Music Reviews

Évora, known as the "barefoot diva," helped bring morna beyond Cape Verde and into the international world of music. With her 1995 album, Cesária, Évora placed her definitive stamp on the style.

Music For The Long Emergency comes from a year-and-a-half long collaboration between the electro-pop band and the classically-trained stargaze collective.

Deezy Violet writes punk testimonies to the complexity of love and youth and life in general.

British soul singer Sam Smith's debut LP, In The Lonely Hour, showcased his remarkable voice. It was one of the best-selling records of 2014, won four Grammys, and drew comparisons to Adele. His second collection is titled The Thrill Of It All. Music critic Will Hermes says each track on the record is elevated by Smith's voice into something magnificent, that feels vintage, and at the same time, brand new.

The San Francisco band's garage-pop progressively unravels as a beautiful duo frolics on the beach.

On Moon Pix — an album that truly represents Chan Marshall's vast capabilities as an artist — the songwriter sets an example of how to talk about weakness without feeling ashamed.

Savage Exile, due Dec. 1, is primed to be a caliginous chasm coiled in noise.

The drums take center stage at this Tiny Desk. Watch veteran jazz percussionist Nate Smith dazzle the NPR audience in a transfixing performance.

The NYC band's glistening and gloomy love song makes you feel a little bit happy, a little bit sad, and a little bit like you want to dance.