Ann Powers' Favorite Albums Of 2015
For 2015, Ann Powers picked 16 albums to stand in for the stations of a musical life. Taken as a whole, they represent that old, perpetually useful cliché: Life is change.
Music & Culture
Sense Of Place Minneapolis: Frankie Lee
Thanks to his dad's musician friends, the alt-country singer grew up behind a soundboard.
World Cafe Presents: Frankie Lee
The Twin Cities alt-country singer is joined by Nikki Lane for a gorgeous Neil Young cover.
Music Review: 'Perfectamundo,' Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons, the front man for legendary group ZZ Top, has released his first solo record, and it goes back to some of his earliest influences. Meredith Ochs reviews Perfectamundo.
Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Muse To Lou Reed's 'Wild Side'
Woodlawn, the transgender woman who inspired the first verse of Reed's 1973 hit "Walk on the Wild Side," died of cancer Sunday. She was 69. Originally broadcast in 1991.
T-Pain: Giving Us Something We Can Feel
The audacious early-adopter weathered a storm of "Auto-Tune sucks" moral panic to emerge as a true artist, a mirror for our culture and a creative force.
Songs We Love: Diane Cluck, 'Red August' (Live At Folkadelphia)
From one of WXPN's in-studio sessions comes this delicate performance of voice and homemade marimba.
NPR Music Presents: T-Pain In Concert
To mark the one-year anniversary of the most popular Tiny Desk Concert ever and the 10th anniversary of his debut album, T-Pain played our Washington, D.C. headquarters.
Pink Martini's Joy To The World: A Holiday Spectacular
With timeless classics and rarely heard gems, the "little orchestra" spreads holiday cheer with the help of NPR's Ari Shapiro.
Robin Hilton's Top 10 Albums Of 2015
The co-host of All Songs Considered shares his ten favorite records of 2015.