Music & Culture

Hillary Lindsey (center), with songwriting partners Lori McKenna (left) and Liz Rose (right). In February, their song "Girl Crush" received a Grammy award for Best Country Song.

Music & Culture

Meet The Nashville Songwriter Behind Lady Gaga's Country Sound

8:02am November 29, 2016

by Jewly Hight

Hillary Lindsey co-wrote two songs on Gaga's new album. With songwriting partners Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, she's also crafted hits for Little Big Town and Carrie Underwood.

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Andrew Norman's orchestral piece Play has won the Grawemeyer Award.

Music & Culture

Andrew Norman Wins The Grawemeyer Award For Music

10:01pm November 28, 2016

by Tom Huizenga

The young California composer's expansive, boisterous Play pushes the orchestra to its limits in music both chaotic and serene.

Kadhja Bonet's new EP is called The Visitor.

Music & Culture

World Cafe Next: Kadhja Bonet

5:28pm November 28, 2016

by David Dye

Bonet's soulful new EP, The Visitor, feels immediately comforting, but still mysterious. Hear two songs.

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Rachel Yamagata's newest album is called Tightrope Walker.

Music & Culture

Rachael Yamagata On World Cafe

5:03pm November 28, 2016

by David Dye

The singer-songwriter's latest work has an optimistic, outward-facing spirit inspired by her new front porch in Woodstock, N.Y.

This week's guest DJ, Amtrac, performing at a charitable auction to benefit Music Cares in Austin, Texas in 2014.

Music & Culture

Metropolis: 11/26/16

1:02pm November 28, 2016

This two-hour mix from KCRW's Jason Bentley features a guest DJ set from Amtrac.

Oliveros created the music theory known as "deep listening." "I found myself listening to long sounds and becoming more interested in what the sound did themselves than what I would do with them," she says.

Music & Culture

Remembering Pauline Oliveros, Composer Known For 'Deep Listening'

11:52am November 28, 2016

by Lakshmi Singh

American composer Pauline Oliveros died Thursday at the age of 84. Inspired by all kinds of sound, she was a pioneer of electronic music, committed to changing the way people listen.

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Music & Culture

Margo Price: Tiny Desk Concert

8:57am November 28, 2016

by Bob Boilen

On the morning after Election Day, the Nashville musician and her band visited the Tiny Desk to play three cathartic country songs loaded with new political meaning.

For her latest album, Georgian-British artist Katie Melua returned to her home country to record with the 23-piece Gori Women's Choir.

Music & Culture

Katie Melua, A Georgian Voice Made Good In The West, Comes Home

8:45am November 28, 2016

by NPR Staff

Melua is one of the U.K.'s most successful female artists. For her latest album, In Winter, she traveled to her home country of Georgia to record with the 23-member Gori Women's Choir.

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Get To Know A Cuba Without Castro: Recommended Books, Movies And Music

4:06pm November 27, 2016

by NPR Staff

With the death of longtime dictator Fidel Castro, interest in the island nation has again spiked among Americans. For those looking to learn more about the country, expert Tom Miller has some picks.

Mary Halvorson's latest album, Away With You, is a collection of octets.

Music & Culture

Why Mary Halvorson Sounds Like No Other Guitarist

8:39am November 27, 2016

by Joel Rose

With an approach once described as "anti-guitar," the 36-year-old composer and instrumentalist has made her name in a jazz scene dominated by men, leading her own groups and creating her own sound.