Music Reviews

Big Thief's Two Hands, out this week, is its second album of 2019.

Music & Culture

'Two Hands' Captures Big Thief's Force And Intimacy

9:00am October 09, 2019

by Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey

This week, Big Thief will release its second album of 2019. But Two Hands is a deeper accomplishment than the statistic: It's a record that finally captures the band's audible unconditional closeness.

Music & Culture

Brittany Howard Draws Listeners In With 'Jaime', A Very Personal Solo Album

2:49pm October 08, 2019

by Ken Tucker

The new album by the Alabama Shakes lead singer mixes autobiography with an exploration of different musical styles. Listening to Jaime is like discovering Howard as an artist all over again.

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Wilco, left to right: Nels Cline, Glenn Kotche, Jeff Tweedy, Mikael Jorgensen, Pat Sansone, John Stirratt.

Music & Culture

Wilco, Forever In Competition With Its Own Best Work, Tries Shifting The Stakes

2:30pm October 03, 2019

by Matthew Perpetua

The new Ode to Joy couldn't sound less like the ambitious clatter of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot — but Jeff Tweedy and crew sound at home in its skeletal frame, driven by something cozier than ambition.

Music Review: Brittany Howard Releases Her Debut Solo Album, 'Jamie'

5:26pm September 23, 2019

by Tom Moon

Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes has released her first solo album, Jamie, in honor of her sister who died from cancer as a teenager. The album that began as a way to heal is also a call to action.

Country star Dolly Parton, signing a guitar alongside writer Dayton Duncan (center) and filmmaker Ken Burns (right).

Filmmaker Ken Burns Goes Wide, But Not Deep, In His Chronicle Of 'Country Music'

2:15pm September 12, 2019

by Ken Tucker

Burns is known for finding fresh takes on big topics, but his new eight-part PBS series about country music treads a well-worn path, leaning heavily on the biggest stars and the most obvious ideas.

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Music & Culture

The Highwomen: Reimagining An '80s Supergroup

5:24pm September 10, 2019

by Will Hermes

Four female country stars — Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby — are hitting the road as The Highwomen, a reinterpretation of the '80s supergroup The Highwaymen.

Music & Culture

Singer/Composer Jazzmeia Horn Is A Double Threat On 'Love & Liberation'

1:53pm September 10, 2019

by Kevin Whitehead

Horn pulls together her sundry influences — including jazz, pop, gospel and vintage Broadway — on her second album. The resulting tunes are so good, other singers are sure to try them on.

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Music & Culture

Critiquing Lana Del Ray

8:29am September 07, 2019

NPR's Scott Simon talks with NPR Music's Ann Powers about Lana Del Ray's latest album, and about the dispute she and the artist had on Twitter over her review.

Music & Culture

Lana Del Rey Crafts A Hypnotic California Sound On 'Norman F****** Rockwell!'

2:16pm September 06, 2019

by Ken Tucker

In the last decade, Del Rey released recordings that expanded our understanding of L.A. pop music. The singer/songwriter's new album is like a series of earthquakes, rendered with supreme confidence.

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Hear Briston Maroney's "Caroline" from his latest, Indiana.

Music & Culture

World Cafe Nashville: A New Music Roundup

11:24am September 06, 2019

by Jewly Hight

New music from promising artists who are still on the fringes of Music City's star-making machine.