Pop

Baby is the new album by the group The Detroit Cobras, who specialize in playing raucous cover versions of other musicians' songs.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore's new album — his seventh — is called Come on Back and it's a memorial to his late father. He died of ALS in 2000. The album includes version of his dad's favorite songs like Pick Me Up on Your Way Down and Walkin' The Floor Over You. Gilmore was born, raised and lives in Texas. He has been recording solo albums since 1988, when he released Fair and Square.

In November, Columbia Records released the Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition boxed set. The three-CD set includes a remastering of Springsteen's Born to Run album, released in 1975. The box set also includes a concert DVD of a never-before seen 1975 concert from London and a documentary about the making of Born to Run. This interview originally aired on Nov. 15, 2005.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Fiona Apple's third album, Extraordinary Machine.

One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds, Lost and Found, is a new Rhino four-disc compilation of women making music.

Ice-T is one of the original gangster rappers, of whom Greg Knot of The Chicago Tribune wrote: "Ice-T is that rare gangster rapper who leads with his brain instead of his gun or his crotch." He's gone on to a successful acting career. (This interview originally aired May 16, 1994.)

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at the career of producer and arranger Jack Nitzsche. He worked with a wide variety of artists: Phil Spector, Bobby Darin, Doris Day, Little Stevie Wonder, Neil Young and Marianne Faithful. The new CD Hearing Is Believing collects his work.

Fresh Air broadcasts the second part of its interview with singer-songwriter Paul Anka. He's new album is called Rock Swings. It's a collection of covers from the 1980s and '90s, re-set to a swing beat.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Magic Hollow, a new four-CD retrospective of the band The Beau Brummels, a '60s British Invasion-era pop group from California. Their biggest -- and only top 10 -- hit was "Laugh, Laugh."

Rock critic Milo Miles reviews She Sang California, a new CD from singer songwriter Judy Henske. She was popular in the 1960s, but it's been 28 years since she released an album.

Billy Joe Shaver discusses his career and personal life

Rock historian Ed Ward looks back on the beginnings of Motown's Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

Rock historian Ed Ward takes us back to the early days of Motown. The first volume of The Complete Motown Singles has just been released on Hip-O Select, with 11 volumes to come.

Critic-at-large John Powers reflects on the end of the Michael Jackson child molestation trial.

Rock critic Ed Ward finds a forgotten chapter of American pop history: the 1940s sound of East Los Angeles. Hear original recordings of vintage Latin music collected on the new CD Pachuco Boogie, from Arhoolie Records.

In the past several months, singer Marianne Faithfull has released two CDs: a two-disc set of her hits, and Before the Poison, which includes tracks written by PJ Harvey.

Cake has five albums to their credit. The band includes trumpeter Vincent DiFiore, bassist Gabriel Nelson, and guitarist Xan McCurdy. The popular alt-rock group combines caustic lyrics with pulsing guitar music and is influenced by many different styles: rock, funk, synth-pop, mariachi and cuban. Sometimes they shoot for a cheap, lo-fi sound, says McCrea. Their new CD is Pressure Chief.

Get Lifted is the first solo album by R&B singer and piano player John Legend, who made his name playing with star producer Kanye West. Rock critic Ken Tucker has a review.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new self-titled solo CD by singer-songwriter John Davis, formerly with the punk-pop group Superdrag.

After a chart-topping and occasionally controversial music career, she is now turning out children's books, publishing four in just over a year. Her latest is The Adventures of Abdi. The others are The English Roses, Mr. Peabody's Apples and Yakov and the Seven Thieves. Her fifth, Lotsa de Casha, is due out in April 2005.