‘Ground & Water’ brings out the best in both Blu and Damu, who stretch their artistic legs without compromising what makes them distinct.
Read moreRapsody Explores the Dynamism of the Black Female Experience with Eloquence, Empathy & Grace on ‘Eve’ | Album Review
Rapsody does slick wordplay and callbacks better than nearly anyone, and this album is full of rewindable rhymes and lines that will take multiple careful listens to decipher.
Read moreWith More Than a Little Help From Her Friends, Sheryl Crow Captivates on ‘Threads’ | Album Review
On her eleventh studio LP, Crow welcomes a host of compelling collaborators including Chuck D, Eric Clapton, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, St. Vincent, and Chris Stapleton.
Read moreShura Crafts a Powerful Paean to Love & Romance with Revelatory ‘forevher’ | Album Review
Full of optimism and romance, Shura has co-written every song on the album and exposed herself in a candid, vulnerable way the wider LGBTQ community all too often takes for granted.
Read moreTanya Tucker Breathes New, Radiant & Resilient Life Into Her Musical Legacy with ‘While I’m Livin’’ | Album Review
The country music matriarch has emerged on her twenty-fifth studio album with equal parts grit and grace. As lovers, searchers and consumers of good music, we are the better for it.
Read moreLittle Brother Reconvene in Top, Triumphant Form with ‘May The Lord Watch’ | Album Review
‘May The Lord Watch’ sounds precisely like the Little Brother album that they would have recorded if they had never broken up in the first place.
Read moreP.P. Arnold’s Majestic Voice Soars Once Again on ‘The New Adventures Of… P.P. Arnold’ | Album Review
P.P. Arnold & Steve Cradock’s musical partnership, forged over 25 years, engenders a trust between them that shines throughout the album.
Read moreRaphael Saadiq’s ‘Jimmy Lee’ Is a Powerful Soliloquy for Our Troubled Times | Album Review
On his fifth studio affair, Saadiq freewheels, offering up a variation in tone and style that has not been readily displayed on his past solo ventures.
Read moreThe Hold Steady Traverse a Few Too Many Twists & Turns on Patchwork ‘Thrashing Thru the Passion’ | Album Review
While the band’s structural experimentation could be fun, in very few instances does it feel necessary or even authentic across the duration of their seventh studio album.
Read moreBon Iver Summon Their Signature Strain of Enigmatic Musical Magic Once Again with ‘i,i’ | Album Review
The band’s fourth studio LP is yet another installment in a series of never-ending layers that are labyrinthine upon close inspection and, from a distance, so simple and clear.
Read moreMurs, 9th Wonder & The Soul Council Congregate for Solid ‘The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over’ | Album Review
Despite a few shortcomings, ‘The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey is Over’ is another solid addition to the Murs & 9th Wonder canon.
Read moreThe HawtThorns Triumph on Radiant, Distinctive Debut Album ‘Morning Sun’ | Album Review
Ultimately, the HawtThorns’ gift is how they make songs sound pretty. They do it in a variety of ways. Their arrangements. KP's vocals. And their gorgeous sense of melody.
Read moreBryan Haraway Harnesses Positive Energy for Special, Self-Titled Debut Album | Album Review
Haraway’s debut LP reinforces that there’s something refreshing about an album that challenges the listener, without bumming them out.
Read moreNas’ ‘The Lost Tapes II’ Proves That Even His Middle-Tier Material Eclipses the Competition | Album Review
Originally intended for a 2010 release, ‘The Lost Tapes II’ contains a wide swath of cutting-room-floor material recorded between 2006 and 2018.
Read moreBig K.R.I.T. Embraces His Comfort Zone with Solid ‘K.R.I.T. Iz Here’ | Album Review
K.R.I.T. is definitely here, but hopefully, his next project will feature more of his musical presence, not just his lyrical prowess.
Read moreBANKS Examines the Complexities of Love in Captivating Fashion with Stunning ‘III’ | Album Review
BANKS’ musical and lyrical evolution is clearly visible throughout her third album, which finds the singer-songwriter further embracing her vulnerabilities to devastating effect.
Read moreThe National Tackle Life’s Biggest Questions with Colossally Beautiful ‘I Am Easy To Find’ | Album Review
The band’s eighth studio LP and accompanying film flow from a similarly heaping bank of emotion, both continuously informed by the relationships in our lives that shape our identities.
Read moreRyan Porter Sketches the Shape of Modern Jazz to Come with Inventive, Progressive ‘Force For Good’ | Album Review
Teetering on the verge of unbreakable, we hear Porter, cooking up-to-date compositions, employing different methods, and creating space for others to sit at the Jazz table.
Read moreFreddie Gibbs & Madlib Elevate Their Synergistic Game with ‘Bandana’ | Album Review
Gibbs and Madlib migrate from the honeymoon to the stability phase of their musical relationship with ‘Bandana,’ naturally bringing out the best in each other.
Read moreThe Raconteurs Fail to Recapture Their Magic with Listless, Uneven ‘Help Us Stranger’ | Album Review
The album’s singles are great, but the remaining tracks sound a lot like afterthoughts thrown together, making for an ultimately disappointing listen overall.
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