First Listen: Baaba Maal, 'The Traveller'
On his first album since 2009, the Senegalese legend seeks a balance between his instantly wrenching voice and the modern tools he uses to enhance it.
Music Reviews
First Listen: Dylan LeBlanc, 'Cautionary Tale'
The third album from the Muscle Shoals singer-songwriter unfolds with the wariness of a social and spiritual outsider who broods his way to graceful defiance.
British Singer Ellie Goulding Strikes An Inventive Chord With 'Delirium'
The "Love Me Like You Do" singer created her new album as an experiment — to see if she could make a "big pop album." Reviewer Ken Tucker says Goulding's experimental effort was worth the risk.
Fresh Air Weekend: Our Critics Pick The Best TV, Books, Movies And Music Of 2015
David Bianulli picks the best TV shows of the year. Short books dominate Maureen Corrigan's best book list. David Edelstein recommends the year's best films. Ken Tucker assesses the best music of '15.
First Listen: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner, 'The Revenant'
The score gives Alejandro González Iñárritu's film its emotional baseline, summoning the profound disquiet of a forbidding winter in the American West.
An Icy Chill From The Past Threatens A Steady Flame In '45 Years'
NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews the harrowing film 45 Years in which a happy decades-long marriage is upended by an unexpected revelation.
Music Review: ' A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters,' John Coltrane
An expanded version of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane's A Love Supreme has been released. Music reviewer Tom Moon says the set, which includes alternate studio takes and a live recording, gives insight into the musician's creative drive.
From Hip-Hop To Country, Critic Ken Tucker Assesses The Best Of 2015
Rock Critic Ken Tucker presents his playlist for 2015, which includes the Alabama Shakes, Bruno Mars and Ashley Monroe, among others. For reading pleasure, he suggests Real Life Rock, by Greil Marcus.
Our 10 Favorite Classical Albums Of 2015
From Bach and Dvorak to new confident new composers like Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Andrew Norman, our list feels as wide-ranging, and open to possibilities, as classical music itself.
Jazz Master Kenny Barron Dazzles As A Soloist 'At The Piano'
Barron, an official NEA Jazz Master, shines on his recently reissued 1981 solo album. Critic Kevin Whithead says the album is beguiling "no matter how fast or slow or loud or quiet [Barron] gets."