Jan 6th, 2009 · James Taylor has made a long career of his own material, but many know him for his gentle interpretations of other's songs. But not until now has Taylor devoted an entire album to what essentially is a new American songbook. Taylor plays covers of R&B and country standards at WXPN.
Dec 24th, 2008 · Howard Hewett, former front man for the R&B group Shalamar, sings the holiday classics on his new album, a Howard Hewett Christmas. Hewitt reflects on his the inspiration for his newest album and his expansive career in the music business.
Dec 15th, 2008 · Born in the '60s, soul-jazz is a groove-oriented style built from the bottom up. You take a strong bass line, establish a steady groove between the bass and drums, and then embellish that groove with riffs and melody lines that draw heavily from gospel, blues and R&B.
Dec 5th, 2008 · Take a trip through reviews of three new films: Cadillac Records, a movie about the rise of R&B label Chess Records starring Beyonce, Nobel Son, a film about a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and his relationship with his dysfunctional family and Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard's adaption of a successful stage play.
Nov 21st, 2008 · For a good singer, automatic tuning software tidies up the off key and the wrong note. It can even make you sound like a robot — or at least like R&B singer T-Pain. But what could it do for Weekend Edition host Liane Hansen?
Nov 21st, 2008 · Though she's been recording music for nearly four decades, Aretha "The Queen of Soul" Franklin has just released her first-ever holiday album. Titled This Christmas Aretha, it features classic and contemporary songs infused with Franklin's trademark R&B, soul and gospel styles.
Oct 10th, 2008 · Raphael Saadiq, the lead vocalist in the late-1980s R&B band Tony! Toni! Tone!, has emerged as solo artist with his new album The Way I See It. Rock critic Ken Tucker has a review.
Oct 3rd, 2008 · The brilliant song stylist Nancy Wilson has recorded over 60 albums and moved effortlessly between jazz, pop, and R&B. Most recently, Wilson hosted NPR's popular program, Jazz Profiles. She joins McPartland to swap stories and sing songs, including "Easy Living" and "The Nearness of You."