There’s something special about music that can change the world and get a band out of a ticket for swerving on a Georgia highway.

The Kin (Australian brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren) pulled off that double play. Their concerts bring in money for charity:water and their easy flowing pop music can soften the heart of local law enforcement.

Read about the Raconteurs' innovative release strategey, the Gnarls Barkley follow-up, and a children's hip-hop album

Over the rhythmic sounds of a Garifuna drum, Andy Palacio’s voice flows with a simple force that underlines the plight of his homeland, Belize, and his people, the Garifuna.

The song, “Amunegu,” urges people to preserve the Garifuna culture, one that could become extinct — Garifuna are descendents of African slaves and only 250,000 remain worldwide. 

And though he sings in his native language of Garifuna, it’s easy to hear the passion in Palacio’s voice: “The time has come for it to be taught/ The time has come for it to be preserved/ Lest we lost it altogether.”

New releases from Tim O'Brien, The Hush Sound, and Kathy Mattea, along with three other albums that came out recently, including out take on the new Nine Inch Nails.

David Crespo is bringing local live music to two different groups of people: the habitual Youtube user and the hipster who hits the local clubs. Oh, and one more group may be interested — anyone who wants a primer on the music those groups love.

The local scene, which Crespo says has been sliding in the past couple of years, needs a boost. Long-time venues have closed and people seem to lack the desire to leave their computers and televisions for a show.

“When I was young, there were a lot more clubs in Cambridge,” says Crespo. “Places like the Abbey Lounge were way more hopping than they are now.”

If the Spirit of Uganda music group achieves its goal, they’ll bring a little piece of East Africa to the Berklee Performance Center on March 28 and 29.

It’ll be a story about Uganda, told by orphans mostly through music and dance, about a country that’s been ravaged by war, poverty and disease. And here’s the kicker: It won’t be depressing at all. Just the opposite.

The Drive-By Truckers were born to play country-tinged songs about sorrow.

With a three-guitar attack (a la Lynyrd Skynyrd), the band tackles subjects like suicide, drug abuse, and crime. And after seven studio albums, they’ve perfected the mournful sound they create when they match their guitars with vocalist Patterson Hood’s sandpaper voice.

The band is singing about what they know when they tackle these tough subjects. They’ve seen friends make careless mistakes, commit suicide, and end relationships.

The band has been hit by loss as well. Last year, long-time member and songwriter James Isbell quit, also ending his marriage with Truckers’ bassist Shonna Tucker.

For the first time ever, the Truckers were at a crossroads. Thankfully, they chose the path that led them to their eighth studio album, “Brighter Than Creation’s Dark,” which Hood calls their best effort to date.

Some musicians find commercial success, and then stay on top forever. McCartney, Springsteen, Sting in pop; Duke, Ella, Miles in jazz. But there are far more players who make some money, then go on to carve out musical careers that give them pleasure. They earn a living with their music, but they’re not necessarily household names.

That’s British pianist and Hammond B-3 organist Brian Auger, who has achieved all sorts of musical accomplishments in a career that recently passed the four-decade mark. He won the Melody Maker jazz poll in 1964, and last year was honored with a congressional Lifetime Achievement Award for his “contribution to the American art form of jazz.” But you probably never heard of him before.

Boston and its suburbs have long been a center for classical music, with world-class venues such as Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall and Sanders Theatre, as well as institutions including New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, All Newton Music School and Walnut Hill School. The local classical season generally begins in the fall and, in the case of many organizations, runs right through to the spring. The following is only a partial listing of concerts and subscription seasons up through Thanksgiving. Information on complete concert seasons is available at the Web sites.

Here's a quick list of some upcoming albums I'm excited for in the fall. It is by no means close to being complete. I tried giving you a nice mix. If you want more of the eclectic, stay tuned to the Everyone's a Critic arts blog where I'll give you a heads up.

So put on the headphones and lay back. These albums are gonna treat you right.

Welcome to the fall concert season, where the schedule is chock full of indie bands, established acts and groups you thought didn’t exist anymore (ZZ Top at the Pavilion, anyone?).

Here’s a list of what’s coming to town. It’s not a complete list, mainly because there are too many to mention, and Heart fans don’t need to be reminded when their favorite band is in town. They can just sense it.       

 So fill up the gas tank, hit the ATM and remember the immortal advice of Jeremy Piven from the movie “PCU”: “You’re wearing the shirt of the band you’re going to see? Don’t be that guy.”

Boston, Cambridge and even the suburbs continue to be hotbeds of jazz among American cities. Business and, accordingly, the number of shows tails off in the summer, but with the seasonal influx of college students and people back from vacations, fall schedules are bursting. Here’s some of what’s going on at local clubs, festivals and series.

Between Boston and Cambridge, this neck of the woods has, for decades, been known as the epicenter of the American folk music scene. In the warm months, you can still find singer-songwriters out on every other street corner. But in the fall, things really gear up at the clubs, coffeehouses and festivals. Here are some of the season’s highlights.