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When Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff started Philadelphia International Records in the early '70s, they followed in the footsteps of great regional soul labels like Detroit's Motown and Stax in Memphis.

The Los Angeles-based band refurbishes an enigmatic, but entrancing piece by the late Julius Eastman, whose music is enjoying a well-deserved resurgence.

For her fourth album, Son, Molina turns to the sounds of nature for inspiration: Punctuated by birdcalls or the crack of tree branches underfoot, it's subtle in its execution. But a close listen reveals delicate changes in mood and texture.

Jose Gonzalez is a singer-songwriter from Sweden, born to Argentinian parents. He sings quiet songs accompanied by his beautiful playing on a nylon-stringed guitar.

Miriam Makeba was exiled from her home country for speaking out against apartheid, but that never stopped her from making music. Farai Chideya talks with Makeba in the first of a series on African Music.

With their effortlessly breezy harmonies and indelible hooks, the members of Nashville's The Bees (U.S.) dispense delicately crafted, beautifully rootsy pop. Often referred to as "Nashville's best poorly kept secret," the as-yet-unsigned band is poised for a national breakthrough.

A devotee of pop, soul and jazz, singer-songwriter Jonah Smith makes songs that are best categorized as "roots music," as he skillfully blends fundamental elements into a sound that's both progressive and accessible.

Sweet Honey in the Rock joins Fred Child in NPR's Studio 4A to commemorate "Juneteenth" — the anniversary of the day when word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the last state in the union — with three songs.

Singer-songwriter Billy Preston has died in an Arizona hospital, ending a long fight against chronic kidney failure. The Grammy-winning performer gained fame working with artists such as The Beatles, which earned him an album credit for the Fab Four's "Get Back." He also played with the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

The composer, Gyorgy Ligeti, has died in Vienna after a long, undisclosed illness. He was 83. Ligeti reached a wider audience than most contemporary composers, largely due to filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, who used several Ligeti works in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Eyes Wide Shut.