The guitarist, singer and songwriter, who died at 78, cut his own path among his elders in the Grateful Dead, and beyond. By David Browne As the youngest member of the original Grateful Dead, Bob Weir ...

The best songs of 2025 worked admirably toward the daunting task of attempting to describe what it feels like to be alive in the unpredictability matrix of the mid-’20s. Songwriters expressing pangs ...

Bruno Mars, Jill Scott and Mandy, Indiana have new albums on the way, and a frantic tune from an anime film is No. 1 in Japan. By Jon Pareles Even in its early weeks, 2026 is revving up fast. The ...

Welcome to New Music Friday, NPR Music's podcast dedicated to sharing the best albums out each week. We listen to dozens of new releases in advance, identify the ones we think you need to hear, and ...

To boil Zach Bryan's new Heaven On Top album down to the songs about his relationships is to simplify a rich, complex 78 minutes of country/rock emotion. Just as interesting are the creative country ...

If you’ve already played out all the best albums of 2025 and you’re ready to put your music listening habits in 2026 mode, you’re in luck because this year is already musically off to a good start. We ...