Music

In a twilight session at this year's Pickathon festival, the Swedish singer-songwriter premiered an unreleased song from his 2013 album, Buck.

The Boston trio's slow, syrupy rock befits the shortest days of the year: It's heavy and dark, with occasional shimmers like the glare off a snowbank.

Solange Knowles' A Seat At The Table is an album of self-healing, family healing and ancestral healing, but it ended up being her most commercially successful to date.

NPR music critic Ann Powers says George Michael was sometimes dismissed as a cotton-candy pop music songwriter but you might not know he had a radical impact on the genre.

The British pop icon made large donations to a variety of charities — and worked hard to keep the gifts from garnering publicity. Fans on Twitter have shared stories of individual acts of charity.

Grammy-award winning country music singer Kacey Musgraves did something unusual in July. She put up twinkly lights, cut out paper snowflakes and recorded a Christmas album. Music reviewer Meredith Ochs says her album "A Very Kacey Christmas" is a twanged out, tiki-tinged celebration of the season that's kitschy without being corny.

The All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk host shares the songs set you up for a brilliant climax and an unforgettable chorus.

Most of Fields' songs have been about love won, fought over and lost; it's a testament to his talent that each new one can feel like he's singing his heart out for the first time.

We recorded over 200 live sessions this year, but we've narrowed it down to seven of our favorites. Listen back to Darlingside, Ray LaMontagne, Xenia Rubinos and more.