A Thanksgiving mix: Songs of joy and gratitud...

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 Le ...  Show more

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 lightnin ...  Show more

Let's go back, let's go back, let's go way on back to that time Aretha Franklin recorded one of her best songs.

On this episode, Kirk dives into two different versions of Franklin's classic tune "Think." First it's the laid back groove and roomy mix of the 1968 original, ...

Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to? To the rock? To the river? To the sea? Well, wherever you run, you'll still be starring in a Strong Songs analysis of one of Nina Simone's greatest recordings.

Yes, it's time for Strong Songs' first-ever analysis of a live recordin ...

Winter, spring, summer, or fall... all you have to do is call, and Strong Songs will be there with an in-depth analysis of one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century.

This episode takes a deep dive into Carole King's ever enduring, much-covered tribute t ...

It takes an extremely strong song to top the charts three separate times in three separate decades, but "I Will Always Love You" is just such a song. Written and recorded (twice) by Dolly Parton and then re-recorded in show-stopping fashion by Whitney Houston, the ballad has m ...