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Drawing on the centuries-old tradition of female vocal music from Eastern Europe, the women's ensemble Kitka has won wide acclaim for their lush harmonies. Their latest CD, Wintersongs, features Slavic and Balkan carols and hymns. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with members of the ensemble.

Rock critic Ken Tucker gives us his top picks in pop for 2004. He runs down his 10 best albums, and then talks about some trends of 2004, such as the return of punk, the year of the hip-hop producer, crunk music, and the potential end of an era as iPods and single song downloads replace album purchases. Ken Tucker is also a film critic for New York magazine.

In a series of commentaries for All Things Considered over the past 18 months, Holly Rossi described what life was like for the wife of an Army reservist deployed in Kuwait.

In over 30 years of traveling, writer Eric Hansen has met some odd characters. He details some of his most memorable explorations in a new book of essays called The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer.

Two police officers involved in a videotaped beating of a black teenager in Inglewood, Calif., have been awarded $2.4 million by a jury that found they were unfairly disciplined. We speak with Gregory Smith, the attorney for officer Jeremy Morse, who was given the larger jury award of $1.6 million. We also hear from Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn.

NPR's Alison MacAdam tells the story of getting in touch with her best friend from kindergarten, Scott Hoffman, who is now a sensation in a disco-rock band called The Scissor Sisters. Hoffman explains how he uses music to fill the voids he felt growing up in Lexington, Ky.

A powerful congressional chairman announces he is dropping his opposition to the White House-backed intelligence reform bill. A vote on a legislative compromise could come Tuesday in the House of Representatives, even though another key chairman remains opposed. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Making-up 60 percent of Iraq's population, Shiite Muslims look to be big winners in the Jan. 30 elections. Some worry the Shia community is too close to Iran and could push the country toward a more theocratic model. But some experts believe the Shia may be democracy's best hope in a new Iraq. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden speaks with Yosita Oramahi, an Indonesian now living in Singapore, about the fate of her sister's family in Aceh province. Her sister's husband lost 50 family members.

House Republicans unexpectedly reinstate a tougher ethics rule governing their leaders. The move overturns a rule that was widely seen as intended to protect House Majority Leader Tom DeLay from having to step down if he is indicted in an ongoing campaign financing investigation. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.