This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we jump into a new month with some classic June album releases from Aretha, Madonna, Patti Smith and more!

Also, a bit of Yacht Rock and fun new songs from Prince, Father John Misty and Jalen Ngonda.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for June 6, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “The Payoff” – Father John Misty
• “Get Go” – Arlo Parks
• “Stone” – Prince
• “Concept Of Love” – Ibibio Sound Machine
• “idea 1” – Kelela
• “Be Here” – Raphael Saadiq ft. D’Angelo
• “Gone Again” – Patti Smith (released June 1996)
• “Cry Like A Baby” – Aretha Franklin (released June 1966)
• “Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry (released June 1976)
• “Invisible Touch” – Genesis (released June 1986)
• “Burning Temptation” – Jalen Ngonda
• “Sweetheart” – Frankie & The Knockouts
• “Visions Of Johanna” – Bob Dylan (released June 1966)

HOUR TWO:

• “Time Is A Bomb” – Metric
• “Superwoman” – Angelique Kidjo
• “Green Screen” – Cautious Clay
• “It Gets So Hot” – MUNA
• “Blues Shack” – James Cloyd
• “Fancy Dancer” – Commodores (released June 1976)
• “True Blue” – Madonna (released June 1986)
• “Un-Break My Heart” – Toni Braxton (released June 1996)
• “Singing Saw” – Iron & Wine (Acoustic Cafe performance)
• “It Only Takes One Lion” – Belle & Sebastian
• “This Is It” – Kenny Loggins
• “Turn Your Love Around” – George Benson
• “On The Radio” – Regina Spektor (released June 2006)

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org

This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we celebrate MOVEMENT with some extended electronic music sets… plus a couple legends turning 80, new music from Arlo Parks, Jalen Ngonda, TOMORA and more!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 23, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “Meditation Four” – Carl Craig
• “In The Air” – Hot Since ’82
• “TRY” – sillygirlcarmen
• “Universal Soldier” – Depeche Mode
• “Atlantis” – Donovan
• “Doctrine Of Love” – Jalen Ngonda
• “Luck of Life” – Arlo Parks
• “Wannabeher” – MUNA
• “666” – Bon Iver
• “I Believe In Ghosts” – Kacey Musgraves
• “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” – Cher

HOUR TWO:

• “Glory” – Dames Brown
• “Tantor” – Danny Brown
• “Coming In Heavy” – Eli Brown & Pan-Pot
• “All My Friends” – Barry Can’t Swim
• “Let It Ride” – DJ Minx
• “Lazy Nina” – Greg Phillinganes (Yacht Rock Cruise, 6/7!)
• “You Need A Hero” – Pages (Yacht Rock Cruise, 6/7!)
• “Hold Tight” – ROZZI (at The Leon Loft)
• “Gone With The Wind” – Brother Wallace
• “Stay In Your Lane” – Courtney Barnett
• “After All This Time” – Joe Jackson
• “A Wonderful Life” – Carl Craig

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org

This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we introduce you to Detroit artists Ayla Ottenbreit, plus a new cover from Detroit favorite Jill Jack!

Also this week, new work released from The Womack Sisters, The Rolling Stones, Taj Mahal and Ziggy Marley… And there’s the (just announced) Sonic Lunch series coming to Ann Arbor this summer, and a fun Yacht Rock event on the Detroit River June 7!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 9, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “Chauffeur” – The Womack Sisters
• “You’re The Man” – Brother Wallace
• “Lie” – ROZZI
• “In The Stars” – The Rolling Stones
• “Slow Learning” – Aylah Ottenbreit
• “It’s A Shame” – Aaron Frazer
• “It’s A Shame” – The (Detroit) Spinners
• “It’s A Shame” – First Aid Kit
• “Show You The Way” – Thundercat
• “Nightshift” – The Commodores
• “Freaking Out” – Michigander (Sonic Lunch 2026)
• “Ready Set Go” – Grace Potter (Sonic Lunch 2026)
• “Chicago” – Mavis Staples (Sonic Lunch 2026)

HOUR TWO:

• “Soulshine” – Jill Jack
• “Senses” – Arlo Parks ft. Sampha
• “Spirit 2.0” – Sampha
• “Doom Mood” – Pearl & The Oysters
• “Yell Fire” – Michael Franti
• “Are You One Of Us” – Rodney Crowell ft. Guy Clark
• “Talkin’ Blues” – Taj Mahal ft. Ziggy Marley
• “Big Stick” – MUNA
• “The Payoff” – Father John Misty
• “Only You Do” – GoldFord
• “Darwin Derby” – Vulfpeck

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org

An insanely special guest stops by – the legend Ed Love! To celebrate his birthday, he joins Ryan Patrick Hooper for a discussion about his career and shares some stories from back in the day, like introducing Art Blakey at the Hotel Pontchartrain in 1984, and how the sound of jazz made up the soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement.

The set features music from Curtis Fuller, Donald Byrd, Les McCann, Lonnie Liston Smith and more. You can listen starting at the 2:19 mark.

Plus, new music from Hollie Cook, Jordan Rakei & FKJ, alongside tracks from Kelela, Amber Mark, Tom Misch, and Yussef Dayes. 

There’s dance floor energy from Underworld, Hot Chip, and Flight Facilities, plus music from Panda Bear, Sonic Boom, and Adrian Sherwood, with classics from The Beach Boys, Blondie, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Damned, and New York Dolls. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above. 

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for May 6, 2026 

• “Villain” – Annahstasia 

• “Problems” – Jordan Rakei & FKJ 

• “Know You Love Me (Flight Facilities Remix)” – Riva Starr, Flight Facilities & Soul Speech 

• “Different Places” – Amber Mark & John The Blind 

• “idea 1” – Kelela 

• “Days Of Us” – Tom Misch & Kaidi Akinnibi 

• “Marching Band (feat. Masego)” – Yussef Dayes 

• “Rockaway Dub” – Hollie Cook 

• “Slow Down” – Skip Marley & H.E.R. 

• “Whirlpool Dub (Adrian Sherwood Reset in Dub Version)” – Panda Bear, Sonic Boom & Adrian Sherwood 

• “Caroline, No” – The Beach Boys 

• “stupid prizes” – KeiyaA 

• “Bamboo” – Harvey Sutherland 

• “Didn’t Cha Know / Gone Baby Don’t Be Long (Medley)” – Cousin Kula 

• “Too Good (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Remix)” – Arlo Parks 

• “Color My Life” – Chicano Batman 

• “Break Me Down” – Yukimi 

• “Need to Run” – Matthew Herbert & Momoko Gill 

• “Jumbo (Remastered)” – Underworld 

• “Over and Over” – Hot Chip 

• “Pawa! (Boys’ Shorts Remix)” – Asha Puthli & Say She She 

• “Heart of Glass (12-Inch Version)” – Blondie 

• “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” – Elvis Costello & The Attractions 

• “New Rose” – The Damned 

• “Trash” – New York Dolls 

• “Cult of Celebrity” – Lambrini Girls 

• “One Thing At A Time” – Courtney Barnett 

• “Goo Goo Muck” – The Cramps 

• “Chantized” – Curtis Fuller 

• “Bup A Loup” – Donald Byrd 

• “Astral Traveling” – Lonnie Liston Smith 

• “Price You Gotta Pay To Be Free” – Les McCann 

• “Mississippi God Damn” – Nina Simone 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org. 

This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we’ll note some classic album anniversaries from May of 1966 – 2006… also lots of new tunes from Canadian Cat Clyde, a third album from Arlo Parks, the final “balloon” from Tank & The Bangas, a quiet folk record from Michigan’s Ryan Racine and much more!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 2, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “Invisible Ink” – King Tuff
• “Beams” – Arlo Parks
• “Acid Tongue” – Swamp Dogg
• “Puppy And A Truck” – Jenny Lewis
• “I Wish” – Stevie Wonder (1 of 30 NYT Best Living Songwriters)
  
• “Steady As She Goes” – The Raconteurs (May 2006)
  
• “Ahead By A Century” – The Tragically Hip (May 1996)
• “Cherry Bomb” – The Runaways (May 1976)
• “Love Song 43” – Ryan Racine
• “Hold My Hand” – Cat Clyde
• “Panic In Detroit” – Steven Brown
• “All The Disaster” – Sarah McLachlan
• “Big Time” – Peter Gabriel (May 1986)
• “Little Darling (I Need You)” – Marvin Gaye (May 1966)

• “Riptides” – Death Cab For Cutie
• “Oyaya” – Angelique Kidjo
• “6th Ward” – Trombone Shorty
• “I Did This To Myself” – Thundercat
• “Whole Lot Of Shakin’ In My Heart” – Smokey Robinson (1 of 30 NYT Best Living Songwriters)
• “6th Avenue Heartache” – The Wallflowers (May 1996)
• “All Night” – Chance The Rapper (May 2016)
• “Carmelita” – Warren Zevon (May 1976)
• “Move” – Tank & The Bangas
  
• “Heart Stop” – The Revivalists
  
• “IRL” – Devon Gilfillian
• “New York State Of Mind” – Billy Joel (May 1976)
• “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” – Stevie Wonder (May 1966)

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org