Search results for

Rock critic KEN TUCKER picks the best pop music of 1994. He reviews his ten favorite new albums: The Mavericks, "What a Crying Shame" (MCA); Sam Phillips, "Martinis and Bikinis" (Virgin); L7, "Hungry for Stink" (Warner Bros.); Joni Mitchell, "Turbulent Indigo" (Warner Bros.); Pearl Jam, "Vitalogy" (Epic); Liz Phair, "Whip-Smart" (Atlantic); Sugar, "File Under Easy Listening" (Rykodisc); Oasis, "Definitely Maybe" (Sony); Madonna, "Bedtime Stories" (Warner Bros.); and Pretenders, "Last of the Independents" (Warner Bros.). His runners-up include Sheryl Crow's "Tuesday Night Music Club", Richard Thompson's "Mirror Blue", and Mark Chesnutt's, "What a Way to Live". TUCKER plays some samples of the top ten and talks about what's alternative and what's mainstream.

BP has finished pumping cement into the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico, National Incident Commander told NPR's Melissa Block in an interview that will air on All Things Considered.

For the latest NPR/National Geographic Radio Expedition report, Elizabeth Arnold begins a journey to China's eastern Himalayas, near the border with Tibet, to profile a team of scientists studying the link between global warming and disappearing plant life high in the mountains.

Don Knotts, the skinny, lovable nerd who kept generations of television audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, dies at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills.

One of the surprise critical hits of the summer is a new Paul Anka album. The teen-idol turned Vegas lounge singer puts a crooner's spin on rock classics, covering Nirvana and Van Halen, among others.

The United Nations Security Council is delaying its formal response to North Korea's July 5 missile tests, as diplomats give China time to persuade its longtime ally to cooperate. The tests are challenging China's credibility as an effective diplomatic broker.

A pedometer is a small gadget that clips onto your hip and counts steps. These days, millions of people are using them, as public health campaigns and for-profit diet plans urge a daily target of 10,000 steps. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports on how this goal was set -- and whether it's worth following.

At a time when soul music is heavily tricked-out, singer Maxwell likes to pare things down, inviting listeners in with his smooth, fluttery singing and raw emotion. In 2001, Maxwell scored a top-selling album, then disappeared. He's back with a new album, BLACKsummers' Night.

WNBA star Brittney Griner will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2, Russian state media reported. The U.S. says she is being wrongfully detained.

Yevgeny Prigozhin posted a message on social media claiming Wagner troops have agreed to stand down and return to bases. The Kremlin said the criminal case against Prigozhin will be dropped.