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For the Cherryholmes family, bluegrass is more than just a pastime that morphed into a career. It was cathartic for dealing with the death of their oldest child, Shelley. On the band's third CD, Don't Believe, the Cherryholmes still deal with the profound emotions triggered by that loss.

On her new album, Rebel Woman, Chiwoniso shows off an assertive style that no other female singer in Zimbabwe can match. In her songs, she stands up for her country's children and poor. One of the most compelling voices in African music today, she confidently borrows from other genres — especially American ones.

While some of the first 43 presidents have become larger-than-life figures, others are all but forgotten. In a new collection called Of Great and Mortal Men, songwriters Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher and Matthew Gerken have composed original songs that span three CDs and more than 220 years of American history.

Brooklyn's TV on the Radio has always been a forward-thinking rock band. Its new album, Dear Science, is its funkiest, but in a typically complicated way. Sick of living with pessimism, the band has brightened its tunes and beats.

Miami-based DJ Le Spam has been orchestrating Afro-Cuban beats for more than a decade. With a cadre of horn, guitar and flute players and a stack of old records, he and the Spam Allstars hold court weekly at the club Hoy Como Ayer. Here, he paints a picture of the Miami club scene and shares some of the stories behind the new album Introducing Spam Allstars.

Troy Davis, who was convicted of murdering a police officer in 1989, has been on death row for 17 years. Davis has always denied his guilt — and seven of nine prosecution witnesses have since recanted their testimony. The Supreme Court's denial to hear Davis' appeal clears the way for his execution.

Local Colombian music permeates the soundscapes crafted by the band Aterciopelados. But what gives the group's music its universal appeal is something less tangible: a quality of dry-eyed optimism that proves both persuasive and reassuring in these troubled times.

For many, the autoharp is remembered as the slightly geeky, easy-to-play instrument from grade-school music class, or as simple accompaniment for folk and country singers. But Basia Bulat, who sings and plays the autoharp on Oh, My Darling, hopes the time has come for people to discover the beauty and potential in the instrument.

Reggae music has gone a lot of places over the years, from minimalist dub to culture-warring dancehall. Almost 40 years on, Spear still hews to the reggae basics: a deep, easy groove; brassy R&B flavorings; and a mystical take on history. His new CD is Jah is Real.

When recording its latest album, Snowflake Midnight, Mercury Rev turned to publicly created and shared electronic instruments and software to create ethereal and deeply textured layers of sound. The band's members discuss their process of incorporating technology and losing themselves in music.

The singer's 1973 hit has been covered more than any of her other songs. She says it remains popular in part because of how universal it is: Everyone relates to the singer's sense of inadequacy.

For WNYC's Soundcheck host John Schaefer, the best classical music of the year came not from new releases, but from the news in the classical music world. The biggest story was the New York Philharmonic's performance in Pyongyang, North Korea.

For a musician, essential tremor disorder can be devastating. The disease affects fine motor coordination, causing hands to shake. But guitarist Richard Crandell has found a new way to continue composing and performing.

The concessions stands are operated by Compass Group and its subsidiary, Levy Restaurants. The company employs about 1,500 people at the stadium.

When pop stars collaborated with African musicians in the 1980s and '90s, they embraced sounds once heard as foreign and exotic. Now a new generation of American musicians is creating homegrown rock music with a West African twist.

Thomas performs stand-up comedy in her spare time, and sometimes between songs. But her new album, A Very Rosie Christmas, is often thoughtful — even reverent. Her music is gentle, sincere and just right for those who wish the holidays were a little less noisy.

Justin Townes Earle went into the same business as his father, country-rock singer-songwriter Steve Earle, who taught his son a lot about rebellion and making music. Together, they talk about the parallels between their lives growing up.

Artists typically known for their careers in adult-oriented musical genres occasionally venture into writing songs geared toward kids. Children's-music blogger Stefan Shepherd previews a few new notable releases from They Might Be Giants, The Nields and others that parents and children can both enjoy.

Modern Chinese music is most famous for sappy Canto-pop love songs. But on the mainland, young Chinese musicians are innovating and taking risks with ancient music forms such as throat singing. Former punk singer Ilchi is now a force in the Mongolian folk-music revival with his band Hanggai.

When musician Max Raabe arrived in Berlin in the mid-'80s, he was expecting to find the cabarets and variety theaters his grandmother told him about, but they were long gone. He decided to create his own orchestra, dedicated to performing the elegant dance hits of the '20s and '30s in their original arrangements.

Why do pigs oink in English and chrjo in Russian? What does the word ma ma have to do with the word mammal? In his new book, Alphabet Juice, humorist and author Roy Blount Jr. traces the origins of everyday words and how they have changed over time.

Canadian producer, singer and songwriter Koushik is 100 percent do-it-yourself. His wildly diverse sound stretches across psychedelia, pop, soul and hip-hop. He talks about his new album Out My Window, being a math nerd and keeping his head clear.

The violinist has spent his life stretching the definition of classical musician. Here he describes his introduction to the violin and his collection of instruments.

The Washington, D.C., band These United States writes novelistic songs packed with dense narratives and loose, ragged-edged folk, rock and Americana. While Jesse Elliott is the main creative foundation, the group is known to rotate in any number of musicians it picks up. The band discusses and performs songs from its new album, Crimes.

Nothing is more conspicuous, yet more invisible, than a big truck. Luke Doucet spends so much time on the road as a touring musician that he began to imagine what it would be like to live the life of a trucker. "Long Haul Driver" gets it just right on his seventh album, Blood's Too Rich.