Louder: Diary of a Song: How Sam Hunt Makes a Hit

the playlist

Bruce Springsteen’s Classic E Street Tune, and 11 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Janelle Monáe, Sidi Touré, Mickey Guyton and others.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Giovanni Russonello

album review

Kelsea Ballerini, Both Sides Now

On an album released in March and a companion LP reimagining it, the country singer and songwriter explores her contradictions.

By Lindsay Zoladz

critic’s notebook

Travis Scott Meets McDonald’s (It’s Lit!)

A partnership between the rapper and the fast-food chain is a melding of the merchandising minds.

By Jon Caramanica

Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, Preserving Pop’s Old Guard

Six albums into major-label careers with “Chromatica” and “Smile,” where do these two stars fit in?

Jazz Lives in Clubs. The Pandemic Is Threatening Its Future.

The entire concert industry is struggling as the Covid-19 shutdown continues. But a genre rooted in live performance and in-the-moment dynamics is in particular peril.

By Ben Sisario and Giovanni Russonello

A 639-Year Concert, With No Intermission for Coronavirus

The long, slow performance of a piece by the American composer John Cage is scheduled to run until 2640. On Saturday, an audience in Germany heard a sound change — the first since 2013.

By Catherine Hickley

art review

While Berghain Is Closed, There’s Art on the Dance Floor

The famous Berlin techno club has been repurposed as an exhibition space during the pandemic. It’s a mixing of club culture and visual art reminiscent of the golden days of the 1990s.

By Kimberly Bradley

Gary Peacock, Master Jazz Bassist, Is Dead at 85

He was a free-jazz pioneer early on before becoming part of Keith Jarrett’s enduring trio, where he infused American standards with a Zen sensibility.

By Giovanni Russonello

Ronald Khalis Bell of Kool & the Gang Dies at 68

He was the chief force behind the feel-good song “Celebration” and wrote or co-wrote many of the group’s other hits.

By Neil Genzlinger

‘I Am Woman’ Review: Singing Against Sexism

Unjoo Moon’s film is a superficial hustle through the career of Helen Reddy and the recording of her most famous song.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

‘Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President’ Review: A Musically Enlightened Commander in Chief

Bob Dylan, Rosanne Cash, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks and more celebrate the 39th U.S. president in this documentary.

By Glenn Kenny

Drag Queens Deliver Dinner and a Show in San Francisco

Oasis, a cabaret and nightclub, closed in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now its drag queens are bringing food and a curbside performance to people’s front doors.

By Concepción de León and Kelsey McClellan

Guitars Are Back, Baby!

Painted by some as a boomer relic just years ago, the guitar is seeing a revival that may just extend past the stress-purchase quarantine bounce.

By Alex Williams

Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Still No. 1, Six Weeks Later

It’s the longest streak at the top of the Billboard chart for any album since Drake’s “Views” in 2016.

By Ben Sisario