Ann Powers

Why make a list of the greatest albums by women? To start a new conversation, where musicians who have too long been marginalized are now at the center.

Hear five World Cafe sessions from the last few months that are worth a second listen.

Inspired by The Band and Pavement alike, Sun Seeker's music is a unique blend of Southern whimsy and fuzzy, melodic rock. Hear a live performance.

With its infectious synth lines, Southern drawl and sly message, "Miss Prince" shows what's special about Republican Hair, a band unlike any other in Nashville today.

The new group, which also features Jesse Lafser and Becca Mancari, will make its live debut July 12 in Nashville.

Formed out of friendship, the trio blends a love of noise with powerful melodicism and a knack for capturing the ups and downs of millennial life.

The annual festival is a chance for fans to get up close and personal with their favorite country stars — and to discover new artists. Ann Powers and Jewly Hight report back from this year's event.

Maybe contemporary country music will make sense again, now that Shania Twain is back to set the record straight.

For years the sisters have promised to collaborate on a full-length release; finally, it's happened, and Dylan is one of the lucky beneficiaries of their attention.

The singer, fiddler and banjo player performs songs from Freedom Highway, which she wrote to tell the stories of victims of racialized violence throughout American history.

With a rocky, resonant voice, the Kentucky-based songwriter connects Appalachia to Nashville. Childers' official debut album is co-produced by Sturgill Simpson.

The bluegrass-blessed ballad channels the experience of memories growing at once more vivid and more disordered — as they do for everyone, but especially for someone with dementia.

The country singer's startlingly deep voice and the hard-won wisdom in his songwriting belie his young age. Hear a performance and interview.

NPR Music's Ann Powers talks with Brandi Carlile about the singer's efforts to raise money and awareness for children who are affected by war and conflict.

Wedding songs are hard, but marriage songs are harder. In this one, Isbell confronts reality, the downsides of shared days and the resilience that helps a couple overcome them.

With the release of his debut solo album, the former boy band singer Harry Styles is getting credit for a smooth transition from teen pop to rock and roll. As if you could ever separate the two.

On her new album, Wrangled, Presley fearlessly addresses a country music milieu that, in her view, is downright hostile to women who speak their minds. Hear an interview and performance.

Nominations for the 2017 Americana Honors & Awards were announced Tuesday. Hear interviews and performances from some of the nominees, including the Drive-By Truckers and Sturgill Simpson.

For his new album, the country legend-in-the-making and his wife recorded fresh versions of songs culled from his years as a highly regarded Nashville songwriter. Hear their interview with World Cafe.

Amanfu's sung with everyone from the Nashville Symphony Chorus to Kelly Clarkson to Jack White. Hear her perform unreleased songs with the instrumental duo Steelism.