When you hear the rattling rhythm of the washboard, the powerful pumping of the accordion, that's when you know you're in zydeco territory. And when the jingle-jangle of the triangle, feverish fiddle l …

Over the years, zydeco and Cajun music have evolved in a dozen directions at once, picking up pieces of other styles and expanding on their own traditions. So what are these Louisiana sounds all about, …

The great women of opera are a sonic wonder, capable of unleashing finely tuned storm-force fury at one end of the scale, yet controlled enough to gently ruffle the hairs on a butterfly's back at the o …

Microphones be damned! The male voices you are about to hear are the finest and most robust on the planet. Each set of lungs behind these golden tonsils has the capacity to power a blast furnace, the b …

One island nation, hundreds of years of history and pride. If Ireland harbors a wealth of musicians with the Old Sod in their hearts, our Irish Music Essentials is a treasure trove of all that i …

When you go deep into Irish music, you go deep as in centuries of musical heritage. That means a lot to love and play with, so while brothers Finbar & Eddie Furey keep it traditional on a toe-ta …

You can hear its Cuban roots in the bright and steady son of "Candela" from Buena Vista Social Club; you can hear its branches in everything from the breakout New York Sound of Willie Col=n's "Idilio," …

Two great salsa playlists and still you want a little more? Well, then, feast your ears on the salsa dura of "Un Poquito Mßs" from El Trombon Criollo Jimmy Bosch, try a taste of foreign flavors with th …

The voices and harmonies stayed in church while the producers went to the symphony, which goes a long way to explaining why these select, soul-aged cuts remain dance and romance favorites. The highs th …