Ann Powers

Ann Powers appears in the following:

New Music Friday: Our Top 7 Albums Out On March 29

Friday, March 29, 2019

The sinister pop of Billie Eilish, lyrical rap from Quelle Chris and a long-shelved album from Marvin Gaye are just some of the albums on our short list of the week's best new releases.

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Tenille Townes Captures The Complexities Of The Heartland With Passion And Empathy

Tuesday, March 05, 2019

Townes started making music as a teenager and rose in Canada's flourishing country scene before moving to Nashville at 19.

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Adia Victoria Captures The Spirits Of The Blues In A Simple Phrase: Black Genius

Friday, February 15, 2019

Her songs are poetic and political, steeped in both punk and cabaret, and sung in a voice that blends Eartha Kitt's cool with Nina Simone's fury.

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'I Like It Best When It's A Little Loud': Ann Powers' Favorite Live Shows Of 2018

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Live music awakens mind, body and soul — and that's what we need more than ever this year. Ann Powers' favorite concerts of 2018 helped create a shelter from everyday life's disorganized noise.

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The Best Music Of 2018 Says, 'We're Here, Get Used To It'

Tuesday, December 04, 2018

Women dominated NPR Music's list of the best albums of 2018. But the revolution behind the changes in music today is deeper, and more subtle, than the numbers reveal.

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All Songs Considered: The Year In Music 2018

Monday, December 03, 2018

The All Songs gang looks back at this year's anthems and unmissable milestones, from Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer to Childish Gambino's mind-blowing video for "This Is America," Rosalía, Mitski and more.

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Joni Mitchell At 75: Trouble Is Still Her Muse

Friday, November 09, 2018

At a concert in Los Angeles this week in honor of her 75th birthday, Joni Mitchell listened carefully as a hand-picked group of peers and protégés entered into a dialogue with her inexhaustible voice.

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Vote: Who Do You Think Are The Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century?

Monday, October 29, 2018

This year, we considered the most influential women and non-binary artists making music today. Now, we want to know what you think: Who deserves to be most acknowledged? Who makes your list?

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New Music Friday For Oct. 26: The 8 Albums You Should Hear Now

Friday, October 26, 2018

This week's batch of essential new albums includes Robyn's melancholy return to the dance floor, rock-and-roll madness from Ty Segall, the otherworldly voice of R&B singer NAO and more.

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World Cafe Nashville: Ketch Secor Of Old Crow Medicine Show

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Ketch Secor is a Renaissance man who not only continues to make great music with Old Crow, but has also branched out into children's education.

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A Woman's Rage: Songs About Being Fed Up

Thursday, October 11, 2018

To cope with the tumult of a difficult week and the anniversary of the #MeToo movement, music critic Ann Powers spent the week with music from women expressing one thing: Being fed up.

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World Cafe Nashville: The War And Treaty

Friday, September 28, 2018

This duo makes inspirational music pulled from Americana roots music and the couple's personal experience of surviving and thriving in the sometimes perilous 21st Century.

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Pistol Annies Release Three New Songs In Preview Of New Album, 'Interstate Gospel'

Thursday, September 27, 2018

One day after performing the songs in Nashville, the country supergroup has released all three digitally ahead of the release of its new album, Interstate Gospel.

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The Best Of AMERICANAFEST 2018

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen talks with NPR Music's Ann Powers and Jewly Hight about the standout performances and surprising discoveries at this year's AMERICANAFEST.

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Hear Al Green's First New Recording In Nearly A Decade

Thursday, September 13, 2018

The legendary singer returns with a version of the Freddy Fender country weeper "Before the Next Teardrop Falls."

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Chaka Khan, Graham Nash Among Performers Celebrating Joni Mitchell's 75th Birthday

Thursday, September 06, 2018

A pair of concerts scheduled for Nov. 6 and 7 in Los Angeles will see a deep roster of famed artists performing songs from throughout Mitchell's deep catalog.

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Hear Prince's Intimate Home Recording Of The Song '17 Days'

Thursday, September 06, 2018

The song appears on Piano & A Microphone 1983, an upcoming collection of cassette recordings Prince made at his home studio.

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Playlist: Music From Aretha Franklin's Homegoing

Friday, August 31, 2018

Get taken to church with gospel songs by The Clark Sisters and Marvin Sapp, and remember that Bill Clinton played Aretha Franklin's "Think" off his phone.

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First Listen: Paul Simon, 'In The Blue Light'

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Revision's redemptive potential permeates Paul Simon's 14th solo album. In the Blue Light features ten recordings of old works, newly considered.

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Mourning From The Ground Up: Aretha's Funeral Is Part Of A Joyful American Tradition

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

While it's not wrong to observe decorum and sombre reflection in the wake of such a loss, there's no reason that honoring a life as monumental as Aretha's can't be joyful — and yes, entertaining.

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