'Fresh Air' marks the centennial of the 'Queen of Blues' Dinah Washington

* This article was originally published here

Gucci Mane and DJ Drama, back in the trunk

Over a decade after their classic run upended digital culture, the rapper and mixtape mogul reunite to show listeners why it mattered — and what a younger generation of trap artists has learned.

(Image credit: Srdjan Stevanovic)

* This article was originally published here

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

Short 'n Sweet is out now. '/>

Sabrina Carpenter has had two of the year's biggest hits with "Espresso" and "Please Please Please." Now, she's released a new full-length album called Short n' Sweet, which serves up more catchy silliness and high drama. But does the album keep that "Espresso" magic alive?

Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour

* This article was originally published here

Tinashe and Ravyn Lenae lean into the paradox of 'alt-R&B'

BB/ANG3L.'/>

The new albums Quantum Baby and Bird's Eye are exercises in self-liberation, leveraging the sounds and potential of a loaded category while rejecting its limits.

* This article was originally published here

50 years later, Neil Young's 'On the Beach' remains bleak -- and beautiful

The recording sessions for Young's 1974 album were gloomy, drug-fueled affairs, but the end result proves that artists can make good work no matter how hemmed-in, churlish or depressed they may be.

* This article was originally published here

A sibling spark fuels Isata Kanneh-Mason’s 'Mendelssohn' album

The rising young pianist, from a family of seven musical siblings, offers dynamic music by brother and sister Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn.

(Image credit: Karolina Wielocha)

* This article was originally published here

JPEGMAFIA, rap's most tireless agitator, looks inward

I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, the artist's fifth album and first since his Kanye collabs made him a snark target, swings back at everyone in sight — but saves a few knocks for himself.

* This article was originally published here

Ice Spice seized the moment — but maybe not the right one

The Bronx rapper's acid tongue and unbothered stance made her one of hip-hop's hottest prospects. On her debut album, Y2K!, her snowballing hype may have exceeded the reach of her pen.

(Image credit: Coughs)

* This article was originally published here

Revisiting the hard-rock swagger of the New York Dolls' 1974 album, 50 years later

Though sales were lackluster, Too Much Too Soon captured the band's spirit. Less than a year after its release, the Dolls broke up in a combination of commercial failure and personal misbehavior.

* This article was originally published here