Pop

Rock Critic Ken Tucker will review "Babylon and On," by the British group Squeeze.

Singer Ian Whitcomb will take us back to the Tin Pan Alley era.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz will review two albums of Gershwin songs: "Kiri Sings Gershwin," by Kiri Te Kanawa, and "Gershwin Overtures," by John McGlinn.

Rock historian Ed Ward will look back at the Chantels, a 50s group of five New York teenagers whose exquisite harmonies drew comparisons with classical youth choirs.

Rock Critic Ken Tucker will review "Bad," the new Michael Jackson album.

Singer Jane Voss and pianist Hoyle Osborne will perform an original composition.

Poet Mark Halliday is inspired as much by popular culture and music as he is by the work of other poets. His latest collection is called Little Star.

Folk musician Michael Cooney returns to Fresh Air to perform two classic love songs.

Coleman was a child piano prodigy who has written for Broadway, television and pop artists. Despite his popular success, he says that, in order to keep working, he still has to audition for directors and producers.

Record producer, musician and songwriter Todd Rundgren joins Fresh Air to talk about his career both in-studio and on the concert stage. Recently, he's branched out into television, writing music for Pee Wee's Playhouse.

Husband-and-wife musical duo Jane Voss and Hoyle Osborne perform two songs from the 1920s that they believe resonate with listeners today.

Listeners will recognize Frankie Laine's voice from the opening sequences of Rawhide and Blazing Saddles. Laine also makes a career performing and recording pop, country and jazz tunes.

The jazz singer and songwriter is known for his distinctive voice and, most recently, his work on the children's show Schoolhouse Rock. He performs several songs in-studio for Fresh Air listeners.

Whitney Houston's new album, Whitney, debuted at the top of the pop charts, in part fueled by its hit single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." Rock critic Ken Tucker says the songs are thinner than those on her last album, and wonders if they'll be enough to sustain her immense popularity.

June Carter Cash grew up singing in the illustrious Carter Family and later married and performed with Johnny Cash. Her new memoir is called From the Heart.

The singer-songwriter, known also for his acting and humor, recently turned 40. His new album, More Love Songs, features lyrics about getting older. He performs several of them on air.

Joe "King" Carrasco is a singer and guitar player who plays contemporary Tex-Mex music. Carrasco is of German descent, but celebrates the rise and innovations of Latino culture.

Released six months ago, Jennifer Warnes' album Famous Blue Raincoat has gone gold, outselling every album by Leonard Cohen, who first wrote and recorded all the songs Warnes sings. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the popularity is deserved.

The writer's award-winning play, The House of Blue Leaves, enjoyed an acclaimed revival and is being produced for television. The story follows the life of an unsuccessful songwriter in Queens.