Music

The Fresh Air rock critic gives his picks for the best albums of the year. Tucker is critic-at-large for Entertainment Weekly.

Musicians Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello join us to talk about their new collaborative album, "Painted From Memory." (Mercury) The two have been working together for nearly two years, beginning with the Grammy-nominated single "God Give Me Strength" (from the film "Grace of my Heart"), included on this album. Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello has recorded over 17 albums in his 25 year career. Composer Burt Bachrach is said to have revolutionized the sound of the sixties, with dozens of top ten hits, several Grammys and Academy Awards.

Rhino Records has just released "Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman." a new four CD box set that includes an entire disc of Newman's previously unreleased tracks. Newman's most popular songs include "Short People" and "I Love L-A." He's also written music for the films, "Ragtime," "The Natural," and "Toy Story," among many others.

Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Burt Bacharach's new collection, "The Look of Love."

The once post-war heartthrob won new fans with his MTV Unplugged concert. His new CD is "The Playground." He has a new autobiography called The Good Life. A grocer's son, Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born in Astoria Queens in 1926. After working as a singing waiter in his teens and then following service in the U.S. Army, he auditioned for Columbia Records and launched a career that started off with his first big hit "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Rock historian Ed Ward looks back on the career of songwriter Bert Berns.

Bette Midler made a name for herself in the early 1970s at New York's Continental Baths, a club for gay men. Since then she's been nominated for two Academy Awards, and earned Emmy and Grammy awards. She has a new CD, "Bathhouse Betty" (Warner Bros. Records).

A special in-studio concert and interview with Kate and Anna McGarrigle; Loudon, Rufus, and Martha Wainwright, and other. They all sing and play on the new album, "The McGarrigle Hour" (Hannibal).

Writer and critic Nelson George. He's one of this country's most prominent chroniclers of black music and culture. His new book "Hip Hop America" (Viking) is a history of Hip Hop, and a memoir of his own life, growing up to the musical strains of Hip Hop.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a re-issue of Judy Garland's songs titled "Judy" on the label 32 Records. It is a four cd-set with a video and 100 page book of photos and interviews. Also Rhino records has re-issued "Judy Garland in Hollywood."