Music Reviews : NPR

Music Interviews

Abou-Khalil Takes the Oud Down a Jazzy Path

April 28, 2006 • Rabih Abou-Khalil might be considered a bit blasphemous for playing the oud — a pear-shaped, fretless stringed instrument native to the Middle East — as if he were a jazz guitarist.

Abou-Khalil Takes the Oud Down a Jazzy Path

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Song Of The Day

'New Feet' for a New Era

April 28, 2006 • "New Feet" is one of seven previously unreleased experiments from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts included on a newly reissued version of the 1981 collaboration between David Byrne and Brian Eno.

'Lunatico': Tango for a New Generation

April 27, 2006 • By the 1960s, the tango — born of a union of sin and salvation in Buenos Aires early in the 20th century — had become something of a ballroom relic. Now the sound of the tango is enticing a new generation, thanks in part to the musicians of the Gotan Project.

'Lunatico': Tango for a New Generation

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Song Of The Day

Baring Radiohead's Secret Soul

April 27, 2006 • A group of R&B and deep-house acts delve into Radiohead's music on Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads, producing a mesmerizing moment in The Randy Watson Experience's poignant makeover of "Morning Bell."

Song Of The Day

An Alt-Country Antidote to a Bad Day

April 26, 2006 • Though Austin music remains best known as the spiritual ground zero for alt-country, Jon Dee Graham's new Full leans more toward rock. "Something Wonderful" is a hummable reminder to look out for moments of goodness.

'We Shall Overcome': Unconventional Folk

Fresh Air

April 26, 2006 • Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Bruce Springsteen's new album, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions," which features Springsteen singing folk songs made famous by Pete Seeger.

'We Shall Overcome': Unconventional Folk

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World Cafe

Springsteen's Homage to Pete Seeger

XPN

April 25, 2006 • NPR music critic Tom Moon talks with David Dye about Bruce Springsteen's new collection We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. All the tracks on the new album are standards closely associated with folk icon Pete Seeger.

Springsteen's Homage to Pete Seeger

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Ghostface Killah's 'Fishscale'

April 25, 2006 • Dennis Coles is a Staten Island rapper whose moniker is Ghostface Killah. A member of the veteran hip-hop supergroup the Wu Tang Clan, Ghostface has gone from performing exclusively in a white ski mask to become one of the most recognized and respected rappers in hip hop. His new album is Fishscale.

Ghostface Killah's 'Fishscale'

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Music

A Boss Nod to Seeger: 'We Shall Overcome'

April 25, 2006 • A loose, fun, freewheeling energy dominates the new Bruce Springsteen CD, from the very first strains of songs like Old Dan Tucker, Jesse James, Erie Canal and others — songs first made popular by folk music icon Pete Seeger.

A Boss Nod to Seeger: 'We Shall Overcome'

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Song Of The Day

Two Continents Combine to Protest World Violence

April 25, 2006 • In "Osama Rach," the late Kenyan singer Otieno Jagwasi confesses an obsession with Osama bin Laden. "I am asking President Bush and Osama, 'Why do you have to kill innocent people when you just want to kill each other?'"

Song Of The Day

Places Have Feelings, Too

April 24, 2006 • Tom Brosseau understands the sentimental pull of places — the way a building or a town can come to life in memories as vividly as loved ones do. He often sings about home as more than a bricks-and-mortar construct: It lives, breathes, feels, and dies.

Song Of The Day

Australia Reveals Its Funky Side

April 21, 2006 • Anyone playing word-association games with "Australia" isn't likely to call out "funk" — "kangaroos," maybe, or "didgeridoos" — but The Bamboos should go a long way toward changing the continent's image, at least from a musical standpoint.

Morrissey: 'Leader of the Tormentors'

April 20, 2006 • Morrissey has been a fixture on the pop-music landscape for more than two decades. Music critic John Brady says listening to his eighth solo album is like having a conversation with a neighbor — a mopey, gothic, somewhat strange but always exciting neighbor.

Morrissey: 'Leader of the Tormentors'

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Song Of The Day

A Youthful Misstep, Chronicled in Song

April 19, 2006 • Bishop Allen has mastered the art of quirky, unassuming pop with a fragile heart. The band's heartfelt, refreshing music is imbued with smart choruses and jangly guitars, and "Central Booking" exemplifies its charming, relatable songwriting.

Electronic Exotica: Alpert and Mendes, Remixed

April 18, 2006 • Herb Alpert and Sergio Mendes, giants of 1960s music, are back. Alpert collaborated with electronica musicians to remix his hits. And rap and soul stars have turned Mendes' work into a variety of new songs... with some mixed results.

Electronic Exotica: Alpert and Mendes, Remixed

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