It is tough to immediately decide where this record fits into Oldham’s dense, diverse and frankly daunting discography, but it’s reaffirming to see him still swinging for the fences.

Even without the obvious gravitas hovering over the project, this is an exceptional work and arguably Allman’s finest non-Brothers release.

Hopefully the Prine connection will provide the necessary visibility to move Waldon to the next level. With the impressive White Noise/White Lines, she proves her talent is worthy of his, and our, admiration.

One of his most accessible albums, one that’s still as delightfully, deeply odd as he has always been.

The music returns to the melodic strains of Hornsby’s more elegiac work, offering a frame of reference that longtime listeners will likely relate to best — from the sweeping piano undertow that characterizes “Days Ahead”—which sounds remarkably at times like Brian Wilson in symphonic mode—to the melodic strains of Lidar,” the “Way It Is”-like narrative that characterizes “Is This It,” the sparkle and sheen of “Had Enough,” the stately feel of “Simple Prayer II,” featuring the tender shared vocals of Z Berg, and ultimately, the dramatic delivery of “Point Omega.”

Few tracks instantly jump out, but after multiple spins, it’s easy to get lost in Lynn’s creamy, dreamy approach, her breathy yet compelling voice, and the life-questioning lyrics that define the album’s overall entrancing soundscape.

As much as Ty Segall is an album of potential singles material, it’s one of the most cohesive sets of music that Segall has released to date.

The confidence and direction A.A. Williams projects makes it feel more like her fifth album rather than her first. It’s a stunning, haunting work that sets the stage for what should be an enthralling and even more provocative career.

It makes for an intense, generally unrelenting forty-minute project; one that pushes The Kills into fresh musical territory, extending and altering the sound they have cultivated for the past twenty years without selling out.

On Weighted Mind she showcases her obvious instrumental talents while displaying a newfound attention to reflective, beautifully conceived songwriting.

Kimbrough has a smooth yet vibrant voice, perfect for this melodic and poignant music. Perhaps a few more rockers would have cranked up the fire, and at ten short cuts, more on the level of what’s here would have been welcome.

While it may be a while until the current pandemic eases its grip on hard touring musicians like the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, there’s nothing stopping you from pushing play on the exhilarating I Told You So and diving into the surging soulful sounds of one of most talented, driving and funkiest acts around.

What could be a convoluted jumble is instead a beautifully fashioned collection of sounds that flow and shift from the ornate qualities of “When It Grows Darkest” to the stark piano and voice of “The Meadow”; one that drifts with the pensive, thought provoking vibe of a foreign film or the undulating of the ocean tide.

If artistry is the product of passion, then Wainwright has demonstrated yet again that she’s capable of channeling it better than most.

It’s arguably her finest, most moving and cohesive disc which, considering her extensive catalog, is saying plenty.

On Bloodhounds, the harder Victoria works to reckon with the dark Southern demons of her youth, the further she’s pulled back and drawn in by the music she’s discovered along the way: the lonesome wail of Junior Kimbrough, the isolationist cry of Outkast, the mournful lament of Patsy Cline. It’s this push and pull that provides her music’s driving tension.

It’s an impressive start to what seems to be a promising career for Jay Som, an artist ready for the next step to build atop this remarkable and often striking self-constructed first release.

The music comes across as honest, emotional, credible and convincing. ... A Few Stars Apart brings him closer to the singular distinction he so decidedly deserves.

It’s surely as powerful as, and possibly better than, the twosome’s impressive debut.

Sunken Condos is a smooth collection that insinuates deeper feelings through the head-bobbing rhythms and offbeat humor. In other words, it's Donald Fagen doing what he does best, which is always good enough.

There are no weak tracks, proving that this collaboration with Buck & McCaughey provided the energy and creativity to help Escovedo’s 12th studio release be one of his finest, which is no small feat in his already exceptionally productive, creative and influential career.

LIVE DRUGS with minimal audience feedback and crystal clear, at times thunderous, audio is a thrilling representation of the band, at its back-rows filling finest. It’s a terrific substitute for those who haven’t caught them on stage, or have and yearn to relive the experience.

Finally, it seems, she's found her sweet spot in burnished southern folk-pop.

The Nashville Sound is another triumph in his incredible hot streak.

Each track lists a dozen or more players. And while that creates complex, occasionally ornate instrumentation, the songs never feel cluttered or overly busy. Rather Weller carefully crafts this music, shifting moods and using the players to enhance songs that are as well, soulful and heavy, as anything he has created.

Despite his decidedly downcast demeanor — imagine John Cale, Nick Cave and Lou Reed crashing one another’s therapy sessions and turning them into one colossal vent — several songs find a spark that manages to illuminate even the darkest designs.

It’s apparent that this fine fusion succeeds, perhaps beyond the parties’ initial expectations.

An album so full of emotion, it takes a while to absorb it all. It’s not perfect, and it’s not meant to be. But the juxtaposition of slickness and rawness somehow works, making the kind of statement the Chicks have been working toward since they first sang of mattress dancing and offing that unfaithful Earl.