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Marc Silver Marc Silver edits NPR's global health blog.
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Marc Silver

Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Marcia Ball Gets 'Right Back in It'

In "Right Back in It," Ball's awesome mélange of keyboard styles sets the tone: Call it the Zydeco boogie-woogie blues. Horns chug faster and faster throughout, and a guitar drops by for a rock 'n' roll interlude. In the end, there's even a moral that applies in a post-Katrina age.

'Right Back in It' by Marcia Ball

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

Eli 'Paperboy' Reed Channels Soul's Giants

Reed spent his 18th year singing in the juke joints of Mississippi, and Delta DNA must have seeped into his bloodstream. The singer, who owes his nickname to a favorite paperboy-style hat, goes for the sound of Southern soul circa 1968 in "(Am I Just) Fooling Myself."

'(Am I Just) Fooling Myself' by Eli 'Paperboy' Reed

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Tuesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Ben Waters Whips Up a Boogie 'Hurricane'

British boogie-woogie wizard Ben Waters sets a breakneck pace in "Hurricane," the title track from his new, import-only CD. In the process, he creates music that lives up to the boogie-woogie mission statement: making listeners want to get up and dance.

'Hurricane' by Ben Waters

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Monday

Tuesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Look What's Growing in Spanish Harlem

The Harlem Experiment lives up to its name, with a sometimes-unexpected match of artists and songs to evoke the musical hotbed of New York's famously diverse neighborhood. In its highlight, James Hunter covers a cute pop tune from the '60s, with only a 1932 vintage guitar as backup.

'A Rose in Spanish Harlem' by The Harlem Experiment with James Hunter

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Brassy Jazz with the Soul of a Child

Diane Schuur really belts out the jazz standard "September in the Rain." She takes that old chestnut about "leaves of brown" that tumble down and she heats it up, adding just the right hint of rue. Her backup, a pianist whose touch is both light and lush, is surely a George Shearing disciple.

'September in the Rain' by Diane Schuur

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

Bettye LaVette Picks Up the Pieces of a Lost Career

The '60s soul singer, newly discovered after decades of disappointment, sounds as if she means every word of Willie Nelson's "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces." Does any indie soul singer bring more guts, more conviction and more emotion to her singing?

'Somebody Pick Up My Pieces' by Bettye LaVette

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

'Andre's Blues' and the Sounds of Contentment

For two minutes and 21 seconds, Sir Andre Previn improvises in the studio and comes up with "Andre's Blues," one of the cuts on his new solo piano album. At the start, Previn's 78-year-old fingers take off in a lighthearted reverie and then segue into the business of the blues.

'Andre's Blues' by Andre Previn

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Cyrus Chestnut Out-Elvises Elvis

Chestnut knows how to conjure up a spirit of romance: Just listen to the jaunty jazz pianist's reinvention of "Love Me Tender" on his new CD, Cyrus Plays Elvis. It's a great example of how a gifted musician can take a sappy song and set it free.

'Love Me Tender' by Cyrus Chestnut

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Sharon Jones' '100 Nights' of Heartache

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings' "100 Days, 100 Nights" is about love, not some supersized flood; according to the singer, that's how long it takes for a man's heart to unfold. Meanwhile, her dynamite backup band chips in the brassy punctuation marks.

'100 Days, 100 Nights' by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

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Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

A Bold Soul Man Gets Bolder

To cover a song by the great Jackie Wilson takes a lot of gumption, not to mention a lot of voice. But since Ryan Shaw says people are always comparing him to Wilson, he figured he might as well try one of the late soul singer's classics ("I'll Be Satisfied") on his debut album.

'I'll Be Satisfied' by Ryan Shaw

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

A Soulful Homage to the Secular Slow Jam

An ordained preacher at 15, Keite Young now aims to conquer the sinful world of secular music. At 27, he showcases all the tools on "E.N.S.," including a keening tenor, a sharp falsetto and a thorough knowledge of both the gospel idiom and the school of funk.

'E.N.S. (Everybody Needs Somebody)" by Keite Young

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Monday

Song Of The Day

Katrina Makes Marva Wright Sing the Blues

New Orleans blues singer Marva Wright says she remains too distraught over the destruction of her hometown to write songs about what happened. She sure can sing about it, though, as her bittersweet cover of "You Are My Sunshine" proves.

'You Are My Sunshine' by Marva Wright

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

An Imaginary Cup of Tea for Two

Everyone on earth seems to have recorded "Tea for Two," but the multilingual lounge act Pink Martini makes it clear that the cloying classic is a fantasy. Paired with angel-voiced Jimmy Scott, singer China Forbes invests the song with a delicate intimacy.

'Tea for Two' by Pink Martini

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Wednesday

Review

New Music

A Wry Ode to a Singer's Indispensability

With her tart, no-nonsense voice, Mable John deserved to be a star like her brother Willie, who sang "Fever" before Peggy Lee. But Mable John never quite made it, though it sure wasn't because of her singing. Case in point: "Able Mable."

'Able Mable' by Mable John

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