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In the crowded field of indie rock, a band's first few albums are crucial. They establish the band's sound and expand its fanbase. But Cincinnati's Heartless Bastards breaks those rules with its second CD, All This Time. Instead of sticking to its workmanlike gritty blues rock, the band has developed a more open, expansive and personal sound.

Peggy Lee's most memorable tune was "Fever." A biography borrows the title of the 1958 hit, which encapsulated what many remember about the singer: her playful delivery, charisma and sexuality.

Musician Ralph Towner performs in NPR's Studio 4A. His career spans more than 30 years, from the Paul Winter Consort to the group Oregon. Today he remains a prolific solo artist on the acoustic guitar, with a new CD: Time Line.

For Paul Simon, the songwriting process often proceeds "backward." The singer-songwriter explains what that means — and how it affects his new Surprise, a collaboration with electronic-music pioneer Brian Eno.

Unearthed shortly after Johnny Cash's death, a batch of recordings marked "Personal File" turned out to contain an assortment of unreleased songs — including a standout moment in which Cash reads the riveting, darkly funny Robert W. Service poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee."

Heather Headley won a Tony Award for her work on Broadway. The star of Aida and The Lion King is also seeing success in the R&B world. She's now touring to support her second CD, In My Mind.

Finnish composer Jean Sibelius was deeply moved by the changing seasons and their effect on nature. Camerata Nordica plays Sibelius' "Suite for Violin and Strings." The movements are "Country-scenery," "Evening in Spring," and "In the Summer."

Final Fantasy is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Owen Pallett, who first achieved notoriety as a member of The Arcade Fire. Pallett makes music that marries the serious and the silly, informed by everything from Dungeons & Dragons to the songs on Top 40 radio.

Taking cues from the storytelling tradition of singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Tom Waits, Jesse Denatale writes songs with depth, ingenuity and remarkable craftsmanship.

Bob Dylan meets indie rock in the music of The Walkmen. Hear the New York rockers perform selections from their latest CD A Hundred Miles Off and more in a full concert recorded live from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club.