Music

Of the three great blues guitarists named King -- B.B., Albert and Freddie, -- arguably the most influential was also the least well-known: Freddie. But his most important work has been unavailable until recently. Critic Ed Ward review a recent release, Taking Care of Business, which spans much of King's career.

Randolph emerged from a gospel music tradition, playing steel guitar in the so-called "sacred steel" style of some African-American Pentecostal churches. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews his new album, We Walk This Road, which features original tunes and covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Prince and John Lennon.

Until now, Finch has been primarily known for the backup singing she's done in the band The Mission Express. But rock critic Ken Tucker says Finch's new album, Cry Tomorrow, is a fully formed, mature piece of work.

Frank Loesser wrote the musicals Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying -- in addition to over 700 other songs. On today's Fresh Air, musical anthropologist Michael Feinstein discusses Loesser's musical legacy and plays some of his favorite Loesser tunes -- including several rare archival recordings.

Moran's new album, Ten, is like a stack of progress reports -- on his personal growth as pianist and as a composer, on the development of a trio with stable personnel for a decade, and on how jazz itself has progressed over the last 10 years.

The pop-dance-electronic group's founder tells Terry Gross why he stopped complaining about other bands and decided to start making his own music instead. LCD Soundsystem's latest album is called This Is Happening.

Afrobeat has proven to be the most durable and appealing fusion of African and American pop styles -- in spite of the death of Afrobeat's creator, Fela Kuti. Critic Milo Miles talks about how some smart, determined Afrobeat inheritors both sustain and build upon the style's foundations.

DeShannon's musical career spans five decades. In the 1960s, she toured with The Beatles on the band's first U.S. tour. In the 1970s, she sang with Van Morrison, and in the '80s, she won a Grammy for writing "Bette Davis Eyes." Here, she recounts what it was like to open for The Beatles -- and how recording "What the World Needs Now" changed her career.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews a tribute album to country-folk singer John Prine -- with covers by bands including My Morning Jacket, the Drive-By Truckers, The Avett Brothers and Deer Tick. Tucker also listens to Prine's new live album, John Prine: In Person & On Stage.

Cook is a Florida-born singer-songwriter who first performed on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry stage in 2000. She hasn't become a star in those past 10 years, but she's attracted a following in the industry for her emotionally raw lyrics. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews her fifth album, Welder.

The frontman for the pop-punk band Green Day details the group's early days in Berkeley an describes what it's been like to see American Idiot, a new Broadway musical based on one of his albums.

The name Louie Ortega doesn't spring to mind when Mexican-American contributions to rock 'n' roll history come up. But at least for some people, he's a legend based on a band he put together in Prunedale, Calif., in the late 1960s. Critic Ed Ward, who has been a fan since he first heard the band, celebrates the release of its long-rumored second album.

Tracey Thorn is best known as half of the British duo Everything but the Girl, in which she performed with her husband, Ben Watt. But since 1999, Thorn has spent much of her time raising her three children with Watt. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Love and Its Opposite, her third solo album.

He's been at the forefront of contemporary music and conducting for more than half a century. Marking his 85th birthday this spring, a number of new Boulez CDs and DVDs have been released. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews three of the latest.

A regular performer at the Village Vanguard, Anat Cohen paid tribute to her early clarinet hero Benny Goodman in 2009, in honor of his 100th birthday. On Clarinetwork, her quartet plays tunes associated with Goodman, or at least songs he recorded while backing Billie Holiday.

Critic Ken Tucker reviews What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, the debut album from a new band called The Mynabirds. The group is led by singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn, whose influences range from Dusty Springfield and Carole King to Carl Jung and Sufi poetry.

The pianist, a member of one of the most remarkable families in jazz history, died Sunday. He was 91. Fresh Air remembers the jazz legend with highlights from an interview conducted in 2005.

In a transitional period between different groups with Miles Davis and Anthony Braxton and his fusion band, Return to Forever, Chick Corea recorded a series of solo piano improvisations in 1971. Those recordings and a 1983 follow-up have been reissued in a three-CD box set.

The release of a new collection of Jimmy Donley songs, The Shape You Left Me In, suggests that there was more to Donley than his tormented biography indicates. Critic Ed Ward explains.

The legendary composer and lyricist -- who collaborated on tunes like "Raindrops Keep Falin' on My Headd," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "What's New Pussycat?" -- discuss their 50-year relationship and some favorite tunes from the Broadway revival of their musical, Promises, Promises.