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Soul singer King Floyd died on March 6 at the age of 61, but his passing barely merited mention in the media — an oversight that seems at odds with his brash style. What most know about Floyd begins and ends with his massive and enduring 1971 R&B hit "Groove Me."

Though Austin music remains best known as the spiritual ground zero for alt-country, Jon Dee Graham's new Full leans more toward rock. "Something Wonderful" is a hummable reminder to look out for moments of goodness.

At a time when hip-hop dominates the R&B scene, it's often easier for a rapper to achieve commercial success than a singer. Our music critic examines why that is, in his review of two new albums by R&B vocalists: Ghetto Classics by Jaheim and On the Jungle Floor by Van Hunt.

Maritime has a sweetly buzzing collection of ingratiating power-pop. Springtime anthems don't get much catchier than "Tearing Up the Oxygen," a wonderfully sunny gem propelled by bleeping synths and "ah-ah" choruses.

Before she made it big, Macy Gray was told she couldn't sing. And when she did sing, people would laugh at her distinctive voice, she says. Gray talks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about her inspirations, relationships and music. Hear songs from Gray's second CD, The Trouble with Being Myself.

Independent music critic Christian Bordal reviews Missy Elliott's new CD, This Is Not A Test.

The Susie Arioli band, out of Quebec, has just released its third jazz-swing album, That's for Me. NPR's Susan Stamberg speaks with vocalist Arioli and guitarist Jordan Officer about their music, inspiration and collaboration.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with banjo player Bela Fleck and bassist Edgar Meyer about their unusual musical collaboration. The two friends have collaborated in both bluegrass and classical music. They recently released a CD together, Music for Two.

Branford Marsalis was born into one of the great jazz families: his father is pianist Ellis and his brother is trumpet player Wynton Marsalis. He has a new album, Eternal, on Rounder Records. (This interview first aired Oct. 21, 2002.)

Wynton Marsalis has been playing the trumpet since he was 6, and won his first Grammy at 20 and has 9 total. He's also the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize. His latest album is The Magic Hour. (This Interview first aired Dec. 7, 1994.)