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Music may or may not make babies smarter. But for new parents who are passionate about music, picking the first song their children will hear upon entering the world remains of great importance. A DJ, a critic and a musician talk about what they played for their newborns.

The two Cuban singers and rappers grew up in a remote town poised between the Castro regime and an American military base. Their debut album, La Corona, is full of the struggles and passions of their peers — set to some of the freshest new sounds from the island.

Two decades after the release of their Grammy-winning debut album, the Indigo Girls' compressed and solid harmonies are still recognizable. Emily Saliers and Amy Ray join Linda Wertheimer at WHYY in Philadelphia to play some old favorites, along with new songs from Poseidon and the Bitter Bug.

Two years after her sudden dismissal from Damien Rice's band, in which she sang backup for seven years, the Irish singer has crafted her first solo album. Literally, crafted: Not only did Hannigan write the music, but she also hand-stitched the liner notes.

The small, family-run record label from the south of France has thwarted the downward slide in classical music sales by choosing unorthodox recording projects and trusting its musicians. While other labels' sales have collapsed, Harmonia Mundi is thriving.

The grainy, blurry portrait of Ran Blake on the cover of his album, Driftwoods, looks like spirit photography: the pianist as ghostly presence. His playing can be spooky, too. The CD radically transforms popular vocal standards from Billie Holiday, Hank Williams, Quincy Jones and more.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Together Through Life, Dylan's 33rd solo album. Throughout the disc, Dylan sings in cobwebbed moans, growling croons and spoken-word chants.

Pianist Ben Folds has crafted a series of alt-rock hits over the past 15 years. For his pseudo-"greatest-hits" package, he's commissioned new arrangements of those songs from university a cappella groups across the country. Folds and host Jacki Lyden compare and contrast the various versions of his songs.

Eddie Argos, the 29-year-old leader of London band Art Brut, has made a career out of not growing up. On the group's latest album, Art Brut vs. Satan, that may be for the best, according to critic Robert Christgau.

The 1,000-mile Iditarod sled dog race is the quintessential Alaska institution. But for the past four years, Norwegians have been dominating the race. Alaskan mushers are being forced to adjust their strategies, and are even rethinking long-held notions about training and dog breeding. Gabriel Spitzer of the Alaska Public Radio Network reports.