World Cafe

Abigail Washburn made her name as the leader of The Sparrow Quartet, a folk and bluegrass group that features her husband, Bela Fleck. Since then, she's stepped out on her own with two great solo albums, including this year's City of Refuge. It's another offering replete with folk and bluegrass, but it also demonstrates Washburn's efforts to break the mold of the modern folk singer.

Singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer, Raul Malo has become a venerable force in both Latin and country music. Malo's career first took off while leading Grammy-winning group The Mavericks. Many of the band's country-influenced singles hit the charts, and when the group disbanded in the early 2000s, it had won a Grammy and two Country Music Awards. Malo had been doing some solo work on the side, and since then it has become his primary focus.

Pink Floyd left an incredible footprint on the musical community.
And at its core was George Roger Waters, who in 1968 became the primary songwriter and conceptual leader of the group. As a result of the songwriter's work, which includes the albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, Pink Floyd became a worldwide phenomenon.

Summer Fiction is the moniker of Philadelphian Bill Ricchini. He manages to bottle up the warmth of an intimate singer-songwriter and the grandiosity of orchestral arrangements in his new project, Summer Fiction. On his eponymous debut album, Ricchini melds together strings, winds, harpsichord, piano, guitar, vocals and a wealth of percussive instruments.

Edinburgh indie-rock band Broken Records started in the wake of a failed recording studio and label. Since then, it's been dubbed Scotland's Arcade Fire by NME. The effect of its chamber violins, cello, accordion, guitars, drums and bass is vibrant, and yet, this dynamic six-piece remains heavily rooted in anthemic pop-rock structures.

Striking up familiar tones, though darker than its predecessor, Let Me Come Home is a combination of yearning and frustration. It's an honest album that sheds a pop-tinged light on the darkest of emotions.