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'You Cannot Go Back': Annie Lennox On 'Nostalgia'

Annie Lennox's new album is titled Nostalgia. Robert Sebree/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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'You Cannot Go Back': Annie Lennox On 'Nostalgia'

October 21, 2014 • The singer and activist tackles jazz standards, including "Strange Fruit" and others, on her new album. Here, she and NPR's Steve Inskeep discuss how she connects with the present through the past.

'You Cannot Go Back': Annie Lennox On 'Nostalgia'

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Jessie Ware On Learning To Trust Herself

"I didn't know that it was going to be my career," Jessie Ware says. Her new album is titled Tough Love. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jessie Ware On Learning To Trust Herself

October 20, 2014 • The pop singer and songwriter sounds more comfortable and assured on her second album, Tough Love. "This life is quite bizarre sometimes," she tells NPR's Audie Cornish.

Jessie Ware On Learning To Trust Herself

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Jessie Ware's new album, Tough Love, comes out Oct. 24 in the U.S. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen: Jessie Ware, 'Tough Love'

October 15, 2014 • Whether you use it as a balm or an echo chamber for your despair, Ware's second album is a celebration of gloriously messy feelings, each tamed by her soft touch.

Tough Love

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Songs We Love: Hozier, 'Jackie And Wilson'

Hozier, performing his new song "Jackie and Wilson." Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Songs We Love: Hozier, 'Jackie And Wilson'

October 14, 2014 • The song title is a playful nod to the great R&B singer Jackie Wilson. And don't worry — Hozier, the 24-year-old Irish soul singer and guitarist, has the grace and the backbeat to make it work.

02Jackie And Wilson

3:43

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Song
Jackie And Wilson
Album
Hozier
Artist
Hozier
Label
Columbia
Released
1969

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First Listen: Neil Diamond, 'Melody Road'

Neil Diamond's new album, Melody Road, comes out Oct. 21. Micah Diamond/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Micah Diamond/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Neil Diamond, 'Melody Road'

October 12, 2014 • On his new album, the singer returns to grand arrangements that support his pungent wit and unwavering emotionalism. It's a warm and spirited outing throughout.

Melody Road

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Mary Lambert: 'You Change People's Opinions By Opening Your Heart'

Mary Lambert's new album is called Heart On My Sleeve. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Mary Lambert: 'You Change People's Opinions By Opening Your Heart'

October 11, 2014 • As a gay Christian, Mary Lambert says singing the hook on Macklemore's "Same Love" is the best introduction she could have hoped for. She speaks with NPR's Arun Rath about finding her own audience.

Mary Lambert: 'You Change People's Opinions By Opening Your Heart'

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A Pop Star And An Indie Folk Singer Intersect At 'Rose Ave.'

You+Me is the duo of Alecia Moore, better known as Pink, and Dallas Greene, who performs as City and Colour Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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A Pop Star And An Indie Folk Singer Intersect At 'Rose Ave.'

October 11, 2014 • Pink and City and Colour's Dallas Green speak with NPR's Scott Simon about their new album as You+Me,.

A Pop Star And An Indie Folk Singer Intersect At 'Rose Ave.'

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Kat Edmonson: 'I Hear Myself As An Instrument'

Kat Edmonson's new album is called The Big Picture. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Kat Edmonson: 'I Hear Myself As An Instrument'

September 27, 2014 • The singer, whose voice is often compared to Billie Holiday's, says she can't accept that honor right out — but that she and Holiday do share a similar understanding of the role of the voice.

Kat Edmonson: 'I Hear Myself As An Instrument'

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Avi Buffalo performs live for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic on September 3, 2014. Gregg Lewis/KCRW hide caption

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Gregg Lewis/KCRW

KCRW

September 25, 2014 • The indie-pop band performs "So What" from At Best Cuckold, the bold follow-up to a debut album released while Avi Buffalo's members were still in high school.

The new collaboration between PC Music's A.G. Cook and affiliated producer SOPHIE is a combination singer and energy drink (neither of which might actually exist) called QT. Seriously. YouTube hide caption

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YouTube

The Record

Is It Pop Or Is It 'Pop?'

September 23, 2014 • The dizzy, saccharine music of the London-based record label PC Music is invested in the most addictive pop of modern history, but the label's songs feel detached, almost cynical.

The Jezabels performed live at Brighton Music Hall on June 17, 2014. WGBH hide caption

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WGBH

Front Row

The Jezabels, 'Time To Dance' (Live)

GBH

September 23, 2014 • Watch the Australian indie-pop band perform "Time To Dance" at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, Mass.

Jennifer Hudson 'Jenniferizes' New Album With Positive Energy

Jennifer Hudson's new album is titled JHUD. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Music Interviews

Jennifer Hudson 'Jenniferizes' New Album With Positive Energy

September 20, 2014 • The Oscar and Grammy Award-winning R&B singer says her new album, JHUD, has more energy than her previous ballad-heavy albums, and expresses more of her "everyday person."

Jennifer Hudson 'Jenniferizes' New Album With Positive Energy

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Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga Go 'Cheek To Cheek' On New Album

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's collaborative album is called Cheek To Cheek. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Music News

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga Go 'Cheek To Cheek' On New Album

September 20, 2014 • The legendary crooner and pop superstar have a natural chemistry on their new collaborative album, which might introduce a new generation of pop fans to the world of jazz.

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga Go 'Cheek To Cheek' On New Album

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The Beatles' "Hey Jude" concludes with one of pop music's most epic fade-outs. Vimeo hide caption

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Vimeo

Music News

The Rise And Fall Of The Fade-Out

September 17, 2014 • A slow fade, rather than a hard stop, used to be the popular way to end a pop song. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Slate reporter William Weir about the fade-out's history and recent decline.

The Rise And Fall Of The Fade-Out

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