There is no doubting Parks’ artistry, and her lyrics remain vital and impressive. But the music, at times, ventures towards the less memorable end of the scale.
Read moreFoo Fighters Navigate the Convergence of Love and Loss on Poignant, Elegiac 'But Here We Are' | Album Review
Just as celebratory as it is cathartic, the band’s eleventh album hits the right chord time and time again, not weighed down by its content, but freed by its expression.
Read moreJidenna Examines Intimacy In Its Multiple Forms with Compelling ‘ME YOU & GOD’ | Album Review
‘ME YOU & GOD’ is an anthology of vignettes that works best as an uninterrupted listen.
Read moreKate Ceberano Reimagines Her Canon with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on Majestic ‘My Life Is A Symphony’ | Album Review
On Ceberano’s thirtieth album, the words take center stage with her voice and the orchestra, in all its grandeur and raw audible beauty, combining to create something truly magnificent.
Read moreEmily King’s ‘Special Occasion’ Celebrates the Vitality and Vicissitudes of Love | Album Review
Ostensibly, Emily King and Jeremy Most’s final act as a duo was to craft a spectacular, textured elegy to their union. Tragedy aside, ‘Special Occasion’ is an undeniable triumph.
Read moreJoshua Idehen’s Personal Reflections Yield Universal Revelations on Inspired ‘Learn To Swim, A Mixtape’ | Review
Across ‘Learn To Swim, A Mixtape,’ Idehen drops memorable, meaningful line after line accompanied by a variety of euphoric choruses and gently throbbing variations of dancefloor life.
Read moreBlack Thought’s Top-Tier Lyricism and El Michels Affair’s Soulful Soundscapes Converge on ‘Glorious Game’ | Review
With Black Thought operating at the peaks of his talents and Leon Michels’ soundscapes tailored to match the depth of subject matter, this musical partnership will hopefully endure.
Read moreJessie Ware Stimulates the Soul with Radiant, Rapturous ‘That! Feels Good!’ | Album Review
Ware’s fifth album is a stunning, soul-affirming musical statement from an artist who assuredly has so much more to say—while having nothing to prove—as her career continues to ascend.
Read moreEverything But The Girl Recharge Their Musical Chemistry with ‘Fuse’ | Album Review
Skillfully constructed, carefully crafted, familiar and fresh all at the same time, ‘Fuse’ finds the duo more in sync, connected, and inspired by each other than ever before.
Read moreJulien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers & Lucy Dacus Deliver a Definitive Musical Statement with boygenius' ‘the record’ | Album Review
The lack of center is very much the point: three gifted musicians looking at the calamity of our modern world and saying, “here’s what we’ve got.”
Read moreAdi Oasis’ Multiple Musical Dimensions Radiate on ‘Lotus Glow’ | Album Review
‘Lotus Glow’ finds the singer-songwriter-bassist scaling new artistic heights and proving that her pen can cover a variety of subject matters with aplomb.
Read moreYazmin Lacey Expands Her Musical Palette and Enriches Her Vocal Charms on ‘Voice Notes’ | Album Review
The overarching themes of Lacey’s debut album are self-discovery and the search for peace of mind, both of which are explored adeptly by her frank lyrical touch.
Read moreJosé James Gracefully Reimagines Erykah Badu’s Imaginative Songs with ‘On & On’ | Album Review
By covering Badu’s songs, James is not only offering a valid and enjoyable reinterpretation of them, but he is also showing that these compositions should be considered part of soul music’s canon.
Read moreNicole Dollanganger Captures Snapshots of a Fading American Dream on ‘Married in Mount Airy’ | Album Review
With Dollanganger’s well-established predilection for sinister subject matter, what stands out most about ‘Married in Mount Airy’ is that it’s surprisingly devoid of graphic content or gore.
Read moreLittle Simz Seeks, Finds and Delivers Her Truth on Captivating ‘NO THANK YOU’ | Album Review
Little Simz’s fifth studio affair proves yet again that the heavenly combination of Inflo’s ever-expanding musical imagination and her intelligent, insightful and emotive lyrics have few, if any, equals.
Read moreSAULT Continue to Bless Our Ears and Souls in a Multitude of Ways with Expansive, Inspired Five-Album Offering | Review
The five albums represent a celebration of possibility and the demolition of boundaries. Demolition by percussive mastery, formidable bass lines and subtle moments of deep joy.
Read moreNas’ Voice Is as Vital and Reflective as Ever on Impressive ‘King’s Disease III’ | Album Review
‘King’s Disease III’ reinforces that there’s a whole realm of possibilities open for Nas as an emcee, as he looks toward the promising future of his already prolific career.
Read moreWeyes Blood Excavates the Cracked, Post-Pandemic Human Heart on ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’ | Album Review
By creating an odd discrepancy between the sounds of one bygone era and the immediate problems of this one, Mering carves out a wide space for contemplation.
Read moreExpansive ‘Thriller 40’ Delves Deep into the Multiple Dimensions of Michael Jackson’s Musical Genius | Album Review
The expanded collection brings into focus Jackson’s artistry and tenacity, as well as his fixation to create an album full of hit singles.
Read moreThe Du-Rites Fortify the Funk on ‘Plug It In’ | Album Review
‘Plug It In’ reinforces that the duo have become one of the best and most consistent instrumental soul/funk groups of the 21st century.
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