The series has grown in ambition, but the spirit of intimate discovery remains.
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NPRs Tiny Desk Concerts areMTV Unpluggedfor the new millennium.
As the popularity of the concerts has grown, so have their ambition and execution.
50.Laura Gibson (2009)
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The one that started it all.
Were going to videotape this for our blog, Boilen said in his intro.
Maybe its the start of something and maybe its not.
49.Waxahatchee (2013)
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But the climax on Bathtub lands like a gut punch.
This is one of the coolest things Ive ever gotten to do, she sheepishly admits.
That would not be true for much longer.
48.Blue Man Group (2016)
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47.Los Hacheros (2016)
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46.Moon Hooch (2014)
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45.Gaelynn Lea (2016)
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On Someday Well Linger in the Sun, the strings and her voice ache in haunting harmony.
44.Adele (2011)
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Just a keyboard, acoustic guitar, andThe Voice.But its enough.
43.Masego (2019)
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42.Tash Sultana (2017)
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Tash Sultana exudes enough intensity for a five-piece all on her own.
41.Ezra Collective (2022)
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40.Natalia Lafourcade (2017)
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39.Sting & Shaggy (2019)
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The performance is undoubtedly stronger than the duos 2018 studio LP44/876.
38.Yaya Bey (2024)
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Yaya Beys music is like a familial kickback.
37.Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires (2017)
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Few manage the one-way small talk during tuning changes as effortlessly as Jason Isbell.
36.Tyler Childers (2018)
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Some artists make a relatively elaborate production of their Tiny Desk, with large backing bands and multiple vocalists.
35.Natalie Merchant (2016)
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34.Noname (2023)
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Artists dont typically get repeat invites to the Tiny Desk.
But Nonames evolution from precocious poet to community activist is drastic enough to warrant a revisit.
33.Snarky Puppy (2019)
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32.Saba (2018)
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Some of the best Tiny Desk sets can feel like a loosely scripted jam session.
Take the group assembled by Saba.
31.Juanes & Mon Laferte (2018)
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30.Weird Al Yankovic (2010)
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29.Tank and the Bangas (2017)
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28.Julien Baker (2016)
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How can someone that tiny make music that sounds this massive?
27.Oddisee (2015)
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Rap shows on Tiny Desk are particularly challenging.
Oddisee needs none of that.
26.SWV (2024)
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Coko, Taj, and Lelees voices havent lost even one iota of their strength and grace.
25.Tyler, the Creator (2017)
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Even the sets most aggressive moments sees a relatively reserved Tyler.
24.Sturgill Simpson (2014)
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His Tiny Desk set is similarly unadorned, with little else to take in other than his songs.
23.Sampha (2017)
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22.The xx (2013)
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But the stripped-down nature of the Tiny Desk was naturally conducive to their reverb-drenched melodies and hushed vocals.
21.Tower of Power (2018)
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Oaklands Tower of Power is one of the few acts for which age truly is just a number.
This set was recorded with 33-year-old vocalist Marcus Scott nearly 50 years after the bands initial formation.
Scotts performance is raucous and explosive yet faithful to the original compositions.
20.John Prine (2018)
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A jovial set, despite a voice weathered by age and illness.
19.The Roots (2017)
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18.Kenny Beats (2023)
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17.Soul Glo (2024)
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16.Yusuf/Cat Stevens (2014)
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15.Mac Miller (2018)
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Yet it is also one of Millers last-ever performances, as he died a month later of an overdose.
14.Chaka Khan (2024)
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13.Tarta Relena (2024)
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12.Usher (2022)
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Just watch this … and sing along.
11.Comet is Coming (2019)
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The Tiny Desks limited confines are barely able to contain it, with various trinkets plummeting from the bookshelf.
10.J Noa (2023)
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9.T-Pain (2014)
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8.Red Baraat (2017)
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If youre unfamiliar with bhangra music, you could do worse for an introduction than Red Baraat.
7.Scarface (2023)
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6.Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals (2016)
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Anderson .Paaks first set for the series remains a classic of the form.
5.Mitski (2015)
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Its slightly unhinged and completely captivating.
4.Moses Sumney (2017)
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Theres little to be said about the talent that isMoses Sumneythat ten seconds of his voice wouldnt render irrelevant.
If that were all he had, it would have been enough.
Its incredibly inspiring, unique, and worthy of infinite repeats.
3.Fred again.. (2023)
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2.Babyface (2023)
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If you werent there, its hard to explain just how ubiquitous Babyface was in the 90s.
1.Juvenile (2023)
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Wtf is a tiny desk, Juvenile quote-tweeted, adding and no for good measure.
Thankfully, his reply went viral, and he was behind the desk by June.
The resulting set was every bit as electric as everyone had hoped.
Of course, Cash Moneys sonic architect Manny Fresh held it all together from behind a Novation keyboard.
Light and loose yet technically proficient, Juvie arguably stumbled onto the Tiny Desks peak form.
She was actually the second; the first was Fantastic Negrito.
