Music & Culture

Underlying the sweetness of Kyu Sakamoto's unexpected hit song "Sukiyaki" was a story of sadness and loss.

Music & Culture

Bittersweet At No. 1: How A Japanese Song Topped The Charts In 1963

9:22pm June 28, 2013

by NPR Staff

Fifty years ago, Kyu Sakamoto was the face of a new postwar Japan: a clean-cut, 21-year-old pop idol. But professor Ian Condry says that underlying the sweetness of the hit song "Sukiyaki" was a story of sadness and loss.

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Beyonce in her most recent Pepsi ad, which premiered her song "Grown Woman."

Music & Culture

The Beyonce Experiment: How Far Can She Go?

5:08pm June 28, 2013

by Ann Powers

As a pop star, no one comes close to dominating culture and conversation the way Beyonce does. Because she exerts such control over her image — from advertisements to films, politics to pop songs — should we think of her differently?

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José-Luis Orozco is as much an educator as an entertainer: The singer and author is passionate about teaching children to be bilingual through music.

Music & Culture

Jose-Luis Orozco: Capturing Kids' Attention In Two Languages

1:49pm June 28, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

For the past 42 years, the Mexican singer and author has been entertaining children with songs he sings in English and Spanish. Orozco's passion revolves around teaching children to be bilingual through music.

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Omar's new album, The Man, is his first project in seven years.

Music & Culture

Omar Grows Up To Become 'The Man'

10:42am June 28, 2013

by NPR Staff

Now a family man, the British singer continues to experiment with his music. His latest album, The Man, is all about growth, development and evolution.

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Mavis Staples has been performing for more than six decades. One True Vine is her second album-length collaboration with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy.

Music & Culture

For Mavis Staples, 'One True Vine' Brings Together Kindred Spirits

12:24pm June 27, 2013

by Meredith Ochs

Produced by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, the soul singer's new album follows a narrative arc of struggle, acceptance and salvation. Tweedy's arrangements leave room for Staples' full range of vocal expression, from an R&B growl to gospel fervor.

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Music & Culture

Gospel Legend Mavis Staples Comes 'Full Circle'

7:14pm June 26, 2013

by NPR Staff

The gospel legend, whose new album is titled One True Vine, has a career spanning more than 60 years. She says of the record, made in collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, "I've gone from the strictly gospel to folk to country, and here I am right back at home where I began."

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Duke Ellington (1899-1974) at the piano at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, during a British tour on Feb. 10, 1963.

'My Ellington': A Pianist Gives Duke Her Personal Touch

4:50pm June 26, 2013

by Kevin Whitehead

As a Japanese expatriate in Berlin, jazz pianist Aki Takase has an outsider's perspective on jazz and insider wisdom that comes from careful study. Her new album of Duke Ellington tunes reflects influences such as Thelonious Monk and Arnold Schoenberg, as well.

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Carla Bruni's new album, her first since her husband, former President Nicolas Sarkozy, left office, is titled Little French Songs.

Music & Culture

A First Lady No Longer, Carla Bruni Returns To Music

8:06pm June 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Italian-born songwriter and fashion model discusses her new album, Little French Songs, and why her husband — former French President Nicolas Sarkozy — is a tricky subject for songwriting.

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Chuck Leavell plays alongside Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood.

Music & Culture

Chuck Leavell: The 'Fifth' Stone Speaks

11:10am June 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

The touring keyboardist has been playing with The Rolling Stones for more than 30 years.

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Bobby "Blue" Bland performs on stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, in 1989.

Music & Culture

Remembering The Multidimensional Music Of Bobby 'Blue' Bland

6:10pm June 24, 2013

Bland's music is the kind that can school anyone about the incomprehensible depths of love, the importance of dignity and the promise of the kind of good life that really might be within reach.

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