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Soundcheck

Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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  • Efuah Grace , Abdul Rahim Kamara, and Reuben M. Koroma.
    Efuah Grace , Abdul Rahim Kamara, and Reuben M. Koroma. (refugeeallstars.org)

    The Best of 2006 in World Music and Hip Hop

    Critics' Week, Soundcheck's look back at the year 2006 in music, continues as Jeff Chang, hip hop journalist and author of the book Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop, discusses the best of the year in hip hop. And Siddhartha Mitter, WNYC's culture reporter and a contributor to the Boston Globe, reviews the year in World Music. Finally, Chinese-American composer Tan Dun talks about his new historical opera "The First Emperor," which features Placido Domingo in the title role and which gets its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera this week.
    Critics' Week 2006 on Soundcheck
    Critics' picks are available on Amazon.com

world

The Best of World Music in 2006

Siddhartha Mitter, WNYC's culture reporter and a contributor to the Boston Globe, reviews the year in World Music.

Siddhartha Mitter's 2006 Picks:

Ali Farka Toure, "Savane"
Kekele, "Kinavana"
Refugee All Stars, "Living like a Refugee"
Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble, "The Songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darwish - Soul of a People"
V/A, "From Bakabush: The First 10 Years of Stonetree Records"
Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra, "Boulevard de l'Independance"
V/A, "Roots of Rumba Rock"
Nuru Kane, "Sigil"
V/A, "The Rough Guide to the Music of Malaysia"
Tartit, "Abacabok"

Tan Dun

Chinese-American composer Tan Dun talks about his new historical opera The First Emperor, which features Placido Domingo in the title role and gets its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera Thursday night.

The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera

hip hop

The Year in Hip Hop

Jeff Chang, rap journalist and author of the book Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop, discusses the best of the year in hip hop.

Jeff Chang's 2006 Picks

Aloe Blacc :: Shine Through
Burial :: Burial (dubstep)
*Cham :: Ghetto Story (dancehall reggae)
The Coup :: Pick A Bigger Weapon
*DJ Shadow :: The Outsider
E-40 :: My Ghetto Report Card
*Ghostface Killah :: Fishscale
Honeycut :: The Day I Turned To Glass
* Skream :: Skream! (dubstep/grime)
Youngsta & Hatcha :: Dubstep Allstars Volume 4 (dubstep)

Irma Thomas

Irma Thomas

Soundcheck

August 22, 2008
New Orleans singer Irma Thomas has survived 50 years in the music business - and at least two hurricanes. She joins us to talk about her record, Simply Grand.

Bon Iver

Soundcheck

July 30, 2008
Singer-songwriter Justin Vernon spent a winter holed up in his father's hunting cabin in remote Wisconsin, recording songs about solitude that would be released under the name Bon Iver. He joins us to play some of them live.

Billboard Chart

Who's On Top and Who Should Be?

Soundcheck

August 14, 2008
Soundcheck looks at the artists who are reigning atop the Billboard albums chart -- and what their rankings tell us about the state of pop music.

Janelle Monae

The Next Big Things

Soundcheck

Paste magazine editor-in-chief Josh Jackson joins us to talk about Johnny Flynn, Janelle Monae, Bon Iver, Amy MacDonald and other must-hear artists who made Paste’s list of "The Best of What’s Next: 26 Emerging Artists You Should Know."

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