Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker reviews rock, country, hip-hop and pop music for Fresh Air. He is a cultural critic who has been the editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly, and a film critic for New York Magazine. His work has won two National Magazine Awards and two ASCAP-Deems Taylor Awards. He has written book reviews for The New York Times Book Review and other publications.
Tucker is the author of Scarface Nation: The Ultimate Gangster Movie and Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy: 100 Things to Love and Hate About Television.
-
Alessia Cara's "Rooting for You," Megan Thee Stallion's "Hot Girl Summer," and Bon Iver's "U (Man Like)" offer three different takes on — and moods for — the summer.
-
Titus Andronicus, fronted by Patrick Stickles, favors a louder, more aggressive style in its new album. While the music sounds simple and raw, the ideas behind the songs are quite complex.
-
The married musicians offer their own synthesis of folk, country, rock and the blues on their new album. The music that results is unsettling, with a beauty that's both comforting and soothing.
-
Two current country hits by black musicians are challenging traditional notions of the genre. Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" and Blanco Brown's "The Git Up" pulse with history and humor.
-
The 86-year-old country star reflects on the passage of time on his new album. Ride Me Back Homeis a lively, restless collection that contains solid new material and a keen sense of self-scholarship.
-
Springsteen replaces the E Street Band with string sections, oboes and French horns on his new solo album, which draws inspiration from the Southern California pop of the late '60s and early '70s.
-
In their recent releases, Nick Lowe (along with Los Straitjackets) and Wreckless Eric have created new music that connects to old music without maudlin nostalgia or huffy defensiveness.
-
The band's longest album to date is so polished you may not initially take in all the emotion roiling beneath its surface. Father of the Bride introduces new themes and a new ambition.
-
The R&B group recorded in Philadelphia in the early '70s, but their debut is only just being released. The album is all over the map, but its passion and bristling intelligence is noteworthy.
-
Singer, rapper and dancer Lizzo has been playing the flute since she was in junior high. The diverse set of songs on her new album showcase an immensely ambitious — and talented — artist.