Music Lists

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars perform as Silk Sonic during the 2021 Grammy Awards broadcast.

Music & Culture

If you love 'An Evening with Silk Sonic,' here's what to listen to next

7:58am November 12, 2021

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, masters of throwback, have delivered a tribute to Black pop's imperial era. If you're feeling the album's sound, there's plenty more where it came from.

Elisapie performs a Tiny Desk concert on Nov. 26, 2019. (Photo by Mhari Shaw/NPR)

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk Playlist: Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

7:01am November 12, 2021

by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler

Native American artists have brought an incredibly diverse array of sounds and styles to the Tiny Desk, representing just a slice of the breadth and beauty of Indigenous art.

World Cafe celebrates 30 years with a 1994 playlist.

Music & Culture

World Cafe 30th Anniversary Playlist: 1994

4:14pm November 04, 2021

by Bruce Warren

Pop punk, slacker rock, hip-hop, Brit pop, singers and songwriters: Musically, 1994 had it all.

alt-J's "U&ME" is featured in October's edition of Heavy Rotation.

Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: 8 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

8:54am October 30, 2021

NPR member stations share a mix of popular songs playing on their airwaves in October, including music from alt-J, Anderson .Paak, The Killers and more.

Opera singers (left to right) Elīna Garanča, Helen Donath and Tamar Iveri perform in Mozart's opera Così fan tutte at the Salzburg Opera Festival.

Music & Culture

5 opera scenes to sweep you off your feet

4:52pm October 25, 2021

by Tom Huizenga

On World Opera Day, watch scenes that will make you fall in love with the art form — from a crazy day at Mozart's diner to a trippy trip to China with Richard Nixon.

World Cafe celebrates 30 years with a 1992 playlist.

Music & Culture

World Cafe 30th Anniversary Playlist: 1992

4:02pm October 19, 2021

by Bruce Warren

In 1992, while grunge rock continued to hold high court on the sales charts and on radio station playlists, a number of important records found their way onto the World Cafe airwaves that year.

Marcus King (by Jamie Stow), Molly Tuttle (by Emily DeHart), Ondara (by Galea McGregor)

Music & Culture

World Cafe 30th Anniversary: 30 Under 30

12:50pm October 15, 2021

We've chosen 30 artists who are 30 years old or younger that we believe are poised to be the next generation of World Cafe stars. Each week, we'll reveal one of the artists on that list.

World Cafe celebrates 30 years with a 1991 playlist

Music & Culture

World Cafe 30th Anniversary Playlist, 1991: Tom Petty, Uncle Tupelo And More

11:24am October 14, 2021

by Bruce Warren

World Cafe playlists from 1991 were strong on singers and songwriters, including: Uncle Tupelo, Loreena McKennit, Billy Bragg, Bonnie Raitt, Kirsty McColl, Marc Cohn and Tom Petty.

Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: 9 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

9:43am October 02, 2021

NPR member stations share a mix of popular songs playing on their airwaves in September, including music from Clairo, Leon Bridges, The War on Drugs, and more.

The hip-hop duo GentleJawns is featured in this week's installment of Slingshot City Scenes.

Music & Culture

Five Essential Beat Tapes From The Philadelphia Scene

4:45pm September 30, 2021

by John Morrison

Philadelphia-based music journalist John Morrison lists five of the best recent beat tapes by producers with deep ties to Philly's music scene.