Ann Powers

Ann Powers appears in the following:

First Listen: Aaron Lee Tasjan, 'Karma For Cheap'

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Aaron Lee Tasjan is a lifelong student of cool rock moves, and could fit the every-rocker part if he weren't such a relatable oddball.

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A Conversation On The Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton talks with Ann Powers, Marissa Lorusso and Sidney Madden about some of the greatest songs released by women and non-binary artists in the past 18 years.

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The Life And Legacy Of Aretha Franklin: An All Songs Considered Remembrance

Friday, August 17, 2018

In this career-spanning conversation, we trace Aretha Franklin's journey, from her earliest days singing gospel in her father's church to becoming one of the most influential artists of all time.

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Remembering Aretha Franklin

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Aretha Franklin died of pancreatic cancer Thursday. Her hits, from the 1960s to the 1980s, helped define the era. NPR's Noel King talks to NPR music critic Ann Powers about the singer's legacy.

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Aretha Franklin Was America's Truest Voice

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Her music has been sung at marches and political rallies, heard in churches and on chain restaurant jukeboxes. Everything popular music can be is there in the songs of Aretha Franklin.

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World Cafe Nashville: Liz Cooper And The Stampede

Monday, August 13, 2018

Call it psychedelic, call it classic or call it the sound of new Nashville. Liz Cooper and The Stampede is leading the rock pack in Tennessee right now.

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World Cafe Nashville: Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Thursday, August 02, 2018

This undefinable five-piece band boasts a blend of charisma, musical chops, sing-along harmonies and breakneck creativity.

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Women On The Verge: At The End Of The '90s, A Few Artists Set The Stage For A New Era

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Though they emerged in the 1990s, the impact of musicians like Missy Elliott, Britney Spears, Gillian Welch and Lauryn Hill can be felt all over our list of the greatest songs of the 21st century.

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World Cafe Nashville: Birdtalker

Monday, July 16, 2018

There's a beautiful reflectiveness within Birdtalker's song that comes from Zack Green's soul-searching and Dani Green's skill with story and metaphor.

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Her Devotion Weighs A Ton: Beyoncé And Jay-Z's Celebration Of 'Love'

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The collaboration between the married stars, the capstone of a trilogy of albums focused on their union, underlines the simultaneous centrality and marginalization of women in hip-hop.

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World Cafe Nashville: Bermuda Triangle

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Jesse Lafser, Brittany Howard and Becca Mancari all maintain their own brilliant careers. What brings them together as Bermuda Triangle is friendship, pure and simple.

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First Listen: Welles, 'Red Trees And White Trashes'

Thursday, June 07, 2018

At only 23, Wells is already writing hooks that any of his rock and roll heroes would envy.

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World Cafe Nashville: R.LUM.R

Tuesday, June 05, 2018

His voice and style align him more with rising R&B crooners than with country hunks, but R.LUM.R is part of a Tennessee pop scene pairing classic song craftsmanship with innovative production.

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2-Sided: Trying To Hear Kanye West's New Album, 'ye,' Through All The Noise

Saturday, June 02, 2018

Kanye West's newly-released ye is already 2018's most polarizing album. Two of NPR Music's critics sat down to try and make sense of West's motivations and musical accomplishments.

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Watch Brandi Carlile Perform During Seattle's 'March For Our Lives'

Friday, June 01, 2018

The singer-songwriter, asked by student organizers to perform during the "March For Our Lives" in Seattle, says of the moment that "this is a generation I am in complete support of."

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The Eights | Media and Music in 1988

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Eleanor Clift, columnist for The Daily Beast, and NPR Music critic Ann Powers talk about the music and media of 1988.

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First Listen: Erin Rae, 'Putting On Airs'

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Putting on Airs asks questions about intimacy, solitude and courage. The answers are sometimes sad, but beautiful.

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Weezer Covers Toto's 'Africa,' Taking Us Deep Into The Internet's Heart Of Beigeness

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

At the behest of a 14-year-old fan who launched a Twitter campaign, the forever-game pop-punk faves have covered one of the Internet's favorite songs. The crossover is, somehow, pretty illuminating.

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World Cafe Nashville: Ashley Campbell

Monday, May 21, 2018

She may be the youngest daughter of the late Glen Campbell, but this singer shines all on her own. Campbell's voice comes along with a sly wink and salty humor.

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World Cafe Nashville: Joshua Hedley

Wednesday, May 09, 2018

On his debut album for Jack White's Third Man Records, Mr. Jukebox, Hedley infuses his classic arrangements with deep personal feeling; his songs feel likes confidences, not costume dramas.

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