Music

The English roots-rock and folk duo Ida Mae. Their debut full-length Chasing Lights is on our short list of the best new albums out on June 7.

Music & Culture

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums Out On June 7

5:00am June 07, 2019

by Robin Hilton

Our shortlist for the best new albums out on June 7 includes the roots-rock duo Ida Mae, new gospel from disco legend Gloria Gaynor, the ruminative rock of Palehound, Santana, Stef Chura and more.

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Dr John, photographed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2005. The beloved fixture of New Orleans music died June 6, 2019.

Dr. John, Legend of New Orleans, Dead At 77

9:44pm June 06, 2019

by Alison Fensterstock

Over a career stretching back to the 1950s, Malcom John Rebennack came to be a living symbol of the city of New Orleans and its bottomless musical character.

Turtle Island String Quartet with Cyrus Chestnut

Music & Culture

Turtle Island Quartet Joins Cyrus Chestnut With Global Gospel Offering

4:33pm June 06, 2019

Watch Carry Me Home, a program from Turtle Island, the hardest working string quartet in jazz, and their latest collaborator, pianist Cyrus Chestnut.

Esperanza Spalding in a scene from her video for the song "How To (hair)."

Music & Culture

Watch: Esperanza Spalding Shares Striking Video For 'How To (hair)'

3:26pm June 06, 2019

by Nate Chinen

The dreamy procession of tight braids and flowing dreadlocks, of waves and shapes and curls, is an unsparing statement on the legacies of colonialism, slavery and black pride.

GoldLink's Diaspora album drops June 12 via RCA Records.

Music & Culture

GoldLink And Tyler, The Creator Collaborate For The First Time On 'U Say'

3:20pm June 06, 2019

by Rosalind Faulkner

GoldLink teams up with Tyler, the Creator and Jay Prince for a bossa nova-inspired track off his upcoming Diaspora album.

Origins, the debut album by 14- and 11-year-old siblings Giri (left) and Uma Peters, is a set of traditional folk and blues songs that puts the duo's intention to spotlight the black musical traditions that shaped and spread the tunes.

Music & Culture

Giri And Uma Peters Are Picking Prodigies On A Mission

2:39pm June 06, 2019

by Jewly Hight

The 14- and 11-year-old siblings, who just released a debut album of folk and blues songs, know that highlighting the real diversity of the music's roots makes room for more voices in the present.

Music & Culture

Cuba: While The Politicians Argued, The Musicians Jammed

2:18pm June 06, 2019

by Felix Contreras

The musical exchange between the United States and Cuba goes back to the 19th century. Thankfully, the two countries' political standoff never filtered down to musicians.

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R. Kelly, arriving at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Thursday.

Music & Culture

R. Kelly Pleads Not Guilty To Latest Charges

11:34am June 06, 2019

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

At an arraignment in Cook County, Ill. court on Thursday morning, the embattled R&B singer entered a not guilty plea on 11 felony charges.

Bill Callahan's Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest comes out June 14.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Bill Callahan, 'Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest'

11:30am June 06, 2019

by Nate Chinen

On his first album in six years, Bill Callahan ruminates on domesticity, devotion and mortality in his conversational baritone.

Iron & Wine's Sam Beam teams up with Calexico for Years to Burn, their first album-length collaboration since 2005.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Calexico And Iron & Wine, 'Years To Burn'

10:13am June 06, 2019

by Stephen Thompson

Sam Beam and Calexico's first album-length collaboration since 2005 feels most of all like the work of a complete, cohesive band — a group of old friends who've gathered to sing in a single voice.