First Listen: Reba McEntire, 'Stronger Than The Truth'
The country legend's new album returns to some of her commercial roots, telling stories of domestic betrayal in grand yet thoroughly grounded fashion.
Music Reviews
First Listen: Molly Tuttle, 'When You're Ready'
The singer, songwriter and virtuoso guitarist shapes tuneful introspection around her remarkable flatpicking abilities on the guitar.
Robert Forster Gets Playful — And Intense — On 'Inferno'
The former co-leader of the Aussie band The Go-Betweens reflects on success and failure on his latest solo album. Critic Ken Tucker says Inferno is proof of Forster's credentials as a pop musician.
Carsie Blanton Is Delightfully Surprising On 'Buck Up'
Blanton makes folk-based music that prizes wordplay and has an antic sense of humor. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the personal is always political on her new album.
First Listen: Fennesz, 'Agora'
The Austrian electronic-music pioneer uses his laptop to splice, sample and otherwise subvert the sound of his guitar and field recordings, in the process forming crackling electric symphonies.
First Listen: Mdou Moctar, 'Ilana (The Creator)'
The Tuareg musician may have just made the most insane psychedelic guitar album of the 21st century.
First Listen: Quelle Chris, 'Guns'
With both eyes trained on the absurd, the underrated veteran rapper parses ideologies that drive so much animus around the world.
First Listen: Grupo Fantasma, 'American Music Vol. VII'
The nine-piece Latin funk band's new album is a perfectly executed bi-cultural statement, made for the millions of people who love mariachi as much as James Brown.
Salif Keita Gives His Blessing And Takes A Final Bow With 'Un Autre Blanc'
Salif Keita is among the best African singers of the past century. But, after some 25 albums over a 40-year career, Keita says he's retiring from recording.
Pianists Born 100 Years Ago Prove: There's No One Way To Play Jazz
Both Lennie Tristano and Herbie Nichols were active on the New York scene in the 1950s. Though worlds apart stylistically, their music demonstrates how the piano accommodates myriad personalities.