World Cafe on KRVS

A quintet from Monterrey, Mexico, Kinky formed in 1998. Dust Brothers' John King — who has worked with Beck, The Rolling Stones and The Beastie Boys — produced the band's latest album, Sueño De La Maquina (Dream Machine).

The band is nominated for Latin Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Alternative Music Album and Best Alternative Song, and is also nominated for Best Latin Artist North at the MTV Europe Awards. Dream Machine mixes hypnotic lyrics with electronic rhythms.

Soulful singer-songwriter Allen Stone wasn't allowed to listen to secular music as a child. At a young age, he was exposed to religious music growing up in Washington state because his father was a pastor. In his teens, he dropped out of bible college and moved to Seattle to work on music. A veteran of the West Coast club scene, Stone has now released two albums, the second of which was recently reissued after he was picked up by a national label.

The Brooklyn band People Get Ready has been combining music and performance art since 2009, when the group first performed at The Kitchen's Dance and Process series in New York. The band released its self-titled debut earlier this month, and it's a fine collection of harmony-rich pop.

Few artists channel the spirit of '80s new wave as infectiously as George Lewis Jr., better known by the stage name Twin Shadow. Lewis wears his '80s pop influences on his sleeve throughout his recent second album, Confess: The sleek synth-pop vibe of "Five Seconds" recalls Duran Duran, while "Run My Heart" evokes Bruce Springsteen power ballads and Lewis' breathy, straightforward vocals convey the swagger of Prince. Lewis' R&B leanings help give Twin Shadow's sound its own distinct, surprisingly modern identity.

Soul legend Bobby Womack was considered a survivor before he'd started work on his long-awaited comeback album The Bravest Man in the Universe. After overcoming hospitalization with pneumonia and successful treatment of colon cancer while in the midst of recording the album, Womack released his finest work in ages over the summer.