Hawthorne's work is heavily indebted to the '60s and '70s soul music of Memphis and particularly Detroit; it's hard not to think of the Detroit-born singer-producer's work as an overt homage to the Motown label. Hear Hawthorne perform in a session on World Cafe.

A onetime frontman for The Stranglers and part of the first wave of British punk, Cornwell has long been known as a top songwriter and performer in the U.K. His seventh and latest album, Hoover Dam, is a garage-rock homage. Hear him in a session on World Cafe.

Throughout the '60s and early '70s, Clark lived as something of an itinerant musician and luthier. Eventually settling in Nashville in the '70s, he emerged as an refreshing new songwriter. Clark's songs are largely narrative, inspired by the storytelling poems of Robert Frost and Stephen Vincent Benet. Hear him perform a session from World Cafe.

Listening to Boston's Passion Pit is a lot like going out dancing; it's easy to get caught up in the music and lose yourself. But the group has more to offer than just catchy hooks. Its brand of shiny electro-pop combines bright, danceable aesthetics with emotionally charged lyrics. Hear the band in session on World Cafe.