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There probably isn't a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. — or abroad — that hasn't played the music of John Adams. His distinctive sound has made Richard Nixon sing and won a Pulitzer Prize. His new autobiography, Hallelujah Junction, reveals an American composer's history.

For the Cherryholmes family, bluegrass is more than just a pastime that morphed into a career. It was cathartic for dealing with the death of their oldest child, Shelley. On the band's third CD, Don't Believe, the Cherryholmes still deal with the profound emotions triggered by that loss.

When recording its latest album, Snowflake Midnight, Mercury Rev turned to publicly created and shared electronic instruments and software to create ethereal and deeply textured layers of sound. The band's members discuss their process of incorporating technology and losing themselves in music.

On her new album, Rebel Woman, Chiwoniso shows off an assertive style that no other female singer in Zimbabwe can match. In her songs, she stands up for her country's children and poor. One of the most compelling voices in African music today, she confidently borrows from other genres — especially American ones.

Brooklyn's TV on the Radio has always been a forward-thinking rock band. Its new album, Dear Science, is its funkiest, but in a typically complicated way. Sick of living with pessimism, the band has brightened its tunes and beats.

While some of the first 43 presidents have become larger-than-life figures, others are all but forgotten. In a new collection called Of Great and Mortal Men, songwriters Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher and Matthew Gerken have composed original songs that span three CDs and more than 220 years of American history.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews TV On The Radio's new album Dear Science. The New York quintet's fourth studio album debuted at number four on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.

Miami-based DJ Le Spam has been orchestrating Afro-Cuban beats for more than a decade. With a cadre of horn, guitar and flute players and a stack of old records, he and the Spam Allstars hold court weekly at the club Hoy Como Ayer. Here, he paints a picture of the Miami club scene and shares some of the stories behind the new album Introducing Spam Allstars.

Troy Davis, who was convicted of murdering a police officer in 1989, has been on death row for 17 years. Davis has always denied his guilt — and seven of nine prosecution witnesses have since recanted their testimony. The Supreme Court's denial to hear Davis' appeal clears the way for his execution.

Widely regarded as one of the best guitarists of all time, blues legend B.B. King is still recording at age 82. Music critic Milo Miles reviews King's newest album, One Kind Favor.