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Music Reviews

Jon Pardi's 'Heartache Medication' Offers A Healthy Dose Of Traditional Country

Fresh Air

Country music has take a turn towards pop of late, but Pardi's new album goes back to the genre's roots, with a collection of excellent honky-tonk songs — many of which are about booze.

Jon Pardi's 'Heartache Medication' Offers A Healthy Dose Of Traditional Country

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Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King,' Like Its Creator, Asks A Little Too Much Of Us

Kanye West onstage during his Jesus Is King album and film event at The Forum on Oct. 23, 2019 in Inglewood, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for ABA hide caption

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Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King,' Like Its Creator, Asks A Little Too Much Of Us

There are moments of inspired magic on West's gospel-flavored ninth album, and moments that sound ill-considered and slapped together. Those extremes feel like the story of his recent career.

Lakou Mizik Explores Haiti's Centuries-Old Connections With New Orleans In 2nd Album

Haitian band Lakou Mizik is out with its second album — a dazzling set of collaborations with New Orleans musicians, celebrating the close musical and cultural ties between the two places.

Lakou Mizik Explores Haiti's Centuries-Old Connections With New Orleans In 2nd Album

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Indian Percussion Infuses 'Good Hope' With Complex, Crossfire Beats

Fresh Air

Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain joins with saxophonist Dave Holland and bassist Chris Potter on a new album that that's clear and confident, with plenty of fire.

Indian Percussion Infuses 'Good Hope' With Complex, Crossfire Beats

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Summer Walker's 'Over It' Is Worthy Of The Buzz

Summer Walker's debut album, Over It, is a sensation. ro.lexx/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Summer Walker's 'Over It' Is Worthy Of The Buzz

Summer Walker's album, Over It, debuted earlier this month — and it's already broken records. Music critic Briana Younger of The New Yorker discusses some of the album's standout songs.

Summer Walker's 'Over It' Is Worthy Of The Buzz

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Taylor Ho Bynum's 'Ambiguity Manifesto' Is A Playground For Jazz Improvisers

Fresh Air

Bynum's album features nine musicians, including guitarist Mary Halvorson, a newly minted MacArthur fellow. Each improviser sings the tune — or sings around it — in their own way, in their own time.

Taylor Ho Bynum's 'Ambiguity Manifesto' Is A Playground For Jazz Improvisers

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Brittany Howard Draws Listeners In With 'Jaime', A Very Personal Solo Album

Fresh Air

The new album by the Alabama Shakes lead singer mixes autobiography with an exploration of different musical styles. Listening to Jaime is like discovering Howard as an artist all over again.

Brittany Howard Draws Listeners In With 'Jaime', A Very Personal Solo Album

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Wilco, Forever In Competition With Its Own Best Work, Tries Shifting The Stakes

Wilco, left to right: Nels Cline, Glenn Kotche, Jeff Tweedy, Mikael Jorgensen, Pat Sansone, John Stirratt. Annabel Mehren/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Annabel Mehren/Courtesy of the artist

Wilco, Forever In Competition With Its Own Best Work, Tries Shifting The Stakes

The new Ode to Joy couldn't sound less like the ambitious clatter of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot — but Jeff Tweedy and crew sound at home in its skeletal frame, driven by something cozier than ambition.

Music Review: Brittany Howard Releases Her Debut Solo Album, 'Jaime'

Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes has released her first solo album, Jaime, in honor of her sister who died from cancer as a teenager. The album that began as a way to heal is also a call to action.

Music Review: Brittany Howard Releases Her Debut Solo Album, 'Jaime'

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Filmmaker Ken Burns Goes Wide, But Not Deep, In His Chronicle Of 'Country Music'

Country star Dolly Parton, signing a guitar alongside writer Dayton Duncan (center) and filmmaker Ken Burns (right). PBS hide caption

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TV Reviews

Filmmaker Ken Burns Goes Wide, But Not Deep, In His Chronicle Of 'Country Music'

Fresh Air

Burns is known for finding fresh takes on big topics, but his new eight-part PBS series about country music treads a well-worn path, leaning heavily on the biggest stars and the most obvious ideas.

Filmmaker Ken Burns Goes Wide, But Not Deep, In His Chronicle Of 'Country Music'

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The Highwomen: Reimagining An '80s Supergroup

Four female country stars — Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby — are hitting the road as The Highwomen, a reinterpretation of the '80s supergroup The Highwaymen.

The Highwomen: Reimagining An '80s Supergroup

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