Music & Culture

Childish Gambino's new album, "Awaken, My Love!", is out now.

Music & Culture

Childish Gambino's New Album Is A Funky Left Turn

6:33pm December 09, 2016

by Tom Moon

While he was working on Atlanta, Donald Glover was also gathering musicians for soul jam sessions. "Awaken, My Love!" is an album of '70s throwback sounds that feels thrillingly alive.

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Music & Culture

Grover Washington, Jr. On Piano Jazz

5:48pm December 09, 2016

The Grammy-winning saxophonist plays Duke Ellington standards with host Marian McPartland in a 1994 session.

The singer Alsarah: "Sudanese people said I wasn't Sudanese enough. Arabs said I wasn't an Arab. Americans said I wasn't American. I used to be like, 'I don't belong anywhere! Now I'm like you're all mine. All my countries, you're all mine."

Born In Sudan, Based In Brooklyn. A Singer Remixes Her Identities

3:38pm December 09, 2016

by Nurith Aizenman

Please, says the singer-songwriter, don't pigeonhole her as some sort of "refugee artist." She calls her music "East-African Retro-Pop."

Music & Culture

Across the Blue Ridge #50 - Greats of Early Country Music, and New Generations

3:00pm December 09, 2016

by Paul Brown

This week, in a rebroadcast of a popular show from May, 2016, we hear a broad selection of music from country music pioneers including Mac Wiseman, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, Hazel Dickens, Fred Cocker

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Naoko Yamano (center) of Shonen Knife recommends five Japanese bands you should know.

Music & Culture

Weekend LISTening: 5 Japanese Bands You Need To Hear

2:00pm December 09, 2016

by Talia Schlanger

Naoko Yamano of the pioneering Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife recommends some of her favorite rising stars from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Music & Culture

Singer Allyson Seconds Revitalizes Power-Pop On 'Little World'

1:40pm December 09, 2016

by Ken Tucker

The second album by the California-based singer features an optimism often associated with West Coast pop. Critic Ken Tucker says Little World creates an "alternate universe of the sunniest sounds."

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One family, known for their Christmas lights, is honoring the late pop icon Prince with their display this year. The family lives about 10 miles from Prince's estate, Paisley.

NPR News Nuggets: Purple Lights, Christmas Cheer & Top Selling CD Of 2016

12:20pm December 09, 2016

by Wynne Davis

Here's a quick roundup of some of the mini-moments you may have missed on this week's Morning Edition.

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Eddie Palmieri on stage for a historic performance of Harlem River Drive.

Music & Culture

'Harlem River Drive' Revisited With Eddie Palmieri

11:49am December 09, 2016

by Suraya Mohamed

Palmieri's classic Latin funk album remains relevant 45 years later. This performance shows why.

Music & Culture

Recommended Dose's Favorite Electronic Albums Of 2016

11:48am December 09, 2016

by Piotr Orlov

We're not anointing the best. We're telling you what amazed us in a difficult year — music by visionary women and men.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: Shiba San, 'Up & Down'

11:01am December 09, 2016

by Megan Buerger

The South Beach heat is working its way into the French producer's booty-shaking house music. "Here, it's like paradise," he says. "It's a whole new way of working."