It’s yet another deep, personal, reflective album that’ll impress listeners but, in this instance, leave them only partially satisfied.

For these 11 tracks, trip-hop’s habit for overcooked sad bastard balladry is traded for such succinct fluidity in songwriting that the moments where the album betrays its “debut” description are few and far between.

Lil Yachty the pop star shines on Teenage Emotions, and the wide range of styles with which he delivers his message of youthful exuberance shows a growing artist. ... Filler tracks such as “Dirty Mouth” and “Moments in Time” derail the parade of energy Teenage Emotions delivers, leaving the record with too many skip-worthy moments.

Taylor creates an unapologetic record of late-night slow jams that stem from a more mature, experienced perspective. ... The forwardness [in “3way”] is welcome, but the angle Taylor takes is questionable.

On American Tragic, Fortune rises up to squeeze every last drop of drama from her misery.

There are moments in its middle that blend together, like experiments that weren’t properly executed. That said, with the fantastic and intricate highs of this album, Irglová has proven herself as a solo artist.

Crab Day marks a considerable step forward, appealing to existing fans while also announcing a huge period of growth.

On the whole, though, Yoshimio and OOIOO honor that infinite and elusive history on Gamel without ever losing their own present.

By orchestrating an album meant to embody the difficult experience of the advantaged world talking about the atrocities that surround us, the majority of the project lacks a clear stance beyond what has been readily called “poverty tourism.”

The chops have been there from day one. It’s just that this time out, the songs are worth hanging around for a bit more.

When the record does stumble, it’s because he’s trying to juggle too many ideas at one time as opposed to a lack of effort. Mostly, City Music succeeds at displaying Morby’s strength as a rocker, and along with Singing Saw, the two together paint him as an artist truly coming into his own.

Nephew in the Wild isn’t Ashworth’s most consistent or tightest album, but it shows an ambitious songwriter with a plethora of ideas and a new confidence.

While it would be interesting to hear the album with sharper production and a little more focus, that would ultimately be its very end. This one thrives on the fringe.

While These Days... does linger a bit too long in the depths of intoxication, it’s difficult to write this off as anything less than a solid indie release.

Fair has always had a tendency to get too cute in his lyrics, but there’s a contagious positivity to Perfect, even if it’s often oversimplistic.

It’s a late-career entry that can’t hold up to his priceless back catalog, but it’s also the work of a guy who at this point really couldn’t give a shit what people think. You’ll enjoy some tracks and soldier through others. But Iggy’s still here, and maybe that’s the most important takeaway of all.

Sea When Absent, too, is full of bliss, even if it’s too often sabotaged by an excess of ideas scattered on the page without room to breathe.

Monotony in music can be boring, but it can also be comforting. That’s why Whirr works. Those warm swirls are medicinal.

The record flows nicely and rewards uninterrupted listening. Floor’s triumphant sludge metal has never sounded so refined.

If he’s figuring out from scratch how to be a compelling artist again, Eminem’s improved the caliber of his beats and guests, taking stands against the right day-to-day injustices, toning down the tasteless (with the exception of the already-infamous Ariana line, of course), and rapping with the manic precision of someone who just snorted a whole sandcastle of cocaine and Vyvanse. If only a single minute of it was as hilarious or bracing as Chris D’Elia’s impression of him.

Some of the songs’ differences are sanded down, all glossed together in ultra-professional production.

It would have been fascinating to see the band take a drastic turn and lean into experimentation, but instead they’ve returned with a relatively underwhelming fifth album.

On their second album, This Is All Yours, they compensate for their own quirks by granting access points both for the radio-only audience and for the Internet music fans.

It’s rare for an album with so many stunning moments to suddenly become so aggressively mediocre. Still, the highs of Sweetener outweigh the lows. But with such lofty highs, it’s hard to be content with the album that is and not think about what the album might have been.

The emotion is there, as ever, but the production sound doesn’t pull equal weight in distinguishing Smith’s work from other mainstream pop artists.

In interviews, Timony has said that she wanted to make “relaxed and fun” music, and in that regard Rips hits the mark.

Sky Blue isn’t the Van Zandt record that’ll turn new fans on to his genius. It’s the type of compilation that’ll help his longtime listeners better understand the many shades of that talent.

Awake is a compelling gallery of electronic minimalism whose emotional depth requires a rich listen and zero passes.