In a year of conspicuous, big-budget samples and career-spanning concert extravaganzas, pop music kept pulling us back to the past. But we also got some glimpses into a fresher future, whether in the ...

When the realities of life get hard, does music get ... happy? “Recession pop” is currently trending as people reach for the music of the mid-2000s for a mood boost. And you know what? It worked.

Western pop music has always been influenced by artists and styles from around the world. A new book aims to give those varied influences — all of them — their due. Special correspondent Tom Casciato ...