In “Laysongs,” mandolinist Chris Thile lays theatrics and sea captains aside and sings simply and honestly about his struggle to believe.

Like it or not, Kanye is our Wagner—a master architect of pure spectacle and a man whose unhinged brilliance confronts us all.

Did the singer-songwriter era come about specifically to fill a demand by retreat directors for a poignant soundtrack to accompany the spiritual epiphanies of 16-year-olds?

Nightbirde recognizes the habit of trying to fix things on one’s own. She sings, “Don’t know why I take the tightrope and cry when I fall.”

Túpac Shakur is widely recognized as a musical pioneer. On what would be his 50th birthday, it is time to recognize him as a prophet as well.

Bob Dylan, who turns 80 on May 24, expanded my musical and conceptual horizons from my college days onward.