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France has produced remarkable music over the years, from the emotive chanson of Edith Piaf to Serge Gainsbourg's iconoclastic work to the electronic melodies of the band Air. But these days there are so many young artists stirring the charts that it seems like French music is in the process of reinventing itself.

Rickie Lee Jones' first original album in four years comes with a little heaven-sent inspiration. The Grammy Award winner's new album, The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, was inspired by the words of Jesus, and tells stories of the worldly and the divine.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Hyphy Hitz, which surveys the San Francisco Bay Area brand of hip-hop known as "hyphy."

Tavares' travels from Portugal to her parents' homeland in Cape Verde put her in touch with her cultural roots. The journeys also brought a unique mix of sounds to the singer/songwriter's music.

Tom Manoff reviews the CD by violinist Joshua Bell called Voice and Violin. He says the CD explores some famous pieces in classical music — like "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak and Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise" — that take on the lyrical play between fiddle and voice.

Ben Sollee just wants us to get along. On his debut, full-length release, Learning to Bend, the Kentucky-born singer offers an inspired collection of acoustic, folk and jazz-flavored songs, filled with hope and the earnest belief that the world is good.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Ayoade Alakija, co-chair of the Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance, about the ongoing challenges of addressing COVID-19.

President Biden is heading to Israel and Saudi Arabia Tuesday in his first visit to the Middle East as president for meetings that he says he hopes will help advance regional security and stability.

Carmen Rita Wong's mother was Dominican and father was Chinese, or so she thought. In her memoir, Why Didn't You Tell Me, she reckons with the truth that was kept from her for 31 years.

To produce the iconic theme song, the late composer drew on a piece he had written for a proposed musical adaptation of V.S. Naipaul's "A House for Mr. Biswas."