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Lawrence Otis Graham writes about the unique history of one U.S. senator in his book, The Senator and the Socialite. Graham's book is a true story about Sen. Blanche Bruce, who in 1875 became the first African-American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate, and his wife, Josephine Willson Bruce.

Alternating between carefree indie-rock and melancholy synth-pop, the North Carolina husband-and-wife duo The Rosebuds writes some of the year's catchiest hooks and sing-along choruses. Hear an interview with the band, as well as an in-studio performance.

Critic Maureen Corrigan is back with summer-reading suggestions from the nonfiction shelf — titles from Susan Richards Shreve, Jon Katz and Juliet Nicolson.

Alternating between carefree indie-rock and melancholy synth-pop, the North Carolina husband-and-wife duo writes some of the year's catchiest hooks and sing-along choruses. On the new Night of the Furies, the band hits its stride.

Susan Werner's musical path has taken her from opera to pop, jazz and classic American songs. In her latest album, The Gospel Truth, this singer-songwriter journeys to America's spiritual side.

Justin Roelofs' esoteric new album, while showcasing remarkable instrumental prowess, also sounds largely experimental by tinkering with a wide range of sounds

In the 1950s, Mike Seeger sought out and recorded the traditional Southern music of the autoharp, a 36-string instrument small enough to hold in your lap. An expanded version of that collection is now out on CD.

Most famously known as Cat Stevens, the folk songwriter returns under the name Yusuf Islam. On An Other Cup, his first album of pop songs since 1978, it's as if the man who wrote "Morning Has Broken" never missed a step.

The French band Phoenix's "Long Distance Call" is a lovably catchy power-pop nugget informed by early-'80s pop grooves, the insouciance of the '70s rock band Pablo Cruise and a flood of Hall & Oates sing-alongs.

Desperate Networks, a new book exploring the inner workings of the television industry, follows the sagas of top executives at the major networks through a traditional fall season. New York Times reporter Bill Carter describes the highs — the hit show Desperate Housewives, for example — to the lows, which is almost everything else on TV. The Hollywood Reporter television critic Andrew Wallenstein has a review.