With Meghna Chakrabarti

The legendary O’Jays are back with a new album, and they’re raising their voices in protest.

Guests

Eddie Levert and Walter Williams Sr., founding members of the celebrated R&B group The O’Jays, which was formed in 1958. (@EddieLevertSr)

The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest is officially closed for entries. Last Sunday night, in the final hours of the entry period, we watched videos pour in from across the country, delivering thousands of songs (and desks) to us.

For the musicians who sent us their songs, the hardest part is behind them. But for us, it's just beginning. While our judges deliberate, you can watch all the entries coming in as we moderate them and maybe find some new favorites of your own. Here are a few that we discovered this week.

Vocalist Angélique Kidjo is on another creative streak. As she has throughout her career, Kidjo has left little space between two musically rich releases that showcase her artistic bonafides. 2018's Remain In Light was a track by track re-imagining of the Talking Heads 1980 album of the same name.

Instagram might have one believe that family life with young children involves vegetables carved to look like rocket ships in gluten-free lunchboxes, or that new mothers can prance around fields with newborn babies in pristine white linen dresses that are never covered in grass-stains or baby spit.

During World War II, with thousands of men shipping off to war, half a dozen all-female, instrumental big bands toured around America. It was a rarity in a musical world dominated by men and, for the most part, their stories have been erased or minimized in jazz history.