R&B Star Miguel Gives Props To Kendrick Lamar
R&B sensation Miguel is out with a new single “Simplethings.” For Tell Me More‘s “In Your Ear” series, he shares the music that drives him.
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First Listen: Cibo Matto, ‘Hotel Valentine’
Cibo Matto has always been skilled at Trojan-horsing weird art within glossy, goofy songs (often about food), but the new Hotel Valentine isn’t so concerned with disguising its intentions. For their first album together in 14 years, Miho Hatori and Yuka C. Honda showcase their evolution.
The Thistle & Shamrock: New Winter Sounds
Fiona Ritchie introduces new releases from debuting artists that have caught her ear as well as favorite players who have helped to define the genre.
The Grammys: Music, Fashion And Even A Wedding
Host Michel Martin speaks with Amrit Singh, music editor and host for Revolt TV, about the big Grammy Award winners.
Grammy Show: Light On Awards, Heavy On Entertainment
Over the years, the Grammy awards have become less and less about music and more about an entertainment spectacle. The nominations were even announced on an hour-long TV show on a Friday night.
First Listen: ‘Sweetheart 2014’
The Sweetheart compilations adhere to a simple concept in which well-liked contemporary artists cover well-liked classic love songs just in time for Valentine’s Day. This year’s participants include Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend, Sharon Jones, Ben Harper, Jim James, Beck, Valerie June and more.
First Listen: Jeremy Messersmith, ‘Heart Murmurs’
With its subtle strings and sly infectiousness, Heart Murmurs is no less than an attempt to craft a new batch of pop standards. Whether Messersmith succeeds depends mostly on how many people are lucky enough to hear him.
First Listen: Marissa Nadler, ‘July’
On her sixth album, the Bostonian singer-songwriter gets darker and more sinister than ever before. Its title must refer to a cold, polarizing kind of July, with the frigid climes that accompany an early-February release.
First Listen: Gina Chavez, ‘Up.Rooted’
Whether she sings in English or Spanish, Chavez captures a healthy dose of American soul, country and rock music, and she could hold her own with any Mexican ranchera singer, past or present.
First Listen: CEO, ‘Wonderland’
Wonderland is, at times, superficially soothing and fun, an almost hedonistic paean. But not far beneath the surface lies something more unsettling and challenging: a statement about isolation and loneliness and a delicate search for meaning.
First Listen: Robert Ellis, ‘The Lights From The Chemical Plant’
Ellis eludes categorization within either mainstream country or Americana music by going the route of both formats’ greatest maverick craftsmen; you’ll hear Merle Haggard here along with Willie Nelson, and a bit of Rodney Crowell’s sparkle.
Gem Club’s Ghosts And ‘Roses’
All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton share the sadness and beauty of Gem Club’s new album.
600 Suggestions — And Counting — For Our Cabin Fever Playlist
Melissa Block and Robert Siegel update listeners on some of what the open flood gates of social media brought us when we asked for suggestions for our Cabin Fever playlist. Hint: It was a deluge of great, funky, upbeat, sunny songs prescribed to cure the winter blahs.
Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott On Mountain Stage
Recognized as two of roots music’s most respected singers, songwriters and instrumentalists, O’Brien and Scott took a break from their busy solo careers in 2000 to record their first album as a duo, titled Real Time. This year, the two joined up again for Memories and Moments. Hear them perform songs from both albums live on stage in Tennessee.
Actress Naomie Harris Dances To ‘Brown Girl In The Ring’
For Tell Me More‘s ‘In Your Ear’ segment, actress Naomie Harris shares the music she grew up with. Harris’ portrays Winnie Mandela in the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Remembering The Singing ‘Mayor Of MacDougal Street’
While the latest Coen brothers movie, Inside Llewyn Davis, isn’t a biopic, it is inspired by the life of a real person: the late Dave Van Ronk. He was a folk and blues singer and a central figure in the folk revival of the early 1960s. NPR’s Joel Rose has the story of the musician, who was known for his avuncular presence on the Greenwich Village scene.