NPR Music
NPR
Welcome to your all-in-one destination for every NPR Music podcast. We break down the best new albums to hit streaming each week on New Music Friday; we share the latest songs worthy of your playlists on All Songs Considered; there’s off-the-rails conversations (and chisme!) about Latin music on Alt.Latino. The NPR Music channel is your hub for new records, iconic artists and cult heroes, free of algorithms and full of surprises.
Episodes
Mentioned books
19 snips
Mar 14, 2026 • 33min
Interview: Kacey Musgraves on her new album, 'Middle of Nowhere'
Kacey Musgraves, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who blends country with pop and alt influences, talks about her sixth album Middle of Nowhere. She explains writing the single “Dry Spell” from solitude. She describes returning to traditional country sounds, Tejano and mariachi textures, collaborations with Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert, and finding creative clarity in small-town liminal spaces.
13 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 43min
New Music Friday: The best albums out March 13
Amelia Mason, arts and culture reporter at WBUR who covers music, joins to review new album releases. They discuss Sturgill Simpson’s country-funk alter ego and its protest songs. James Blake’s dreamy, anxious record and notable collaborations come up. Conversations also cover Anjimile’s lyrical craft, Kim Gordon’s experimental rock, and Blessing Jolie’s genre-bending debut.
Mar 11, 2026 • 34min
Alt.Latino: If the singer falls silent, life falls silent: Female power anthems
Reporting from massive International Women’s Day marches in Mexico City and the power of protest songs on the street. A hall of fame of Latin female power anthems is introduced. Highlights include Violeta Parra, Mercedes Sosa, Celia Cruz, Lydia Mendoza, Mon Laferte and Ivy Queen and how their songs challenged exile, assault, grief and bodily agency.
10 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 41min
All Songs Considered: Cruelly ranking the best original song Oscar nominees
Two critics cruelly rank the Best Original Song Oscar nominees with sharp takes and playful banter. They debate Diane Warren’s placement, praise Nick Cave’s closing-credits mood, and defend an operatic contender tied to a documentary. The conversation builds to a tense top-two faceoff between a K-pop juggernaut and a cinematic pop ballad, ending with predictions about who might win.
42 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 41min
New Music Friday: The best albums out March 6
Nate Chinen, jazz critic and WRTI radio host, guides listeners through the week’s standout releases. He highlights Flying Lotus’ game-textured EP, Waterbaby’s intimate R&B, Shabaka’s flute and Afro-Caribbean explorations, and Joshua Idehen’s dance-forward spoken-word pairings. Quick picks include Terrace Martin’s genre-blending and a nostalgic reissue from Macha & Bedhead.
Mar 4, 2026 • 26min
Alt.Latino: From church basement to salsa immortality: Remembering Willie Colón
Papo Vázquez, trombonist and bandleader who played with Fania-era greats, shares personal stories and musical picks about Willie Colón. He recalls first hearing Guisando, Colón’s studio craft, the trombone’s rise as a lead voice, jazz influences like Caravan, and the making of Siembra and Pedro Navaja. He closes with a reflective tribute track.
26 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 52min
All Songs Considered: Even more songs to calm the nerves
A curated set of calming tracks, from ambient piano and subtle electronic glitches to pastoral strings and intimate cello vocals. Brazilian jazz and cinematic fingerpicked guitar provide late-night warmth. Selections include minimalist modern compositions and a slow, profound symphonic movement.
29 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 41min
New Music Friday: The best albums out Feb. 27
Raina Douris, WXPN's World Cafe host and music critic, guides a survey of the week's standout albums. Short takes on Bruno Mars' retro pop, Mitski's orchestral isolation, Gorillaz's grief-soaked, India-influenced project, Heavenly's twee comeback, Voxtrot's nostalgic indie return, and Nothing's raw confrontation with aging and illness.
Feb 25, 2026 • 30min
Alt.Latino: Chicano soul, Canary Islands merengue and a percussion supergroup
A whirlwind tour of global grooves from Canary Islands merengue to Afro-Brazilian textures. A spotlight on Chicano soul revival and its 1960s roots. A percussion supergroup blends Latin, jazz and Afro-Cuban traditions. New music picks that explore folkloric percussion, layered rhythms and diasporic mashups.
11 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 44min
All Songs Considered: U2 meets the moment, Lana Del Rey goes 'True Detective,' James Blake croons
U2 drops a surprise political-leaning EP with a fiery opener. Arlo Parks pivots toward dancefloor grooves and cinematic nightlife. Lana Del Rey offers a haunting, theatrical ode full of strange domestic imagery. James Blake blends time-bending orchestration with shifting moods. Intimate viral songwriting and soulful duets round out the week’s standout tracks.
