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Music Reviews

Musicians Pay Tribute To Blind Willie Johnson On 'God Don't Never Change'

Fresh Air

A range of musicians, including Tom Waits and Sinéad O'Connor, cover gospel-blues performer Johnson on a new tribute album. Critic Milo Miles says the record's tracks are striking and inventive.

Musicians Pay Tribute To Blind Willie Johnson On 'God Don't Never Change'

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Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Revisits Past Performances With 'Holding The Stage'

Fresh Air

The 85-year-old saxophonist's new album features live recordings made between 1979 and 2012. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead calls Holding The Stage a "mixed bag" with a few "real gems."

Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Revisits Past Performances With 'Holding The Stage'

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'James Brown: Live At The Apollo Vol. 4' Is A Marvelous And Mysterious Time Capsule

The latest release of James Brown's music, Get Down with James Brown: Live at the Apollo Vol 4, was recorded in 1972 — and finally released this year. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

'James Brown: Live At The Apollo Vol. 4' Is A Marvelous And Mysterious Time Capsule

The 1972 concerts at The Apollo were recorded but, inexplicably, never released — until now. They show a side of Brown content to turn the show over to his collaborators.

'James Brown: Live At The Apollo Vol. 4' Is A Marvelous And Mysterious Time Capsule

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Sturgill Simpson Moves Into Uncharted Waters In 'A Sailor's Guide to Earth'

Fresh Air

Rock critic Ken Tucker says Simpson deepens his range and reconnects country to R&B on his new record, a concept album about becoming a father.

Sturgill Simpson Moves Into Uncharted Waters In 'A Sailor's Guide to Earth'

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Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Is Defiant In The Midst Of Upheaval

Beyoncé's new visual album, Lemonade, is out now. TIDAL hide caption

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TIDAL

Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Is Defiant In The Midst Of Upheaval

The story she's telling this time, that of a woman wronged, is universal, but the way she's delivered it is a crystal-clear representation of the black female experience.

Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Is Defiant In The Midst Of Upheaval

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Henry Threadgill Doubles Up On 'Old Locks And Irregular Verbs'

Fresh Air

The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer doesn't play on his new jazz album, but critic Kevin Whitehead says Old Locks and Irregular Verbs is nevertheless a perfect introduction to Threadgill's voice.

Henry Threadgill Doubles Up On 'Old Locks And Irregular Verbs'

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Peter Wolf's 'Cure for Loneliness': Music With An Undercurrent Of Melancholy

Fresh Air

The former lead singer for the J. Geils Band has been making albums on his own since the mid-1980s. Reviewer Ken Tucker says his latest is one of the most varied collections Wolf has ever recorded.

Peter Wolf's 'Cure for Loneliness': Music With An Undercurrent Of Melancholy

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Songs We Love: Leapling, 'Hey Sister'

Leapling's Suspended Animation is out June 10 on Exploding In Sound Records. Anna Sian/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Anna Sian/Courtesy of the artist

Songs We Love

Songs We Love: Leapling, 'Hey Sister'

While the title of the Brooklyn trio's album Suspended Animation implies emotional stasis, it's actually the result of transition and change.

08Hey Sister

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    Song
    Hey Sister
    Album
    Suspended Animation
    Artist
    Leapling
    Label
    Exploding In Sound Records
    Released
    2016

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Guitar Prodigy Julian Lage Finds His Sweet Spot With 'Arclight'

Fresh Air

Lage mixes jazz, blues and swing on his new trio album with Scott Colley and Kenny Wollesen. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says that Lage really hits his stride in Arclight.

Guitar Prodigy Julian Lage Finds His Sweet Spot With 'Arclight'

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Fresh Air Remembers Country Music Legend Merle Haggard

Fresh Air

"I was, to say the least, probably the most incorrigible child you can think of," Haggard told Fresh Air in 1995. The country icon died Wednesday morning in California. It was his 79th birthday.

Fresh Air Remembers Country Music Legend Merle Haggard

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Songs We Love: Dedalus & Muzzix, Moondog's 'Behold'

Musicians from the French ensembles Dedalus and Muzzix have recreated an album by Moondog, originally released in 1971. Christian Mathieu/Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Christian Mathieu/Courtesy of the artists

Deceptive Cadence

Songs We Love: Dedalus & Muzzix, Moondog's 'Behold'

A pair of French new music ensembles lovingly recreates songs by the iconoclastic New York street composer and poet who called himself Moondog.

24Behold

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    Song
    Behold
    Album
    Louis "Moondog" Hardin: Round the World of Sound
    Artist
    Dedalus / Muzzix
    Label
    New World Records
    Released
    2016

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