Strings and his musical cohorts have somehow managed to follow up their 2019 Grammy winning LP Home with an even stronger collective effort and one that will only help cement what we all already know: Billy Strings is, without question, one of the greatest musical talents of our lifetime, regardless of genre.

It’s no revelation that Coltrane’s music has withstood time. In fact, much of his later period spiritual work still sounds very radical. ... The more Coltrane, the better. Even these 8 LPs/5 CDs is not enough to satisfy the true fanatic, but it’s a treasure just the same.

This milestone reimagining of the last studio effort by the original four-man lineup is an emphatic final punctuation on R.E.M.’s long-term personal statement of chemistry, one which to this day remains altogether rare in contemporary rock and roll.

In keeping with other self-produced Dylan releases of recent years, the sonics of Rough And Rowdy Ways is as clear as its word sets are dense. ... The musicianship will not steal or detract attention from Bob himself, but rather encircle him as he performs, their fluid interplay functioning like that ideal frame which vividly illuminates a striking painting or photo. ... As with all the best Bob Dylan albums, poetic imagery abounds.

Giddens is one of the most important, and as this proves, versatile artists of our times. Certainly the crowning achievement of her three recordings so far, we’re left wondering if there is anything she can’t do.

Their strongest and most cohesive album to date. ... The band has now clearly developed their own signature sound and style, not following trends or outside influences. Roots encapsulates the band and their music at this point.

Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters is a triumphant and very well-timed return after an eight-year hiatus. Apple’s fifth album, an introspective, 13 song journey defies genre. ... Fetch The Bolt Cutters takes many exciting turns. The album exudes freedom, it exudes breaking constraints, it exudes Fiona Apple, and it might just be the album that we look back on when we think back to this COVID-19 era.

It is utterly mesmerizing that Gabriel can still find new and unique ways to present his art to the world and the double mixes of this album only add to the nuanced mystique of his approach. Dark-Side or Bright-Side, these 12 songs are full-body experiences with cascading melodies that pull you in every direction. i/o cements Gabriel as one of the most innovative and daring artists of his time.

There will never be another Ray Charles. He sounds just as amazing now as he did 55-56 years ago. This is music one can’t revisit too often.

It is a flood of art at its most naked that won’t relent until you are submersed.

The reason it’s so hard to find something to say is that every song is perfection. ... This remastered collection is impressive no matter how you look at it.

We Will Always Love You, their third album, is just their latest achievement in flawlessness, a record that continues the sound that is undeniably The Avalanches.

An album that redefines collaboration on a spiritual level. ... 12 poetically moving pieces of art that focus on emotions and environments most would attempt to ignore. The Record hit our speakers with high expectations, and not a single second let us down.

Slowdive has created another masterpiece and shown why they are one of the most respected bands of the shoegaze genre.

While 13 years is a long time to wait, the gap melts away between the sounds of this 86-minute masterpiece. Difficult though it might be to fully process, it eases right into the Tool oeuvre and cements its place among their small but towering pantheon of prog-metal art.

The dynamic of this recording is truly special. You’ll hear something new with each listen. It’s one to best listen to alone to appreciate the mind-blowing experience it delivers.

All Mirrors belongs in the canon of essential break-up albums, but more Exile in Guyville than Rumours or Blue. ... The resulting instrumentation is impressively cohesive and resoundingly huge.

There’s a pop progressiveness coupled with an old-fashioned loneliness. It sounds nothing at all like Presley, but he lived in and understood those two worlds and might have appreciated the chance to bridge them in the way that Howard has here. ... Her distinctive vocal timbre is the twine that keeps Jamie wrapped-up tight. Not many artists can make loops and electronic sounds feel authentic, but Howard is more than able to keep them feeling warm and natural.

This one-night-only piece marks a point where creativity transcends commerce, further preserving what’s unarguably one of the pinnacles in Neil Young’s artistic history.

This release has cemented Howard as a must-hear artist as the wonderful sonic collage, soaring vocals, and insightful lyrics all come together winningly.

A balance of material, performance, and production mirrors the bandleader’s emotional equanimity in such sublime fashion, Relentless is as close to perfect as long-player out this year.

Attempting to unpack She Reaches Out in one listen is a futile task. This sounds like the album Wolfe was always meant to make. Nothing feels forced, a natural chaos erupts around every corner as Wolfe tip-toes around dense drums and distorted tones. Underneath the dark production are some of the best songwriting moments of Wolfe’s career.

Ants From Up Here is a thrilling listen, brimming with the confidence and electricity of a young band coming into their own on all fronts, pulling from the past but pushing it undeniably forward, and fully owning their ambition.

Both long-time fans, as well as curious dilettantes, may well experience numerous epiphanies large and small when immersed in all this content, the end result of such enlightenment a state of mind (heart and soul) George Harrison himself would no doubt appreciate.

The result is a great triumph, a living testament to the strength of these songs and the nature of the ongoing relationship between musicians and the art they create. Each track is straightforward in its delivery, but each nonetheless filtered through the guise of the musician covering it. ... epic remains Van Etten’s best album, but epic ten does its best at eliciting the awestruck reverence that countless musicians feel towards it.

Dacus’ lyricism is pushed farther on Home Video than ever before, with each song contributing its own characters and memories and developing a work tight and succinct enough to be called a concept album. ... Even more importantly, she has proven once again that she is amongst her generation’s strongest lyricists.

His songs remain deeply personal, revisiting his drinking days and happy to be done with them in “It Gets Easier” and paying tribute to his wife, Amanda’s natural mothering instincts in “Letting You Go” yet there is not a song as impactful as “Cover Me Up” or “Elephant.” Nonetheless, his material is consistently strong enough to merit the four-bagger. Yes, four in a row equals a grand slam.

So unassuming an offering it may very well sneak onto more than a few ‘Best of ’23’ lists, this LP certainly deserves such placement. Its forty-some minutes contain more than a few of those deeply stirring moments only truly great records possess.