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Ken Tucker Ken Tucker is the pop music critic for Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
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Ken Tucker

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Music Reviews

Bee Gees Documentary Traces The Gibb Brothers' Pathway To Stardom

Fresh Air

Of the three Bee Gees, only Barry Gibb is still alive. His new album is Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Volume 1. The HBO documentary, The Bee Gees, tells the story of the group's rise.

Bee Gees Documentary Traces The Gibb Brothers' Pathway To Stardom

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Music Reviews

3 New Holiday Songs Tap Into The Cheer — And Despair — Of The Season

Fresh Air

The holidays have never felt more ambivalent — a feeling captured by Phoebe Bridgers' "Christmas Song"; The Bird and the Bee's "You and I at Christmas Time"; and Nick Lowe's "Winter Wonderland."

3 New Holiday Songs Tap Into The Cheer — And Despair — Of The Season

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A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism

Dua Lipa performs onstage for the 2020 American Music Awards. Her album, Future Nostalgia, ranks second on Ken Tucker's list of his favorite albums of 2020. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for dcp hide caption

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Review

Best Music Of 2020

A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism

Fresh Air

The pandemic, along with unprecedented political and social upheaval, created a year in which listeners sought to be transported. Enter these 10 albums. At the top of the list: X's Alphabetland.

A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism

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Music Reviews

From Springsteen To Stevie Wonder, Veteran Musicians Capture The Moment

Fresh Air

Three new songs from established acts speak to the times: "Ghosts," by Bruce Springsteen; "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate," by Stevie Wonder; and "Didn't Want to Be This Lonely," by The Pretenders.

From Springsteen To Stevie Wonder, Veteran Musicians Capture The Moment

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Music Reviews

Low Cut Connie Showcases A New Ambition On 'Private Lives'

Fresh Air

Once known as a loud bar band, Low Cut Connie bends classic rock to meet ever-more complex emotionalism. The resulting album is filled with songs about lovers, losers and beautiful dreamers.

Low Cut Connie Showcases A New Ambition On 'Private Lives'

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Music Reviews

Super Deluxe Release Of Prince's 'Sign O' The Times' Holds Up As A Masterpiece

Fresh Air

Prince's creativity is more impressive than ever on a new version of his highly praised 1987 album — now with three discs of previously unreleased material.

Super Deluxe Release Of Prince's 'Sign O' The Times' Holds Up As A Masterpiece

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Music Reviews

Country Singer Mickey Guyton Opens Up About Race And Gender In 'Black Like Me'

Fresh Air

Guyton's hit song, off her EP Bridges, is about feeling like a stranger in one's own land. The issues Guyton raises pose new challenges — not just to country music, but to our country itself.

Country Singer Mickey Guyton Opens Up About Race And Gender In 'Black Like Me'

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Music Reviews

The Happy Fits Deliver Fresh And Snappy Pop On 'What Could Be Better'

Fresh Air

The musical trio met in college and are now making some of the catchiest tunes around. Their sound features a guitarist, a drummer and one lead singer — who's also a classically trained cellist.

The Happy Fits Deliver Fresh And Snappy Pop On 'What Could Be Better'

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Music Reviews

3 Beautiful Songs Offer Comfort In The Face Of Cruelty

Fresh Air

Looking for music that's soothing without being sentimental? Listen to "Guilty," by Courtney Marie Andrews; "Sleeping Without You Is a Dragg," by Swamp Dogg; and "End of My Rope," by Pokey LaFarge.

3 Beautiful Songs Offer Comfort In The Face Of Cruelty

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Music Interviews

With 'Folklore,' Taylor Swift Marks Off Her Past And Enters A New Phase

Fresh Air

Swift's eighth studio album came as a surprise. In the isolation of the past months, she's cooked up a yeasty kind of sugar-free pop that rises above much recent music-making.

With 'Folklore,' Taylor Swift Marks Off Her Past And Enters A New Phase

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Music Reviews

HAIM Radiates Sunniness In 'Women In Music Pt. III'

Fresh Air

The new album by three Los Angeles sisters feels like it was meant to be blasted loud in your car as you try to time all the green lights along Sunset Boulevard.

HAIM Radiates Sunniness In 'Women In Music Pt. III'

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Music Reviews

Bob Dylan's 'Rough And Rowdy Ways' Breathes, Expands And Contracts

Fresh Air

The good songs on Dylan's latest record inflate with interest; the mediocre songs start to shrink and slink away. And there's a striking amount of upbeat rhythm & blues on the album.

Bob Dylan's 'Rough And Rowdy Ways' Breathes, Expands And Contracts

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Music Reviews

Lady Gaga And Carly Rae Jepsen, Both With Bold Albums, Make Isolation Less Lonely

Fresh Air

The electric instrumentation of Lady Gaga's flashy disco record Chromatica and Carly Rae Jepsen's Dedicated Side B provide a much-needed jolt for the COVID era.

Lady Gaga And Carly Rae Jepsen, Both With Bold Albums, Make Isolation Less Lonely

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Music Reviews

LA Punk Band X Returns With Go-For-Broke Urgency In 'Alphabetland'

Fresh Air

X's first album 35 years takes its place alongside the best work they've ever done. The music on Alphabetland is the sound of X snatching back its past in order to fuel the music of its future.

LA Punk Band X Returns With Go-For-Broke Urgency In 'Alphabetland'

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Music Reviews

With 'Future Nostalgia,' Dua Lipa Reminds Us How To Feel Care-Free

Fresh Air

The pop singer's smart and snappy second album is a '70s and '80s disco throwback. The record immediately stands out from nearly all current popular music for its sheer, bursting joyfulness.

With 'Future Nostalgia,' Dua Lipa Reminds Us How To Feel Care-Free

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