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When Heap composes a song, you never know what she might decide is an instrument. For Ellipse, she used every piece of her elliptical-shaped house as a sound. Her fans followed along online as she wrote the album.

In West Africa, Europe and the world-music scene, the beloved Senegalese singer-songwriter is a superstar. He's long been known for bridging the griot tradition of West African bards with popular music from around the globe, and his newest album, Television, is no exception.

Blue Highway founding member and 10-time IBMA dobro player of the year Rob Ickes has just released an album of jazz duets with pianist and grade-school music teacher Michael Alvey, titled Road Song.

NPR's Melissa Block talks with producer Randall Poster and historian Sean Wilentz about a new collection of music. Poster brought together stars and legends spanning many genres and generations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

The experimental rock band based in New York draws on early vocal music, modern soul and other sources, defying categorization in the process. According to critic Will Hermes, the band's new album, Bitte Orca, is a breakthrough.

The Matchbox Twenty frontman will release his second solo album, Cradlesong, at the end of June. It's a collection of songs that cover everything from life, love and loss all the way to death.

Critic Robert Christgau is impressed by the new album from the Malian vocalist, whom he calls Africa's most important female singer. Seya is her first release after a 12-year absence from recording, spent raising a son and running a hotel, farm and other businesses.

Everyone's favorite headbanger, whose songs include "Party Hard" and "Party 'Til You Puke," thinks the music of Johann Sebastian Bach stands among humankind's greatest accomplishments.

Sarah Jarosz, 18, emerged on the bluegrass scene as a prodigal mandolinist, banjo player and guitarist — and recently, a singer-songwriter. In between math classes, she's managed to cut her debut album, Song Up In Her Head.

A now-infamous 2008 trip to Avatar Studios brought Liane Hansen face to face with her vocal limitations. But she also met a young artist making her debut recordings. Now Sabrina Scott has released her EP, called A New View.