To ring in the new year, NPR Music's critics take over the latest episode of New Music Friday to offer predictions about the artists, genres and stories that might dominate conversations about music in 2024. 

Ann Powers, Rodney Carmichael and Nate Chinen join editor Jacob Ganz to discuss whether Usher's Super Bowl performance or Dua Lipa's new sound could launch these hardworking artists to new levels of ubiquity. Is it possible for either to one steal some of the spotlight that Beyoncé and Taylor Swift dominated last year?

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Setting our sights on the biggest music stories of the 2024

Since launching in 2000, All Songs Considered has been NPR's flagship program for music discovery, artist interviews and conversations with friends and fellow music lovers about the really big questions, like what was the best decade for music, are there albums everyone can agree on, and what do you put on when you need a good cry? Weekly, with host Robin Hilton and the NPR Music family.

Music

On the May 3 episode of New Music Friday, NPR Music's Hazel Cills and WRTI's Nate Chinen discuss the week's essential new albums, including Radical Optimism, from the dance-pop superstar Dua Lipa. 

The songs on Radical Optimism are mostly in the vein of Dua Lipa's earlier work, but that itself might be reason to keep a militantly sunny attitude: A parade of hits from her last album, Future Nostalgia, proved to have incredible staying power — "Levitating" hung around in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart for nearly a year — and she contributed to last year's cultural juggernaut Barbie with "Dance the Night." Still, Hazel and Nate say the new album offers hints of a few surprising artistic developments in her sound.

Radical Optimism isn't the only album out this week that demands attention. New records by the inimitable folk songwriter Jessica Pratt and the always ambitious jazz maestro and saxophonist Kamasi Washington focus their own sounds in new and highly rewarding ways. 

Featured Albums:
• Dua Lipa, 'Radical Optimism'
• Jessica Pratt, 'Here in the Pitch'
• Kamasi Washington, 'Fearless Movement'

Other notable albums out May 3:
• Willow, 'empathogen'
• Mdou Moctar, 'Funeral for Justice'
• Steph Richards, 'Power Vibe'
• Charlotte Day Wilson, 'Cyan Blue'
• Luke Stewart's Silt Trio, 'Unknown Rivers'
• 4batz, 'u made me a st4r'

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New Music Friday: The best albums out May 3

It's the 10th annual Tiny Desk contest and there's been a strong showing of Latin artists behind desks across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Felix and Ana sifted through all the entries and pulled their favorites from artists with roots all across the Americas. And if one of them ends up winning, you can thank us for the introduction.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Cathia, "Taza de Café"
•Manu Manzo, "Celos"
•Mireya Ramos and the Poor Choices, "Quiero Volver"
•Flaco el Jandro, "Lluvia Pesada"
•Los Quinceañeros, "Guero"
•La Doña, "Loser Girl"
•Alejandro Aranda, "Pieces"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Alt.Latino's favorite Tiny Desk Contest entries

Brittany Luse, host of NPR's It's Been A Minute, joins All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton to update our running list of the year's best songs.  

Featured artists and songs:
1. Ekko Astral: "Baethoven," from 'pink balloons'
2. Nubiyan Twist: "Carry Me (feat. Seun Kuti)," from 'Find Your Flame'
3. T-Bone Burnett: "He Came Down," from 'The Other Side'
4. Bien et Toi: "So Long (feat. Paris Texas)," from 'London Safari II'
5. Bnny: "Missing," from 'One Million Love Songs'
6. Chanel Beads: "Unifying Thought," from 'Your Day Will Come'


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The Contenders, Vol. 8: The songs we can't stop playing this week

NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Sheldon Pearce discuss new albums from St. Vincent, Charley Crockett, Iron & Wine and more.

Feature Albums:
• St. Vincent, 'All Born Screaming'
• Charley Crockett, '$10 Cowboy'
• Iron & Wine, 'Light Verse'
• Maria Chiara Argirò, 'Closer'

Other notable albums out April 26:
• Neil Young and Crazy Horse, 'FU##IN' UP'
• PartyNextDoor, 'PartyNextDoor 4'
• Justice, 'Hyperdrama'
• Anitta, 'Funk Generation'

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New Music Friday: The best albums out April 26

Is April, as T.S. Eliot put it, the cruelest month? We reflect on the question with a mix that's both cringe-inducing and hilarious, from the cruelest takedowns to the most insidious earworms.

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Setting our sights on the biggest music stories of the 2024

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