Accessibility links
Music Reviews Music reviews of new albums in pop, rock, folk, jazz, blues, classical, world, and hip-hop.

Music Reviews

Tragic Fire Sparks Julia Wolfe's Latest Look At American Labor History

Members of the 146-voice chorus, dressed as garment workers, in composer Julia Wolfe's Fire In My Mouth, which documents the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York. Chris Lee/Decca Gold hide caption

toggle caption
Chris Lee/Decca Gold

Deceptive Cadence

Tragic Fire Sparks Julia Wolfe's Latest Look At American Labor History

On her new album, Fire in My Mouth, the Pulitzer-winning composer documents the tragedy behind New York City's 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

Tragic Fire Sparks Julia Wolfe's Latest Look At American Labor History

Listen · 4:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/747034731/754485132" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Raphael Saadiq Balances Personal Introspection With Social Commentary On 'Jimmy Lee'

Raphael Saadiq's new album, Jimmy Lee, is his first in eight years. It was inspired by his brother's struggles with addiction and, ultimately, his death.

Raphael Saadiq Balances Personal Introspection With Social Commentary On 'Jimmy Lee'

Listen · 3:54
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/753836515/753836573" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A Confrontation With Music: Ivo Pogorelich's First Album In 21 Years

Ivo Pogorelich's new recording of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff sonatas is the pianist's first album in 21 years. Bernard Martinez/Sony Classical hide caption

toggle caption
Bernard Martinez/Sony Classical

Deceptive Cadence

A Confrontation With Music: Ivo Pogorelich's First Album In 21 Years

A trio of critics discuss the mercurial pianist's personal take on Beethoven and Rachmaninoff and what it means to color outside the lines in classical music.

Jonathan Biss

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/749395568/751060334" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Pianist Fred Hersch Scales Up The Intimacy On 'Begin Again'

Fresh Air

Hersch often works in small settings, either as a piano soloist, or in a duo or trio. But he amplifies his message on his latest album by teaming up with Germany's WDR Big Band.

Pianist Fred Hersch Scales Up The Intimacy On 'Begin Again'

Listen · 6:45
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/753081396/753131672" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sleater-Kinney Releases A Last Album, Ending An Era For the Indie Rock Trio

Sleater-Kinney's longtime drummer is leaving the band — but not before they release one last album together. It marks the end of an era for the indie rock power trio.

Sleater-Kinney Releases A Last Album, Ending An Era For the Indie Rock Trio

Listen · 3:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/752882689/752882692" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
What It Means To Listen To Sleater-Kinney Now

Sleater-Kinney performs on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 19, 2019. On July 1, drummer Janet Weiss announced her departure from the band after more than 20 years. Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Editors' Picks

What It Means To Listen To Sleater-Kinney Now

What happens when an artist you count on to be one way suddenly isn't? For writer Hanif Abdurraquib, appreciating the left-turn album The Center Won't Hold has meant letting go of years of nostalgia.

'The Balance': Abdullah Ibrahim Is Deeply Rooted Yet Sounds Like No One Else

Fresh Air

The latest album from the 84-year-old South African composer and pianist showcases his work as a master composer of melodic mood pieces.

'The Balance': Abdullah Ibrahim Is Deeply Rooted Yet Sounds Like No One Else

Listen · 8:00
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/748739170/748770290" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Cuco Redefines The Role Of A Teen Idol With 'Para Mí'

Cuco's debut album, Para Mí, is out now via Interscope Records. Cameron Postforoosh/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Cameron Postforoosh/Courtesy of the artist

Cuco Redefines The Role Of A Teen Idol With 'Para Mí'

Para Mí, the debut album from self-identified Chicano singer Cuco, masterfully layers his signature dream pop sound with instrumental abilities and Chicano influences.

Cuco Redefines The Role Of A Teen Idol With 'Para Mí'

Listen · 3:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/745740148/746366112" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Titus Andronicus Explores Its Punk-Rock Side In 'An Obelisk'

Fresh Air

Titus Andronicus, fronted by Patrick Stickles, favors a louder, more aggressive style in its new album. While the music sounds simple and raw, the ideas behind the songs are quite complex.

Titus Andronicus Explores Its Punk-Rock Side In 'An Obelisk'

Listen · 6:39
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/746265893/746298760" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Buddy And Julie Miller Create Their Own Genre On 'Breakdown On 20th Ave. South'

Fresh Air

The married musicians offer their own synthesis of folk, country, rock and the blues on their new album. The music that results is unsettling, with a beauty that's both comforting and soothing.

Buddy And Julie Miller Create Their Own Genre On 'Breakdown On 20th Ave. South'

Listen · 7:44
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/744856682/744932968" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Thom Yorke Recalibrates And Digs Deeper Into His Dread Of Technology With 'ANIMA'

Thom Yorke's third solo album ANIMA represents a recalibration of his creative process. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Thom Yorke Recalibrates And Digs Deeper Into His Dread Of Technology With 'ANIMA'

Thom Yorke has always had a dread of technology. But the Radiohead frontman's latest album, ANIMA, explores that dread with the help of technology.

Thom Yorke Recalibrates And Digs Deeper Into His Dread Of Technology With 'ANIMA'

Listen · 3:33
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/743595967/743599333" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Forget Her Nots: Patrice Rushen Compilation Captures Formative Elektra Years

The Patrice Rushen compilation Remind Me: The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984 revisits that formative period in Rushen's industry-spanning career. Patrice Rushen Archives/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Patrice Rushen Archives/Courtesy of the artist

Forget Her Nots: Patrice Rushen Compilation Captures Formative Elektra Years

Patrice Rushen's years singing for Elektra Records in the 1970s and '80s helped define late-era disco and R&B. Now, a collection of her classic R&B and dance tunes is being released.

Forget Her Nots: Patrice Rushen Compilation Captures Formative Elektra Years

Listen · 4:11
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/742312885/743212057" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript