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The Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Every episode of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts!

The Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
  1. Background image for Margo Price
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Margo Price

    S9:E85

    On the morning after Election Day, Price sang three cathartic country songs loaded with new meaning.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  2. Background image for Holly Macve
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - Holly Macve

    S10:E42

    Backed by a suitably low-key band, Macve would sound subtly radiant just about anywhere, from your nearest country bar to the most dreamily lit stage in Twin Peaks.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  3. Background image for Chappell Roan
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - Chappell Roan

    S17:E25

    The utterly commanding artist takes the Tiny Desk stage with a magnetic performance and a towering wig.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  4. Background image for Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers

    S10:E65

    It's hard to think of an artist who's brought more joy to more people, across more generations — and in more ways — than Steve Martin.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  5. Background image for Laura Gibson
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Laura Gibson

    S1:E1

    Laura Gibson works through a handful of tenderhearted songs: two of them unreleased and two of them from her full-length debut, If You Come to Greet Me.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  6. Background image for Vic Chesnutt
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Vic Chesnutt

    S1:E2

    When Athens, Ga., songwriter Vic Chesnutt was on tour in support of his album, “North Star Deserter,” he stopped by NPR to perform live at All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen's desk. Chesnutt played five songs, including two entirely new ones.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

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  8. Background image for Sam Phillips
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Sam Phillips

    S1:E3

    The music of Sam Phillips unfolds like perfect, miniature pop dramas. Of all her incarnations as a performer — first as a Christian singer, then as a pop singer — the current Sam Phillips is one of the most alluring. Phillips performs four songs from “Don't Do Anything.”

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  9. Background image for Sera Cahoone
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Sera Cahoone

    S1:E4

    Sera Cahoone got her start playing drums for a few widely adored bands in the Pacific Northwest, most notably Band of Horses and the spell-checker-defying Carissa's Wierd. But her self-titled, self-released 2006 album marked her as a fully formed talent — a warm and inviting singer whose songs convey world-weariness and homespun grace.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  10. Background image for Thao Nguyen
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Thao Nguyen

    S1:E5

    Thao Nguyen makes captivating music. Her songs are raw and infectious, her voice has a distinctive swagger, and she's a remarkably nimble guitarist.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  11. Background image for Lambchop's Kurt Wagner
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Lambchop's Kurt Wagner

    S1:E6

    Kurt Wagner writes and sings beautiful songs with Lambchop, a hefty Nashville ensemble with a calm, restrained sound. When Kurt Wagner came by the office to play a Tiny Desk Concert, he came alone, with just an acoustic guitar, a stack of lyrics and his humble, good-natured sense of humor.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  12. Background image for Dr. Dog
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Dr. Dog

    S1:E7

    Dr. Dog isn't an obvious choice for one of NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts. For one thing, it's a pretty big group, at least for the small space behind Bob Boilen's desk. The band's music can be pretty chaotic — loud and rumbling, with multiple instruments fighting to be heard. And singer Toby Leaman likes to belt out his vocals in a window-rattling, raspy growl.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  13. Background image for Jim White
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Jim White

    S1:E8

    Jim White is a storyteller first and a musician second. It's a kind of storytelling rooted in his own unusual history: He grew up in Florida in a deeply Pentecostal community and fell in love with the white gospel music he heard. But from there, White took a surprising path to becoming a full-time musician. He was a professional surfer, a boxer, a fashion model in Milan and a cab driver in New York City. White's travels recently took him to Washington, D.C., where he stopped by the offices of NPR Music for this live performance.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  14. Background image for Shearwater
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Shearwater

    S1:E9

    A glorious four-song set that's at once pristine and ramshackle — equal parts clarity and clatter — not to mention one of our best Tiny Desk Concerts yet.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  15. Background image for Dave Dondero
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #14 - Dave Dondero

    S1:E10

    He should be a name everyone knows by now. Instead, troubadour David Dondero returned to NPR having slept the night before in his car. Dondero travels from club to club, singing his well-crafted songs — songs that have his signature lyrics at their core. His lyrics can make you smile with their wit and hurt with their bite, all at the same time.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  16. Background image for Woven Hand
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Woven Hand

    S2:E1

    David Eugene Edwards performs his fiery Americana and covers a rare Bob Dylan song.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  17. Background image for Super XX Man
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Super XX Man

    S2:E2

    Hear the singer give an intimate acoustic performance at the desk of NPR Music's Bob Boilen.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  18. Background image for Tom Jones
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Tom Jones

    S2:E3

    Hear the legendary singer perform at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  19. Background image for Horse Feathers
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Horse Feathers

    S2:E4

    See the band perform live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  20. Background image for Benjy Ferree
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Benjy Ferree

    S2:E5

    Ferree has enough charisma to draw you into his odd world. Watch him perform in the NPR offices.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  21. Background image for Great Lake Swimmers
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Great Lake Swimmers

    S2:E6

    Singer Tony Dekker performs three songs at the desk of All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  22. Background image for Jason Vieaux
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Jason Vieaux

    S2:E7

    The classical guitarist plays with a clear, lyrical technique in music from the baroque and beyond.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  23. Background image for The Avett Brothers
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #22 - The Avett Brothers

    S2:E8

    Hear the harmony-drenched roots-rock band perform a kinetic, frenetic set in the NPR Music offices.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  24. Background image for Maria Taylor
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Maria Taylor

    S2:E9

    Hear the singer-songwriter's tender, winsome music, performed live in the NPR Music offices.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  25. Background image for Julie Doiron
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Julie Doiron

    S2:E10

    After a few restarts, the singer played a bare, stark, memorable solo set in the NPR Music offices.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  26. Background image for Bill Callahan
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Bill Callahan

    S2:E11

    Watch the artist formerly known as Smog play a three-song set that's almost eerily transfixing.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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Best Episodes Summary

"Margo Price" is the best rated episode of "NPR Tiny Desk Concerts". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 11/28/2016. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Holly Macve".