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Music Features

Tuesday

Tuesday

Monday

Just The Hits: A Top 10 Of Top 40 For 2014

Tinashe, whose hit "2 On" was produced by DJ Mustard, performs on stage in December. Emmerson/Corbis hide caption

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Emmerson/Corbis

The Record

Just The Hits: A Top 10 Of Top 40 For 2014

Dig below the strata of pop songs so ubiquitous you can't stand to hear them anymore, and you'll find plenty of riches in the Top 40, from country crossover to innovative R&B and classic pop.

Just The Hits: A Top 10 Of Top 40 For 2014

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Thursday

Tuesday

Songs We Love: Brandi Carlile, 'The Eye'

Brandi Carlile's fifth studio album, The Firewatcher's Daughter, will be out on March 3. David McClister/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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David McClister/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Songs We Love: Brandi Carlile, 'The Eye'

Brandi Carlile will put out her fifth album, The Firewatcher's Daughter, in March. She talks with Ann Powers about family, her new album and the necessary recklessness of first-take rock and roll.

Songs We Love: Brandi Carlile, 'The Eye'

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Friday

In 2014, Pop Followed Beyonce's Lead

Beyonce's performance during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in August included clips of a speech about feminism by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Kevin Winter/MTV1415/Getty Images for MTV hide caption

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Kevin Winter/MTV1415/Getty Images for MTV

The Record

In 2014, Pop Followed Beyonce's Lead

Beyonce's 2013 self-titled album explicitly connected feminism to sexual confidence; it cast a long shadow over the female-led pop singles that dominated Top 40 this year.

In 2014, Pop Followed Beyonce's Lead

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Thursday

Wednesday

Bill Adler (center) with LL Cool J (left) and Fab 5 Freddy at LL's mother's house in 1988.

Bill Adler (center) with LL Cool J (left) and Fab 5 Freddy at LL's mother's house in 1988. Daniel Root/Courtesy of Bill Adler hide caption

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Daniel Root/Courtesy of Bill Adler

The Record

Cornell To Digitize A Rich Hip-Hop Archive

The founding publicity director of Def Jam Records, Bill Adler, amassed a highly valuable collection of music, writing and images.

Cornell To Digitize A Rich Hip-Hop Archive

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Saturday

WKRP In Perpetuity

The cast of WKRP in Cincinnati, recently reissued on DVD by Shout! Factory, which collected licenses to include most of the original music broadcast on the show. Courtesy Sony Pictures Television hide caption

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Courtesy Sony Pictures Television

The Record

WKRP In Perpetuity

The AM radio station that gave the late 1970s series WKRP in Cincinnati its name was better than most real radio stations of its era. A new reissue includes most of the songs broadcast on the show.

Thursday

A Supposedly Irie Thing I'll Most Certainly Do Again

Jr. Gong, Stephen Marley, Cham, Sean Paul — the list goes on. A massive jam session ensues and nearly everyone leaps onstage to spit some lyrics. To call this reggae history is no hyperbole. Empress K/For NPR hide caption

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Empress K/For NPR

The Record

A Supposedly Irie Thing I'll Most Certainly Do Again

For a moment it actually moves me — the incredible diversity of this music we lump into the umbrella category "reggae." And that I share a profound passion with such a disparate crowd of folks.

Tuesday

Monday

Paramore Feat. Joy Williams, 'Hate To See Your Heart Break'

Hayley Williams (left) of Paramore and Joy Williams, formerly of The Civil Wars, perform together on a version of the song "Hate To See Your Heart Break" from the deluxe version of Paramore's self-titled album. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Paramore Feat. Joy Williams, 'Hate To See Your Heart Break'

Paramore's Hayley Williams collaborates for the first time with old friend Joy Williams (no relation), formerly of The Civil Wars, on this pleading ballad.

Paramore Feat. Joy Williams, 'Hate To See Your Heart Break'

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Thursday

Songs We Love: Nora Jane Struthers, 'The Same Road'
Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Songs We Love: Nora Jane Struthers, 'The Same Road'

"The Same Road" is the first offering from Nora Jane Struthers' next album, and shows off her band's propulsive new direction. Rooted in bluegrass, Struthers is a serious woman with a light heart.

The Same Road

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Tuesday