Swift’s ongoing combination of gripping character studies and personal tracks is as emotionally sharp as it was on her ninth album’s precursor, ‘folklore.’
Read moreMatt Berninger Offers Sedative for Disquieting Times with Uneven Debut Solo Affair ‘Serpentine Prison’ | Album Review
Berninger cast an intimate, unifying portrait of the human experience on The National’s most recent album (2019’s ‘I Am Easy to Find’), but with his first solo LP, he has unhooked from that tethering.
Read moreP.J. O’Connor Delivers an Idiosyncratic Brand of Americana on Captivating ‘Television’s Golden Age’ | Album Review
Across his debut solo album, O'Connor doesn't sound like he's sadly singing from his back porch or living room, so much as he sounds like he's regretfully singing from the future.
Read moreBusta Rhymes Curates the Hip-Hop Event of the Year with Expertly Crafted ‘Extinction Level Event 2’ | Album Review
Witnessing a rapper who officially entered the game in 1991 present a clear album-of-the-year contender is akin to watching LeBron James dominate the NBA in his seventeenth season.
Read moreKylie Minogue Channels Her Muse to Sparkling Effect on ‘DISCO’ | Album Review
Comparisons to ‘Light Years’ (2000) are understandable, as ‘DISCO’ is just as engaging and showcases Minogue’s source synthetization to make her own unique sonic imprint.
Read moreLÉON Unearths the Beauty Inside the Madness of Self-Discovery on ‘Apart’ | Album Review
Pivoting between folky chamber pop, wistful piano balladry and low impact synth pop, ‘Apart’ finds LÉON looking back through a twilight hue at a relationship from which she chose to walk away.
Read moreBruce Springsteen Reunites with the E Street Band, Delivers Varied Results on ‘Letter To You’ | Album Review
A long dip in the middle of the record makes it difficult to see Springsteen’s twentieth studio affair matching up to his other great works.
Read moreFaithless Return to Fortify Our Faith in Music’s Healing Powers with ‘All Blessed’ | Album Review
“This album reflects what has always been the Faithless manifesto: be conscious, be caring, love yourself so you can love others and understand who you are and where you are,” the group explains.
Read moreMariah Carey’s ‘The Rarities’ Testifies to the Power and Permanence of Her Songcraft | Album Review
Coupled with the expansive vinyl reissue campaign Carey has recently embarked on with her back catalog, ‘The Rarities’ feels like an additional discographic treat.
Read moreBlack Thought Enthralls and Enlightens on Lyrical Masterclass ‘Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Able’ | Album Review
It’s no longer surprising how Black Thought continues to astound as an artist, but ‘Cane and Able’ is still an impressive next step in his progression.
Read moreKatie Melua Indulges Her Restless Creative Spirit on Intelligent, Imaginative ‘Album No. 8’ | Album Review & Interview
Melua’s eighth studio affair resumes the forward-thinking thrust that made both ‘The House’ (2010) and ‘In Winter’ (2016) so enthralling, but there is a newfound urgency and intention present.
Read moreNatalie Schlabs’ Divine ‘Don’t Look Too Close’ Offers Plenty of Reasons to Listen Closely | Album Review
Even the most cursory of listens to the inspired ‘Don’t Look Too Close’ validates that the Nashville based singer-songwriter deserves all of the plaudits sure to come her way.
Read moreGabriel Garzón-Montano Stretches His Sound on Genre-Blurring ‘Agüita’ | Album Review
Though the sequencing of ‘Agüita’ is aurally jarring, this sound expansion is a smart move so early in Garzón-Montano’s career.
Read moreTom Aspaul’s Debut Album ‘Black Country Disco’ Signifies the Arrival of a Vibrant New Voice in Modern Pop | Album Review
Tendered through his own indie-imprint 1609 Records, the album is a striking and fully realized recording unified across its tonal, sonic, and narrative quarters.
Read moreMelanie C Returns Invigorated and Liberated with Excellent, Eponymous Eighth Album 'Melanie C' | Review
In many respects, ‘Melanie C’ is an extension of the digital and pop-soul texturing emblematic of its precursor ‘Version of Me’ (2016), but with warmer aesthetics in place of the chillier ones.
Read morePrince’s ‘Sign O’ The Times’ (Super Deluxe Edition)—12 Highlights That Further Illuminate His Musical Genius | Review
Funk oozes throughout the vault tracks—nasty, grimy funk too but, Prince being Prince, there is also a smorgasbord of other delights across this expansive edition.
Read morePublic Enemy’s Words & Sounds Remain as Powerful as Ever on ‘What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?’ | Album Review
Bolstered by collaborations with an impressive crew of their hip-hop peers, PE’s new album proves that the messages in Chuck D, Flavor Flav and DJ Lord’s music still pack a potent punch.
Read moreRóisín Murphy’s Musical Magnetism Is Irrefutable on Career Watershed ‘Róisín Machine’ | Album Review
For all of the album’s affection for the past, collaborator Richard Barratt aids Murphy with his exacting production to ensure that the LP remains a modern-day affair.
Read moreBob Mould Rages Against the Faltering American Machine on ‘Blue Hearts’ | Album Review
Photo: Blake Little Photography
Mould’s fourteenth studio affair is deliberately lo-fi, with the drums, bass, and vocals mixed a bit behind his caustic guitar, which is what helps make the album sound like a live show caught on tape.
Read moreSAULT’s ‘Untitled (Rise)’ Is a Sublime, Soul-Affirming Masterpiece of Transcendent Musical Power | Album Review
From the first minute, it is clear that ‘Untitled (Rise)’ is further, unequivocal evidence of the collective’s brilliance.
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