Music

It's not too early to be releasing Christmas albums, and Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker has been listening to a lot of them.

A data scientist pitted rappers against Shakespeare to see who had the more extensive vocabulary. But he says he isn't trying to make some sweeping statement about the lyrical prowess of hip-hop.

Allegro arrived on Broadway with a cast of close to 100 and the biggest advance ticket sales in Broadway history at the time. But reviews were mixed and the musical only lasted a season.

Two composers became instrument builders to score the film, set in the pioneer days of the American West. "We both knew what the movie sounded like. We just had to find it," Tommy Lee Jones says.

An opera nominated for a Latin Grammy explores Mexico's current political climate. It's based on a fictional bandida who continues to inspire fear and admiration along the border.