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Ra Ra Riot features swooning strings, pop hooks and sinuous rock rhythms in a session from WXPN. After the tragic death of drummer and songwriter John Pike in 2007, the recording process for The Rhumb Line proved to be cathartic. The album takes a positive outlook on the darker side of life.

Placido Domingo is the most durable, thoughtful opera singer in recent history. Andrea Bocelli has sold more than 60 million albums. The two icons discuss their first performance together and describe what makes opera relevant today.

Neil Young was just a few days shy of his 23rd birthday when he took the stage at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Mich., for what would become a legendary performance. It was 1968, and Young was about to release his self-titled debut solo album. His old band, Buffalo Springfield, had split up six months earlier, and few people even knew who Young was. But to his own surprise, Young drew a sold-out audience. Now, 40 years later, the recording of that performance is finally being made available. Hear it here in its entirety.

Moving away from the wholesome-sounding Americana of his previous work, Dennen's Hope for the Hopeless is a much heavier collection marked by finger-snapping grooves. He shares new songs and talks about his non-profit work in a session from WXPN.

Drumming for The Beatles during the band's formative years, Pete Best was dismissed just before Beatlemania hit, for reasons that are disputed to this day. Best returned to the scene 20 years later with The Pete Best Band, delivering a savage '60s sound; he has a new CD out, called Haymans Green.

Producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff helped pioneer the sound of Philadelphia soul. Their renowned record label, Philadelphia International, produced the hits "Love Train," "Backstabbers" and "The Love I Lost."

It's been a remarkable year for jazz, and narrowing down a Top 10 list for 2008 takes a bit of work. Once again, there's room for enthusiasm and optimism about the state of jazz and its ability to inspire musicians and listeners alike. Here's a look (and a listen) back at some of the year's highlights.

The Chicago rapper's new album, 808s and Heartbreak features him singing instead of rapping, but he's filtered his vocals through the voice processing system known as Auto-Tune, an increasingly popular trend among pop artists. The result is a melancholy, intimate and decidedly quirky effort.

The city of Chicago has one more thing to boast about: Its hometown orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, has been named America's top orchestra in a new critics' poll published in the venerable British magazine Gramophone.

The Latin percussionist's classic 1972 album captures one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century at his peak. Bobby Sanabria, himself an award-winning bandleader, discusses the music and career of "El Rey del Timbal," Tito Puente.