"To the Sky" quietly awakens with gentle humming and a softly rumbling marimba. Gradually the song blooms, and near the end Caroline Shaw's voice bursts open in pure radiant sunshine. It's another stunning moment in the career of the composer – the youngest to win the Pulitzer in music – who has been slowly following her own path, earning commissions, collaborating with Kanye West and even acting in Mozart in the Jungle. Now for the first time she's released an album that puts her voice alone at the forefront of her music. Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part is a joint effort with the band Sō Percussion and it showcases Shaw's flexible voice – clear as a mountain stream, flowing with expression in many directions.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.