[Scott] Bomar provided similar assistance for Bryant’s 2017’s comeback but really finds his groove on these 10 superb tracks. He expertly yet effortlessly balances strings, horns and a taut rhythm section while keeping the focus on Bryant’s pleading vocals. Matt-Ross Spang handles mixing at Sam Phillips Recording Service studio in Memphis bringing extra organic zest to this flavorful concoction.

No excuse is necessary. Costello is right back where he belongs and the rewards are that much better as a result.

Four the Record retain all the pain and personality that drove those dark songs [of her first two albums] and redirects her energies toward some of her best and most eloquent singing and songwriting yet.

The singer’s distinctive baritone, dry yet emotive talk/singing style and the crystal clear recording quality focuses attention on his dynamic, sometimes humorous, always poetic lyrics. The interplay with his three backup singers also brings depth and a sensuality often lacking from the studio versions, making some of these laconic and extended performances definitive.

Lenker has a penchant for songs that mine deep emotional depths, but even by her standards, the ten songs that comprise abysskiss are some of the most starkly vulnerable songs of her career.

Fulks pens seven of the 13 tracks and helped curate the rest, plus assembled a band of veterans like Telecaster master Redd Volkaert to give the talented Lewis full room to shine. Which she does masterfully.

Arguably his reach sometimes exceeds his grasp. But with the captivating For Their Love he’s using all the musical and production tools in his artistic arsenal to expand his band’s approach into an album as compelling and transformational as any you’ll experience in contemporary music.

This is another impressive notch in the group’s expansive catalog belt and a further illustration that their classy, classic talents show no signs of dissipating as they settle into middle age.

World On The Ground is many things at once: Emotionally vast, welcomingly homey, highly individualized in its memories, broadly appealing through its attentive storytelling, symbolically hyperbolic, and unintentionally self-aware in its realism. Through many layers of experimentation with lyrical intimacy, Sarah Jarosz has invigorated a songwriting path previously less tended to over her compositional history.

Star Wars may have been released on the spur of the moment, but Wilco’s alchemistic gifts ensure that it’s a moment which fans will want to keep on reliving.

This moodier, more prickly attack suits Glaspy’s voice, concepts, and vision. She aligns with other New York City performers who push into shadier, more extreme territory with a similar snarl, mirroring the insecurity, brashness, and honesty the area seems to instill in its finest artists.

Cole has written a batch of terrific songs and turns in some of his most passionate and committed performances. The tunes are literate, often wickedly funny but remain laced with Cole’s smooth hang-dog vocals.

Those unfamiliar with the artist can start here. But longtime fans should be prepared for a freshly energized Dylan LeBlanc, one who has found new vitality reflected in the lyrics “Dying to be born again.”

Think Steely Dan minus Becker and Fagen’s wry, occasionally sneering lyrics, and you’re getting warm to Lake Street Dive’s approach.

It’s an interesting mix of music, and, as might be expected, a dynamic and diverse concert that stands among the most dynamic of the live music extracts culled from the Hendrix archives thus far.

With the powerful That’s What I Heard, he and Jordan still find ways to broaden, expand and magnify that template without breaking it. Established fans will rejoice in the sheer exuberance, professionalism and variety displayed here. But even those who may have dismissed Cray over the past decade should jump back in and enjoy the ride.

The songs are brash, boisterous and flush with an energy level that aptly reflects a seemingly preternatural zeal and enthusiasm.

If Wilco (The Album) was the band tempering their experimental nature into something more accessible, The Whole Love refines that approach and showcases the full range of Wilco's considerable abilities.

The Vivian Line is unlikely to land on anyone’s hip/hot list. Rather Sexsmith, now pushing 60, is content to churn out radiant, sublime, transcendent music that unobtrusively exists in its own delicate bubble, inviting us in to join him on his unique musical path.

Marling has always sounded like an adult, even when she wasn't one. Now that she's got the actual years to back up her world-weary tone, she's all the more thrilling. Maybe it's the beast within.

An album that’s probably not as good as The Front Bottoms are bound to get, but is just fine for right now.

Stamey makes the most of an ordinary if engaging voice and lyrics that sometimes feel undercooked.

This project is far more adventurous in its presentation of a unique and provocative sonic palette.

An album that floats and hovers with challenging lyrics and a timeless sound that’s often hypnotic in its lovely, sometimes surreal, often delightful qualities.

For longtime fans, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is just another impressive notch in Sparks’ ever expanding career belt. But newcomers can come aboard here, then work themselves back through nearly five decades of similarly ecstatic, challenging and generally delightful Sparks music, most of it well worth hearing.

This wasn’t a tremendously fertile period for the group. Yet based on the animated gig and some inspired moments, they still sounded vital, and capable of writing impressive new music, albeit inconsistently and largely without Brian’s input.

As unabashedly pop albums go, Ellis’ self-descriptive Texas Piano Man is a bracing alternative to the guitar-focused music that dominates the singer-songwriter field.

The 14 tracks clocking in at 50 minutes speak to War’s prolific nature, one that encompasses her diversity yet remains focused on vocal, lyrical, and melodic talents that this disc’s enhanced production, and budget, spotlight.