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NPR's Jim Zarroli reports that the brokerage and credit-card company Dean Witter agreed to a $9.9 billion merger with investment banking giant Morgan Stanley. Their merger would create the world's biggest securities firm. The announcement today brings Wall Street directly into the merger frenzy that has swept corporate America. Once again, the driving force is the strategic advantage of combining with a company that has complementary strengths. Dean Witter, Discover & Co. is strong in the "retail" brokerage business, selling stocks, bonds and such to the public. Morgan Stanley Group Inc. is a powerhouse in mergers and in underwriting securities. The stock-swap merger will create a new company called Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, Discover & Co. with annual revenue of $12 billion.

The kind of sumptuous torch song that Carey hasn't sung in a minute, "Fall in Love at Christmas" is a carol for grown folks several seasons into their love.

Tim Gay's display has 687,000 blinking, multicolored lights. He calls it the ERDAJT Holiday Lights Display — using the initials of his children.

George Walker's final Piano Sonata might be short in length, but it's long on ideas, unfolding in a colorful thicket of textures and episodes.

Jimmy Norman sang with the Coasters for three decades. He played with Hendrix and wrote lyrics for "Time is on My Side." At 70, he has his first nationally distributed solo CD: Little Pieces. Hear Norman and NPR's Scott Simon.

Washington, D.C., saw its homicide rate fall to 198 murders in 2004, down from 248 murders in the previous year. While the nation's capital and other cities have seen a drop in the annual number of murders, others have not.

Writing "N.Y. Doll" from the perspective of a late New York Dolls bassist, Robyn Hitchcock opts not to copy the Dolls' pre-punk strut and roar. Instead, he sticks to what he knows, slowly stretching the guitar jangle until it ripples and pulses with the hum of psychedelia.

Dr. Dog's "Worst Trip" combines classic rock with indie-pop and soul; its universal, accessible sound seems modern while recalling Todd Rundgren, The Band and The Kinks. Mostly, though, its captivating pop hooks and lush instrumentation lead back to the Beatles, and John Lennon in particular.

"In the Clouds" practically bursts with infectious energy, spilling over with disco beats and Vocoder-enhanced backing vocals, while singer Aaron Bruno unleashes a mean falsetto, evoking a younger and hipper Barry Gibb. The result is a fun, sexy anthem that shimmies with a cool confidence.

On "Nile," Valerie Troutt approaches her lyrics with stirring conviction, but she never oversells the song. Fortunately, she doesn't have to — "Nile" is a ballad blessed with an enchanting melody and arrangement, brimming with thoughtful, heartfelt optimism.

This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set review John Bolton's nomination to serve a full term as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. President Bush used what is known as a recess appointment to bypass a Senate vote and install Bolton as ambassador nearly one year ago.

Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint have come together to write and record a warm, hopeful new album. The two chose to make The River in Reverse in Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans as a gesture of hope. Most of the album's 13 tracks were recorded as free-flowing jam sessions.

Scott Simon talks with jazz guitarist John Scofield about his album That's What I Say, on which he plays the music of Ray Charles.

Husband and wife actors Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy have collaborated on the new offbeat feature Transamerica. Macy is the executive producer on the project, which features Huffman as a male-to-female transsexual who is contacted by the son she never knew she fathered.

Having paid his dues with 300-show years and a bad major-label deal, singer Teitur Lassen has finally gained some of the exposure his music warrants. Borrowing from folk, rock and pop influences, Teitur has released two fine albums of emotional balladry, built on a quiet but sturdy folk-pop framework.

Robert Plant has helped establish the iconic image of the "rock god," while Alison Krauss is one of the most accomplished bluegrass musicians of the last few decades. Together, they've recorded Raising Sand, which interprets blues, folk and country songs. Hear an interview.

Hear an in-studio performance by Alice Smith, a New York-based soul singer whose latest album is titled For Lovers, Dreamers, and Me. Smith also discusses her attempts to cross the boundaries of race in the music industry.

On this edition of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen chats with NPR Music blogger Carrie Brownstein, and music producer Stephen Thompson about the number of bands they're most excited to see.

The soulful singer-songwriter talks about her new album, The Orchard, during a studio performance chat. Wright opens up about her music, her life, and what's next for her recording career.

Hear a performance by Rice, who strikes a balance between independent and mainstream pop, drawing on the likes of Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, The Band, Joni Mitchell, and Gram Parsons. Further North feels more rough-hewn than the dramatic psychedelic pop of his debut.