M.I.A.

With its eclectic range of dance music, M.I.A.'s recent Kala is similar in sound to her breakout debut, yet uses a wider variety of beats and samples. It features collaborations with Diplo, Timbaland and Blaqstarr. Hear an interview and performance from WXPN.

Rapper Snoop Dogg's latest release, a collaboration with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, is a recent example of urban desi, which blends South Asian pop culture with American hip-hop. Originating in the U.K., the style of music is spreading in the U.S. and India.

The Philadelphia producer and DJ known as Diplo has built his reputation by combining wildly different styles of music. He recently released an underground mix of rapper M.I.A.'s critically acclaimed Arular to generate buzz before the CD's official release date. Joel Rose of member station WHYY has a profile.

All Songs Considered's list of the 50 most important recordings of the decade continues, from Norah Jones to Jason Moran.

Rapper Snoop Dogg's latest release, a collaboration with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, is a recent example of urban desi, which blends South Asian pop culture with American hip-hop. Originating in the U.K., the style of music is spreading in the U.S. and India.

Every generation has its own soundtrack. The Silent Generation (people born in the '20s and '30s) had big band and swing. Baby Boomers (born in the '40s and '50s) had rock and soul. Generation X (born in the '60s and '70s) had grunge and hip-hop. On this edition of All Songs Considered, we look back at the defining music of those generations and ask what the soundtrack is for the current generation, Generation Y (or Millennials).

Tens of thousands of listeners voted in the All Songs Considered poll for the year's best CDs. It was tight for much of the race, but in the end, Radiohead's In Rainbows was an overwhelming winner as 2007's most popular album.

Writer and reviewer Will Hermes shares his favorite albums of the past year. Hermes is a frequent contributor to NPR's 'All Things Considered' and writes for 'Spin' magazine, 'The New York Times' and 'Entertainment Weekly.' He's also the co-editor of 'Spin: 20 Years of Alternative Music.'

The best albums of 2007 include a plethora of reliable favorites, whether they're treading new stylistic ground (Iron and Wine), returning to roots (Wilco) or merely holding steady (Spoon). And, of course, a few new favorites join the mix, too.

Host Bob Boilen talks with reviewers Carrie Brownstein, Will Hermes, Tom Moon and Meredith Ochs about the year's biggest surprises and letdowns in music. Hear their picks for the year's most innovative album, the best new band of 2007, the year's best song and more. Featured songs and artists are listed below.

Nic Harcourt, host of KCRW's popular Morning Becomes Eclectic and author of Music Lust, talks about his book, along with some of the best music you've probably missed this past year.

Kanye West, Arcade Fire and Jay-Z place well in the magazine's list of 2007's top 50 records.

Writer and reviewer Will Hermes shares his favorite albums of the past year. Hermes is a frequent contributor to NPR's 'All Things Considered' and writes for 'Spin' magazine, 'The New York Times' and 'Entertainment Weekly.' He's also the co-editor of 'Spin: 20 Years of Alternative Music.'

Kanye West, Arcade Fire and Jay-Z place well in the magazine's list of 2007's top 50 records.

Her creations invoke polyglot rhythms and revolutionary rhetoric from around the world. But singer, producer and rapper M.I.A. communicates them through agitated, propulsive dance music. Two years after her debut, her new album finds her more adventurous than ever.

The music of M.I.A, a young hip-hop artist who grew up in Sri Lanka and South London, bridges the gap between her war-torn past and her urban present. Day to Day music critic Christian Bordal reviews her CD, Arular.

This wasn't the strongest year for hip-hop, but 2007 still featured some excellent releases that pushed the genre's boundaries, as well as a few records that reveled, old-school style, in great beats and rhymes.