Exceptional entries

Contest judge John Morrison shares his top picks, plus find out Jewly Hight’s favorites today [View this email online]( [NPR Tiny Desk Contest]( As we embark on week five of our Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf series, your entries continue to blow us (and the Contest judges) away. “The talent with these submissions this year was so elite and so exceptional,” Contest judge [John Morrison]( shared in his [Top Shelf episode]( last week. John, who hosts Culture Cypher Radio for WXPN in Philadelphia, told Bobby Carter he was looking for songs that intrigue him and hit him in his heart — and he shared five entries that did just that. He said he sees the beauty in lots of different kinds of music, and while his top picks span and defy genres, each entry tells an emotionally compelling story. If you missed last week’s livestream, you can [rewatch the video]( or [listen to the audio]( from the episode on All Songs Considered. Entries featured in the latest episode of Top Shelf: - ["Go To Work" by The Main Squeeze]( - ["Year One" by Ephraim Bugumba]( - ["I Dreamt Of You Again" by Jesus Gonzalez]( - ["Lala" by Zhalarina]( - ["Fine" by Dery]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- We can’t wait to watch even more great performances with you during [today’s Top Shelf livestream](. [Jewly Hight]( editorial director at WNXP in Nashville and frequent NPR Music contributor, will share her top picks with Bob Boilen at [3 p.m. ET on the NPR Music YouTube channel](. [TUNE IN TODAY]( Next week, we hope you’ll join us for a very special final Top Shelf episode with 2020 Contest winner [Linda Diaz](. Linda herself was interviewed by Bobby Carter on Top Shelf last year; we can’t wait to find out which artist she’d like to pass the winner’s torch to. From our own tiny desks, NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest team --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [tinydeskcontest@npr.org](mailto:tinydeskcontest@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Interested in connecting with music-lovers and music-makers across the Contest community? Join our Tiny Desk Contest Community [Facebook Group]( Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on [Spotify]( and [Apple Music]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Books, Pop Culture and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Tiny Desk Contest emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]