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From the vaults comes "Let's Just Get Together," a phenomenal, never-before-released David Sea song. The track showcases his powerful voice and roots in gospel singing, but his impassioned vocals are practically drowned out by the guitar playing counterpoint, almost in competition with Sea.

With her tart, no-nonsense voice, Mable John deserved to be a star like her brother Willie, who sang "Fever" before Peggy Lee. But Mable John never quite made it, though it sure wasn't because of her singing. Case in point: "Able Mable."

Brazilian singer Ceu loves soul, jazz, hip-hop and afro-pop. And those influences are apparent on her new self-titled CD. But the foundation underlying it all is the Brazilian samba. "It's what sticks to the soles of my feet, " she says.

"Boogie Blues" contains two minutes and one second of wonderful boogie-woogie, sung by a great jazz singer at a 1963 concert and never heard on record until now. Anita O'Day's Tokyo performance aired live on Japanese TV, then languished in the vaults.

Pairing power chords with timeless vocal harmonies and experimental indie-rock, Illinois' songs seem all-over-the-map and concise at the same time, resulting in a unique, laidback sound. The band performs a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

The music of Low is dark and mysteriously haunting with a sonic depth that radiates well beyond its brooding, spare arrangements. The band showcases its new album, Drums and Guns in a full concert, with the opening act Loney, Dear, from Washington, D.C.

Funerals celebrate life as much as they mourn the departed, and Robert Glasper's poignant requiem "Tribute" — assembled in honor of his mother — makes no secret of that. Glasper and his bandmates initiate a plaintive piano-trio hymn that soon underscores Rev. Joe Ratliff's poetic eulogy.

Though Lura fully discovered her Cape Verdean heritage later in life, her music is deeply rooted within those island traditions. M'Bem di Fora incorporates the rhythms of her parents' homeland, with vibrant stories of love and loss pouring out of every syllable and song.

In the momentous Neon Bible, The Arcade Fire's members are worn down by modern living, and their hearts are in tatters, but their fever burns more brightly than ever. On the heels of Funeral, the follow-up takes a far less obvious approach.

Rock-music veterans whose careers span more than 25 years, The Smithereens' members combine the sounds of Buddy Holly and The Beatles with shades of metal and prog-rock. This year brings Meet the Smithereens!, an album covering Meet the Beatles in its entirety.