Music

Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released.

Music & Culture

'Say Amen, Somebody' Restoration Unveils The Wonder Of The Gospel Pioneers

8:10am February 25, 2020

by Howie Movshovitz

Almost 40 years since its cinematic release, a restoration brings this documentary featuring Thomas A. Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith back to life.

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"This story isn't unique to us. There's a lot of parents and kids going through this same thing," Katie Pruitt says of confronting her sexuality and her mother on her debut album, Expectations.

Music & Culture

A Debut Album That Confronts Ingrained 'Expectations' With Emotional Clarity

5:41pm February 24, 2020

by Jewly Hight

Singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt grew up in a conservative Catholic family in Georgia. On her debut album, she sings about the pressure she felt growing up to hide her sexuality from her family.

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Twin Peaks perform live for WXPN's Indie Rock Hit Parade - recorded live for World Cafe

Music & Culture

Listening To Twin Peaks Is Like Wearing Your Favorite Sweater

5:04pm February 24, 2020

by Raina Douris

The band is made up of five close friends who've been playing together for 10 years. You can hear that sense of close collaboration in this mini-concert.

Grimes' fifth album, Miss Anthropocene, pushes the pleasure buttons of mainstream pop while also appearing to critique it.

Music & Culture

Review: On 'Miss Anthropocene,' Grimes Crafts Pop Both Visceral And Cryptic

4:55pm February 24, 2020

by Will Hermes

The electronic artist's new album, her first since 2015's acclaimed Art Angels, subverts the expectations of mainstream pop music with dark, densely-layered songs.

Music & Culture

Carla Bley's Trio Brings A Scaled-Down Dynamic To 'Life Goes On'

1:51pm February 24, 2020

by Kevin Whitehead

Bley spent decades leading big bands. Now in her 80s, the jazz composer and pianist has a new album with longtime pal and partner bassist Steve Swallow and English saxophonist Andy Sheppard.

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Linda Diaz's "Magic" swirls in the watercolor pools of a quirky, young love.

Music & Culture

Heat Check: Caught Up And Curious

10:42am February 24, 2020

by Sidney Madden

There's an unexpected jolt of energy that comes with getting caught up — whether you're ready for it or not. This week's picks from Linda Diaz, Dua Saleh, Tame Impala and more explore the gamet.

The Band in London, June 1971. From left: Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson.

In 'Once Were Brothers,' The Band's Earliest Years Shine

10:38am February 24, 2020

by Lauren Onkey

A new documentary doesn't radically alter what we know and love about The Band, but does unearth some fresh details.

Jenny Lewis plays a Tiny Desk Concert (Laura Beltran Villamizar/NPR).

Music & Culture

Jenny Lewis: Tiny Desk Concert

6:32am February 24, 2020

by Bob Boilen

A consummate storyteller, going as far back to her days with her band Rilo Kiley, the words of Jenny Lewis comfort and inspire.

Whitney Houston photographed at the World Music Awards in 2004. Starting Feb. 25, a concert show starring a hologram of Houston, who died in 2012, will tour Europe.

Music & Culture

'An Evening With Whitney' Hologram Tour Trades On The Image Of A Complicated Star

10:32am February 23, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Jason King of New York University about the surge in hologram tours and what the ethical implications are of recreating the image of Whitney Houston.

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Jessica Simpson Talks Of Alcohol Abuse, Finding Herself Again In Memoir 'Open Book'

7:35am February 23, 2020

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

"There's never been a moment in my life that I've been more honest with myself," the pop singer tells NPR. "I finally feel free of everything that I was holding secret and holding to myself."