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From jazz concerts and cabaret acts to multimedia art installations, Theo Bleckmann has made a name for himself in new York. Now, the vocalist and composer looks back to his native Germany.

The young singer, part of a wave of British women finding success in the U.S. by making old sounds new, is reimagining folk with clear-eyed lyrics that lay bare her dreams and insecurities. The 18-year-old's debut album is called Alas, I Cannot Swim.

In this year of high gas prices, reviewer Meredith Ochs is already sick of the word "staycation." But she's found an Austin, Texas, band with a great new song — which doubles as a handy rationalization for spending a holiday at home.

Conan plays an instrument called a cuatro with Chicha Libre, a band that pays tribute to the classic Peruvian Chicha groups of 40 years ago.

Deepak Ram is a master of the bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute, and is known for a series of North Indian classical music albums. On his latest record, Steps, he turns to American jazz, reinterpreting classic standards on one of India's most traditional instruments.

After 10 years of being heralded as the "next big thing," the singer-songwriter has finally cracked the Billboard charts. As the son of a Pentecostal preacher, Thorn has no trouble infusing his latest CD with elements of gospel music.

After serving on the jury for a murder case, singer Phil Wade was inspired to write a five-part suite that anchored The Wilders' latest album, Someone's Got to Pay. Wade and Ike Sheldon discuss the origins of the story.

Blind since birth, the New Orleans piano wizard embraces all of the bluesy musical styles of his native city, as well as the classical training of his youth. He gives an interview and performance in NPR's Studio 4A.

The great soul singer recorded his new album, Lay It Down, with some of today's biggest R&B artists and hip-hop producers. But he says the music is still about "love, love, love."

Music reviewers generally wait until November and December to assess the year in music. But 2008's halfway point seems like a good place to stop and look back at six busy months full of critics' darlings, Internet sensations and even, in a grim commercial climate, commercial hits.