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Ann Powers

Ann Powers appears in the following:

The Canadian Astronaut's Accompanist

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

By Ann Powers

Canadian pop Singer Emm Gryner has known astronaut Chris Hadfield for years, which made her a perfect collaborator on his cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." It doesn't hurt that Gryner has worked with Bowie himself, as well.

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Robots In Ecstasy: Daft Punk's 'Memories' Embraces The Pleasure Principle

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

By Ann Powers

The dance music scene that has risen in the past decade owes a debt to the heavy beats of Daft Punk's music. But the long-awaited album from the Parisian duo turns its back on EDM to bask in the smooth sounds — and liberation --of the 1970s.

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Harry Connick, 'Idol' And The Pop Charts: Can You Define 'Good' Singing?

Monday, May 06, 2013

By Ann Powers

Does perfect technique make a good singer? Can emotion be learned? American Idol, on shaky legs with viewers this season, has recently had interesting things to say about this long-running debate.

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First Listen: Music From Baz Luhrmann's Film 'The Great Gatsby'

Thursday, May 02, 2013

By Ann Powers

The soundtrack to The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann's latest high-end refurbishing of a lived-in classic, doesn't try to re-imagine Jazz Age tunes in a modern context. Instead, it attempts to transplant the sensibility of the 1920s to the hip-hop era, with genre-busting collaborations overseen by Jay-Z.

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First Listen: Natalie Maines, 'Mother'

Sunday, April 28, 2013

By Ann Powers

On an album of impeccably chosen covers, the Dixie Chicks singer shows how her fearlessness blends with compassion and stunning vocal chops. This is singing as a way of uncovering the truth, as difficult as it might be to bear.

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What Nick Drake Taught Me About Art And Love

Thursday, April 18, 2013

By Ann Powers

Some music feels so personal, it's hard to think about sharing it with anyone else. A new tribute album of songs by the folk singer Nick Drake (featuring many musicians who themselves hold Drake dear) tests the limits of one critic's ability to share that love.

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Mark Lanegan: A Secret Rock Star Still Shines Darkly

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

By Ann Powers

Still best known as the singer for the grunge-era group Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan has stayed busy. Here's a survey of many of the recent releases that have made good use of his unmistakable baritone.

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Song Premiere: John Grant, 'It Doesn't Matter To Him'

Thursday, March 21, 2013

By Ann Powers

Like many of the songs on John Grant's new album, Pale Green Ghosts, "It Doesn't Matter To Him" mixes self-effacing humor with real-life heartbreak, to the sounds of acoustic guitar and snow-blown synths.

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Lessons From SXSW 2013: Take The Middle Road

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

By Ann Powers

Big names and Next Big Things dominate coverage of Austin's festival, but there's quality music between the two poles. Ann Powers says the skill and subtlety those acts bring to the party interest her more than the sure bet of a legend or the sugar high of watching a baby band with buzz.

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Luella And The Sun: NPR Front Row

Sunday, March 17, 2013

By Ann Powers

The Nashville foursome were one of our favorite discoveries at SXSW 2013. Watch Luella and her band bowl us over with fire and brimstone on "Sign of the Judgment."

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Stevie Nicks: 'When We Walk Into The Room, We Have To Float In Like Goddesses'

Sunday, March 17, 2013

By Ann Powers

In an hour-long conversation with NPR Music's Ann Powers at SXSW in Austin, Texas, the Fleetwood Mac singer revealed her lessons on life, love and making a mark in the music industry.

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First Listen: Kacey Musgraves, 'Same Trailer Different Park'

Sunday, March 10, 2013

By Ann Powers

Musgraves writes about and for people who've learned to fit their dreams into recession-sized moving boxes; who gain comfort from their family traditions but sometimes feel them cutting off breath like the top button on a stiff collar.

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David Bowie, Rock's Shape Shifter, Returns

Friday, March 01, 2013

By Ann Powers

After 10 years out of the public eye, the new album from Bowie, The Next Day, proves he's still a compelling pop star in today's music world.

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Feminism, Beyoncé And 'The Mrs. Carter Show'

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

The 31-year-old singer announced after her Super Bowl performance that her upcoming world tour would be called “The Mrs. Carter Show” — referencing her husband, Jay-Z, née Shawn Carter (now Shawn Knowles-Carter).

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The Mrs. Carter Show; Kishi Bashi; Beware of Mr. Baker

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

In this episode: Beyoncé has has been known by many names: “Queen B,” “Foxxy Cleopatra,” and, of course, “Sasha Fierce.” Arielle Loren and Ann Powers talk with us about Beyonce's newest persona: Mrs. Carter.

Plus: Kishi Bashi, aka K. Ishibashi, used to be the go-to guy when indie bands like Of Montreal needed a violin. Now, he’s struck out on his own -- and he joins us to bring his melodic chamber-pop to life.

And: When filmmaker Jay Bulger titled his latest documentary Beware of Mr. Baker, he wasn’t exaggerating. The film stars the legendary, volatile and reclusive drummer Ginger Baker, known for his work in bands like Cream and Blind Faith -- and, more notoriously, for his drug use and temper. We talk with Jay Bulger about the making of the film, and Baker’s musical genius.

A Dramatic "Climax" and Swans' Comeback: Ann Powers' 2012 Music Survey

Friday, December 28, 2012

From a cringe-worthy "Roofie anthem" to an emerging Americana artist, NPR Music critic Ann Powers shares her answers to our 2012 Music Survey. 

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For critics Maura Johnson and Chris Weingarten, the Grammy Awards performance by EDM musician Deadmau5, Foo Fighters and Chris Brown was a low point for concert moments in 2012.

Critics Look Back At 2012: The Worst Of The Year (And Some Good Stuff Too)

Friday, December 28, 2012

NPR Music critic Ann Powers joins us to look at what topped her her list in 2012, including one very sexy slow jam. Then, we turn the Soundcheck 2012 Music Survey on its head and asks music writers Maura Johnston and Chris Weingarten about the music that made them writhe in agony this year.

Bitch Bad? Dissecting Pop Music's Favorite Five-Letter Word

Friday, September 28, 2012

Last month, both rapper Kanye West's "Perfect Bitch" and Lupe Fiasco's "Bitch Bad" rekindled an age-old debate about the use of the word "bitch" in music. Pop music critic Ann Powers  recently wrote about the term for the NPR Music blog The Record. Powers joined us to talk about the history of the word's usage in music -- from 1920s blues ballads to Elton John's proclamation that the "Bitch is Back" -- and to explain why the word "bitch" continues to make her uncomfortable. 

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K-Pop has found a juggernaut international hit with Psy's hyperkinetic song 'Gangnam Style.'

Gangnam Style, Beer Talk, And 'Bitch' Is Back

Friday, September 28, 2012

A look at the incredible international hit song "Gangnam Style," the K-Pop breakout with a video watched over 300 million times on YouTube. Then, NPR Music critic Ann Powers on the history and resurgence of the word "bitch" in pop music -- from early blues to Elton John to Kanye West's latest song, "Perfect Bitch." And Two Man Gentlemen Band stop by for some Beer Talk.

On 'Mad Men,' Beatles Tune Misses The Mark

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

By Ann Powers

This week's episode prominently featured a rarely licensed (and expensive) Beatles tune that underlined Don Draper's disconnection from the rapidly changing youth culture of the '60s. It was beautifully integrated into the show, but turned Don into a man we don't know.

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