Ray Blk remains an individual, someone who can make mainstream soul music that still shows off impressive creativity and ingenuity.

The album is sonically and lyrically her best work yet, and proves that any process of healing is never black or white and does not exist on a straight line.

The dark storytelling and layered instrumentation create a captivating journey across a landscape, both literal and psychological, rich, beautiful, and deeply tormented.

What makes Encore work as a fresh-sounding record and eschews moldy nostalgia is that Jett finds modern rock in rockabilly, lacing the LP with crashing guitar guitars and rock and roll bass.

Aside from being a gifted musician and lyricist, he also has a gorgeous voice, soulful and thrilling. Building on the excellence of his previous albums, What We Call Life is easily one of this year’s best albums.

Costello fans who don’t know Spanish may still enjoy hearing these old favorites with new singers and lyrics, and Latinx newbies might find this a great entry point for Costello’s catalog. You have to give all involved credit—the album is still as exciting and fun as ever and yet another middle finger to anyone who expected Elvis Costello to do what he’s supposed to do.

You can almost hear the landscape in the music as many of the pieces, while minimalist, are expansive. There is a sense of openness infused in the album that is occasionally propelled by synthesizers and drum machines. The effect is reminiscent of traveling across the windswept coast of Ushant.

Every song has something to do with the track that came before it but is also treated as its own memorable experience.

The Vaccines have said Back in Love City is a concept album of sorts, with the songs meant to invoke the titular metropolis as a destination for good vibes and escape from the chaos. That sounds like a great place, but they shouldn’t forget that getting there is half the fun.

Although the album is comprised of downhearted themes, there’s still something cheerful to be found within Musgraves’ vocals that makes us somehow grateful to be sad. You feel happy and sad at the same time because it’s evident through the singer’s existing discography that she knows people who have known sadness know themselves better thereafter.

This is a fun album that fans of pop music and guitar rock will both be able to get into. Green’s hooks are immediate and memorable and her guitar lines are interesting and a bit unusual. Her big melodies often disguise the more interesting aspects of her songwriting, which is probably why it took a few listens for these songs to really click with me.

The 11 tracks on K Bay take us on a turbulent journey of sound and mind. This is more of a trip to the carnival than The Twilight Zone. The songs are stops along the midway of White’s mind rather than one’s imagination. He shows off his skills as a musician, writer, and producer and invites the listener along for the ride. When it’s over, one wants to go on again for kicks.

Despite these intriguing connections between words, music, and the band’s history, Low’s commitment to an ebb-and-flow sound is both HEY WHAT‘s primary signature and chief shortcoming.

While there’s nothing to match the tear-stained confessions of This Is My Truth’s “The Everlasting” or the gorgeous splendor of Lifeblood’s underrated “Cardiff Afterlife”, The Ultra Vivid Lament still contains moments of deep emotional resonance.

Throughout Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Little Simz continues to swaggeringly craft her bio, relating how she navigated myriad challenges, never losing sight of her goals.

Grab a beverage of your choice, sit back, and let the world’s greatest heavy metal band take you on yet another excursion. It’s not without its share of bumps and plenty of familiar scenery, but after more than 40 years, it’s as exhilarating as ever.

Lost Futures may be dotted with nostalgia, but it’s most definitely a bold move forward.

What makes the album compelling beyond its author’s self-examined talent is Peters’ confidence in sharing moments of young adulthood where she maybe felt anything but.

An inaptly sleek production MO creates a barrier between the singer and listener on several otherwise cogent tracks. Still, despite this significant flaw, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power contains enough magic to be infectious, an ambitious work by an immensely gifted artist who is continuing to explore aesthetic possibilities.

Fire is Martin’s finest Bug album. It distills both the project’s and his philosophy down to its simplest, purest form. In the process, it says something profound and provides a viscerally entertaining masterclass in bass-driven electronica.

This is a strong, assured debut album worth hearing for roots music fans.

Quicksand don’t seem interested in pandering to a new crowd or their old fans, which is admirable and demonstrates artistic valor and a grounded sense of discipline.

What makes Screen Violence such a successful album is that the songs reach for honesty and candor whilst simultaneously working overtime to get people moving. So much dance music chooses the hooks and beats over the heart, but Chvrches makes some of the most expressive pop music for the dance clubs. There are some gorgeous highlights on this album; there’s no filler, an impressive feat for a record with ten tracks.

It’s easy to see why the bright and engaging “Queendom” is the lead single of the mini-album. But one truth about Red Velvet is that their albums often have some of the best b-sides in K-pop (like “Cool World”, “Body Talk”, “Kingdom Come”, and “Sunny Side Up!”). Queendom is no exception to that rule.

Taken on its own terms, this is a very successful shoegaze-inspired rock record with a great sense of dynamics and some really catchy songs.

Upon first listen, The Horses and the Hounds is reminiscent of most other McMurtry albums, but as it unfolds, new textures appear and settle into the mix like they’ve always belonged.

Though some of the songs start to sound a bit uniform, Jam & Lewis smartly end the record on an uptempo tune, “Babylove” which reunited them with Morris Day and Jerome.

It doesn’t sound precisely like Hound Dog Taylor, but then that’s the point. ... GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor: Try It…You Might Like It! is a wonderful celebration of the music of Taylor with plenty of opportunities for the listener to boogie. For those not familiar with Taylor, this is an excellent way to get acquainted with his songs while getting to know GA-20.

His most recent album shares the same spirit that infused his first one back in 1980. Nile is a national treasure who brings rock to the masses, and while he may sing about “The Day the Earth Stood Still” because of the recent pandemic, he’s still moving and grooving.

She strums her guitar brightly to cut through the fog clouding one’s mind and spirit. Jade Bird inspires one to get up and do something even when the circumstances are less than promising.

These are tunes for the head as much as the body and offer a grander perspective on the dignity of human feelings, like putting a still life in a gilded frame. Overall, the songs on the new album are short. Most are under three minutes. However, one can easily imagine extended versions of each as they lend themselves to being set on repeat on repeat on repeat. It’s time to open the disco.

As a unit, the ten tracks on Private Space put funk in a kimono and send it out on the dancefloor with nothing to hide. Don’t delay: dial up the new one from the Indications, then get up and start moving with it.

hile not every cut is a winner, there are plenty of fine performances to be found. This is sophisticated and smooth Philly Soul from the genre’s most successful period.

Defiantly, Lingua Ignota chooses on this album to reside in the world, but not of it, crafting a bone-chillingly cathartic final product that deals in righteousness and reflection in turns.

Quietly Blowing It isn’t the album where Taylor introducing experimental electronics or dissects urban life. It’s the record where he brings together experienced Appalachian artfulness to provide just the right space to fulfill his vision.

Album two is just as strong as album one but in a different way. Miss her at your peril.

It’s fun as well as sentimental. And that voice, now exposed a bit by age but strangely strong and capable of holding the spotlight: it is telling stories that make you feel things. Therefore, let’s hope for more after all.

There are better versions of most of the songs on Welcome 2 America in his catalog already, but if you’re salivating for new Prince music and are open to whatever his vault has to offer, you could do much worse than this.

At roughly 56 minutes in length, Happier loses traction occasionally and would’ve benefited from further vetting, particularly mid-sequence.

For Heart-Shaped Scars, it’s all beautiful, gossamer strings and hushed vocals with the kind of confessional singer-songwriter lyrics that make for an intimate listen, at once chilly and warm.

Electro Melodier by Son Volt is a lot of what you’ve always loved about the band. They give you melodies that are perfect for dark, cramped clubs. At the same time, Farrar provides thought-provoking lyrics. This album isn’t a scathing indictment of American society. Rather, it poses questions that are well worth considering.

With catchy melodies and always engaging writing, the record brings Dacus’ early era to a sort of summation, a realization of what’s been coming, yet without any sense of her artistic momentum slowing down.

The dozen tracks here showcase the range of her talents as a singer and a songwriter and that of a human being who refuses to accept life’s limitations and stand up for herself.

Exit Wounds isn’t radically different from the band’s other albums. It remains true to the formula the band have always embraced. The lyrics paint vivid pictures and are easy to sing. The melodies are instantly familiar, which is part of what makes them so endearing. And if it isn’t broke, why fix it?

Browne stays in his – and our – comfort zone for much of the album while still finding new avenues to explore.

The music itself is always infectious. The melodies share a slithering under-tempo that makes everything from lyrics about eggs with toast on the side to the color of one’s clothes seem fraught with deep meaning. The subliminal message has an erotic aura.

With his latest jewel, Staples mines an artistic, existential, and notably fertile limbo.

Penelope Three is not a pop record, but it is Trappes’ boldest, most straightforward work to date. Even if the end result may not be as consistent as past records, it’s refreshing to hear her set her voice free and break out of her dream-pop reveries.

The Flatlanders end the album with “Sitting on Top of the World” and therefore go out in a blaze of glory. But as electric guitars and screaming voices drop out, the music continues to ring on in one’s head as the album insists upon being replayed.

The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE makes bold statements in unpretentious ways with its production and creative choices. It feels like a natural continuation of TXT’s path, while it also showcases new sides of the members’ potential as singers, songwriters, and producers.

The great news is that Dreamers are Waiting is very much in the excellent category.

While not their most unique project, Broken Hearts presents a steady, mellowed pathos that’s hard to deny and undeniably genuine. It’s straightforward.

Hiatus Kaiyote have crafted something brilliant with Mood Valiant – an album that’s effortlessly likable, commandingly confident, and rich with heart and soul.

The Golden Casket is almost a complete package. Its 12 songs are remarkably tight and focused for a Modest Mouse album, which again feels reflective of the composed, focused headspace Brook seems to be in. It’s another wonderful, soulful release by one of the world’s most singular rock bands and wholly obliterates the retrograde notion that musicians require tortured head scapes to create rich, compelling art.

It’s clear that the quartet really enjoys playing together, and even in the extended songs, Darnielle keeps the band reined in enough, so they aren’t approaching jam band length. Despite this being the Mountain Goats’ third album in just over a year, Darnielle’s songwriting is as strong as ever, and the band shows no signs of fatigue.

She continues to be nothing short of magnificent as a performer, and her generosity in bringing newer artists with her into the spotlight is wholly gratifying. And, while the sentiments here may not be wholly novel, they are well-timed, and they soar when Kidjo sings them.

The result is a mixed bag that features all sides of a fearless guy in construction yet practical in tone. The most interesting moments come when he decides to feature frequent collaborator Henry Solomon on saxophone.

It’s not exactly a work of brilliance – the tracks are too slight, and the whole tone is too wilfully perverse for that. Nevertheless, Blunt has crafted something undeniably engrossing for those willing to play along with his strange game.

What they have delivered sounds like Dinosaur Jr. are at ease with themselves, but they still enjoy making a hellacious din at the appropriate time.

A Few Stars Apart by Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real is further evidence that Nelson is a musical chameleon.

It’s a broad and satisfying collection, and given the diversity of the artists – from Helmet to La Roux – it doesn’t sound like a malfunctioning jukebox. That’s quite an achievement.

Marina re-embraces her inner strength and quite possibly creates her magnum opus with Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land.

Second Line is an important record in that it brings deep humanity and emotion to dance and club music. It’s a deeply personal album, one that brings to mind the soulful singer-songwriter albums of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, or Syreeta Wright but marries the confessional, candid sentiment with a self-consciously synthetic soundscape of house.

Her music is too bighearted and alive to fall in line with most kitschy, modern-day dream pop. On The Tunnel and the Clearing, she takes us even deeper into her fuzzy, dubbed-out analogue sound-world.

It’s a fine outing from an outfit that continues to make compelling music.

Even when he tips over the line into cheesiness, his brevity (most songs are under the four-minute mark) keeps songs from wearing out their welcome. Nurture is a bright, cheery album that may help to lift some moods as North America moves past the worst of the COVID pandemic.

The vast majority of the pieces are quite slight and intentionally under-produced. Don’t mistake slightness, though, for sparseness or bareness – Jurado continues to write devastatingly effective narratives whose key details, seemingly off-handed ones, even, can bring you to your knees.

Yes, with Clara, the sound sculptor Scott Morgan continues to astound. What’s most entrancing might be the fact that, without taking detours, the Canadian artist manages to keep his work feeling fresh and unanticipated.

The Width of a Circle offers a rare peek at how his work was developing—an often ungainly evolution that listeners can now track chronologically. Whether they’d care to is the question.

It's a complete package - a work of seductive, heartfelt brilliance by an artist at the absolute peak of her powers.

It's not the revelation of Exile in Guyville, but then again, few records are. Instead, it's a moving collection of great songs that Phair invests with confidence and intellect.

Trees Speak are a band that wear their influences on their sleeves. But their list of influences is so long that it never feels derivative or repetitious.

Black Ants makes for a vastly different listening experience: exciting, angular, and brilliantly inventive. This album sees the Kasai Allstars tap into a new dimension of vitality and points to refreshing new possibilities for the Congotronics series.

The album merges Hiatt's rootsy side and the Jerry Douglas Band's bluegrassy side into something that's not exactly either (though there are no drums) but a little of each in an Americana sound enhanced by Douglas' production work. As Hiatt reflects on memory, loss, and desire, the band's marvelous playing leads to one of the best albums of the year.

Her latest album solidifies her status as an artist to watch closely for decades to come.

Doomin' Sun is indie music at its most engaging. ... A reminder of how exceptional songwriting and musicianship can be even in the face of apocalyptic anxiety as long it's the right mix of artists.

You Hear Georgia shows that the group are improving with age. After 20 years, they still make songs that make you want to boogie your troubles away. While some of the themes are similar to previous Blackberry Smoke songs, this collection of songs is enough to keep new and old fans singing along no matter where they are.

It's the kind of elegant, smart, and literate music that celebrates songwriters and producers who are working just a skosh out of the mainstream. It's pop with deep roots in club culture with subtle influences of underground and alternative soul. The tight-knit collaboration of Jordan and her crew make for an astonishing achievement.

Throughout Cavalcade, Black Midi displays superlative skills, fierce chemistry, and avant-garde vision, offering spellbinding performances while also, perhaps inevitably, falling prey to sonic tautologies and circuitousness.

Unfortunately, 20 years of the same thematic thrust—coupled with the new material’s proximity to generic heavy rock—blunt the new material's impact just as the stage is set for Gojira to shine.

Sour, for the most part, is a pop album that dips its toes into the alt-pop and bedroom pop subgenres, specifically spending most of its time in the latter. ... Rodrigo's lo-fi deep cuts that were made in the shadow of "Drivers License" can sound a bit repetitive. Her craft as a songwriter is especially evident on tracks like "Enough For You", "Happier", or "Hope Ur Ok", but the acoustic complexion these songs were going for could have benefitted from a bit more background noise.

This music does not call attention to itself. This would work better as background music than witnessed on stage as not much exciting happens. That’s on purpose. This is music to chill with and ponder quietly.

Fat Pop is full of highlights.

It’s among his finest solo works, with a consistently tight synthesis of radio-friendly immediacy and riveting instrumental discovery that’s always made Rhys such a singular artist. True, it’s not as edgy or wacky as some of his previous work, but that only helps guarantee that it’ll appeal to just about anyone and everyone who hears it.

They’re Calling Me Home memorializes and breathes new life into a set of songs that feel familiar and entirely unexpected.

Ya Tseen’s vision on Indian Yard is expansive and yet feels fully realized. It’s hard to imagine an album covering more ground and still striking such a precise balance of cohesion and variety.

The album resists the latent bleakness tucked into its thought. The Chills take on loss and distance, fake news and aliens, and discover the possibility that confusion could reign. The group stays intense as it challenges these troubles, standing firm and facing the trials of life honestly but firmly.

Engulfing is a word that could describe the record as a whole and Big|Brave’s sound in general. That is not unfamiliar terrain for them, but they have refined their sound into a powerful stormfront that strikes aggressively but with a gracefulness that welcomes the listener into the electrified space the band create.

This is St. Vincent in the '20s and she is glorious. The production value is spectacular; her songwriting/production partnership with Jack Antonoff is more than paying off.

Natalie Bergman's religious beliefs stimulate her music, but her debut album, Mercy, inspires whether one is a Christian or not.

The result is a set of modern piano jazz that covers a remarkable range and features three brilliant musical imaginations that play well together.

He truly has made his best album to date in the process.

It's a record that is perfectly tuned to it's time. It's an album that captures the sad, reflective mood of the country - and the world.

The album is neither preachy nor damning; it’s a gorgeous musical interpretation of childhood, as learned experiences are both elegantly conveyed and messily regurgitated.

Rare, Forever synthesizes all of Vynehall's musical instincts together into one unique vision. Both beguiling abstract and instantly gratifying it’s as dizzyingly immersive as Nothing Is Still whilst occupying a totally different sonic space.