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Life-Changing Albums
"I first heard the Indigo Girls' Strange Fire (1987) when I was a senior in high school, and two women creating such beautiful harmonies made a big emotional impact on me. I thought, "That's what I want to do."

Dinner Party Soundtrack
"Madeleine Peyroux is a go-to for an easy, relaxed vibe on albums like Dreamland (1996) and Careless Love (2004). The arrangements showcase the vintage-jazz quality of her voice."

Favorite Decade
"I've been having an '80s revival lately: Blondie, the Eurythmics, and the Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987). Robert Smith's lyrics are so tender, and he can convey so much without words: with percussive breathing or by using his voice like a bass part."

Songs for Scrubbing
"To clean the house, I put on the French synth-pop band Phoenix. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009) is upbeat and energetic enough to get you through a couple of rooms—the bathroom for sure."

Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson is helping save the planet, one tour stop at a time