A new book released today is packed with interviews ranging from Chuck D to Bjork, Ani DiFranco to Bela Fleck. Consider Innerviews: Music Without Borders a worthy addition to your library.---

This collection of interviews comes from Anil Prasad, a writer for Guitar Player and Bass Player magazines who founded the Innerviews Website to post lengthy interviews that wouldn't naturally fit in a publication. That unrestricted format on the Web allows Prasad and his subjects to roam far afield from the typical "Who were your influences?" sorts of questions that make up far too many music profiles. 

Among the interviews collected here that I found particularly interesting: Chuck D opining on the current lackadaisical state of hip-hop, Bjork's trying to sift through the chaos of her creative process and DiFranco's talking about lifting democracy through music. Jazz fiends will be particularly interested in McCoy Tyner's thoughts on John Coltrain, and Stanley Clarke discussing his relationship with Miles Davis.

Like any collection of random subjects, you'll probably want to skip a few of the entries here; I skipped the chat with Yes's Jon Anderson, for example, because I have no time to listen to Yes, let alone read about them. But you'll also find yourself being educated about musical forms you were unfamiliar with if you delve into some of the folks you haven't heard of. And Prasad is a worthy interviewer, giving the artists' plenty of chances to expound in interesting directions.