Five Essential Albums

Last year, Bristol singer and songwriter Yola Quartey, who records as Yola,

Beloved New Orleans trumpeter and singer Kermit Ruffins teaches and preaches the gospel of the city's music — and he picked "Five Essential New Orleans Songs" for FUV Essentials.

In 2019, everything is going Tank and the Bangas' way. The New Orleans band, winners of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert back in 2017,  releases its major label debut, Green Balloon, on May 3 via Verve Forecast. Frontwoman Tank Ball writes about what she loves about her NOLA's unique music in her "Five Essential New Orleans Songs," ahead of her band's appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 4.

Lucy Wainwright Roche released her sixth album, Little Beast, in 2018 and she's also been a frequent opener for Indigo Girls' Amy Ray and Emily Saliers over the last handful of years. Roche says that five-song limit of FUV's "Five Essential Indigo Songs" was "tyranny" — so she bent the rules a little and picked six songs she loves, written by her friends and inspirations, Saliers and Ray.

"I went swimming in the river with the ghosts and debris," sings Patty Griffin

Dolly Parton is being honored this week as MusiCares' 2019 "Person of the Year" and Courtney Marie Andrews, a fan of the country music icon, weighs in with her "Five Essential Dolly Parton Songs."

On what would have been Warren Zevon's 72nd birthday on January 24, FUV asked one of his admirers, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, to weigh in with his "Five Essential Warren Zevon Songs."

Led Zeppelin marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the band's eponymous debut album on January 12, 2019.

[January 2019 update: With a record contract dated January 1, 1989 (even though the band really signed in June; the contract was b

Radiohead will be part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2019 and the band's dedicated fan Caroline Rose, who picked her "Five Essential Radiohead Songs" earlier this year, topped FUV's 2018 Listener Poll as the "Artist Discovery of the Year."