The group One eskimO is an audio-visual endeavor, and its self-titled debut album includes a full animation. But while the band's idiosyncratic, self-produced videos are a notable component of its work, its expressive music is the heart and soul of the enterprise.

With his first bluegrass album, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, comedic genius Steve Martin reveals another side of his talent. One of the most successful stand-up comedians of the '70s, Martin is quite familiar with fame and sold-out performances. These days, though, he's capturing the crowd not with his jokes, but with his banjo.

For the first time in her career, Amos plans to release a collection of holiday standards. Following the release of Abnormally Attracted to Sin, released this past May, Amos makes a surprising shift to holiday gaiety on her 11th album, Midwinter Graces. Hear her perform a session from World Cafe.

A sophisticated songwriter with a knack for wordplay, Landes has also worked as a recording engineer on several movie soundtracks. When she isn't behind the boards in the studio, she's singing her own indie-rock tunes. Her third studio album, Sweet Heart Rodeo, ties together classic tales of love and loss with the metaphorical device of the rodeo.