Pop

DeMent's music combines country and folk. Her latest album is called "My Life." She draws from her and her family's life experiences growing up in rural Arkansas, and Southern California. Her first album, "Infamous Angel' was released in 1992. Some of the music from it is used in the recent movie, "LIttle Buddha."

Cale was the violist, keyboardist and bassist of the 1960s avant garde band, The Velvet Underground. Since the breakup of the group in 1968, he has had a career as a solo artist. Most recently, he collaborated with former Velvet Underground member Lou Reed, on "Songs for Drella," the 1990 tribute to artist Andy Warhol. This past month, he released "Seducing Down the Door: A John Cale Collection," which is a compilation of his post-Velvet Underground solo recordings.

Cave and his band The Bad Seeds are best known for Cave's angry, twisted ballad-like lyrics. Their latest album, "Let Love In," is marked by a dark, bitter view of love and relationships. They've released eight albums to date, and have contributed songs to the last three Wim Wenders films, including "Far Away, So Close," and "Until the End of the World." Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds are performing in this summer's Lollapalooza concert.

Hayes rose to the top of the charts in the 1970's on the Staxl record label. He released his first solo album, "Presenting Isaac Hayes," in 1968. His next album, "Hot Buttered Soul," became a gold record in the 1970's.

While new music from Shoes and Freedy Johnston may not be as heavy as what's popular today, critic Ken Tucker recommends rock fans check out their latest pop-oriented albums.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two new Spike Jones reissues -- "The Spike Jones Anthology" and "Spiked!"

Rock Critic Ken Tucker reviews the Rolling Stones' new album, “Voodoo Lounge." He says their sound has been revitalized by the direction of producer Don Was

World Music Commentator Milo Miles comments on the 1995 Africa Fete Show in Boston.

Commentator Milo Miles discusses the definition of the term "world music." Miles discusses Angelique Kidjo, Deep Forest, Big Mountain.

A concert and interview with singer/songwriter and musician Dave Alvin. He's best known for his guitar "firepower" with the Blasters (for which he was also primary composer and songwriter). He also had a short stint with the band X. Alvin went solo a few years ago, and began honing his voice. He's just released his third solo album -- his first acoustic one -- "King of California" (HighTone Records).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Jon Secada's "Heart, Soul and A Voice".

Beck is a 23 year-old hip/hop folk rocker, who goes by first name only and whose single, "Loser" has become the anthem for the underachievers of Generation X. His music has been described as "triumphantly anti-professional, idiot-savant music in which a heartfelt solo can be provided by kazoo as easily as guitar." Beck was part of the Los Angeles underground, with songs like "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack." Beck's first album, "Mellow Gold," (released on DGC) was recorded at home on four and eight-track recording equipment.

Texas-born musician and Nashville songwriter Billy Joe Shaver. At 54, he plays with his son in a band called "Shaver" -- their new album is "Tramp on Your Street" (Zoo/Praxis), his first recording in ten years. Shaver's songs, as recorded by Waylon Jennings on the 1973 "Honky Tonk Heroes" album, began the "outlaw" movement in country music. Since then, his songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash.

Singer, songwriter, guitar player, Dan Penn. Penn has written soul music classics--"Do Right Woman," "Cry Like a Baby," "Sweet Inspiration," "I'm Your Puppet," for example. His compositions have been made famous by the likes of Aretha Franklin, James Carr, Percy Sledge, Solomon Burke and Otis Redding. Penn left his tiny hometown of Vernon, Alabama when he was sixteen. . . a white kid, singing like Ray Charles and in love with black music.

Milo Miles, world music commentator, reviews "Boto," a debut album by Lokua Kanza on the French label Night and Day.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a recording of George Gershwin piano rolls.

World Music critic Milo Miles reviews two new releases by Oumou Sangare, the woman singer from Mali: "Moussolou" and "Ko Sira" both on Rounder's World Circuit Label.

Singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo. Escovedo has just released his second solo album. It is called "Thirteen Years" (Watermelon Records). He was a founding member of San Francisco's '70's punk band the Nuns, the cowpunk band Rank & File and rock band True Believers. The title of the new album refers to a point during his marriage when all he had to offer his wife was song. After Escovedo and his former wife separated, she committed suicide.

Singer/songwriter Sam Phillips is a former Christian singer who became disillusioned with the form, left it, changed her name (from Leslie), and started writing songs which explored her own singular spirituality. Since 1989 she's been making pop music that's been admired by the critics. One critic wrote of her 1991 album; "On the surface, Phillips seems just another wispy-voiced, ethereal singer-songwriter, writing moody songs chronicling the dangers of corruption and obsessive love.

Emmy-Award winning documentary filmmaker and producer, Thomas Lennon. His newest documentary examines the interaction between the tabloid press and the mainstream media: "Tabloid Truth: the Michael Jackson Scandal" (which airs on PBS stations February 15th). By watching the story of alleged sexual abuse swell from verifiable news to national spectacle, Lennon questions the state of American journalism, as CNN fights for the same stories once relegated to the National Inquirer.