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The news that Bob Dylan was making a Christmas album came as a surprise. Now that Christmas In The Heart has been released, with the announcement that all profits will go to charity, it's caused even more consternation, with commentators divided as to whether it's an earnest effort or one big put-down. Rock critic Ken Tucker offers his opinion.

Lebanese-American singer-songwriter Mika gained worldwide attention in 2007 with his debut single ("Grace Kelly") and album (Life in Cartoon Motion), which blends the influences of '40s stage and screen music, '60s feel-good pop and Elton John-style songs of the '70s. He hopes to duplicate that album's success with The Boy Who Knew Too Much.

President Biden started on a series of deals in Israel meant to show the ties between the two countries. The subject of a Palestinian-American journalist killed in the West Bank may be on the agenda.

Dobie Gray, in his hit "The In Crowd," famously said, "The original is still the greatest." But is it? Ace Records in London has put out a CD called You Heard It Here First!, with 26 original versions of hit songs. Rock historian Ed Ward takes a look.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, stars of the hit 2007 movie Once, recently sat down with NPR's Melissa Block. Now performing as The Swell Season, they discuss their new album (Strict Joy), perform two songs and surprise each other with new revelations about a song's meaning.

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Sisters of Life's Sister Bethany Madonna and Mike Phelan of the Office of Marriage and Respect Life about the church's work with people carrying unexpected pregnancies.

NPR Music's Song of the Day features a new track every weekday, with analysis of the music, links to each artist's Web site and, of course, a chance to hear the song itself. Here, Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson talks about recent selections by Laurent Korcia, Tim Buckley and Smokey Robinson.

More people retired during the COVID-19 pandemic than expected. But with rising inflation, a plunging stock market and a hot housing market, some are wondering if they left their jobs too soon.

The jazz composer Carla Bley doesn't celebrate Christmas, and left the church behind as a teenager. But you wouldn't know it from her new album, which sets her favorite Christmas carols — traditional and original — to her edgy writing style.

Norah Jones became an immediate star after the release of her 2002 album Come Away With Me. Having sold more than 36 million records, Jones decided to move in a different direction with her new fourth album, titled The Fall. Rock critic Ken Tucker says it's an improvement over her last two.