The Contenders, Vol. 20: The Beths, Dustin O’Halloran, Nicholas Payton, more

We’ve got six must-hear songs to add to our running list of the year’s best tracks, including some shredding from The Beths, a gorgeous solo piano piece from Dustin O’Halloran, sublime jazz from Nicholas Payton and more. Featured artists and songs: 1. The Beths: “No Joy,” from ‘Straight Line Was A Lie’ 2. Nate Smith & Saje: “Big Fish,” from ‘Live Action’ 3. Dustin O’Halloran: “Gold” (Single) 4. Dara Starr Tucker: “Pure Imagination,” from ‘Time Wouldn’t Wait’ 5. Grumpy: “Crush,” from ‘Piebald’ 6. Nicholas Payton (with Esperanza Spalding and Karriem Riggins): “Let It Ride,” from ‘Triune’ Weekly reset: A late-summer day at the playground Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org Sign up for the Pod Club newsletter: www.npr.org/podclub Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy