Greg Gibson of Brooklyn Park:
1 Ingrid Michaelson, Northrop. Leading a stellar group of musicians, she was more mature than her first pop hits. Witty, bright and talented. The current hit, "Hell, No," is a breakup anthem that stands alone.
2 The new "A Prairie Home Companion." The first episode of the new post-Garrison Keillor season featured giddy host Chris Thile, performing music that you want to hear, then tapping his connections to feature Lake Street Dive (it's a wonder they haven't become even more popular) and Jack White, who was as musically engaging as everyone hoped for.
3 Bob Weir on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." Weir and the Campfire Tour gave a stunning performance of "Lay My Lily Down." Weir stood out on a show that also included President Obama.
Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:
1 Lady Gaga carpool karaoke, "Late Late Show With James Corden." This delightful installment of the silly series featured Corden singing falsetto, Gaga driving (she just got her license a few months ago) and Corden donning his versions of some of Gaga's famous outfits — a Gaga gag that was suitably over the top.
2 "Gimme Danger." Director Jim Jarmusch's documentary on Iggy Pop is a little long on talking but the Detroit punk icon's deadpan wit makes this worthwhile. A highlight: He tries to keep his songs to 25 words or less because that was the rule for sending letters to the Soupy Sales TV show when Iggy was a kid.
3 "The Lyrics 1961-2012" by Bob Dylan. Read the words that led to Dylan meriting the Nobel Prize for literature — all 667 pages of lyrics.
