronic artist's hooks are bigger and her palette is brighter, but the void is ever-present. (Image credit: Trent Tomlinson/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Joni Mitchell's return 'At Newport' reconfigures her legacy
July 28, 2023 10:15The surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festival, now released as an album, is another exciting evolution in Joni Mitchell's notoriously chameleonic career. (Image credit: Nina Westervelt/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
The Clientele, reliably dreamy for decades, tears up its delicate formula
July 27, 2023 10:13The long-running British band introduces drum-and-bass-tinged breakbeats, strings and dub production to its delicate indie pop. (Image credit: Andy Willsher/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Newly unearthed 1974 session by Clifford Jordan is a striking, one-of-a-kind album
July 21, 2023 10:12The tenor sax player came up in Chicago and toured in the '60s with Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Randy Weston. Jordan's forgotten album, Drink Plenty of Water, mixes singers with a small ensemble. * This article was originally published here
Blur's 'Ballad' to bittersweet midlife
July 20, 2023 10:28On The Ballad of Darren, the band's ninth album (and a surprise after years away), Damon Albarn and company understand the key to aging gracefully is noticing the things your younger self never could. (Image credit: Reuben Bastienne-Lewis/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Highlight tracks from Palehound's new album
July 18, 2023 10:24NPR music contributor Marissa Lorusso reviews Eye on the Bat, the latest album from indie band Palehound. * This article was originally published here
You can feel Palehound's songs in your gut
July 14, 2023 10:30El Kempner turns the force of their wiry indie rock toward collapse, yet the visceral palette of Eye on the Bat has an unexpectedly joyful quality. (Image credit: Tonje Thilesen/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Brian Blade the bandleader returns for a ride down 'Kings Highway'
July 13, 2023 10:27Recorded in 2018 but only now seeing daylight, it's the prolific drummer's first release in years at the head of his expressive and enduring Fellowship Band. (Image credit: Mimi Chakarova/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Mingus' 'Changes' is a mixed bag: Some brilliant music, then a hero's tragic fate
July 13, 2023 04:22In 1973, composer and bass virtuoso Charles Mingus signed his last recording contract with Atlantic; he'd stay with the label till his death in 1979. A new box set collects his music from that era. * This article was originally published here
The misplaced promise of Kim Petras
July 07, 2023 10:12With her debut album 'Feed the Beast,' the rising pop star is still in the process of figuring out where she wants to be in the pop music echelon. (Image credit: Luke Gilford) * This article was originally published here
Janelle Monáe explores masculine and feminine energies on 'The Age of Pleasure'
July 05, 2023 10:09Monáe has been releasing albums that mix R&B, pop and rap since 2007 — this is her first since 2018. Ken Tucker reviews the new album, then we listen back to our 2020 interview with the artist. * This article was originally published here
On her new album, Lucinda Williams asserts her legacy as a great American rock star
July 01, 2023 10:27On the singer-songwriter's 16th studio album Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, Williams is at her most emotionally uncompromising and astute. (Image credit: Danny Clinch) * This article was originally published here
On Peso Pluma's 'Génesis,' the rising star holds fast to the sound of his ancestors
June 30, 2023 10:09The Mexican artist just made it official: this summer you can hit the club and get down to your grandparent's favorite dance music. (Image credit: Arenovski) * This article was originally published here
From soil to stars, the new Aizuri Quartet album offers a space to think
June 29, 2023 10:21The band's sophomore album, Earthdrawn Skies, connects the dots in wildly diverse music spanning eight centuries. (Image credit: Shervin Lainez/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
On 'Time Ain't Accidental,' Jess Williamson is heartbroken, but open to love
June 27, 2023 10:21On the record's 11 songs of vividly detailed, windswept alt-country, Williamson's reeling from the aftermath of a breakup, driving on country highways and finding new love. (Image credit: Jackie Lee Young/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Peso Pluma opens up his book of 'Genesis'
June 26, 2023 10:24ENTER TEASER * This article was originally published here
One of pop music's unreliable narrators offers discomfort. (But can you trust him?)
June 25, 2023 10:24Four decades into his career, Lloyd Cole's On Pain finds this purveyor of guitar pop still exploring that hazy space where people question themselves and make excuses or promises they might not keep. (Image credit: Mark Dellas/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Here's the deal with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
June 24, 2023 10:18How did an Australian band with no hits, modest media coverage and a ridiculous name find a massive audience? The group's metal-forward new album is a perfect example of how it weaponizes niche. (Image credit: Jason Galea/Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here
Composer and saxophonist Henry Threadgill has a new album and a new book
June 23, 2023 10:12Threadgill's autobiography, written with Brent Hayes Edwards is called Easily Slip into Another World. His album, The Other One, is a three-movement composition written for a 12-piece ensemble. * This article was originally published here
Gunna's poised songs of rehabilitation
June 22, 2023 10:21a Gift and a Curse is the Atlanta rapper's most personable and purposeful album, one interrogating the values of the justice system, rap media and the court of public opinion with artful clarity. (Image credit: Paras Griffin/Getty Images) * This article was originally published here
Janelle Monáe's 'The Age of Pleasure' album is exactly that
June 20, 2023 10:30Monáe has been releasing albums that mix R&B, pop and rap since 2007 — this is the artist's first since 2018. In recent years, Monáe has appeared in the films Moonlight, Hidden Figures and Glass Onion. * This article was originally published here
Meshell Ndegeocello opens the lid on her self-contained world
June 18, 2023 10:18The artist's first album as a lead for Blue Note grew from a jarring realignment in her personal life. On The Omnichord Real Book, she finds ways to embrace jazz without taking on its baggage. (Image credit: Courtesy of the artist) * This article was originally published here