Music & Culture

Rokia Traoré's latest album is titled Beautiful Africa.

Music & Culture

Rokia Traoré On Taking Up Music, And Mali's 'Iron Women'

7:40pm September 26, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Malian singer-songwriter finished her latest album, Beautiful Africa, just as war was breaking out in her home country. Traoré says that working as a musician has helped her make peace with a conflicted sense of cultural identity.

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The Shangri-Las on the cover of the "Leader of the Pack" single.

Music & Culture

Bumpy, Bikers And The Story Behind 'Leader Of The Pack'

4:48pm September 26, 2013

by Ed Ward

When record producer and songwriter George "Shadow" Morton died on Valentine's Day this year, he left behind a legacy as murky as his nickname, which he got from disappearing on long benders. A new compilation collects Morton's hits for The Shangri-Las, Iron Butterfly and Janis Ian.

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Alan Jackson's The Bluegrass Album combines new originals with some staples of the genre.

Music & Culture

'You Can Always Come Home': Alan Jackson On Family And Bluegrass

11:06am September 26, 2013

by NPR Staff

Jackson's newest release, The Bluegrass Album, is exactly what its title promises: a collection of bluegrass covers, as well as some originals written in the style. Here, the country superstar discusses the personal stories behind the record.

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Music & Culture

Lucy Schwartz Is In Love With Her Own Voice, And That's OK

3:16pm September 24, 2013

by Ken Tucker

Frequently on her new album Timekeeper, Schwartz sounds like a throwback to another era. Her singing sometimes possesses the spirit of a more lighthearted Laura Nyro, and she has a healthy fondness for The Beatles.

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Kings of Leon, left to right: Jared, Caleb, Matthew and Nathan Followill.

Music & Culture

Kings Of Leon: Back With The 'Comeback Story Of A Lifetime'

11:48am September 24, 2013

by NPR Staff

Mechanical Bull is Kings of Leon's comeback record after a two-year hiatus brought about by a memorable onstage breakdown. The gritty Southern rock group is ready to pick up where its members left off.

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Elton John tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that The Diving Board is "a very adult album."

Music & Culture

A More Reflective Leap On Elton John's 'Diving Board'

2:18pm September 23, 2013

The pop star has a flair for the extravagant, to say the least, but his new album is stripped down. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the "Elton John excess," his fear of sex as a young man, and how Liberace's example encouraged John to make the piano a star instrument.

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?uestlove and The Roots play backing band to Elvis Costello on the new collaborative album Wise Up Ghost.

Music & Culture

?uestlove And Elvis Costello On Writing Together

9:34am September 23, 2013

by NPR Staff

Costello has teamed with hip-hop legends The Roots for one of the more unusual, invigorating musical partnerships of the year. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with Costello and Roots bandleader Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson about the new album Wise Up Ghost.

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The Whisky a Go Go club on the storied Sunset Strip, once the hub L.A.'s music scene, acknowledged the May 2013 death of The Doors' keyboardist on its marquee: "Rest In Peace Ray Manzarek, Thanks for the Memories."

Music & Culture

Walking The Sunset Strip, A Fading Beacon Of Cool

5:45pm September 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

West Hollywood's Sunset Strip used to be the home of the city's hottest music venues — places that launched the careers of everyone from The Doors to Jane's Addiction — but has lost a lot of its influence over the years. NPR's Arun Rath visits the Strip with L.A. Times writer August Brown.

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Composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone leads the chamber-pop ensemble San Fermin.

Music & Culture

A Young Composer Steps Outside Of Himself (And Into Pop)

5:59pm September 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

San Fermin's self-titled debut is an orchestral wonder, born in the shadow of looming adulthood. NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with the group's leader, 24-year-old Ellis Ludwig-Leone.

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Robbie Fulks' new album is titled Gone Away Backward.

Music & Culture

Robbie Fulks: Exhilarating And Bitter On 'Gone Away Backward'

2:06pm September 19, 2013

by Ken Tucker

The singer's new album is a work of great, accomplished craft about the pointlessness of crafting anything you care about, because the world is just going to ruin it on you.

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