The Olympics remind us that most national anthems celebrate war-like behavior -- and we all just sing along

"The Transition of Mali" is the next evolution for the artist, who vows to pick up the socially conscious baton

From Ray Charles to Al Green, a huge amount of secular music owes its soul to the gospel greats

Keith Moerer reviews "Don't Look Back" by John Lee Hooker.

The top 10 liberal anthems of all time!

A Nashville-inspired mocktail

Disguised as Magnetic Fields and Cat Power, Stephin Merritt and Chan Marshall are still playing games with the singer-songwriter archetype.

On "Essence," her new album, a fragile genius delivers an emotional mess of a masterpiece.

The slave revolutionary is a key, necessary icon in the history of black resistance, but he cut a murderous path

Latest edition of Dylan's bootleg series is essential, and a tough comparison for a new Costello/Jim James project

A different kind of country blues from one of the best albums so far this year.

In our roundup of the best new mysteries, a hip-hopper sells his soul to the devil, an abortion goes wrong in late-'60s Chicago, and a Minnesota sheriff's detective can't find her shifty cop husband.

Eminem bullied, Springsteen tried, sales sucked, but the mash-ups were pure populist art and Missy Elliott damn near reinvented hip hop.

When you want exciting reinterpretations of the Fab Four's hits, here's your playlist

How can a band so slavishly derivative — and sometimes downright plagiaristic — be also considered innovative?