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On this edition of All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen talks with Carrie Brownstein, Stephen Thompson, and Robin Hilton about the year in music.

In a concert recorded by Swiss Radio DRS2, the charismatic Richard Bona has a heavenly voice and plays a funky bass. His newest CD is Bona Makes You Sweat, and at the 2008 Basel Jazz Festival, he goes further than that. Bona makes you swoon, sing, stand up and boogie with his band from Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S.

The soul singer's new album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, is generating quite a buzz. The award-winning singer talks about the events of her seven-year, singing career, including a new film in the works.

The dark comedy is based on real events in the life of Democratic Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson. Martin Frost, a former Texas congressman, says Hollywood didn't embellish the story of Wilson's efforts to help Afghan mujahedeen fight the Soviets in the 1980s — if anything, the filmmakers toned the story down.

Rhythm and blues singer ETTA JAMES. She was a teenager when she was discovered by bandleader/talent scout Johnny Otis, who helped her record her first single, "Dance with Me Henry." Her career took off in the sixties, until she battled a drug addiction at the end of that decade. Although JAMES mostly sang R&B, she recently released "Mystery Lady," (Private Music) on which she covers songs by her favorite jazz singer, Billie Holiday. She has a new live album, "Etta James Live From San Francisco," a recording of a 1981 performance at the Boarding House. (On the Spot Live Recordings) (REBROADCAST FROM 8

Why can music sometimes remain in the brain long after other memories fade? Why is it that some people with limited language abilities can sing unimpaired? Neurologist Oliver Sacks talks about his latest book, Musicophilia, and the way music affects the brain.

"Take the 'A' Train" started the lasting collaboration between Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington.

The bossa nova style comes naturally to Luciana Souza. In "O Pato," the Brazilian-born chanteuse sings (and quacks) in Portuguese in a light-hearted concert moment at the Kennedy Center.

Music critic Mark Mobley examines three albums by English musicians that reflect the emergence of the gay civil rights movement.

Jaymay has been called a folk artist and she cites Bob Dylan among her influences. But her music is richer and more unpredictable than traditional folk singers. Jaymay's debut album, Autumn Fallin', is a collection of charmingly heartbroken songs that mix bluesy-folk and pop. She's got a soulful voice that compliments heartfelt lyrics with a complex and layered mix of instrumentation.

The comedian, actor and author Steve Martin looks back on his life as a stand-up comic and talks about how he put some distance between himself and the person he used to be.

In careers spanning many decades, Hugh Masekela and Ladysmith Black Mambazo have carried the music of South Africa around the world, and played critical roles in the international movement to end apartheid. Fifteen years after the climax of that historic struggle, both still tour.