Music Lists

Harvey Averne: Viva Latin Soul

September 24, 2009 • This multi-talented vibraphonist, bandleader, producer and label owner was a prominent figure in New York's Latin music scene. But when he retired from active recording in the mid-'70s, his legacy was largely forgotten. Now, he's re-entering the spotlight, thanks to a new anthology which samples some of his strongest works in Latin soul, rock and salsa.

courtesy of the artist

Review

Music Reviews

Mayer Hawthorne: Smooth Retro-Soul

September 16, 2009 • Among those who find today's soul throwbacks too mired in the past, Hawthorne's A Strange Arrangement is unlikely to change many minds. Yet the album suggests a promising future for the artist.

Jared Milgrim/Getty Images

Review

Music Reviews

Jay-Z Stays Fresh On 'The Blueprint 3'

September 9, 2009 • The Blueprint 3 is the latest release by rapper Jay-Z; it's the second sequel to one of his best-known releases, 2001's The Blueprint. It's also Jay-Z's 11th solo album in 13 years, making him one of hip-hop's most prolific artists. Reviewer Oliver Wang suggests that, even this far into his career, the rapper is still finding ways to stay on top.

Jay-Z Stays Fresh On 'The Blueprint 3'

Listen · 4:47 4:47

Toggle more options

• Download
• Embed
  Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/112672233/112685194" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
• Transcript

mitjamavsar / Flickr

It's Time To Party: Summer Songs

Summer Can't Last Forever: Songs For Farewell

August 19, 2009 • Summer is, unfortunately, more about what we want it to be than what it actually is. Idealism may make a potent brew, but we know the season inevitably ends. That's why some of the best summer songs are tinged with fragility and marked by melancholy. This is music that admits the painful truth about summer: that even the best times won't last, as long days fade with autumn's encroaching dusk.

Review

Music Reviews

Lee Fields: Older And Closer To Perfection

July 21, 2009 • In a curious case of musical evolution, the older Lee Fields becomes, the closer he gets to perfecting the sound of soul that he grew up with. His latest release, My World, finds an ideal middle ground between the slow grind of Southern blues and the faster, funkier stylings of retro-soul.

Lee Fields: Older And Closer To Perfection

Listen · 4:37 4:37

Toggle more options

• Download
• Embed
  Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/106815434/106865305" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
• Transcript

Music Lists

Lee Fields: Soul Survivor

July 21, 2009 • Soul singer Lee Fields may be a rhythm-and-blues veteran, but don't call him a relic. Since the 1970s, the North Carolina native has amassed a prolific catalog of albums, and part of the secret to his success has been flexibility. To younger fans, Fields is retro-soul royalty. For his older fans, Fields has been a stalwart of Southern soul music.

Music Lists

Covering Michael Jackson: Five Songs

July 7, 2009 • When your career includes charting four No. 1 hits in a row and selling a gazillion records, it's no surprise that a few people (or a few hundred) may want to cover your songs. Here is just a sampling.

Music Lists

Standing In The Shadow Of Siblings

June 25, 2009 • It's not easy being related to a musical star: Even if your gifts rival those of your sibling, it's presumed that as the less-famous family member, you must be second-rate or a coattail surfer. Especially in the world of soul music, some overshadowed sisters and brothers have proven as compelling as their kin.

Review

Song Of The Day

Theron And Darrell: Wichita Linemen

June 3, 2009 • Listening to Theron Gafford and Darrell Buckner push their falsettos on the sweet soul ballad "I Was Made To Love Her," it feels almost too forced, too shrill. But that's the magic of the falsetto: The way it takes the human voice to unnatural limits is also what imbues it with its power.

I Was Made to Love Her

Toggle more options

• Embed
  Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/104871219/104867521" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

The RZA. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artist

Music Lists

'C.R.E.A.M.': The Story Of A Sample

April 22, 2009 • The Charmels' single "As Long as I've Got You" didn't garner much attention when it was first released in 1967. A small snippet of the song, however, now stands as one of The Wu-Tang Clan's most recognizable hooks. Follow the 40-year life cycle of the pop song, from historical footnote to fan favorite.

Review

Music Reviews

'Downriver Revival': Documenting The Double U

March 18, 2009 • In the mid-1960s, an electrician converted his basement into a jerry-built, custom studio he dubbed Double U Sound. Between 1967 and 1981, Felton Williams recorded more than 300 reels of tape. Downriver Revival is the first in a series of compilations focusing on the recordings of these local studios.

'Downriver Revival': Documenting The Double U

Listen · 4:27 4:27

Toggle more options

• Download
• Embed
  Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/102059710/102064684" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
• Transcript

Music Lists

Joe Cuba: From Boogaloo To Salsa

February 17, 2009 • The Latin music giant died Sunday after a long illness; he was 73. As prolific as he was influential, Cuba helped pioneer the Latin soul movement in the 1960s, and became an elder in the salsa scene.

Review

Song Of The Day

Mayer Hawthorne: Working Out A Break-Up

January 12, 2009 • Once the young soul singer drizzles on his honeyed falsetto, "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" slides back to yesteryear with a cozy charm that's as warm as the song's electric piano. In a smart touch, he uses studio magic to create his own multi-harmony accompaniment, in essence serving as his own back-up singers.

Just Ain't Gonna Work Out

Toggle more options

• Embed
  Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/99241247/99239998" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Review

Music Reviews

Kanye's Latest A Deeply Personal Departure

November 25, 2008 • The Chicago rapper's new album, 808s and Heartbreak features him singing instead of rapping, but he's filtered his vocals through the voice processing system known as Auto-Tune, an increasingly popular trend among pop artists. The result is a melancholy, intimate and decidedly quirky effort.

Kanye's Latest A Deeply Personal Departure

Listen

Toggle more options

• Download
• Embed
  Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/97451806/97481352" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
• Transcript

Review

Music Reviews

Q-Tip's 'Renaissance' Worth The Wait

November 11, 2008 • As leader of the 1990s hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip rose to fame on the strength of their jazz-influenced production and his smooth, unruffled rapping. After problems plagued his solo career, Q-Tip disappeared from the music scene. He has now resurfaced with an entirely new CD, The Renaissance.

Q-Tip's 'Renaissance' Worth The Wait

Listen

Toggle more options

• Download
• Embed
  Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96867102/96867749" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
• Transcript