Music

Owens may be best known as the smiling country singer who co-hossted Hee Haw, but he also sang original tunes. A new collection, Buck Owens: Bound for Bakersfield, goes back to the days before Owens made it big.

The psychedelic band has a complex legacy that goes beyond its big hit, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," critic Milo Miles says. A newly released concert recording from 1968 provides the best chance in decades for a fresh look at Iron Butterfly.

Rowan got his start performing with the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. In the '70s, he formed the band Old and in the Way with Jerry Garcia. Now, he joins his group for an in-studio session and interview on Fresh Air.

O'Neal's Whirling Mantis is named for a defensive move in karate. The martial-arts reference suggests one way to look at how O'Neal's music operates: The players react to each other's moves, deflecting one another in stylized interaction.

Director David Lynch -- the man who made Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Eraserhead -- has released his first solo album, titled Crazy Clown Time. Rock critic Ken Tucker says it's a strange trip that ends up making a lot of sense.

Songwriter Hugh Martin co-wrote the Christmas tune that Judy Garland made famous in the 1944 classic Meet Me in St. Louis. Martin, who recently released a memoir, explains how he came up with his famous lyrics.

Colley's not from Kansas, but his music fits the wide-open flatlands, where you can see the weather coming on. Bill Frisell, Brian Blade and Ralph Alessi breathe life into the frameworks the bassist builds on Empire.

Kevin Whitehead says this Davis quintet was consistently amazing, not least on its last big tour.

Boogie-woogie was a piano style that began in the early 20th century and later became a huge fad. Rock historian Ed Ward explains how the genre re-emerged as an important precursor to rock 'n' roll.

Kevin Whitehead looks at genre-bending new albums by Pablo Aslan and Sao Paulo Underground.

Joe Henry has produced albums by Solomon Burke, Allan Toussaint, Hugh Laurie and others. The versatile singer, songwriter and producer has just released Reverie, his 12th album. It features acoustic performances from a three-day jam session in his basement.

Four the Record is Miranda Lambert's first new collection of songs after her 2009 album Revolution. Since then, Lambert has quickly become one of Nashville's most prominent stars. But rock critic Ken Tucker says Lambert is still not a typical country act.

The out-of-print and much-coveted album combines a dramatically spare sound with a heavy backbeat.

The former American Idol winner has just released her fifth album, Stronger. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the record doesn't contain Clarkson's strongest material, but still shows off her powerful vocal cords.

SMiLE may be the most famous unreleased album of all time, but it's not really unreleased: bits and pieces of it wound up on other Beach Boys albums. Now that EMI has assembled a definitive collection of the session tracks, Ed Ward has listened to them -- and wonders what the shouting was about.

Deer Tick has just released its fourth album, Divine Providence. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the album takes the Rhode Island band in a more raw-sounding direction.

Lynne's new album Revelation Road contains both a torchy pop ballad and a startlingly direct song about her parents' murder-suicide. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the album is an excellent showcase for Lynne's sharp songwriting and fantastic voice.

Milo Miles reviews a compilation of overseas grooves that carry on psychedelic styles long after they were dropped in the U.S.

MacFarlane is best known for creating the animated TV shows Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show. But he's also a singer whose new album features songs from the Great American Songbook.