Burns is known for finding fresh takes on big topics, but his new eight-part PBS series about country music treads a well-worn path, leaning heavily on the biggest stars and the most obvious ideas.
Four female country stars — Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby — are hitting the road as The Highwomen, a reinterpretation of the '80s supergroup The Highwaymen.
Horn pulls together her sundry influences — including jazz, pop, gospel and vintage Broadway — on her second album. The resulting tunes are so good, other singers are sure to try them on.
In the last decade, Del Rey released recordings that expanded our understanding of L.A. pop music. The singer/songwriter's new album is like a series of earthquakes, rendered with supreme confidence.
Goldberg's mini box set includes a new poem by Dean Young — as well as a dozen pieces inspired by Young's poetry. The playfulness on both sides of the equation makes this mixed-media project work.
Over a decade, the Los Angeles-based singer has built a career — one that peaks on her new album — and a musical identity on the idea that greatness doesn't have to be emotionally tidy.
Cleaver, one of the leaders of Wussy, sings about joy, pain, sorrow and regret on Send Aid. The resulting album stands with the best of anything Cleaver has ever done.
Tool, the enigmatic and influential, progressive hard rock band has its first album since 2006. The band's new album Fear Inoculum was worth the 13-year wait.
Fans have long loved how Swift's lyrics make her life seem like an open book. After what she calls a personal apocalypse in the public eye, her new album turns phrases that both obscure and reveal.
Raphael Saadiq's new album, Jimmy Lee, is his first in eight years. It was inspired by his brother's struggles with addiction and, ultimately, his death.
A trio of critics discuss the mercurial pianist's personal take on Beethoven and Rachmaninoff and what it means to color outside the lines in classical music.
Hersch often works in small settings, either as a piano soloist, or in a duo or trio. But he amplifies his message on his latest album by teaming up with Germany's WDR Big Band.
Sleater-Kinney's longtime drummer is leaving the band — but not before they release one last album together. It marks the end of an era for the indie rock power trio.
What happens when an artist you count on to be one way suddenly isn't? For writer Hanif Abdurraquib, appreciating the left-turn album The Center Won't Hold has meant letting go of years of nostalgia.
Justin Vernon shares thoughts on identity and devotion to higher ideals in ways that reflect (and sometimes even celebrate) deep engagement with the outside world.
Titus Andronicus, fronted by Patrick Stickles, favors a louder, more aggressive style in its new album. While the music sounds simple and raw, the ideas behind the songs are quite complex.
The married musicians offer their own synthesis of folk, country, rock and the blues on their new album. The music that results is unsettling, with a beauty that's both comforting and soothing.
Patrice Rushen's years singing for Elektra Records in the 1970s and '80s helped define late-era disco and R&B. Now, a collection of her classic R&B and dance tunes is being released.
Nelson, now 86,spoke to Fresh Air in1996 and again in 2006 about music and why he never quite fit in as a country star. Plus, Ken Tucker reviews Nelson's new album, Ride Me Back Home.
Cables, who's experienced severe health problems recently, makes a comeback on a new album with his trio. The pianist's solos on I'm All Smiles reveal a deep sense of groove — and a mind at work.
