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All Songs Considered Robin Hilton spins new music from emerging bands and musical icons.

All Songs Considered

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Alt.Latino: Jorge Drexler returns home

The new album from Jorge Drexler is called Taracá Manuel Velez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Manuel Velez/Courtesy of the artist

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Alt.Latino: Jorge Drexler returns home

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Jorge Drexler is one of the most decorated singer-songwriters in Latin America. His albums are always high profile events, and his latest record merits the attention. It's called Taracá, and to make it he returned home to his native Uruguay - after living in Spain for 30 years - to explore the roots of an Afro-Uruguayan tradition known as candombe. On this week's episode we chat with Drexler about the motivation for returning to his home country, making music after losing his parents, and how the album's title reflects the sound made by a candombe drum.

Alt.Latino: Jorge Drexler returns home

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All Songs Considered: Need a reset?
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All Songs Considered: Need a reset?

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We celebrate spring and new beginnings with a perfect mix of songs for starting over.  This can take many forms: songs that spark a good, cleansing cry; songs that offer wisdom, or just a sure-fire jolt of adrenaline. But in the end, all of the tracks herein can help reconfigure your mood, your day, maybe even ... your life. 

All Songs Considered: Need a reset?

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Ella Langley

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Columbia Records

New Music Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out April 10

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Ella Langley. Wesley Joseph. The spellbinding Juni Habel. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson chats with Chloe Kimes from WMOT in Nashville about their favorite albums out Friday, April 10. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round.

New Music Friday: The best albums out April 10

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The Chicks performing on stage.

The Chicks perform at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden on February 23, 2003 in New York City. Frank Micelotta/Getty Images hide caption

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Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

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NPR Music+: "Not Ready to Make Nice" by The Chicks

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In the early 2000s, The Chicks (then known as The Dixie Chicks) were one of the biggest crossover acts in country music. But then, as the U.S. was embarking on a war in the Middle East, one onstage comment changed the world of the band forever.  

NPR Music+: "Not Ready to Make Nice" by The Chicks

Alt.Latino: Sonic Bloom: Fresh, funky new tracks from Rio, Granada and more

Rosa Pistola's upcoming album is called Incorregible. Monserrat Reyes/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Monserrat Reyes/Courtesy of the artist

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Alt.Latino: Sonic Bloom: Fresh, funky new tracks from Rio, Granada and more

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Listen to this episode out in the springtime air. It starts with a bucolic jaunt through Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento's latest orchestral project, then finds La Plazuela's fresh Spanish funk and Macha's irreverent side project. Other sounds along the way: Caribbean pop from Venezuela, feel-your-feels indie from northern Mexico and an electronic spin on the indigenous Náhuatl language.

Alt.Latino: A springtime walk through Brazil, Spain, Chile and more

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All Songs Considered: José González studies hope, Jungle brings the sunshine, more

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Ellika Henriksson

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All Songs Considered: José González studies hope, Jungle brings the sunshine, more

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The British act Jungle had a big hit with “Back on 74” — and its unforgettable dance video — in 2023. Now, the group is back with “Carry On,” a breezy, sun-dappled song about surviving a broken heart. We give it a spin to open the show, along with a study on optimism from one of José González’s best albums, a celestial ambient cut from throat singer Tanya Tagaq and more.

All Songs Considered: José González studies hope, Jungle brings the sunshine, more

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New Music Friday: The best albums out April 3

New Music Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out April 3

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Thundercat. Arlo Parks. Devotional belters from Dermot Kennedy. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson chats with Erin Wolf from Radio Milwaukee about their favorite albums out Friday, April 3. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round.

New Music Friday: The best albums out April 3

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Alt.Latino: Dominican indie, Peruvian cumbia and experimental Argentine pop

Argentine artist Broke Carrey's new album is called 'HIJO DEL PAÍS.' Ignacio Chinchilla/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Ignacio Chinchilla/Courtesy of the artist

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Alt.Latino: Dominican indie, Peruvian cumbia and experimental Argentine pop

Two phrases spoken during this week’s episode stand out because they represent how Ana and I approach our searches for new music. The first: “The only limit is the imagination.” In my constant hunt for the sound I have never heard, this thought is my mantra. The new music we’re bringing this week really steps up to that challenge, from young upstarts like Broke Carrey to beloved veterans like Draco Rosa.

Alt.Latino: Dominican indie, Peruvian cumbia and experimental Argentine pop

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All Songs Considered: Our favorite Tiny Desk Contest entries

Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf Eric Lee/NPR hide caption

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Eric Lee/NPR

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All Songs Considered: Our favorite Tiny Desk Contest entries

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More than 6,000 artists entered this year’s Tiny Desk Contest, hoping to win their very own performance behind the actual Desk. We’ll announce the winner soon, but in the meantime, we’re sharing some of our favorite entries, from the riff-rock group Pump Action, to soul singer Les Greene, loop artist Jackie Marchal, singer-songwriter Yuri Shin and more.

The best Tiny Desk Contest entries we saw

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New Music Friday: The best albums out March 27

New Music Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 27

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Robyn. RAYE. A jazzy left turn from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson chats with Alisa Ali from WFUV in the Bronx about their favorite albums out Friday, March 27. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round. 

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 27

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Mariah Carey on stage smiling.

Singer Mariah Carey performs at the 30th Annual American Music Awards, in Los Angeles, CA, January 13, 2003. Photo by HECTOR MATA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Photo by HECTOR MATA/AFP via Getty Images

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NPR Music+: “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey

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If you want to understand the relationship between R&B, pop and hip-hop in the 1990s—how it started, where it went and how those changes are affecting us today—there likely isn’t a better lens that you could use than Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy.”  

NPR Music+: “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey

Alt.Latino: Songs she loves: Sofia Rei and the magic of the human voice

The new album from Argentine vocalist Sofia Rei, Antónima, is out on April 3. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

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Alt.Latino: Songs she loves: Sofia Rei and the magic of the human voice

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From the very beginning of Alt.Latino, female vocalists have captivated us the most -- and New York-based Argentine vocalist Sofia Rei has been high on our list of favorites for a while. She uses the human voice like paint on a canvas, layering voices to create choirs that take flight at the mere suggestion of a melody. On her new album Antónima, she not only creates magic with her own voice but also collaborates with some Alt.Latino favorites: Gaby Moreno, Daymé Arocena and Xenia Rubinos, among others. As we revive our Guest DJ series, we asked her to bring on some of the songs she loves, for an insider's perspective of the art behind the human voice. 

Alt.Latino: Songs she loves: Sofia Rei and the magic of the human voice

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All Songs Considered: Bon Iver, Tori Amos and more of the week's best songs

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Shade Cumini

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All Songs Considered: Bon Iver, Tori Amos and more of the week's best songs

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Our latest mix of the best new songs out now includes a stunning live version of Bon Iver’s “Heavenly Father,” a track the band originally wrote for the 2014 film Wish I Was Here, but never made available to stream before now. We’ve also got a stirring new ballad from Tori Amos, Luxembourg indie rocker Francis of Delirium (who assures us this is, in fact, a beautiful life), the long-awaited (if complicated) return of influential metal band Neurosis and more.

All Songs Considered: A Bon Iver rarity, Tori Amos finds strength together, and more

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Luke Combs

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Robby Klein/Sony Nashville

New Music Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 20

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BTS. Alex Isley. Dubstep-infused hyperpop from underscores. NPR Music's Hazel Cills chats with Francesca Harding of member station KCRW in Los Angeles about their favorite albums out Friday, March 20. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round.

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 20

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Alt.Latino: A Tejano master gets his flowers. Plus, Yahritza y Su Esencia returns

The sophomore album from Yahritza y Su Esencia is called Metamorfosis. Edgar Daniel/Sony Music Entertainment hide caption

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Edgar Daniel/Sony Music Entertainment

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Alt.Latino: A Tejano master gets his flowers. Plus, Yahritza y Su Esencia returns

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This week's new music pairs well with a glass of wine - or, at least, that's what Ana chose while taping this happy hour edition of Alt.Latino at Felix's dining room table. And the music on tap spans a huge breadth of styles. Yahritza y Su Esencia returns with a powerful sophomore album after a spell out of the limelight. Brazilian legend-in-the-making Lucas Santtana collaborates with his mentor Gilberto Gil. Ana Tijoux revisits her late-'90s hip-hop roots. Plus, Tejano master Ruben Ramos tells his life story through song. 

Alt.Latino: A Tejano master gets his due. Plus, the return of Yahritza y Su Esencia

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Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, and more of the week’s best songs

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Patrick McCormack

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Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, and more of the week’s best songs

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We check back in with our running list of the best songs of the week, including Olivia Rodrigo’s cover of The Magnetic Fields classic “The Book of Love,” Noah Kahan’s anthemic new single “Porch Light,” one of Aldous Harding’s boldest songs to date and more. 

All Songs Considered: Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, and more of the week’s best songs

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Sturgill Simpson.

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Frazer Harrison/Getty

New Music Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 13

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James Blake. Kim Gordon. Sturgill Simpson's country-funk alter ego. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson chats with Amelia Mason from WBUR in Boston about their favorite albums out Friday, March 13. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round.

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 13

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Oscar statues are seen backstage during the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. Christopher Polk/Getty Images hide caption

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Christopher Polk/Getty Images

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NPR Music+: Needle drops from the best picture Oscar nominees

With the Academy Awards happening this weekend, we’re picking some our favorite needle drop moments from the best picture nominees and exploring the history behind these older songs and the impacts they make within the films.  

NPR Music+: Needle drops from the best picture Oscar nominees

Alt.Latino: If the singer falls silent, life falls silent: Female power anthems

Chilean-Mexican musician Mon Laferte Mayra Ortiz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Mayra Ortiz/Courtesy of the artist

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Alt.Latino: If the singer falls silent, life falls silent: Female power anthems

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International Women's Day is more than a perfunctory holiday in many parts of Latin America. In Mexico City, for example, more than 120,000 people turned out on Sunday to protest femicide and celebrate the ongoing fight for basic rights for women in the country. In honor of the holiday, this week's episode debuts our female power anthems hall of fame, highlighting women in Latin music whose art challenged the status quo of their time. Plus, some on-the-ground reporting from Anamaria Sayre at the march in Mexico City.

Alt.Latino: If the singer falls silent, life falls silent: Female power anthems

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All Songs Considered: Cruelly ranking the best original song Oscar nominees

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Netflix

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All Songs Considered: Cruelly ranking the best original song Oscar nominees

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Will this finally be Diane Warren’s year at the Oscars, when she goes up against “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters and “I Lied to You” from Sinners? (Probably not.)

All Songs Considered: Cruelly ranking the best original song Oscar nominees

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New Music Friday: The best albums out March 6

New Music Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 6

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Flying Lotus. waterbaby. The groovy affirmations of Joshua Idehen. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson chats with Nate Chinen from WRTI in Philadelphia about their favorite albums out Friday, March 6. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round.

New Music Friday: The best albums out March 6

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Alt.Latino: From church basement to salsa immortality: Remembering Willie Colón
Courtesy of Craft Latino records

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Alt.Latino: From church basement to salsa immortality: Remembering Willie Colón

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On Feb. 21, the musical world lost a legend and pioneer of salsa: Willie Colón.

Alt.Latino: From church basement to salsa immortality: Remembering Willie Colón

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All Songs Considered

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