Music

Music & Culture

Hootie & The Blowfish Comeback Album Brings The Band Into The 21st Century

2:11pm December 04, 2019

by Ken Tucker

Singer Darius Rucker and his band have released their first new record in more than a decade. Imperfect Circle is a well-made and frequently thoughtful album, enhanced by Rucker's warm, buttery tones.

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Mercy Bell (left) and Joy Oladokun (right)

Music & Culture

Mercy Bell And Joy Oladokun On Finding Their Voices, And Common Ground, Through Folk

10:15am December 04, 2019

by Jewly Hight

"I want them to be like ... this is the music she makes. And she just happens to be gay and happens to love soul music and happens to love folk, and it kind of all works.' "

Evgeny Pobozhiy, winner of the Herbie Hancock International Jazz Guitar Competition, performing at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 3, 2019.

Music & Culture

Evgeny Pobozhiy, Russian Prodigy, Wins International Jazz Guitar Competition

9:46am December 04, 2019

by Nate Chinen

The guitarist, who hails from a small town on the edge of the West Siberian Plain, competed against two Americans for one of, if not the, most prestigious prizes available to younger jazz artists.

The second volume of G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology features prime-era albums Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane, plus tons of rarities.

Music & Culture

The Go-Betweens' Perfect Pop Cracked Open

5:00am December 04, 2019

by Maura Johnston

The Go-Betweens made music that hit people's pop-pleasure receptors in an almost sneaky, definitely brainy sort of way. The band's second anthology hints at what might have been.

Sheryl Crow performs during Tiny Desk Fest, on Oct. 29, 2019.

Music & Culture

Sheryl Crow: Tiny Desk Concert

4:34pm December 03, 2019

by Stephen Thompson

Sheryl Crow's Tiny Desk Fest concert included a handful of early hits that have become pop standards.

Award-winning author Alexander McCall Smith penned the lyrics to These Are The Hands.

Music & Culture

The Thistle & Shamrock: 'These Are The Hands'

4:01pm December 03, 2019

Meet internationally-acclaimed author Alexander McCall Smith and award-winning composer James Ross, who collaborated on song cycle These Are The Hands.

Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley perform live on the AmericanaFest Day Stage.

Music & Culture

Rob Ickes And Trey Hensley Expand Upon Their Roots With A Heavy Dose Of The Blues

2:23pm December 03, 2019

by Carina Giamerese

Ickes left his band of 20 years to focus on playing with Hensley, and their chemistry is undeniable.

Megan Thee Stallion plays a Tiny Desk Concert (Laura Beltran Villamizar/NPR).

Music & Culture

Megan Thee Stallion: Tiny Desk Concert

5:21pm December 02, 2019

by Sidney Madden

The budding superstar debuted a new song with Phony Ppl and performed hits from Fever and Tina Snow during the first night of NPR's Tiny Desk Fest.

Mariss Jansons at his final concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in 2015.

Music & Culture

Famed Conductor Mariss Jansons, 76, Has Died

4:23pm December 02, 2019

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

One of classical music's most beloved and widely heard conductors died Saturday. Born in secret in Nazi-occupied Latvia, he went on to a stunning international career.

Jay-Z performs at Day 2 of Something in the Water Festival 2019 in Virginia Beach, Va.

For Jay-Z's 50th Birthday, A New Biography Centers His Lyrical Legacy

2:38pm December 02, 2019

Jay-Z drew criticism for partnering with the NFL after having supported Colin Kaepernick. A new biography centers the rapper's business ethos with his lyrics and the concept of the constant hustle.

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