Music Features

Kacey Musgraves had one of country music's biggest albums of 2018, but it came only after she shrugged off any lingering obligation to pursue radio airplay.

Music & Culture

A Portrait Of A Subtly Changing Nashville From 25 Angles

6:40pm December 21, 2018

by Jewly Hight

If you look at it broadly, the country music scene can appear frustratingly stagnant, with little growth for women and trailblazers. But from every corner, a rising generation is making progress.

A statue of George M. Cohan, prolific Broadway composer and performer, stands in New York's Times Square.

Music & Culture

George M. Cohan, 'The Man Who Created Broadway,' Was An Anthem Machine

4:45pm December 20, 2018

by Bob Mondello

Cohan was a myth builder: Songs like "Yankee Doodle Dandy, "Over There" and "Give My Regards to Broadway" celebrated both life in early 20th-century America and the glowing allure of the stage.

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Pussy Riot's performance at SXSW — one of Ann Powers' favorite concert experiences of 2018 — felt like an occupation of the senses.

Music & Culture

'I Like It Best When It's A Little Loud': Ann Powers' Favorite Live Shows Of 2018

2:50pm December 20, 2018

by Ann Powers

Live music awakens mind, body and soul — and that's what we need more than ever this year. Ann Powers' favorite concerts of 2018 helped create a shelter from everyday life's disorganized noise.

NPR Music has compiled a list of great headphones at different price points — covering everything from casual listening to professional mixing and mastering.

Music & Culture

Tiny Tech Tips: Finding The Perfect Headphones

1:57pm December 18, 2018

by Josh Rogosin

Finding the right pair of headphones is a pain. Having engineered more than 400 of our Tiny Desk Concerts, NPR's Josh Rogosin knows audio — and he's here to help.

Ronnie Van Zant in 1975, onstage with Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta.

Music & Culture

Unfurling 'Sweet Home Alabama,' A Tapestry Of Southern Discomfort

6:30am December 17, 2018

by Felix Contreras

More than 40 years after its release, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama is still one of the most recognized rock anthems celebrating the deep South. It's also a song with a complicated legacy.

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Nancy Wilson, photographed while performing during the Thelonious Monk Jazz Tribute Concert For Herbie Hancock at on Oct. 28, 2007 in Los Angeles.

Music & Culture

Remembering Nancy Wilson: The Best Of 'Jazz Profiles'

1:07pm December 15, 2018

by Tim Owens

Tim Owens, lead producer of the Jazz Profiles series, looks back on the creation of the long-running documentary series, working with Wilson and some of her favorite episodes.

Bruce Springsteen Springsteen on Broadway, which will have its final date on Dec. 15, 2018. The show has been documented in a new film, to be released just after that final performance.

As 'Springsteen On Broadway' Closes, Its Excellent Film Welcomes A New Audience

2:01pm December 13, 2018

by Lauren Onkey

Springsteen has performed his one-man show over 230 times since its debut last year. But, just as the Boss bids adieu to Broadway, a new film documenting the show is set to premiere on Netflix.

Pete Shelley elevated confusion and uncoolness to an artform.

Music & Culture

'You Know Me': Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley Gave Punk A Heart

3:45pm December 07, 2018

by Jason Heller

Pete Shelley, the Mancunian co-founder and singer of Buzzcocks, embedded a vulnerability and honesty into early punk's genetic code, forever changing the genre.

Ernie Isley (left) of The Isley Brothers and Chuck D of Public Enemy met at Mr Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles to discuss their respective versions of "Fight the Power."

Music & Culture

'Fight The Power': A Tale Of 2 Anthems (With The Same Name)

11:24am December 07, 2018

by Phil Harrell

NPR's American Anthem series brings together two songwriters — Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers and Chuck D of Public Enemy — whose respective versions of "Fight the Power" eyed the same struggle.

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A photograph of jazz pianist James Reese Europe projected above the musicians performing Jason Moran's James Reese Europe and the Absence of Ruin.

Music & Culture

A Century Later, An Illuminated Eulogy For A Jazz Pioneer

11:14am December 07, 2018

by Michelle Mercer

Pianist Jason Moran calls James Reese Europe "basically the 'big bang' of jazz." Moran's tribute to the composer and WWI "Hellfighter" pulls his contributions to the genre out of history.