Music Reviews : NPR

Review: 'The Muscle Shoals Recordings,' SteelDrivers

June 30, 2015 • NPR music critic Meredith Ochs reviews the new album from bluegrass band SteelDrivers titled The Muscle Shoals Recordings.

Review: 'The Muscle Shoals Recordings,' SteelDrivers

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'BrotherLee Love' Offers A Fearless, Fresh Tribute To Trumpeter Lee Morgan

Fresh Air

June 29, 2015 • Terell Stafford and his quintet bring a warm and hefty tone to a tribute album honoring the late Philadelphia horn player Lee Morgan. Kevin Whitehead says the new album is risky — but successful.

'BrotherLee Love' Offers A Fearless, Fresh Tribute To Trumpeter Lee Morgan

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Leon Bridges Offers Retro R&B With A Twist In 'Coming Home'

June 25, 2015 • The Texas-raised singer connects to R&B music from the past — and challenges himself to give it an updated sound — in his new album. Critic Ken Tucker says Bridges' album packs an emotional punch.

Leon Bridges Offers Retro R&B With A Twist In 'Coming Home'

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Review: 'Covered,' Robert Glasper

June 23, 2015 • NPR's Tom Moon reviews the new album from pianist Robert Glasper, Covered.

Review: 'Covered,' Robert Glasper

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Back In Ghana, Pat Thomas Gives New Life To Highlife

Pat Thomas' new album, Pat Thomas and Kwashibu Area Band, brings the West African genre of highlife into the 21st century. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Back In Ghana, Pat Thomas Gives New Life To Highlife

June 22, 2015 • Pat Thomas and Kwashibu Area Band's eight songs unfold in beautifully paced arrangements that are unhurried, but also packed with ideas. Legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen guests.

Back In Ghana, Pat Thomas Gives New Life To Highlife

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Miguel's new album, Wildheart, comes out June 30. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review: Miguel, 'Wildheart'

June 22, 2015 • His third album manages to capture an emotional precinct, an impression of a complex city going through changes and a man working to define real intimacy in the midst of so much tarnished beauty.

Review: Neil Young + Promise Of The Real, 'The Monsanto Years'

Neil Young's new album, The Monsanto Years, comes out June 30. Pegi Young/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review: Neil Young + Promise Of The Real, 'The Monsanto Years'

June 21, 2015 • These taut, righteously furious, stone-simple songs fit together under a catchall concept about companies wielding extraordinary influence over our quality of life.

Review: Matt Pond PA, 'The State Of Gold'

Matt Pond PA's new album, The State Of Gold, comes out June 30. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review: Matt Pond PA, 'The State Of Gold'

June 21, 2015 • The band's 10th album sounds at home among its many predecessors, satisfyingly reconciled between Matt Pond PA's restless drive and its rustic roots.

Review: The Velvet Teen, 'All Is Illusory'

The Velvet Teen's new album, All Is Illusory, comes out June 30. Sara Sanger/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review: The Velvet Teen, 'All Is Illusory'

June 21, 2015 • The band has always had a flair for the sonically dramatic. On its first album in nine years, there's a euphoric energy that never really lets go.

First Listen: Vince Staples, 'Summertime '06'

Vince Staples' new album, Summertime '06, comes out June 30. Courtesy of the artist. hide caption

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First Listen: Vince Staples, 'Summertime '06'

June 21, 2015 • The Long Beach rapper can be that villain you root for, but he's even better at showing us the complex, varied pieces that make up a real man.

Summertime '06

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Joy Williams' new album, Venus, comes out June 29. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review: 'Amanecer,' Bomba Estereo

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Pop Culture Happy Hour, Small Batch Edition: 'Jurassic World'

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in Jurassic World. Chuck Zlotnick/Universal Pictures hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour, Small Batch Edition: 'Jurassic World'

June 15, 2015 • The new super-mega-blockbuster dinosaur movie has fun dino stuff, a great performance from a guy in glasses, and two main characters who are severely underwritten.

Pop Culture Happy Hour, Small Batch Edition: 'Jurassic World'

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Dawes' New Album Grapples With Regret Without Getting You Down

June 15, 2015 • The California quartet, led by lead vocalist and main songwriter Taylor Goldsmith, has a new album called "All Your Favorite Bands." It explores sadness and doubt without being downbeat.

Dawes' New Album Grapples With Regret Without Getting You Down

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Bully's new album, Feels Like, comes out June 23. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review: Bully, 'Feels Like'

June 14, 2015 • Sweet and fizzy, barbed and aggressive, these are speeding-with-the-windows-down songs. But they also feel true to the life of the charismatic ball of nerves at their core.