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Fresh Air's music critic Ken Tucker's picks for the best music of 2009 include songs by Taylor Swift, Billy Currington and Michael Franti as well as albums by Loudon Wainwright III, the Fiery Furnaces, and Bob Dylan.

After some hikes, a granola bar or apple is all you need to recharge. But some treks call for a proper picnic — food you can sit and linger over, savoring the meal along with the summit view. These sturdy, well-seasoned dishes go the distance.

Since 1951, Marlboro Music has been a mecca for musicians and chamber music-lovers. The Classical Network is pleased to announce the debut of its newest…

Downloading popular songs to use as personal cell phone ring tones has turned into a $3 billion global industry. A growing revenue stream for songwriters and publishers, ring tones are now outselling digital downloads of music. NPR's Michele Norris talks to Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts for Billboard Magazine, which has just launched a "Hot Ringtones" chart.

For many of his fans, Bob James is to jazz what James Brown is to R&B — the music and the musician go hand in hand. Now, with literally dozens of jazz albums under his belt, James is back with a classic piano-bass-drums trio. Hear full-length cuts from his latest CD, plus an extended version of his conversation with NPR's Tavis Smiley.

Lupe Fiasco is a Chicago-based rapper who made his mainstream debut on the most recent CD by Kanye West, who is also from Chicago. Now Fiasco is further cementing the Windy City's reputation as a breeding ground for innovative hip-hop, with a new CD, Food and Liquor.

These tunes from 2011 each exemplify how great singers and great songs fit together. Hear music featuring vocalists like Kurt Elling, Eliane Elias and Norah Jones.

If young folks are our future, then classical music looks blazingly bright with these extraordinary performances by teenage musicians from across the country.