John Doe, Exene Cervenka and Dave Alvin of the band X discuss punk's early days. "Anybody could belong to punk that wanted to be there," Cervenka says. Originally broadcast May 2, 2016.
With an assist from producer Sly5thave, the R&B-adjacent duo transitions from a precipitous moment into a stone-cold jam session with a lustfully bubbly mood.
The singer-songwriter brings a fluid sense of musical boundaries to her first major-label album. Critic Ken Tucker says Hero features "very good, state-of-the-art pop country" music.
Performing at the NPR Music offices, Adia Victoria's voice is powerful and direct, with no artifice. Here, she performs "Heathen," plus two songs from her debut album, Beyond The Bloodhounds.