If there's one question that professional music lovers hear most often, it's some variation on: "Heard any good albums lately?" We always have, of course, but when it came time to highlight the cream ...

There's something quietly devastating about a band or artist who releases one perfect album and then disappears. Some of the ...

There's something uniquely haunting about an artist who releases a single album, sets the world on fire, and then simply steps away. Some artists burn bright and fast. They come into the world, drop a ...

Pop critic Ann Powers shares a handful the albums on NPR Music's list of the best of the year, including the one album that nearly the entire team agreed on. What were your favorite albums this year?