World Cafe

There have been releases under the name Yim Yames and projects with New Multitudes and Monsters of Folk, but Regions of Light and Sound of God is the first album bearing Jim James' own name.

Today's Latin Roots co-host, Josh Norek, was given a hefty task: Define the broad swath of Argentine rock with just a few bands. But Norek, co-host of The Latin Alternative, is up to the occasion precisely because he spent time in Buenos Aires as a student during a vibrant period for music.

Soulful singer-songwriter Jessie Ware is far from the first vocalist to make the transition from backing vocals to center stage; Sheryl Crow once backed Michael Jackson, after all. But the Londoner has made the leap with tremendous success in her own right.

Night Beds is the work of Winston Yellen, who originally started making music in his hometown of Colorado Springs. But he traveled to Nashville to write the songs for Night Beds' debut album, Country Sleep, in a pre-Civil War cabin once owned by Johnny Cash.

When Kail Baxley was a kid growing up in Williston, S.C., James Brown used to challenge him to dance-offs. Baxley didn't win so much. He did better as an amateur boxer — his key to getting out of the small town and traveling to Europe and Africa.

The world is catching up with Katie Crutchfield and Waxahatchee, and with good reason. Her shows at SXSW, including an NPR showcase, were greeted rapturously. Her new album, Cerulean Salt, is a sonic leap forward from her debut, American Weekend, which was recorded in a bedroom in Alabama.

More than 40 years after Jimi Hendrix's death, the guitarist and singer's legacy continues to grow. His label recently released People, Hell and Angels, an album of 12 previously unreleased recordings that Hendrix was working on for a planned follow-up to 1968's Electric Ladyland.

With emerging styles that fuse traditional folk and modern genres, Mexico has become a hub for experimentation in music. In this 30th installment of Latin Roots, World Cafe host David Dye explores the prominence of Mexitrónica with Josh Norek, the co-host and executive producer of the nationally syndicated radio program The Latin Alternative.

Performing and recording under the name Toro Y Moi, Chaz Bundick draws on elements of soul, jazz, Latin disco, funk and modern pop. With Toro Y Moi's 2010 debut, Causers of This, Bundick became a pioneer of what's often called chillwave.

His new album, Anything in Return, is a set of electro-pop songs enhanced by his smooth vocals. In this installment of World Café, Toro Y Moi plays a few songs from the album and talks about the inspiration behind his lyrics.

The Lions' members share a strong love of classic, Jamaican-inspired reggae. Hailing from different musical generations, the L.A. band's members craft a unique style which blends hip-hop and reggae with electrifying dub rhythms. Although the lineup has changed since The Lions' beginnings, the music has remained explosive and alluring.