NPR announces year's best music selections

NPR’s much-anticipated annual end-of-the-year best music selections and polls have grown this year following the November 5, 2007, launch of the NPR Music website. In addition to the annual All Songs Considered “Best Albums” list – to be released today – the free, comprehensive music discovery site www.NPR.org/music is offering new Top 10 lists covering every genre, every day this month; a special holiday music section; and the opportunity to listen to featured songs from listeners’ and critics’ best picks.

Today at 4:00PM (ET), All Songs Considered will count down “The Best 25 Albums of 2007,” as voted on by listeners of the top-rated weekly program. The special edition of the show will be available on-air and online at NPR Music. All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen hints that this year’s voting trends toward well-established independent artists, Canadian bands and groups with animal names. NPR Music users will be able to listen to a featured song from each of the top albums or download the free All Songs Considered podcast of the entire list.

This year, NPR Music’s tradition of annual Top 10 lists has grown: every day this month, NPR Music will feature a different list of the year’s best music, covering every genre, as chosen by public radio tastemakers. Selections include WNYC New York’s “Top 10 Genre-Busting CDs of 2007,” WDUQ Pittsburgh’s “Top 10 Jazz Jewels of 2007,” WGUC Cincinnati’s “Next Generation Classical,” “Folk Alley’s Favorite CDs of 2007” and WXPN Philadelphia’s “Top 10 Kids’ CDs of 2007.” Dozens of listening sets of rock/pop/folk, classical, jazz/blues, world and urban music are currently on the site, with more being added during the month.

The site is also a destination for live holiday concerts, music specials and gift-buying guides. The Holiday 2007 section – www.NPR.org/holidays – offers seasonal concerts from the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs and the Klezmatics; critics’ picks for tolerable Christmas albums; and jazz, classical and rock holiday music lists.

NPR Music features content from NPR and 12 NPR Member public radio stations, as well as original-to-NPR Music features such as live performances, studio sessions, interviews, reviews and blogs. www.NPR.org/music also offers the exclusive NPR Media Player, allowing users to create a playlist for most video and audio across the site.